Yoshida Kannon - Kitta Kannon

...A city in the southern part of Gifu Prefecture. Established as a city in 1950. Population 71,916 (1995). The center of the city is located in the Seki Basin, where the Tsubo River and Mugi River join the Nagara River. Blessed by the shipping on the Nagara River, the city was a distribution center for goods at the intersection of the Hida Road (Kanayama Highway) and the Oku-Mino Road (Gujo Highway). Since the Middle Ages, the city has been known for its cutlery, Seki Magoroku (Seki products). At its peak in the Muromachi period, the city produced many master craftsmen, and with the protection of Oda Nobunaga and others, it prospered to the point that it was said that "Seki is famous for its 1,000 blacksmiths." In the mid-Edo period, swordsmithing declined, and the main focus shifted to the production of forged cutlery such as kitchen knives and scissors, as well as agricultural tools. After the Meiji period, the city developed into a metal industry producing Western tableware, razor blades, pocket knives, etc.

*Some of the terminology that refers to "Yoshida Kannon" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…岐阜県南部の市。1950年市制。人口7万1916(1995)。長良川に津保川，武儀川が合流する関盆地に中心部が展開する。長良川の舟運に恵まれ，飛驒路(金山街道)と奥美濃路(郡上街道)の交わるところで，物資の集散地であった。中世以来関の孫六(関物)で知られた刃物の町で，室町時代を最盛期に多くの名工を生み，織田信長らの保護もあって，〈関は千軒鍛冶屋が名所〉といわれるほど繁栄した。江戸中期に刀鍛冶は衰え，包丁，はさみなどの打刃物や農具の生産に主力が移り，明治以降，洋食器，カミソリ替刃，ポケットナイフなどを生産する金属工業に発展した。…

※「吉田観音」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報