Echizen sickle

Sickles have been produced since the Middle Ages as a speciality of Fuchu, Echizen Province (Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture). Fuchu was one of the three major production areas of forged blades, along with Echigo (Niigata Prefecture) and Harima (Hyogo Prefecture). In addition to a wide variety of sickles, kitchen knives, machetes, scissors and other tools were also produced, and during the Edo period, the area flourished under the protection and control of the Fukui Domain. The An'ei period (1772-1781) was the most prosperous period, with more than 200 blacksmith associations in Blacksmith Alley alone, and 50 wholesalers. Traveling merchants who lived in Fuchu and its surrounding areas sold their products to Hokuriku, Kanto, Osaka, Kyoto and other areas. The most enthusiastic people were those living in Mizumadani and Tsukiodani in Echizen City, and at one time there were as many as 300 people peddling, but now there are only a few.

[Watanabe, Moritoshi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

越前国府中(ふちゅう)（福井県越前市）の特産物として中世から生産された鎌。府中は越後(えちご)（新潟県）や播磨(はりま)（兵庫県）と並んで、打刃物の三大産地の一つであった。数多い種類の鎌をはじめ、包丁、鉈(なた)、鋏(はさみ)なども生産され、江戸時代には福井藩の保護統制により、たいへん栄えた。とくに安永(あんえい)年間（1772～81）がもっとも盛んな時代だったらしく、鍛冶(かじ)株仲間も、鍛冶屋横丁だけで200軒を超え、問屋も50軒あったという。府中とその周辺に住んで行商をした人々により北陸、関東、大坂、京都などに売られた。越前市の水間谷(みずまだに)や月尾谷(つきおだに)に住む人たちがもっとも熱心で、300人ぐらいが行商に出たこともあったが、現在はわずかとなった。

［渡邊守順］

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