Kanto region

Japanese: 関東地方 - かんとうちほう

Located almost in the center of Honshu, it refers to the area consisting of Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Gunma, Tochigi, and Ibaraki. During the Taika Reforms, the name Kanto referred to the area east of the Sanseki region of Suzuka, Fuwa, and Arachi (the border between Shiga and Mie, Gifu, and Fukui prefectures). As the country progressed in development, from the end of the Heian period, the area east and north of the line connecting Ashigara and Hakone Passes (on the border between Shizuoka and Kanagawa prefectures along the Tokaido) and Usui Pass (on the border between Nagano and Gunma prefectures along the Tosando), and south of Mutsu (Tohoku region), came to be called Kanto (Bandō), a name that continues to this day. The influence of Tokyo, the capital, now pervades the entire Kanto region, and movements closely linked to it can be seen not only in areas within commuting distance of Tokyo, but also in areas further away. In particular, Tokyo and the three neighboring southern Kanto prefectures of Kanagawa, Chiba, and Saitama are among the top 10 in the nation in terms of population and value of manufactured goods shipped, and are the most industrially and culturally active regions in Japan.

Edo, the predecessor of Tokyo, was the center of the whole of Kanto and the center of Japan, and had a population of over one million people, developing into one of the world's largest cities. The Tokugawa Shogunate and other feudal lords who had their residences in Edo under the alternate attendance system had a huge demand for daily necessities. Kanto was a backward region in terms of the manufacture of food (rice, fish, sake, soy sauce), clothing (silk, cotton, and linen fabrics), miscellaneous goods, and tools, and many other items were difficult to obtain in the Kanto region around the 16th century, so people who came from Kansai (Kamigata) developed the production areas. In the 17th century, these items, such as fish from Kashima Nada and the southern Tohoku coast, and soy sauce from Choshi and Noda (Chiba Prefecture), began to be gradually harvested and produced in Kanto. Rice was used as food and also as tax, and a large amount of rice was shipped down from Tohoku. For the transportation of these goods to Edo, transportation routes were developed along the coast, the banks of various rivers such as the Tone River and the Edo River, and the shores of lakes and ponds, and settlements in ports and on the riverbanks developed.

In 1868 (Keio 4), Edo Castle was opened to the public, and the new government of the Meiji Restoration was established. The capital was moved to Tokyo and became the capital of Japan. All central government offices were concentrated there (in the Kasumigaseki and Otemachi areas), and foreign embassies were also established, making Tokyo the center of Japanese politics, administration, and diplomacy under a centralized system. Until around 1930 (Showa 5), Tokyo was the center of Japanese politics and culture, and Osaka was the center of commerce and industry, but from that time, the ties between companies and politics became stronger, and head offices were established in Tokyo, making Tokyo the center of the central management functions of Japanese industry. As a result, the concentration of population increased, and residential areas for Tokyo commuters have expanded not only to the three neighboring southern Kanto prefectures, but also to the northern Kanto prefectures in recent years.

Tokyo is also the center of Japanese academic culture and international exchange. In particular, it is characterized by the large number of academic societies and the Science Council of Japan, which strives to advance research and serves as a gateway for exchange with foreign academic circles. There are also many museums, libraries, research institutes, archives, and other facilities in Tokyo.

After the port was opened, Yokohama became the largest trading port in Japan and the gateway to Tokyo, and the number of foreign residents increased rapidly. The new Meiji government appointed the Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture to also serve as the head of Yokohama customs, and appointed minister-level officials to work on the development of the port and the city. As industry modernized in the 20th century, the factory districts of downtown Tokyo became too small, and heavy chemical industries joined in. In Kawasaki and eastern Yokohama, coastal industrial zones were created by reclaiming land, and became the centers of the Keihin Industrial Zone, which was further expanded during World War II. After the war, the petrochemical industry was added, but it became too small during the high growth period of the Japanese economy in the 1960s. The area that was expanded to supplement this was the Keiyo Industrial Zone on the bay coast of Chiba Prefecture, which extended as far south as Futtsu City, and ports (Chiba Port and Kisarazu Port) were built, making it an industrial zone dominated by petroleum, which now plays a major role in the industry of the Kanto region and Japan.

[Yoshio Asaka and Kazuo Nakamura]

Nature

The Kanto Plain, the largest in Japan, spreads across the Kanto area, and of the eight regions in Japan, it is the one with the best topography. First, in the center of Southern Kanto is Tokyo Bay, which is surrounded by the Kanto Plain. Outside the plain, the south and east are the seas (Sagami Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and the Kashima Nada Sea), and the west and north are mountainous. The Chichibu and Tanzawa mountain ranges in the west are the Kanto Mountains in the broad sense, and from the north to the northeast are the Mikuni Mountains and the Taishaku Mountains, and to the south of those are the mid-mountain Ashio Mountains. Furthermore, in the northeast, there are the hills of the Abukuma Highlands, and continuing south of them is the Yamizo Mountains, the southernmost of which is Mount Tsukuba (876 meters).

Looking at the topography of these mountain ranges, the Kanto Mountains are a mature topography with high mountains such as Mt. Kobushi (2,475m) and Mt. Kumotori (2,017m) side by side with deep valleys that are the source of the Kanna River, Arakawa River, Tama River, etc. The Mikuni Mountains are also a mature topography with a series of steep peaks such as Mt. Tanigawa (1,978m), Mt. Mikuni (1,636m), and Mt. Shirasuna (2,140m). In contrast, the Abukuma Highlands have been lowered by erosion over a long period of time, with the mountain ranges becoming wavy and the topography of an older age, with some areas becoming semi-plains and some remaining hills. To the south, the hilly Boso and Miura peninsulas stand out.

Mount Hakone (a typical triple-type volcano) on the southwestern border with the Tokai region belongs to the Fuji volcanic belt, which stretches from the Izu Peninsula to the south, the Izu Islands including Oshima, Miyakejima, and Hachijojima, and the Ogasawara Islands. To the north, there are a series of volcanoes belonging to the Nasu volcanic belt, including Mount Haruna (1,449 meters), Mount Akagi (1,828 meters), Mount Asama (2,568 meters), Mount Azumaya (2,354 meters), the new volcano of Mount Shirane (Nikko Shirane, Kusatsu Shirane), Mount Nantai (2,486 meters), and Mount Nasu (1,915 meters), which is close to the border with the Tohoku region. These volcanoes have volcanic lakes; Lake Ashino in Hakone and Lake Haruna in Haruna are crater basin lakes, and Lake Chuzenji in Nikko is a lava-dammed lake.

Rivers flowing from the mountainous regions in the north and west include the Tone River, Arakawa River, and Tama River in the center, the Sagami River and Sakawa River in the south, and the Naka River and Kuji River in the north, each of which forms a plain in its basin. Plateaus and terraces covered with the Kanto Loam layer have developed in the middle and lower reaches of these rivers. This shows that the Kanto region, along with other areas of central Japan, underwent intense uplift during geological times. The area that is lower than the low alluvial plains is the area that stretches from Tokyo Bay to the north and south of the basins of the Edo River, Kinu River, and Kokai River. The reason that this central area is lower than the plateaus of Hitachi and Shimousa in the east is because it is a structural depression that rises on both the east and west sides of the axis, and the Kanto Plain is called a structural basin. However, the plateaus and terraces within the plain are not particularly high, and so they do little to impede traffic between the plain and the alluvial plains created by the various rivers. There are many lakes and marshes, such as Lake Kasumigaura, Lake Kitaura, and Lake Hinuma in the east, and Lake Teganuma and Lake Inbanuma in the south.

The climate of the prefecture belongs to the Pacific coastal climate zone, but in the northwestern part, the influence of the Sea of Japan climate is seen across the Mikuni Mountains. In the plains, there is generally little regional variation in temperature and precipitation, but there are large differences between the southern coastal areas and the mountainous areas in the northwest. In the southern Boso and Miura peninsulas, the Shonan region, the Izu Islands, and the Ogasawara Islands, both the annual and daily temperature ranges are small, and the climate is mild all year round. The climate and vegetation of the Izu Islands and Ogasawara Islands are temperate and subtropical, and they are surrounded by clean seas. From the mountainous areas to the foothills in the northwest, there are many thunderstorms in the summer and dry winds in the winter. The Keihin region has an urban climate typical of urban areas, with generally somewhat high temperatures, strong winds (building winds) blowing between high-rise buildings, and high levels of air pollution, making environmental conservation an important issue.

The vegetation zones are evergreen broadleaf forest in the plains, summer green broadleaf forest in the surrounding (western and northern) mountains, and subalpine vegetation in the highlands near the summits. In the evergreen broadleaf forests of the plains, warm climate vegetation is seen on the coasts from the southern to eastern regions. Looking at the mountainside at an altitude of 200 to 400 meters, chinquapin forests and thunbergia forests (warm temperate forests) can be seen in the southern Boso and Miura peninsulas (around Mt. Kiyosumi and Mt. Ogusu), while chestnut forests (temperate forests) are mixed with Mongolian oak forests in the northern and western Kanto mountainous regions. Furthermore, at an altitude of 700 to 1,500 meters, summer green broadleaf forests mainly consisting of tall trees such as beech, Mongolian oak, and Himeshara develop in Hakone and Tanzawayama in the south, while beech and horse chestnut forests are found in the northern mountainous regions. In the Mikuni Mountains and the Taishaku Mountains in the north, subalpine coniferous forests of Abies mariesii, Picea picea, and Tsuga diversifolia have developed, and the Ozehara Plain is known as a high-altitude marsh.

[Yoshio Asaka and Kazuo Nakamura]

industry

In the Kanto region, there are urban farms that take advantage of the favorable location conditions close to large urban clusters to intensively manage their operations, and increase production value by combining vegetables, fruits, and livestock, with these as their main crops. The number of farms, both part-time and full-time, is on the decline overall.

In the fishing industry, both coastal and offshore fishing catches are on the decline, while deep-sea fishing shows some growth. The main fishing ports are Choshi, Tokyo, Misaki (Miura City), Nakaminato (Hitachinaka City), Kurihama (Yokosuka City), and Katsuura. Another characteristic of Kanto fishing ports is that a high percentage of the catch is shipped as fresh fish.

A notable trend in recent years in the Kanto region's agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries has been the trend toward tourism. The region is No. 1 in the country in terms of the number of operators and visitors of fruit-picking orchards, potato-digging orchards, tourist flower gardens, fishing ponds, and other establishments, and there are also many strawberry-picking orchards, barbecue gardens, mushroom picking, and wild vegetable picking. Recreational fishing in the sea and lakes is also popular, and the rate of fishing population is the highest in the country along with Kinki and Hokuriku. There are also many farmers, foresters, and fishermen who operate guesthouses. Thus, the tourism (tertiary industrialization) of the Kanto region's agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries is likely to progress even more rapidly as the leisure time - or free time - and income of residents of the Keihin megacity cluster increases.

In terms of commerce, large, modernized shopping districts have developed in the city center and subcenters of Tokyo, and the city's retail sales are the highest in the nation. This includes sales to Tokyo residents as well as to shoppers from all over the Kanto region who come to Tokyo. Wholesale sales are several times higher than retail sales, and this is due to sales not only within Tokyo, but also throughout the Kanto region and even throughout eastern Japan. Apart from this, in recent years, Tokyo wholesalers and manufacturers have established sales outlets and service centers in regional central cities, and Tokyo department stores and supermarkets have also expanded into regional areas, shocking regional wholesalers and retailers. In addition, department stores and supermarkets funded by regional capital have also developed and formed their own sales networks. Many of these have agreements with their Tokyo counterparts regarding purchasing, sales, and advertising. Furthermore, regional banks have developed in various regions (mainly at the prefectural level), and many financial institutions, including city banks with their head offices in Tokyo, have branches in regional cities, strengthening the economic ties between Tokyo and the Kanto region more deeply and widely.

The value of industrial shipments in the Keihin Industrial Zone is the highest among the four major industrial zones in Japan, and the remarkable industrial growth in the Keiyo Industrial Zone, Saitama Prefecture, and the three prefectures of Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Gunma in recent years is among the best in the country. Tokyo has by far the largest number of factories, but Kanagawa Prefecture is characterized by its prominent large-scale factories and high shipment values per factory, and the same trend can be seen in new factories in Chiba and Saitama Prefectures. Furthermore, industries in the Keihin Zone span a wide range of fields, including machinery, metals, chemicals, food, publishing and printing, as well as the latest cutting-edge technology industries, and products range from materials and parts to finished products, with parent factories and subcontractors forming part of a chain. This is a pioneering region in technological innovation, known for its high level of industrial-related technological research, and is characterized by the large number of large-scale research institutes with highly skilled researchers.

The Keihin Industrial Zone is a coastal region that includes Tokyo, Kawasaki, Yokohama, and Yokosuka, with Kawasaki at its center and Yokohama and Tokyo (Koto Ward) housing large steelworks, which are directly connected to the two groups of shipbuilding, automobile, vehicle, and heavy electrical machinery plants, as well as food, refinery, and petrochemical complexes, each equipped with its own distinctive facilities and equipment, making it a cutting-edge industrial zone that leads the nation along with the Hanshin Industrial Zone. Many of the large factories built on reclaimed land each have their own piers (industrial ports), where ocean-going ships dock to load and unload raw materials and products. The industrial zone stretches from the inner Tokyo Bay to the east along the coast of Chiba Prefecture, expanding from Funabashi, Chiba, Ichihara, and Kisarazu, and with the nation's leading companies moving in, it is called the Keiyo Industrial Zone.

In recent years, in the inland areas adjacent to these Tokyo Bay coasts, namely the northeastern part of Tokyo, the Tama River lowlands in the northwestern part of Kawasaki, and the northern and western suburbs of Yokohama, the construction of factories for assembling various types of equipment using robots, including light electrical equipment, has been noticeable. These factories have also spread along several major roads to Shonan (Ofuna in Kamakura, Fujisawa, Chigasaki, Hiratsuka, Odawara), central Kanagawa Prefecture (Sagamihara, Yamato, Atsugi, Isehara, Hadano), cities on the Saitama Plain (Kawagoe, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Kumagaya, Koshigaya, Kasukabe, etc.), northeastern Chiba Prefecture (Matsudo, Kashiwa, etc.), and cities in northern Kanto (Takasaki, Maebashi, Ota, Sano, Tochigi, Oyama, Utsunomiya, Moka, Tsuchiura, Mito, Hitachinaka), and more. In addition, the Kashima coastal industrial area, centered on the steel and petrochemical industries, has developed across the cities of Kashima and Kamisu in the southeastern part of Ibaraki Prefecture.

In the Kanto region, in addition to the modern industries that emerged in the Meiji era, there are also long-established industries that are being modernized. In the foothills of the mountains from the north to the west, in cities such as Kiryu, Ashikaga, Isesaki, Chichibu, Ome, and Hachioji, new ideas have been added to the traditions that arose in the Edo period, and new developments have been made in products by incorporating chemical fiber sectors, with small and medium-sized enterprises congregating in industrial parks and working to streamline operations. In Noda and Choshi, downstream of the Tone River, the long-established soy sauce brewing industry has developed.

As energy sources for these industries, huge thermal power plants with outputs of over 1 million kilowatts have been built in Yokosuka, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Tokyo, Chiba, and other places, and these serve as the main source of power. Hydroelectric power, which was developed early on, supplements these power sources and is sent to the Kanto region as well as the so-called outer Kanto region, which stretches from the eastern Chubu region to the southern Tohoku region. Nuclear power plants, which were established in Tokai Village, Ibaraki Prefecture, are used as industrial power sources to supplement the power sent from the nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.

The rapid growth of Kanto's industry, which ranks first in Japan, has brought various pollution problems to the Keihin Industrial Zone and other areas. In recent years, regulatory measures against these pollution problems have been strengthened. As a result, an increasing number of factories are relocating from Kawasaki and Yokohama, the core areas of the Keihin Industrial Zone, to the three northern Kanto prefectures and Yamanashi Prefecture, etc., to increase production in new pollution-free facilities. Although the reduction in factories has eased environmental problems in these two cities, it has had a negative impact on city finances and the revitalization of the market, and countermeasures have become a new issue.

[Yoshio Asaka and Kazuo Nakamura]

traffic

After the Meiji Restoration, the construction of trunk railways centered on Tokyo was promoted as a national policy, and by the mid-Meiji period, most of the Tokaido, Chuo, Takasaki, Tohoku, and Joban lines had been opened, completing the railway connection between the capital Tokyo and various regions of eastern Japan, including the Keihanshin area. Then, in the late Meiji period, the construction of private railways (mainly light railways) became popular, and the Keihin, Keio, and Tobu lines were opened. Even in the Taisho period, the national railway (now JR) and private railways (Seibu, Tokyu, etc.) continued to build and extend trunk and branch lines, and by the early Showa period, most of the current railway network had been built and developed. Also, the Tokyo subway was opened in the early Showa period, but after World War II, large-scale expansion was carried out, and a subway network of up to 13 lines was formed between the Tokyo metropolitan area by the Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd. (commonly known as Tokyo Metro, formerly the Teito Rapid Transit Authority) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Yokohama also has several municipal subway lines, and new lines are being considered. These JR, private railways, and subways have mutual access between Tokyo and the four Kanto prefectures of Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, and Ibaraki, which are the commuter and school areas, further expanding the area of use. In 1964 (Showa 39), the Tokaido Shinkansen opened between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, bringing revolutionary high-speed travel to Japanese rail transport, and in 1983 the Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen were opened, followed by the Yamagata Shinkansen in 1992 (Heisei 4), and the Nozomi, which runs at 270 kilometers per hour, connecting Tokyo and Hakata in 5 hours and 4 minutes. In 1997, the Akita Shinkansen and Hokuriku Shinkansen (also known as the Shinkansen bound for Nagano) were opened, shortening travel times between the regions and the metropolitan area.

Roads, which had been dependent on the Japanese National Railways for long-distance freight transport, began to be transported using national highways in the early Taisho period and were developed accordingly. First, improvements were made to the mountain passes of the various highways that crossed the mountainous areas around the Kanto region, and by the early Showa period, almost all mountain passes along the national highways were open to automobile traffic. During World War II, the Second Keihin National Highway (now National Highway No. 1), the Industrial Road, and the Tokyo Ring Road (National Highway No. 16) were built to ease traffic between the capital and the west. After the war, a series of road development plans were implemented, which promoted the improvement and paving of not only national highways but also prefectural and metropolitan roads, and the construction of the Third Keihin Road and bypass roads for old national highways (now National Highways No. 20, No. 17, No. 18, No. 4, and No. 6) was carried out, and major prefectural and metropolitan roads were upgraded to national highways. The development of trunk roads progressed rapidly. In 1964, when the Tokyo Olympics were held in Tokyo, a part of the Shuto Expressway was opened, followed by the Tomei Expressway in 1969. Later, the Chuo, Kanetsu, Joshinetsu, Tohoku, Joban, East Kanto, North Kanto, Ken-o, Tokyo Outer Ring Expressway, and other expressways were constructed one after another, and interchanges were established at various strategic locations along the Kanto roads. These roads are used extensively by regular buses and trucks, and are also used by ordinary cars, with the Kanto region having the highest traffic volume in the country. In December 1997, the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line, a part of the Tokyo Bay Trans-Asia Expressway (approximately 15 km long), was opened between Kawasaki and Kisarazu. The construction of the second Tomei Expressway is planned as the main route of the 21st century high-speed transportation system.

The main ports in the Kanto region are Yokohama, Tokyo, Chiba, Kawasaki, and Yokosuka, concentrated in Tokyo Bay. Yokohama Port has regular shipping routes (cargo ships) to major ports around the world, including Asia, North America, and Europe, and is the maritime gateway to Japan. In the 1980s, the port's trade accounted for about one-fifth of the nation's exports and one-tenth of its imports. Chiba Port's trade volume is also among the highest in the nation, with crude oil being the main import. However, the shipping capacity within Tokyo Bay is reaching saturation, and the Uraga Strait, which is the entrance and exit point, is at high risk of marine accidents. As a result, there is a noticeable movement to seek new ports outside Tokyo Bay, and Kashima Port was opened as the base of the Kashima Special Industrial Development Zone, and Hitachi Port has also been developed.

Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport), which opened early in the aviation industry, is now mainly used for domestic flights in Japan, with some international flights also using it. As the runways here are short and few in number, construction work was carried out to reclaim land on the adjacent sea surface to expand the airport, and it has been operating 24 hours a day since July 1997, significantly increasing the number of flights per day. New Tokyo International Airport (now Narita International Airport), which was built to separate international flights from Haneda Airport, opened in 1978, and serves as Japan's air gateway to other countries, with a succession of international scheduled flights taking off and landing there, as well as cargo planes.

[Yoshio Asaka and Kazuo Nakamura]

development

In the 20 years from 1960 to 1980, the population increase in Kanto was half that of the entire nation, with the increase being particularly notable in the four prefectures of Southern Kanto. As the population increased, industry, commerce and other industries also became concentrated in Kanto, especially Southern Kanto, and rapid urbanization took place. This led to problems with housing, transportation, water and other aspects of the urban environment, and the distortions of urbanization are becoming apparent.

This trend began to appear in the early 1950s, when the post-World War II turmoil was beginning to subside. In 1956, the Capital Region Development Law was enacted to curb the concentration of population and industry in megacities and to improve the urban environment. The First Capital Region Development Plan, which embodied this plan, divided an area with a 100-kilometer radius of Tokyo into three zones: A, the existing urban area; B, the surrounding area; and C, the surrounding area outside of that. In other words, the construction of new factories, universities, etc. in the existing urban area A was to be restricted, and the surrounding area B was to be made into a green belt as a suburban area. Furthermore, the outer area C was to be developed as an urban development area, and satellite cities were to be created to absorb the population and industry. However, this plan did not achieve the expected results due to the subsequent rapid increase in population and industry, and development progressed especially in Zone B, which became a state of chaotic development. In response, the Capital Region Development Law was amended in 1966, and the Second Capital Region Basic Plan was enacted. In particular, the area around the existing urban area in Area B was revised to a suburban development zone with a radius of 50 kilometers from the city center, and while an influx of population and industry was permitted, uncontrolled development was to be prevented as much as possible, and satellite city development was to be promoted in Area C. A suburban green space conservation area was also established in Area B.

Since then, the Kanto region has continued to develop rapidly, and has become what could be called a megacity with a population of 35 million. Disorderly urbanization is evident not only along the main roads radiating out from Tokyo, but also in the areas between them, and many areas require urgent improvement and development. This article looks at the main problems in Tokyo and the entire Kanto region, as well as the main countermeasures currently being implemented.

(1) Housing Development Tokyo's population had been on a downward trend until 1980, but has since begun to grow again. Although the number of homes for Tokyo residents exceeds the number of households, the quality is insufficient, with three-quarters of homes below the national average. In response to this, Tokyo has been working on plans to redevelop and reuse existing urban areas and residential spaces in the wards under the My Town concept. The metropolitan government is also working on large-scale developments, such as Tama and Hachioji New Towns, to prevent sprawl and promote planned urban development in various areas that harmonizes work and housing.

(2) Road Development As mentioned above, the Kanto region has a number of radial highways centered on Tokyo, as well as national and prefectural roads running parallel to them, but the construction of ring roads connecting these has lagged behind. The Tokyo Outer Ring Expressway opened in 1992, and construction of the Metropolitan Intercity Expressway is underway (partially opened).

(3) Railway Development Following the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen, the Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen lines were opened in 1983, and the Hokuriku Shinkansen was opened to Nagano via Takasaki in 1997. Construction of new and extended railways between Tokyo and the neighboring southern Kanto regions (urbanizing areas) has also been carried out. Most of the new, extended and expanded lines, including JR's commuter line (Osaki-Omiya, Saikyo Line), are characterized by their improved efficiency through extended operation and mutual interchange systems, and by their ingenious efforts to shorten the distance to the city center.

One notable development in recent years is the remarkable expansion of research and cultural facilities. Tsukuba Science City was built by the national government and has played a major role in international exchange, hosting the International Exposition (Tsukuba '85) in 1985. Other notable developments include the National Museum of Japanese History (Sakura City), Showa Memorial Park (Tokyo), Children's Science Museum (Tochigi), Saitama Aquarium (Saitama), Tennis Forest (Tokyo), and Shonan International Village (Kanagawa Prefecture), among others.

Furthermore, waterfront development has been progressing, and the Tokyo Bay area has been undergoing a remarkable transformation. In response to the progress of internationalization and information technology, Yokohama, Tokyo, and Chiba are competing to build new urban centers with various functions on the bay coast. Yokohama City has relocated the former JNR yards and shipyards that had been located in the waterfront area, and opened the Yokohama Landmark Tower, the tallest building in Japan, and Queens Square Yokohama, and the Metropolitan Expressway Bayshore Line spans Yokohama Port via the Yokohama Bay Bridge. Tokyo has built new urban centers in the Aomi, Ariake, and Odaiba areas, and opened the Rainbow Bridge, which serves as the main entrance, and the Tokyo Waterfront New Transit (Yurikamome) new transportation system (1995). Chiba Prefecture has also developed the Makuhari New City, and Tokyo has developed waterfront new urban centers in the No. 13 reclaimed land and Odaiba area, and Japan's largest convention center (Makuhari Messe) has been built. The Tokyo Bay Transit Highway was also opened to connect the highly developed Keihin and Keiyo areas with the Boso area, which still had a lot of room for development, significantly shortening the distance between Kawasaki and Kisarazu.

[Yoshio Asaka and Kazuo Nakamura]

population

The population of the Kanto region in 1960 was 23 million, but 20 years later, in 1980, it reached about 34.9 million. Over the last 20 years, it increased by about 11.9 million. The national proportion of these populations was 24.6% in 1960, but 29.8% in 1980, which means an increase of about 5 points. What's more, the increase of 11.9 million is one-half of the national increase of 23.54 million over the same period. Considering the nature of the era (industrial, economic, and society), 1960 was a period when high growth in the Japanese economy was about to begin, and then it had undergone high growth, oil shock, and then low (stable) growth. During those 20 years, a half of the population of Japan's increasing population was concentrated in Kanto, which is only 8.6% of the country's area. If the population represents the sum of the industrial, economic and social activities of a region, it is said that a half of the Japanese economy's rapid growth since 1960 was set in the Kanto region, and the magnitude of the role that Kanto plays in modern Japan is known. Population growth has continued since then, with 38.54 million people (31.2% of the national level) in 1990 and 39.52 million people (31.5% of the national level) in 1995, exceeding 30% of the national population. In 2000, the number exceeded 40 million, and in 2005 it reached 41.49 million.

になったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do. However, looking at the rate of increase and decrease from 2000 to 2005, Tokyo's highest rate was 4.2%, which has been a halt to the phenomenon of donuts.

[Asaka Yukio and Nakamura Kazuo]

history

During the Jomon period, people gathered in the coastal regions, including the Tokyo Bay coast, which is easy to obtain fish and shellfish, and the Kanto region was well-opened along with the Tohoku region, as the mountains also had a foundation for their lives. However, as the Yayoi period began, Kinki and Western Japan, where rice cultivation conditions such as water use were well-established, first opened, and then spread to eastern Japan, so it appears that the development of paddy fields in the Kanto region, which has a wide plateau, was made quite late. In addition, with the advancement of ancient state powers, ancient tomb culture and Buddhist culture were also introduced from Kinki to Kanto. Kunimiyatsuko, which was located in various regions of the Kanto region during the Taika Reform, was abolished, and new countries were formed: Sagami, Kazusa (Awa was separated from Kazusa during the Nara period), Shimosa, Hitachi (all Tokaido), Ueno, Shimotsuki, and Musashi (all Toyama Road. Musashi entered the Tokaido during the Nara period), and each country had a kokumin and was established to promote administration. In the Middle Ages, Kanto samurai, such as the Genji and Hojo clans, took power, and Kamakura became the center of politics. The Zen culture (Kamakura culture), centered around the Mt. Kamakura, retains many precious cultures today. However, if you look at it broadly, this was not as good as the culture of Kinki. The era from the Nanboku-cho period to the Muromachi and Sengoku period was an era when progress in the Kanto region stagnated, and the progress of the common people's society was slower than in the Kinki region, and although the Ashikaga School was built, it is said that training and religious activities in Kanto were weaker than in the Kinki and Hokuriku region.

The Edo Shogunate was established, and the political power of the Kanto region grew, and Edo rapidly developed urban development, and from the mid to late Edo period, the blossoming of consumer culture was blooming. In addition, dozens of castle towns were created, including Mito, Kawagoe, Odawara, Sakura, Tatebayashi, Utsunomiya, and Maebashi, which were a bit far from Edo, and both were the centers of administration, distribution and culture within the domain, but these in the Kanto region remained in small domains and small castle towns (Jinyacho). Therefore, the only city that was typical of the Edo period was Edo, and the Kanto region's local culture was still at a low level. At that time, commercial crops such as tobacco, yugao, cannabis, and mulch were cultivated in the Kanto region, and consumer goods manufacturing industries such as tea production, silk fabrics, sake and soy sauce brewing, woodworking, and fishery processing industries were developed everywhere. However, the spread and technical level were lower than those in western Japan, and production was low, and many of the high-quality consumer goods for Edo citizens were mainly introduced from the Kinki region by Kaisen. Genroku culture was superior in Kamigata (Kinki), and Edo culture was only gaining power in Japan during the Bunkabunsei era (1804-1830).

Tokyo (renamed Edo in 1868) which became Japan's capital due to the capital relocation in the Meiji period (renamed Edo as Tokyo), continued to develop steadily along with Yokohama. However, this was also a development due to politics, and while Yokohama's trade was dominated the whole country during the Meiji and Taisho periods, the Kinki had a greater weight in both general commercial transactions and industrial production than in Kanto. From around 1935 (Showa 10), Keihin's industrial economic activity began to surpass Hanshin, and Tokyo became more active in cultural activities based on universities and publications, and modern Keihin was transformed by the image of a full-featured Keihin area, full of activeness in all areas.

[Asaka Yukio and Nakamura Kazuo]

Folklore

になったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do. Saitama Prefecture is located in the night of the 10th, but the names of the pigs are mixed. This event is distributed in the Kanto region, and the "Kotoyoka" where the demons and the first-me boys are brought to the top of the pole are held from Kanagawa, Tokyo, Saitama, Gunma, Tochigi and Ibaraki. In addition, the two-piece Dosojin and Dosojinyaki, which are engraved with statues of men and women on one stone, are distributed from Gunma to Nagano, Yamanashi and Kanagawa.

The Kanto region is surrounded by mountains such as Nikko, Akagi Mountains, Mt. Tsukuba, Chichibu Mountains, and Tanzawa Mountains, so many famous mountain worship classes such as Haruna, Furumine, Mitume Mitake, Bushu Mitake, and Oyama Ishison Co., Ltd., and many other famous mountain worship classes attracted a variety of worship such as praying for good harvests, rain prayers, fire trembling, theft removal, and coming-of-age rituals, and since the middle of the early modern period, there were many famous shrines that served as tourism and entertainment. In addition, many famous shrines are venerable in the Tone River, Naka River, Arakawa River, and Tama River. Hikawa Shrine (Head Office: Omiya Ward, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture) is located on the plateau in the Kanto Loam Formation, sandwiched between the Motoara River and Tama Rivers, Katori Shrine (Head Office: Katori City, Chiba Prefecture) is located in the Tone River and Edo River basin, and Kashima Shrine (Head Office: Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture) is located from the Tone River to the foot of Mt. Tsukuba. The Musashino Plateau was developed in ancient times by a family of the Izumo system, and the lower Tone River basin was thought to have become the base for the Yamato Imperial Court to expand into the eastern part of the Yamato Imperial Court. Osugi Shrine (Head Office: Inashiki City, Ibaraki Prefecture), distributed in the Tone River basin and the Kashima Nada, was worshiped by people involved in boat transport, and expanded its faith area with the rise of the Tone River water transport in the middle of the early modern period.

The Kanto Plain, which has a low ground level and is said to be the escape waters of Musashino, is a region of superior farming, and is a specialty of wheat, sweet potato, kanpyo, konjac, and other areas. Sericulture produces about a quarter of the national cocoon production in Gunma and Saitama prefectures, and Ibaraki prefecture is second only to that. Various silkworm gods, such as Kokage, Kinugasa, and Osirah, are worshiped, but during the Little New Year on January 15th and the Hatsuuma in February, events in which round and cocoon-shaped cocoon balls are attached to branches such as willows and oak are praying for the prosperity of cocoons. Rice cultivation is slower than field crops, but in Yachita rice fields on the edge of plateaus and hill areas, tsumita rice fields were carried out without planting rice, where rice seeds were mixed with compost and ash, and then directly sown.

The layout of private houses is often made up of four rice-shaped floor plans, known as Kanto-style or Southwest Japanese-style Japanese-style, but there are also many park-shaped floors in the Tohoku region. In addition, there are many horns with back rooms and stables protruding in the river basin, and Mizuka is also seen where earthen mounds are raised high in preparation for flooding. Mansion forests that are prepared for winter winds are a characteristic of the North Kanto region. Meanwhile, in the Awa region of Chiba Prefecture, there are many separate buildings of Southwest Japanese-style private homes with separate buildings such as the main house and Kamaya, which are recognized as influences from the Kuroshio cultural sphere.

Some folklores in the Kanto region are strongly influenced by Edo (Tokyo), such as Kasaibayashi and Kanda-hayashi, and there are differences in distance from Tokyo and the route of propagation of folk culture. The faith of Inari God has also spread to Tokyo and throughout the Kanto region, but in the plains of Tokyo, Kanagawa and Saitama, there are many places worshiped in the early hours of February, and in Gunma and Tochigi, there are many places worshiped in autumn.

[Uchida Kensaku]

Folktales

The tradition of folk tales in the Kanto region, including the capital Tokyo, has been weak from an early age. This is probably due to the popularity of blue and red books (picture books for children) at the end of the Edo period. In urban areas, narrators were probably chased by text early. However, in the sea villages of Hachijojima and the Boso Peninsula, or mountainous areas such as Okumusashi, Chichibu region, and Okutone, a world of colloquial tales remained relatively late. Many stories have been told in the two prefectures in the north Kanto region, particularly Gunma and Tochigi. Among these, in Tone County, Gunma Prefecture, Agatsuma County, and Haga County, Tochigi Prefecture, the legendary legend has been confirmed, and the Kanto region has formed a distinctive historical zone of tradition.になったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do. Meanwhile, in Kanagawa, Saitama, and Ibaraki prefectures, which are close to urban areas, there have been a significant influx of five fairy tales, such as the "sparrows of tongues," "hanasakajiji," "ramblings and turtle races," "his turtles," "his turtles," "his koku-san," "hachikachiyama," "monkey crab battle," and "Momotaro," or stories that have been spread through the influence of Aesop's fables. There have also been cases where they have been legendary and established in the land, such as "Kintaro" on Ashigarayama, "Bunbukuchagama" on Morinji at Joshu Tatebayashi, and "Snake-Kaniri" at Sagamihara Shrine. Its distinctive feature is that it reflects the land where many occupations come and go, but stupid village stories and laughter stories such as Tochigi Prefecture's Kuriyama Tales, Chiba Prefecture's Masuma Tales, Innai Shigeemon Tales, Ibaraki Prefecture's Anji Mochikata Tales, and Nukata Tatsia are typical of these stories.

[Junichi Nomura]

"Fujimoto Hajiyoshi, "Regional Geology, Kanto Region" (1952, Asakura Shoten)" ▽ "New Japan Geography Seminar, Kanto Region" (1986, Daimeido Editorial Department" ▽ "Japanese Geography, Vol. 5-8, Kanto Region" (1981, 1983, Ninomiya Shoten)" ▽ "Illustrated Japanese Culture Geography, Kanto 1-3" (1960-1963, Shogakukan)" ▽ "Japanese Geography, Kanto 3, Kanto Edition" (1961, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "Suzuki Shigemitsu et al., "Japanese Folklore Geography, Volume 8, Kanto Region" (1975, Kadokawa Shoten)" ▽ "Miyata Noboru and Miyamoto Kesao, "Mountain Religious History Research Series 8, Nikko Mountains and Kanto Shugendo" (1979, Machi Publishing)" ▽ "Nomura Junichi, "Small Tales of Japan" (1995, Tokyo Shoseki)" ▽ "Amino Yoshihiko et al., "Animation of Japanese Folklore and Cultures, 14 volumes, separate volumes 1" (1994, Shogakukan)"

Kanto Regional Regional Map
©Shogakukan Illustration/Shogakukan Creative ">

Kanto Regional Regional Map

Kanto region location map
©Shogakukan Illustration/Shogakukan Creative ">

Kanto region location map

Mount Yamizo
View from Oko Town on the south side. Oko Town, Kuji District, Ibaraki Prefecture / Tanakura Town, Higashishirakawa District, Fukushima Prefecture / Otawara City, Tochigi Prefecture © Ibaraki Prefecture ">

Mount Yamizo

Mount Tsukuba
View from the Mokojima Refrigeration Area in the northwest of Chikusei City. Suigato Tsukuba National Park area. Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Sakuragawa City, Ishioka City © Ibaraki Prefecture Tourism and Products Association, General Incorporated Association ">

Mount Tsukuba

Mount Asama
A representative active volcano in Japan. It is a triple stratoconical volcano with an elevation of 2,568m. At the foot of the mountain, the lava flows from the Tenmei eruption (1783) known as Onioshidashi spread out, and huge rocks reminiscent of the creations of demons are lined up one after the other. Joshinetsu Kogen National Park. Tsumagoi Village, Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture ©Shogakukan ">

Mount Asama

Mt. Shirane (Nikko Shirane)
The center of the photo is the main peak, Mt. Okushirane, and the highest peak north of Kanto. It is called Nikko Shirane against Kusatsu Shirane. High mountains including Mt. Mae Shirane form the outer rim. Part of Nikko National Park. Katashin Village, Tone District, Gunma Prefecture / Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture © Shogakukan ">

Mt. Shirane (Nikko Shirane)

Mt. Shirane (Kusatsu Shirane)
Near the summit, it is a desolate rocky area, with three explosive crater lakes, from southwest to northeast, Karakama, Yugama, and Mizukama. The photo shows Yugama, which is approximately 300m in diameter. It is called Kusatsu-Shirane against Nikko Shirane. Joshinetsu Kogen National Park area. Tsumakoi Village, Kusatsu-cho, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma Prefecture © Shogakukan ">

Mt. Shirane (Kusatsu Shirane)

Mount Nantai
A mountain that forms the core of Nikko National Park along with Lake Chuzenji (for the photo). It has been worshiped since ancient times as a sacred place for mountain worship. Niwarayama Shrine Okunomiya is enshrined on the summit. Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture © Shogakukan ">

Mount Nantai

Nishiyama (Hachijo Fuji)
A volcano located on Hachijojima, in the southern part of the Izu Islands. It is at an altitude of 854m, and is called Hachijo Fuji because of its appearance. The photo shows the view from Toryu Pass, northeast of Higashiyama. You can see Hachijo Kojima in the rear. Included in Fuji Hakone Izu National Park. Hachijo Town, Tokyo © Tokyo Tourism Foundation, Public Interest Incorporated Foundation ">

Nishiyama (Hachijo Fuji)

Lake Ashi
The crater lake of the Hakone volcano. The photo shows the view from Motohakone on the southeast shore. Pleasure boats run on the lake, and it is the center of Hakone tourism. On the lake shore stands the large torii gate of Hakone Shrine, and behind it you can see Mount Fuji. Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture ©Shogakukan ">

Lake Ashi

Lake Haruna
Lake crater on Mount Haruna is located in western Gunma Prefecture. The lake surface is 1,084m above sea level and 4.8km circumference. In winter, the lake surface freezes, and many people visit for smelt hole fishing. The center of the photo is Haruna Fuji, a crater cone. Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture © Takasaki Tourism Association ">

Lake Haruna

Lake Chuzenji
Views the lake surface, which extends east to west from the south, and Mt. Nantai. The shoreline on the north shore is linear, but the south shore is full of bending. It is the largest alpine lake in Japan. It is included in Nikko National Park. Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture © Shogakukan ">

Lake Chuzenji

Lake Kasumigaura
Suigō Tsukuba National Park area. Kasumigaura City, Tsuchiura City, Yukigata City, Inashiki City, Omitama City, Ishioka City, Ishioka City, Ishiki City, Miho Village, Inashiki District, Ami Town © Ibaraki Prefecture Tourism and Products Association, General Incorporated Association ">

Lake Kasumigaura

Dryuma
Hokota City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Ibaraki Town, Higashiibaraki District, Oarai Town © Ibaraki Prefecture ">

Dryuma

Lake Inban
A dammed lake formed by sediment from the main stream of the Tone River. In 1968 (Showa 43), the center of the swamp was reclaimed, and it was divided into North Inbanuma and West Inbanuma. The photo shows West Inbanuma as seen from the southwest. There is a wide variety of fish and wild birds, and many people visit the lake, including families who enjoy hiking and anglers. Sakura City, Inba Village, Inba District, Chiba Prefecture ©Shogakukan ">

Lake Inban

Oze (Gunma Prefecture side)
Mt. Shibuto is viewed from the vineyard near the Ushikuchi, which divides Uedashiro and Nakatashiro. Ozegahara is Japan's largest high-rise marshland, with an area of about 8km, and is well known as the colony of sparrows and nikkoukisugei. Oze has been designated as Oze National Park, and the entire area is a nationally designated special natural monument. Katashin Village, Katashin Village, Tone District, Gunma Prefecture © Katashin Village Village Village Development Tourism Division ">

Oze (Gunma Prefecture side)

Tone River Estuary
A large river flows southeasterly through the Kanto Plain and pours into the Pacific Ocean. With a basin area of 16,840km, the largest in Japan. The photo shows the mouth of the estuary near Choshi City, Chiba Prefecture (left photo), and the opposite bank is Ibaraki Prefecture. During the Edo period, it was the gateway to the Tone River water transport, which transports supplies to Edo, going back to the river port Sekijuku, which is the upper reaches of the river. Choshi City, Chiba Prefecture / Kamisu City, Ibaraki Prefecture ©Shogakukan ">

Tone River Estuary

National Museum of Japanese History
It was established in 1981 as a university joint use institution and opened in 1983. It is the only national historical museum in Japan. In addition to actual materials, it also incorporates precision replicas and restored models, and displays Japanese history and folklore from primitive to modern times. The building, which is built on the ruins of Sakura Castle, is designed by architect Ashihara Yoshinobu. Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture © Shogakukan ">

National Museum of Japanese History

Tokyo Bay Crossing Road (Tokyo Bay Aqua Line)
A paid car-only road that crosses Tokyo Bay and connects Kawasaki City (Kanagawa Prefecture) and Kisarazu City (Chiba Prefecture). Completed in 1997 (Heisei 9). It is commonly known as the "Aqua Line." The total length is approximately 15km. The Kawasaki side is an undersea tunnel that covers about two-thirds of the total, and the Kisarazu side is a long bridge across the artificial island parking area "Umihotaru". The photo shows Kisarazu side over "Umihotaru". Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture / Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture © Chiba Prefecture Tourist and Product Association, Public Interest Incorporated Association ">

Tokyo Bay Crossing Road (Tokyo Bay Aqua Line)

Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport)
Photo taken from above the east. Ota-ku, Tokyo © Shogakukan ">

Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport)

Yokohama Bay Bridge
A suspension bridge between the Yokohama Port Exit and the Honmoku Pier and Daikoku Pier. It has a two-layer structure, with the Metropolitan Expressway Bayshore Line passing through the upper level and National Route 357 passing through the lower level. Opened in 1989 (Heisei 1). Total length 860m. Naka-ku, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture © Shogakukan ">

Yokohama Bay Bridge

Rainbow Bridge
A suspension bridge that forms part of the No. 11 Daiba Line, which connects the Shibaura district, Minato Ward and the Daiba district on the opposite bank. It has a two-layer structure, with the upper layer being a highway and the lower layer being a dedicated track for the port road and Tokyo Rinkai New Transportation (Yurikamome). Opened in 1993 (Heisei 5). Total length 798m. Shogakukan, Minato Ward, Tokyo © Shogakukan ">

Rainbow Bridge

Yurikamome
Tokyo Rinkai New Transport Line connects Shinbashi (Minato-ku) and Toyosu (Koto-ku). Unmanned operation by computer, it operates 16 stations and 14.7km in 31 minutes. It uses a side guide system, and the vehicle is 6 cars. It is used by an average of approximately 86,000 passengers per day. Opened in 1995 (Heisei 7) ©Yutaka Sakano ">

Yurikamome

Ashikaga School
This is the only school facility established in the Middle Ages in Ashikaga Manor (Shimotsuke Province). It provided education centered on Confucianism and occupied a central position in the Kanto region's education system. The photo shows the school gate, which was built during construction in 1668 (Kanbun 8). In the background, you can see the Kyoudanmon Gate and the Confucius Shrine. Nationally designated historic site Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture © Ashikaga School Office ">

Ashikaga School

Hikawa Shrine
The ancient shrine that was the origin of the place name of Omiya as "The Great Miya Ichi." It is known as the Ichinomiya of Musashi Province. According to the shrine legend, it was founded in the third year of Emperor Takaaki. The shrine was highly religious as a general of Kanto, and in 1180 (Jisho 4), the shrine was rebuilt at the orders of Minamoto no Yoritomo. After several maintenance and construction, it became its current appearance after being renovated in 1940 (Showa 15). Photographs include Romon. Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture © Saitama Tourism Convention Bureau ">

Hikawa Shrine

Katori Shrine
This is the Ichinomiya shrine of Shimousa Province, dedicated to Futsunushi-no-Okami. It is said that it was enshrined at its current location after Emperor Jimmu ascended to the throne. The tower gate in the photo (a nationally designated important cultural property) was built by Tokugawa Tsunayoshi in 1700 (Genroku 13) along with the main hall and Kagura hall. It has a gabled roof covered with copper sheets and painted vermilion. Katori City, Chiba Prefecture © Chiba Prefecture Tourism and Products Association ">

Katori Shrine

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

本州のほぼ中央に位置し、東京都をはじめ、神奈川・千葉・埼玉・群馬・栃木・茨城の1都6県の地域をいう。関東の呼び名は、大化改新のころは鈴鹿(すずか)、不破(ふわ)、愛発(あらち)の三関（滋賀県と三重・岐阜・福井諸県との県境にあたる）から東のほうをさしていた。国土の開発が進むに伴い、平安末期からは、足柄(あしがら)・箱根両峠（東海道沿いの静岡・神奈川県境）と碓氷(うすい)峠（東山道(とうさんどう)沿いの長野・群馬県境）を連ねる線から東方および北方で、陸奥(むつ)（東北地方）より南を、関東（坂東(ばんどう)）というようになり、現在に至っている。いま関東全域に首都東京の影響が及び、それに密着した動きは、東京への通勤・通学圏内の地域はもとより、より離れた地域にもみられる。なかでも東京都とそれに接する神奈川・千葉・埼玉の南関東3県は、人口・製造品出荷額がともに全国10位以内にあり、日本でも産業、文化のもっとも活発な地域をなしている。

　全関東の中心で、しかも日本の中心でもある東京の前身の江戸は、100万以上もの人口が集まって世界有数の大都市に発展していた。徳川将軍家をはじめ参勤交代制によって江戸に屋敷を構えていた諸大名たちの生活物資の需要は膨大なものであった。食料（米・魚・酒・しょうゆ）、衣料（絹・綿・麻の織物）をはじめ、雑貨、道具類の製造については、関東は後進地域で、16世紀ごろには関東では入手しにくいものが少なくなく、関西（上方(かみがた)）から入ってきた人々によって産地開発がなされていた。それらも17世紀になると、鹿島灘(かしまなだ)や東北南部海岸の魚や銚子(ちょうし)・野田（千葉県）のしょうゆのように、関東でもしだいにとれたり、つくられるようになった。米は食料で、また年貢用でもあったが、東北からの下り米が大量に上っていた。それらの江戸への輸送については、海岸沿いや利根(とね)川、江戸川をはじめ諸川の河岸(かし)、それに湖沼岸の諸地をたどって輸送ルートが開かれ、湊(みなと)や河岸の集落が発達していた。

　1868年（慶応4）には江戸開城が行われ、ついで明治維新の新政の世となり、東京へ遷都されて日本の首都となった。そしてあらゆる中央官庁が集中し（霞(かすみ)が関・大手町地区）、外国公館も設けられ、東京は中央集権制による日本の政治・行政・外交の中心地となった。1930年（昭和5）ごろまでは東京は日本の政治・文化の中心地、大阪は商工業の中心地であったが、そのころから企業と政治との結び付きがより強められて、本社も東京に設けられることとなり、東京は日本産業の中枢管理機能の集中地ともなった。これに伴い人口の集中はいよいよ多くなり、東京通勤者の住宅地は隣接の南関東3県はもとより、近年は北関東諸県へも拡大されている。

　東京はまた日本の学術文化とそれらの国際交流の中心でもある。なかでも日本学術会議や学会本部の多いことが東京の特色で、研究の向上に努めるとともに、外国学界との交流の窓口ともなっている。また、博物館、図書館、諸研究所、資料館、文書館なども多い。

　横浜は開港後、日本最大の貿易港と東京の玄関口の役割を果たすこととなり、外国人の来住も急に増えていった。明治新政府は神奈川県知事に横浜税関長を兼ねさせ、大臣級の高官を配して港や市街の整備に努めた。やがて20世紀に入って工業が近代化してくると、東京下町の工場街が手狭となり、重化学工業も加わって、川崎や横浜東部に、海岸の埋立てによる臨海工業地帯が造成されて京浜工業地帯の中心となり、第二次世界大戦中にはより増強された。戦後は石油化学工業部門が加えられたが、1960年代の日本経済の高度成長期には手狭となった。その補充拡大地域が千葉県の湾岸にある京葉工業地域で、南は富津(ふっつ)市にまで及び、港（千葉港・木更津(きさらづ)港）もつくられ、石油色の濃い工業地帯となり、いま関東さらに日本の産業に果たす役割は大きい。

［浅香幸雄・中村和郎］

自然

日本最大の関東平野が広がっており、日本の8地方のうち、一つの地方としてのまとまりがもっともよい地形をなしている。まず南関東の中央に東京湾があり、その周りを関東平野が取り巻き、平野の外側のうち、南と東は海（相模(さがみ)湾、太平洋、鹿島灘(かしまなだ)）で、西と北が山地となっている。西部の秩父(ちちぶ)、丹沢(たんざわ)の諸山地は広い意味の関東山地であり、その北部から北東方へかけては三国(みくに)山脈、帝釈(たいしゃく)山地の山並みが連なり、その南に中山性の足尾(あしお)山地がある。さらに北東部には阿武隈(あぶくま)高地の山丘が連なっているが、その南続きは八溝(やみぞ)山地で、最南端が筑波(つくば)山（876メートル）である。

　これらの山地を地形的にみると、関東山地は甲武信(こぶし)ヶ岳（2475メートル）、雲取山（2017メートル）などの高山と、神流(かんな)川、荒川、多摩川などの源流をなす深い谷々とが隣り合って壮年期の地形をなしている。三国山脈も壮年期地形で、谷川岳（1978メートル）、三国山（1636メートル）、白砂山（2140メートル）などの峻峰(しゅんぽう)が連なっている。これらに対し、阿武隈高地は長い間の侵食によって低められ、山並みが波状をなして老年期地形となり、準平原化している地区や残丘地形もみられる。また南には、丘陵性の房総、三浦の両半島が突出している。

　南西の東海地方との境をなす箱根山（典型的な三重式火山）は富士火山帯に属し、その南は伊豆半島から、大島、三宅(みやけ)島、八丈島などの伊豆諸島、さらに小笠原(おがさわら)諸島などの火山性の島々へと連なっている。また北方には那須火山帯(なすかざんたい)に属する火山群が連なり、榛名(はるな)山（1449メートル）、赤城(あかぎ)山（1828メートル）や、浅間(あさま)山（2568メートル）、四阿(あずまや)山（2354メートル）、白根山（日光白根、草津白根）の新しい火山、男体(なんたい)山（2486メートル）、それに東北地方との境に近い那須岳（1915メートル）などがある。これらの火山には火山性の湖があり、箱根の芦(あし)ノ湖、榛名の榛名湖は火口原湖、日光の中禅寺(ちゅうぜんじ)湖は溶岩堰止(せきとめ)湖である。

　北部および西部の山地から流れ出る川には、中央部に利根(とね)川、荒川、多摩川、南部に相模川、酒匂(さかわ)川、北部に那珂(なか)川、久慈(くじ)川などがあり、それぞれ流域に平野をつくっている。これらの河川の中流から下流には、関東ローム層に覆われた台地や段丘地形が発達している。これは、関東地方が地質時代に、中央日本の諸地域とともに激しい隆起運動を受けたことを示すものである。また、低い沖積平野のなかでもより低いのは、東京湾から江戸川、鬼怒(きぬ)川、小貝(こかい)川の流域の南北方向に広がる一帯である。この中央部が東部の常陸(ひたち)・下総(しもうさ)の両台地面よりも低いのは、そこが構造性の陥没地帯にあたり、これを軸として東西両側とも隆起していることによるのであり、関東平野が構造盆地といわれるわけである。しかし、平野内の台地や段丘はさして高くはなく、諸河川のつくった沖積平野との間の交通を妨げることはほとんどない。湖沼は、東部の霞(かすみ)ヶ浦、北浦、涸(ひ)沼、南に手賀(てが)沼、印旛(いんば)沼がある。

　気候は太平洋岸式気候区に属するが、北西部では三国山脈越しに日本海式気候の影響がみられる。平野部では、一般に気温・降水量の地域差は少ないが、南の臨海地域と北西の山沿い地域との間には大きな違いがみられる。南の房総・三浦両半島や、湘南(しょうなん)地方、伊豆諸島、小笠原(おがさわら)諸島では、気温の年較差・日較差がともに小さく、年中温和な気候である。また、伊豆諸島、小笠原諸島は、気候、植物が暖帯性・亜熱帯性で、きれいな海に囲まれている。北西部の山地から山麓(さんろく)にかけては、夏に雷雨が多く、冬はからっ風が吹く。また、京浜地方には市街地特有の都市気候がみられ、一般にやや高温で、高層ビルの間では強風（ビル風）が吹き、大気汚染度が大きく、環境保全が重要な問題となっている。

　植生帯は、平野部は常緑広葉樹林帯、周辺（西部と北部）山地は夏緑広葉樹林帯、その山頂に近い高地は亜高山性植物帯に属している。平野部の常緑広葉樹林帯のうち、南部から東部へかけた海岸には暖地系植生がみられる。標高200～400メートルの山腹をみると、南部の房総・三浦両半島（清澄(きよすみ)山、大楠(おおぐす)山周辺）ではシイ林やタブノキ林（暖温帯林）がみられるが、北部、西部の関東周辺山地ではミズナラ林にクリ林（温帯林）が混在している。さらに700～1500メートルになると、南部の箱根や丹沢山地ではブナ、ミズナラ、ヒメシャラなどの高木を主とした夏緑広葉樹林が発達し、北部山地はブナ林、トチノキ林となっている。北部の三国山脈や帝釈山地では、オオシラビソ、トウヒ、コメツガなどの亜高山性の針葉樹林が発達し、尾瀬ヶ原は高層湿原として知られる。

［浅香幸雄・中村和郎］

産業

関東地方では巨大都市群に近接する立地条件のよさを利用して集約経営をし、野菜・果実・畜類飼育をあわせて生産額を高め、これらを中心作目とする都市型農家がみられる。農家数は第2種兼業、専業ともに、全体的には減少傾向にある。

　水産業としては、沿岸・沖合両漁業における漁獲高は減少傾向にあり、遠洋漁業はやや伸びを示している。その拠点漁港として、銚子(ちょうし)、東京、三崎（三浦市）、那珂湊(なかみなと)（ひたちなか市）をはじめ、久里浜(くりはま)（横須賀市）、勝浦が知られる。水揚げ量のうち鮮魚としての出荷が高率であるのも、関東漁港の特色である。

　関東の農林水産業における近年目だった動きとして観光化傾向がある。果物のもぎとり園、いも掘り園、観光花卉(かき)園、釣り堀などの経営者数・来客数はともに全国一であり、イチゴ狩り園、バーベキューガーデン、キノコ狩り、山菜狩りも多い。海、湖沼での遊漁も盛んで、釣り人口率は近畿、北陸とともに全国最高率である。また、農林漁家で民宿を経営するものも多い。こうして関東の農林水産業の観光化（第三次産業化）は、京浜巨大都市群住民の余暇―自由時間と所得の増加に伴い、より速く進められることであろう。

　商業では、東京の都心・副都心には大規模で近代化した商店街が発達し、都の小売業販売額は全国の首位を占めている。これには都民相手のほかに関東全域から東京へ集まる買い物客への販売額も含まれている。また、卸売業販売額は小売業販売額の数倍にも上るが、これは都内はもとより、関東全域、さらに東日本一帯への売りさばきによるものである。これとは別に、近年は地方の中心都市に、東京の問屋やメーカーの販売店、サービスセンターが設けられ、また東京のデパートやスーパーマーケットの地方進出もみられ、地方の問屋や小売店にショックを与えている。そのほか、地方資本によるデパートやスーパーマーケットも発達してそれぞれ販売網を形成している。それらのなかには、東京のそれらと仕入れ、販売、宣伝などについて協定しているものも少なくない。なお、諸地方（県単位が主）には地方銀行が発達しているが、東京に本店のある都市銀行をはじめ、諸金融機関で地方都市へ支店を出しているものが多く、東京と関東諸地域との経済的な結び付きは、より深くかつ広範に強められている。

　京浜工業地帯の工業出荷額はわが国四大工業地帯中第1位で、それに京葉工業地域や埼玉県、さらに茨城・栃木・群馬3県の近年の工業伸張の著しさは全国第一級である。工場数は東京は群を抜いて多いが、神奈川県では有力な大規模工場が目だち、1工場当り出荷額の多いことが特色であり、千葉・埼玉両県の新工場にも同じ傾向がみられる。また、京浜の工業は、機械、金属、化学、食料品、出版・印刷、さらに最新の先端技術産業などの諸分野にわたり、製品も素材や部品から完成品までがみられ、親工場・下請工場間の系列化もみられる。ここは技術革新の先駆地域で、工業関連の技術研究の高水準でも知られ、大規模で高度な研究者をもつ研究所の多いことも特色となっている。

　京浜工業地帯の中心は、東京、川崎、横浜のほか、横須賀を加えた臨海地域で、川崎を中心に横浜、東京（江東区）には大製鉄工場があり、それに直接結ばれる造船、自動車、車両、重電気機械、また食料品、精油、それに石油化学コンビナートが2グループ建設されて、それぞれ特色ある施設・装置を備え、阪神工業地帯とともに全国をリードする新鋭工業地帯となっている。多くの埋立地に立地した大工場には、それぞれ専用の埠頭(ふとう)（工業港）が設けられ、航洋船が接岸して原料、製品の出し入れにあたっているのが特色であり、工業地帯は東京湾奥から東の千葉県の沿岸へと広がり、船橋、千葉、市原から木更津へ向かって拡大され、全国有数の大企業が進出して、京葉工業地域とよばれる。

　近年は、これら東京湾岸に続く内陸地域、すなわち東京の北東部、川崎の北西部の多摩川低地、横浜の北郊・西郊の諸地域では、軽電機器をはじめ、ロボットによる各種の機器組立工場の建設が目だっている。そしてこれらは、さらにいくつもの幹線道路沿いに、湘南(しょうなん)（鎌倉の大船、藤沢、茅ヶ崎(ちがさき)、平塚、小田原）や神奈川県中央部（相模原(さがみはら)、大和(やまと)、厚木、伊勢原(いせはら)、秦野(はだの)）、埼玉平野の諸都市（川越、川口、さいたま、熊谷(くまがや)、越谷(こしがや)、春日部(かすかべ)など）、千葉県北東部（松戸、柏(かしわ)など）、北関東の諸都市（高崎、前橋、太田、佐野、栃木、小山(おやま)、宇都宮、真岡(もおか)、土浦、水戸、ひたちなか）へも広がり、工場の増設が相次いでいる。また、茨城県南東部の鹿嶋(かしま)市と神栖(かみす)市にまたがって、鉄鋼と石油化学工業を中心とする鹿島臨海工業地域が形成されてきた。

　関東地方には、明治時代におこった近代工業のほかに、歴史の古いもので近代化しているものもみられる。北部から西部にかけた山麓(さんろく)の桐生(きりゅう)、足利(あしかが)、伊勢崎(いせさき)、秩父(ちちぶ)、青梅(おうめ)、八王子などの諸機業は、江戸時代におこった伝統をもとに新しいくふうが加えられ、さらに化学繊維部門を取り入れて製品にも新生面を開き、中小企業者は団地へ集結して合理化に努めている。利根川下流地域の野田、銚子では歴史の古いしょうゆ醸造業が発達している。

　これらの諸工業のエネルギー源としては、横須賀をはじめ横浜、川崎、東京、千葉などに出力100万キロワット以上の巨大な火力発電所が建設され、これが中心的動力となっている。そして早くから開発されていた水力電気はその補助として、関東地方はもとより、中部地方東部から東北地方南部にわたるいわゆる関東外圏に送られている。また茨城県東海村におこった原子力発電は、福島県の原子力発電所からの送電を補充して工業動力として使われている。

　こうした国内第一の関東の工業、しかもその急激な発展は、核心の京浜工業地帯をはじめ諸地域に各種の公害をもたらしている。これらの諸公害に対し近年規制措置がより強化されている。このため京浜工業地帯の核心地域の川崎、横浜両市から北関東3県や山梨県などへ移転し、新しい無公害施設のもとで生産の増強を図る工場が増えている。また、工場が減った両市では環境問題は緩和されたが、市財政や市況の活性化を損することとなり、その対策が新しい課題となっている。

［浅香幸雄・中村和郎］

交通

明治維新後は、東京を中心とする幹線鉄道の建設が国策として進められ、明治中期には東海道、中央、高崎、東北、常磐(じょうばん)の諸線がほとんど開通し、首都東京と京阪神をはじめ、東日本諸地域との鉄道連絡が完了した。ついで明治後期には、私設鉄道（おもに軽便鉄道）の建設熱が盛んになり、京浜、京王、東武の諸線が開通した。大正時代に入っても、国鉄（現、JR）、私鉄（西武、東急など）の幹線・支線の新設や延長が相次ぎ、昭和初期にはほぼ現在の鉄道網が建設、整備された。また、昭和初期には東京に地下鉄が開通したが、第二次世界大戦後になって大規模な拡張が進められ、都区内相互間には東京地下鉄株式会社（通称・東京メトロ。旧帝都高速度交通営団）と東京都営による13路線に上る地下鉄網が形成されている。横浜でも市営地下鉄が複数の路線で運転され、新路線も検討が進められている。これらのJR、私鉄、地下鉄は、東京とその通勤・通学圏の神奈川、千葉、埼玉、茨城の関東4県間で相互乗り入れをし、利用圏がより拡大されている。また1964年（昭和39）には東海道新幹線が東京―新大阪間に開通して日本の鉄道交通に革命的超高速をもたらしたが、さらに1983年には東北、上越の両新幹線が、1992年（平成4）に山形新幹線、また時速270キロメートルの「のぞみ」が、東京―博多間を5時間04分で結ぶようになり、1997年には秋田新幹線と北陸新幹線（長野行新幹線ともいう）が開通し、地方と首都圏との移動時間の短縮化が進んでいる。

　道路は、もっぱら国鉄依存であった貨物の長距離輸送が、大正初期以後には国道を併用して行われるようになって整備されるようになった。そしてまず、関東周辺山地を横切る諸街道の峠道の改良が始められ、昭和初期には国道筋の峠道は、ほとんど自動車交通が可能になった。第二次世界大戦中には、京浜間の交通を緩和するため第二京浜国道（現、国道1号）、産業道路、東京環状道路（国道16号）が新設された。そして、戦後は相次ぐ道路整備計画に基づいて、国道はもとより都道・県道の改良、舗装が促進され、新たに第三京浜道路、旧国道のバイパス道（現、国道20号・17号・18号・4号・6号の諸線）がつくられ、主要都道・県道の国道昇格がみられるなど、幹線道路の整備が急速に進められた。また、1964年には東京オリンピックの東京開催を機として首都高速道路の一部、ついで1969年には東名高速道路が通じた。のち中央、関越、上信越、東北、常磐、東関東、北関東、圏央、東京外環の各自動車道、首都高速湾岸線などの自動車道が相次いで建設され、関東の沿道の諸要地にインターチェンジが設けられている。これらの道路上には定期のバスやトラックがくまなく行き渡り、一般車の利用も多く、関東のそれらの交通量は全国最高である。1997年（平成9）12月には川崎―木更津間に東京湾横断自動車道路（延長約15キロメートル）の東京湾アクアラインが開通。なお、21世紀の高速交通体系の基幹路線としては、第2東名高速道路の建設が予定されている。

　関東地方の主要港は、横浜、東京、千葉、川崎それに横須賀の諸港で、東京湾に集中している。横浜港からは、アジア、北アメリカ、ヨーロッパをはじめ、世界の主要港へ定期航路（貨物船）が通じ、日本の海の玄関口となっている。1980年代には同港の貿易額は、輸出で全国の約5分の1、輸入で約10分の1を占めていた。また千葉港の貿易額も全国上位で、輸入は原油がおもである。しかし、東京湾内の海運能力は飽和化を示し、出入口の浦賀水道は海難事故の危険性が高くなっている。そのため、東京湾外に新港を求める動きが目だち、鹿島工業整備特別地域の拠点として鹿島港が開港し、日立港も整備されている。

　航空では、早く開港した東京国際空港（羽田空港）は、いまはおもに日本国内線用の空港とされ、国際便も一部利用している。ここの滑走路は短く、また数も少ないため、隣接の海面に埋め立て拡張工事が進められ、1997年7月より24時間稼働体制となり、1日の発着便数は大幅に増えた。また羽田空港から国際線を分離するために建設された新東京国際空港（現、成田国際空港）は1978年に開港し、日本の海外諸国に対する空の玄関口として、国際線定期便の離着陸が相次ぎ、貨物専用機も発着している。

［浅香幸雄・中村和郎］

開発

1960～1980年の20年間の関東の人口増加数は全国のそれの2分の1にも上り、ことに南関東の4都県での増加が著しかった。人口とともに工業、商業などの諸産業もまた関東、とくに南関東に集中しており、急激な都市化が進み、これに伴って住宅をはじめ交通・水、その他都市環境について問題がおこり、都市化のひずみが現れている。

　こうした傾向は、第二次世界大戦後の混乱が収まりかけた1950年代早々から現れ始めたので、1956年（昭和31）に首都圏整備法が制定され、巨大都市の人口や産業の集中を抑制し、都市環境の整備が図られることとなった。それを具体化する第一次の首都圏整備計画では、東京を中心とする半径100キロメートル圏について、A既成市街地と、Bその周辺、Cその外側の周辺地域の3圏に分けて対策がたてられた。すなわち、A既成市街地については工場、大学などの新増設を抑制し、Bその周辺地域は近郊地帯としてグリーンベルトとする。Cさらにその外周地域は市街地開発地域として衛星都市をつくり、人口と産業の吸収を図ることとした。しかしこの計画は、その後の人口、産業の激増によって期待された効果をあげえず、ことにB地帯では開発も進み、乱開発状態を呈するようになった。そこで1966年には首都圏整備法を改正し、第二次首都圏基本計画が制定された。そこではとくにBの既成市街地周辺を改め都心から半径50キロメートル地域を近郊整備地帯とし、人口、産業の流入は認めるが乱開発は極力防止することとし、C地帯での衛星都市開発をより促進することとした。そしてB地区には近郊緑地保全区域も設定した。

　その後も関東諸地域はそれぞれ急速に発展し、人口3500万に上る巨大都市ともいうべき状況となり、東京から放射状に出る幹線道路沿いはもとより、それらの中間地域でも無秩序な市街化がみられるようになり、改善整備に急を要するものが少なくない。東京をはじめ全関東のおもな問題点と、現在進められつつあるおもな対策事業をみる。

(1)住宅整備　東京都の人口は1980年まで減少傾向をたどっていたが、その後また増勢に転じている。都民の住宅数は世帯数を上回ってはいるが、質的には不十分で、全国の平均住宅水準以下のものが4分の3にも上っている。これに対し東京都では、マイタウン構想のもとに既成市街地や区部居住空間の再開発、再利用計画に取り組んできた。また都は、大規模開発として多摩、八王子両ニュータウンをはじめ、スプロール化を防ぎ、職と住とが調和した計画的な市街地づくりも各地で進めている。

(2)道路整備　関東では上記したように東京を中心とする放射状幹線自動車道をはじめ、それに並行する国道・県道は整備されているが、それら相互を結ぶ環状道路の整備が後れていた。1992年（平成4）東京外環自動車道が供用開始され、首都圏中央連絡自動車道の建設が進んでいる（一部開通）。

(3)鉄道整備　東海道・山陽新幹線に次いで、1983年には東北、上越両新幹線が開通し、1997年（平成9）には北陸新幹線も高崎経由で長野までが開通している。また、東京と隣接の南関東諸地域（都市化進行地域）間の鉄道の新設や延長工事が行われてきた。JRの通勤別線（大崎―大宮間・埼京線）をはじめ、新設、延長、増設の諸線は、ほとんどが延長運転や相互乗り入れ方式で利用効率を高め、都心との短絡化にくふうを凝らしているのも特色である。

　近年の開発で注目されるものに、研究・文化施設の増強の著しさがあげられる。筑波研究学園都市(つくばけんきゅうがくえんとし)の建設は国営で、国際交流機能を大きく発揮し、1985年には国際科学技術博覧会（つくば'85）が開かれた。国立歴史民俗博物館（佐倉市）、昭和記念公園（東京）、子ども総合科学館（栃木）、さいたま水族館（埼玉）、テニスの森（東京）、湘南(しょうなん)国際村（神奈川）などの建設が相次いでいる。

　さらに、ウォーターフロント開発が進められ、東京湾一帯の変貌が著しい。国際化、情報化の進展に対応して、横浜・東京・千葉では競って湾岸に多様な機能をもつ新都心を建設しつつある。横浜市はこれまで臨海部にあった旧国鉄ヤードや造船所などを移転させて、そこに日本一の高層ビルになった「横浜ランドマークタワー」や、「クイーンズスクエア横浜」などが開設されており、首都高速湾岸線が横浜ベイブリッジで横浜港をひとまたぎする。東京都は青海(あおみ)・有明・台場地区などに新都心を建設し、表玄関となるレインボーブリッジと、新交通システムによる東京臨海新交通（ゆりかもめ）が開通した（1995）。千葉県も幕張新都心に、東京都は13号埋立地や台場地区などに、臨海新都心開発を進め、日本最大の日本コンベンションセンター（幕張メッセ）がつくられた。開発の進んだ京浜・京葉地区と、まだ開発余力の大きい房総地区とを結ぶための東京湾横断道路も開通し、川崎―木更津(きさらづ)間の距離が大幅に短縮された。

［浅香幸雄・中村和郎］

人口

1960年（昭和35）の関東地方の人口は2300万であったが、その20年後の1980年には約3490万になった。この20年間に約1190万の増加をみたわけである。これら人口の全国比は、1960年には24.6％であったのが、1980年には29.8％となったのであるから、約5ポイントの増ということになる。しかも、その増加数1190万は同期間の全国増加数2354万の2分の1にあたる。この20年間の時代の性格（産業・経済・社会）の変遷を考えると、1960年は日本経済の高度成長が始まろうとしていた時期で、その後は高度成長とオイル・ショック、ついで低（安定）成長を経てきたのであった。その20年間に、面積からは全国の8.6％にすぎない関東に全日本の増加人口の2分の1が集中したことになる。人口が地域の産業・経済・社会活動の総和を表すものとすると、1960年以後の日本経済の高度成長の2分の1もが関東を舞台に進められたといえ、現代日本に果たしつつある関東の役割の大きさが知れる。人口の伸びは、それ以降も続いており、1990年（平成2）3854万人（全国比31.2％）、1995年3952万人（同31.5％）と、全国の人口の30％を超えた。2000年には4000万人を超え、2005年は4149万人となる。

　また、1960年の人口を100％とすると、1980年のそれは関東全体では151.7％となるが、都県別にみると、埼玉・千葉・神奈川の南関東3県はともに200％を超えている。これに対し茨城・栃木・群馬の北関東3県と東京都は120％前後で、全国平均なみの増加率にとどまっていて、同じ関東でも相当な地域較差のあることが知られる。1990年に入っても、埼玉・千葉・神奈川の南関東3県は人口を伸ばしている。1991～1995年の5年間で、3～5％増、さらに茨城も3.9％増で、伸び率では、神奈川を抜いて第3位となった。一方、東京都の人口は1991～1995年の5年間で、1.7％の減と、東京と南関東諸県との数値の間にはいわゆる人口増加のドーナツ化現象がおきていた。しかし2000～2005年の増減率をみると、東京都の4.2％が最も高く、ドーナツ化現象に歯止めがかかっている。

［浅香幸雄・中村和郎］

歴史

縄文時代には、魚貝を得やすい東京湾岸をはじめ海岸地方に人々が集まり、また山地にも生活の基盤を置いていたので、関東地方は東北地方とともによく開けていた。しかし弥生(やよい)時代に入ると、水利をはじめ稲作条件が整っている近畿や西日本がまず開け、ついで東日本へと広がってきたので、台地の広い関東の水田開発は相当おくれてからなされたようである。そして、古代の国家勢力の進展に伴う、古墳文化や仏教文化も、近畿から関東へと伝えられてきた。大化改新のとき関東の諸地域に置かれていた国造(くにのみやつこ)は廃止され、新たに相模(さがみ)・上総(かずさ)（安房(あわ)は奈良時代に上総から分立）・下総(しもうさ)・常陸(ひたち)（以上東海道）、上野(こうずけ)・下野(しもつけ)・武蔵(むさし)（以上東山道。武蔵は奈良時代に東海道へ入る）の国々ができ、それぞれの国には国府が設けられ、行政を進めるために国司が置かれた。中世になると、源氏や北条氏などの関東武士が権力を握り、鎌倉は政治の中心地となった。また鎌倉五山を中心とする禅宗文化（鎌倉文化）は、いまに数々の貴重な文化を残している。しかし、これも大きくみると、近畿の文化には及ばないものであった。南北朝から室町・戦国に至る時代は、関東の進展が停滞した時代で、その庶民社会の進み方は近畿に比べて緩慢であり、足利学校(あしかががっこう)が建てられてはいるが、関東の儒学の研修や宗教活動は、近畿や北陸に比べると低調であったとされている。

　江戸幕府ができて、関東の政治力の比重が大きくなり、江戸は急速に都市的発展を遂げ、江戸中期から後期にかけては、消費文化の華を咲かせた。また、江戸からやや離れた水戸をはじめ川越、小田原、佐倉、館林(たてばやし)、宇都宮、前橋など数十か所に城下町がつくられ、ともに藩内の行政・流通・文化の中心となってはいたが、関東のそれらは小藩、小城下町（陣屋町程度）にとどまっていた。したがって、江戸時代の都市らしいものは江戸ぐらいで、関東の地方文化はまだまだ低水準であった。当時、関東地方では、タバコ、ユウガオ（かんぴょう）、大麻、クワなどの商品作物が栽培され、製茶、絹織物、酒やしょうゆの醸造、木工業、水産加工業などの消費財製造業が各地に発達していたが、普及状況や技術水準は西日本のそれよりも低く、生産量も少なく、江戸市民向けの上質消費物資の多くは、廻船(かいせん)によっておもに近畿地方から移入された。元禄(げんろく)文化は上方(かみがた)（近畿）のものが優れ、文化・文政(ぶんかぶんせい)年間（1804～1830）になってようやく江戸文化が日本的に有力となった。

　明治の遷都によって日本の首都となった東京（1868年江戸を東京と改称）は、横浜とともに順調な発展を続けてきた。しかし、これも政治を背景にした発展で、明治・大正時代には、横浜の貿易は全国を圧してはいたが、一般商業取引、工業生産はともに近畿の比重が関東よりも大きかった。1935年（昭和10）ごろから京浜の産業経済活動は阪神を上回るようになり、大学や出版をもとにした文化的活動も東京がより活発となり、各方面とも積極性に満ちた現代京浜の姿にかわってきた。

［浅香幸雄・中村和郎］

民俗

関東地方は日本列島の中央部に位置しているため、民俗的にも東西文化の接点である。刈上祭(かりあげまつり)は、気候と密接な関係があり、北部ほど早く南部は遅い。九州は霜月祭(しもつきまつり)、近畿、中国、四国は十月亥の子(いのこ)、東日本は十日夜(とおかんや)、北日本は9月の三度の九日(くんち)（9日、19日、29日）に行われている。亥の子も十日夜も、餅(もち)を搗(つ)いて作神様(さくがみさま)を祀(まつ)り子供が集団で土を打つ行事であるが、亥の子は静岡県から神奈川県、東京都を経て、千葉県から茨城県南部に伸びている。十日夜圏は群馬、長野、山梨各県から新潟、栃木、茨城の一部へ伸びている。埼玉県は十日夜圏であるが、亥の子の名称も混在している。関東地方に分布している行事で、2月と12月の8日に鬼や一つ目小僧がくるといって目籠(めかご)を竿頭(かんとう)高く掲げる「事八日(ことようか)」は、神奈川、東京、埼玉から群馬、栃木、茨城にかけて行われている。また、一つの石に男女の像を刻んだ双体道祖神や道祖神焼きは、群馬から長野、山梨、神奈川にかけて分布している。

　関東地方は、日光、赤城(あかぎ)連山や筑波(つくば)山、秩父(ちちぶ)山地、丹沢(たんざわ)山地などの山々に囲まれているため、榛名(はるな)講、古峰(ふるみね)講、三峰(みつみね)講、武州御岳(みたけ)講、大山石尊(おおやませきそん)講などの著名な山岳信仰関係の講が多く、豊作祈願、雨乞(あまご)い、火伏せ、盗難除(よ)け、成人儀礼などさまざまの信仰を集め、近世中期以降観光や娯楽を兼ねた代参講が盛行した。また、利根(とね)川、那珂(なか)川、荒川、多摩川などの流域には由緒ある名社が多い。元荒川と多摩川に挟まれた関東ローム層の台地上には氷川神社(ひかわじんじゃ)（本社埼玉県さいたま市大宮区）が、利根(とね)川流域および江戸川流域には香取神社(かとりじんじゃ)（本社千葉県香取市）が、利根川から筑波山麓(さんろく)にかけては鹿島神社(かしまじんじゃ)（本社茨城県鹿嶋市）が分布している。武蔵野(むさしの)台地は古く出雲(いずも)系の一族によって開発され、利根川下流域はそれよりのちに大和(やまと)朝廷の東国進出の拠点となったものと考えられる。利根川流域や鹿島灘(なだ)に分布している大杉神社（本社茨城県稲敷市）は、舟運関係者に信仰され、近世中期の利根川水運の盛行とともに信仰圏を広げたものである。

　土地のやせた山地と武蔵野の逃げ水などといわれる地下水面の低い関東平野は畑作優越地域であり、ムギ、サツマイモ、かんぴょう、こんにゃくなどの特産地となっている。養蚕は群馬、埼玉両県で全国繭(けん)産額の4分の1程度を産出し、茨城県もそれに次ぐ。蚕影(こかげ)様、絹笠(きぬがさ)様、オシラ様などいろいろの蚕神が信仰されているが、1月15日の小正月(こしょうがつ)や2月の初午(はつうま)に、ヤナギやコナラなどの枝に丸いものや繭型の繭玉団子をつけて繭の豊産を祈る行事は、関東地方一帯で行われている。稲作は畑作に比して低調であるが、台地や丘陵地帯の縁辺部の谷地田(やちた)では、田植をせず堆肥(たいひ)や灰などに種籾(たねもみ)を混ぜて直播(じかま)きする摘田(つみた)が行われていた。

　民家の間取りは関東型とか西南日本型といわれる田の字型四間取りが多いが、東北地方に多い広間型もみられる。また、河川流域には奥の部屋や馬屋を突き出したツノヤも多く、洪水に備え高くかさ上げして土蔵を建てる水塚(みづか)もみられる。冬季のからっ風に備えた屋敷林は北関東地方の特徴である。一方、千葉県安房(あわ)地方には、母屋(おもや)と釜屋(かまや)などを別棟にする西南日本型の分棟型民家が多く、黒潮文化圏の影響が認められる。

　関東地方の民俗には、葛西囃子(かさいばやし)、神田囃子のように江戸（東京）の民俗の影響の強いものもあり、東京からの距離や民俗文化伝播(でんぱ)の経路による差もみられる。稲荷(いなり)神の信仰も東京をはじめ関東各地に伝播しているが、東京、神奈川、埼玉の平野部では2月初午に祀(まつ)り、群馬、栃木などでは秋に祀る所が多い。

［内田賢作］

民話

首都東京をはじめとして、関東地方での民話の伝承状況は、早くから希薄であった。これは、江戸末期に青本や赤本（子供向き絵本）が盛行したことにも原因があったと思われる。都市部にあって語り手は早くから文字に追われていたのであろう。しかし、八丈島や房総半島の海村部、または奥武蔵(おくむさし)、秩父(ちちぶ)地方、奥利根(おくとね)などの山間部には、比較的遅くまで口語りの世界が残されていた。とりわけ関東北部の群馬、栃木の2県には、今日まで多くの話が伝えられてきた。なかでも群馬県利根郡、吾妻(あがつま)郡や栃木県芳賀(はが)郡などには、濃密な昔話の伝承が確認されて、関東にあって特徴ある伝承圏を形成している。利根郡は、福島県や新潟県に接し、越後瞽女(えちごごぜ)や飴(あめ)売り、桑摘みに通う出稼ぎ人などの通う道にもあたっている。それがために「熊の恩返し」「金の瓜(うり)」などの珍しい話もみいだされている。また吾妻郡は、俗に善光寺道とよばれる信州に通じる道筋にあたり、民話にもその影響が認められる。関東の山間地帯は、苧(お)（カラムシ）績(う)みや莚(むしろ)編み、木地挽(ひ)きなどの生業のなかに伝承の場が設けられた。実際、そうした夜なべ仕事の場が、古くから民話の揺籃(ようらん)であった。たとえば栃木県芳賀郡は葉タバコの生産地であり、昔話は葉タバコのしの夜仕事のなかで眠気を覚ますために語られていた。一方、都市部に近い神奈川、埼玉、茨城各県には、総じて「舌切り雀(すずめ)」「花咲爺(はなさかじじい)」「兎(うさぎ)と亀(かめ)の競走」「こぶ取り爺(じじい)」「かちかち山」「猿蟹(さるかに)合戦」「桃太郎」などの五大おとぎ話またはイソップ寓話(ぐうわ)の影響によって流布した話の浸透が著しい。足柄山の「金太郎」、上州館林(たてばやし)茂林寺(もりんじ)の「分福茶釜(ぶんぶくちゃがま)」、相模原(さがみはら)諏訪(すわ)神社の「蛇聟入(へびむこいり)」などのように、伝説化されて、その土地に定着した例もみられる。大都市を控え、諸職の出入りの多い土地がらを反映しているのが特色であるが、栃木県の「栗山(くりやま)話」、千葉県の「増間(ますま)話」、「印内の重右衛門話」、茨城県の「安寺持方(あてらもちかた)話」「額田(ぬかた)のたっつあい」などの愚か村話、笑い話はその典型的なものである。

［野村純一］

『藤本治義著『地方地質誌　関東地方』（1952・朝倉書店）』▽『大明堂編集部編『新日本地誌ゼミナール　関東地方』（1986・大明堂）』▽『日本地誌研究所編『日本地誌5～8巻　関東地方』（1981、1983・二宮書店）』▽『『図説日本文化地理大系　関東1～3』（1960～1963・小学館）』▽『『日本の地理3　関東編』（1961・岩波書店）』▽『鈴木重光ほか著『日本民俗誌大系8巻　関東』（1975・角川書店）』▽『宮田登、宮本袈裟雄編『山岳宗教史研究叢書8　日光山と関東の修験道』（1979・名著出版）』▽『野村純一著『日本の世間話』（1995・東京書籍）』▽『網野善彦ほか編『日本民俗文化大系　全14巻・別巻1』（1994・小学館）』

[参照項目] | 茨城（県） | 鹿島臨海工業地域 | 神奈川（県） | 群馬（県） | 京浜工業地帯 | 京葉工業地域 | 埼玉（県） | 首都圏 | 多摩ニュータウン | 千葉（県） | 筑波研究学園都市 | 帝都高速度交通営団 | 東京（都） | 栃木（県）

関東地方地勢図

関東地方位置図

八溝山

筑波山

浅間山
日本の代表的活火山。三重式の成層・円錐火山で、標高2568m。山麓には天明の大噴火（1783年）による溶岩流群「鬼押出し」が広がり、鬼神の造化を思わせる巨岩が累々と連なる。上信越高原国立公園域。群馬県吾妻郡嬬恋村©Shogakukan">

浅間山

白根山（日光白根）

白根山（草津白根）
山頂付近は荒涼たる岩石地帯で、南西から北東にかけて涸釜、湯釜、水釜の三つの爆裂火口湖が連なる。写真は直径約300mの湯釜。日光白根に対して草津白根とよばれる。上信越高原国立公園域。群馬県吾妻郡草津町・嬬恋村©Shogakukan">

白根山（草津白根）

男体山

西山（八丈富士）
伊豆諸島南部の八丈島にある火山。標高854m、伊豆諸島中の最高峰で、その姿から八丈富士とよばれる。写真は東山北東にある登龍峠からの眺望。後方に八丈小島が見える。富士箱根伊豆国立公園に含まれる。東京都八丈町©公益財団法人東京観光財団">

西山（八丈富士）

芦ノ湖

榛名湖

中禅寺湖

霞ヶ浦

涸沼

印旛沼
利根川本流の堆積物によって生じた堰止湖。1968年（昭和43）に沼の中央が干拓され、北印旛沼と西印旛沼に二分された。写真は南西上空から見た西印旛沼。魚や野鳥の種類も豊富で、ハイキングを楽しむ家族連れや釣り客など、訪れる人も多い。千葉県佐倉市・印旛郡印旛村©Shogakukan">

印旛沼

尾瀬（群馬県側）
尾瀬ヶ原の上田代と中田代を分ける牛首付近から至仏山を望む。尾瀬ヶ原は面積約8kmに及ぶ日本最大の高層湿原地で、ミズバショウやニッコウキスゲの群生地としてよく知られる。尾瀬は尾瀬国立公園に指定され、地域全体が国指定特別天然記念物となっている。群馬県利根郡片品村　「尾瀬の郷片品村」©片品村役場むらづくり観光課">

尾瀬（群馬県側）

利根川河口
関東平野を南東流して太平洋に注ぐ大河川。流域面積1万6840kmはわが国最大である。写真は千葉県銚子市（写真左）付近の河口で、対岸は茨城県。江戸時代には上流の河港関宿までさかのぼって江戸へ物資を運ぶ利根川水運の玄関口であった。千葉県銚子市／茨城県神栖市©Shogakukan">

利根川河口

国立歴史民俗博物館
1981年（昭和56）に大学共同利用機関として設置され、83年に開館した日本で唯一の国立の歴史博物館。実物資料のほかに精密な複製品や復元模型などを取り入れ、原始から近代に至るまでの日本の歴史と民俗についてわかりやすく展示している。佐倉城址に建つ建物は、建築家芦原義信の設計。千葉県佐倉市©Shogakukan">

国立歴史民俗博物館

東京湾横断道路（東京湾アクアライン）
東京湾を横断し、川崎市（神奈川県）と木更津市（千葉県）を結ぶ有料の自動車専用道路。1997年（平成9）完成。一般に「アクアライン」と通称される。総延長は約15km。川崎側は海底トンネルで全体の約3分の2を占め、人工島のパーキングエリア「海ほたる」を挟んで木更津側は長い橋になっている。写真は「海ほたる」より木更津側を望む。神奈川県川崎市／千葉県木更津市©公益社団法人千葉県観光物産協会">

東京湾横断道路（東京湾アクアライン）

東京国際空港（羽田空港）

横浜ベイブリッジ

レインボーブリッジ
港区芝浦地区と対岸の台場地区を結ぶ高速11号台場線の一部をなす吊橋。二層構造で、上層は高速道路、下層は臨港道路と東京臨海新交通（ゆりかもめ）の専用軌道が通る。1993年（平成5）開通。全長798m。東京都港区©Shogakukan">

レインボーブリッジ

ゆりかもめ
新橋（港区）―豊洲（江東区）を結ぶ東京臨海新交通臨海線。コンピュータ制御による無人運転で、16駅14.7kmを31分で運行する。側方案内方式を採用し、車両編成は6両。1日平均約8万6000人の乗客が利用する。1995年（平成7）開業©Yutaka Sakano">

ゆりかもめ

足利学校
足利荘（下野国）に設けられた中世唯一の学校施設。儒学中心の教育を実施し、関東文教の中心的位置を占めていた。写真は1668年（寛文8）の整備の際に設けられた学校門。奥に杏壇門と孔子廟が見える。国指定史跡　栃木県足利市©史跡足利学校事務所">

足利学校

氷川神社
「大いなる宮居」として大宮の地名の由来ともなった古社。武蔵国一宮として知られる。社伝では孝昭天皇3年の創建という。関東武将の信仰が厚く、1180年（治承4）には源頼朝の命で社殿を再建。数度の整備・造営を経て、1940年（昭和15）の改築をもって現在の姿となった。写真は楼門。埼玉県さいたま市©さいたま観光コンベンションビューロー">

氷川神社

香取神宮
経津主大神を祭神とする下総国一宮。神武天皇即位ののち、現在地に奉斎されたと伝える。写真の楼門（国指定重要文化財）は、1700年（元禄13）に本殿、神楽殿などとともに徳川綱吉によって造営された。入母屋造銅板葺きで、丹塗りが施されている。千葉県香取市©公益社団法人千葉県観光物産協会">

香取神宮

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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