Kozu

A district in the eastern part of Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Formerly Kozu Town. The JR Tokaido Main Line runs through the area, branching off into the Gotemba Line. National Route 1 and the Seisho Bypass pass through the area. The area's name comes from the fact that it was the port of the ancient Sagami Kokufu (Kokufu Hongo, Oiso Town). It is a scenic spot and has long been an important location for land and water transportation and military purposes. In the Middle Ages, a "barrier" was established here, and a toll was collected for the repairs of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura. The coast is a good fishing ground for sea bream, flounder, tuna, horse mackerel, and other fish, and in the Edo period it was one of the areas where the shogunate supplied fish. When the Tokaido Line opened in the mid-Meiji period, the main line passed through Gotemba, and Kozu became a disembarking point for travelers bound for Odawara, Hakone, Yugawara, Atami, and Higashiizu (a light railway ran to Odawara, and a boat service to Atami), and a station town developed, with major financial institutions also moving in. Today, the hills in the area are covered with mandarin orange fields, and pickles and processed seafood products are local specialties. Hokongo-ji Temple was worshiped by the Hojo clan, and is home to a bronze seated statue of Dainichi Nyorai, a nationally designated important cultural property.

[Yukio Asaka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

神奈川県小田原市東部の地区。旧国府津町。JR東海道本線が通じ、御殿場線(ごてんばせん)を分岐する。国道1号、西湘(せいしょう)バイパスが通る。古代の相模国府(さがみこくふ)（大磯(おおいそ)町国府本郷）の津であったことが地名のおこり。景勝地で、古くから水陸交通と軍事上の要地。中世には「関」が設けられ、鎌倉鶴岡八幡宮(つるがおかはちまんぐう)の修理のために関銭が徴収されていた。沿岸はタイ、ヒラメ、マグロ、アジなどの好漁場で、江戸時代には幕府の魚調進地の一つ。明治中期の東海道線の開通にあたり、本線は御殿場経由となったので、国府津は小田原、箱根、湯河原、熱海(あたみ)、東伊豆方面への旅行者の下車地となり（小田原方面へは軽便鉄道が、熱海方面へは舟便が通じた）、駅前町が発達し、有力金融機関も進出した。現在、一帯の丘陵はミカン畑で、漬物と水産加工品が特産。宝金剛寺(ほうこんごうじ)は北条氏が信仰し、国指定重要文化財の銅造大日如来坐像(ざぞう)がある。

［浅香幸雄］

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