Temple town - Monzenmachi

Feudal settlements (cities) developed in front of temples and shrines. In the case of shrines, they are sometimes called torii-mae-cho. In the early Middle Ages, temples and shrines were manorial lords with land for temples, shoden, and shikiden, which were descended from the Ritsuryo system. Many monks and priests were employed within the precincts, and monasteries and chambers were concentrated there. To support their consumer lifestyles, vegetables and other food crops were cultivated in the vicinity, and handicraft production of processed agricultural products (oil, lees, feed, somen noodles, koji, sugegasa, sudare, komo, etc.) was also developing. Markets were also opened, and commercial transactions were conducted with businesses outside the temple grounds, and the area was bustling, as described in the Hoso-ki: "Many wealthy people lived there, and the trade was prosperous" (Hoso-ki). Originally, temples and shrines were sacred places where gods and Buddhas were enshrined, and there was a belief in the way of commerce that buying and selling in front of them should not be dishonest. In the Middle Ages, feudal lords had faith in shrines and temples, and in terms of public order around the area, all acts of "Kunishichi tokoro shichi," "quarrels, quarrels, and violent peddling" were prohibited, and the areas in front of temples and shrines became safe zones for commercial transactions, and in the late Muromachi period, some were protected as "Rakuichi" or "Rakuza." Furthermore, as the goson system developed, and common people began to visit temples and shrines, inns, shops, and craftsmen's shops began to gather in front of the temples and shrines, catering to pilgrims. In particular, Nara, Ujiyamada, and Tennoji (Osaka) were concentrated with shrines and temples, and were considered to be powerful temple towns. For example, in medieval Nara, the vestiges of Heijo-kyo disappeared and the area developed into temple towns for large temples and shrines such as Todai-ji, Kasuga Taisha, and Kofuku-ji, with Kofuku-ji in particular said to have 3,000 monks and becoming the core of Nara. In the mid-Medieval period, Kita-ichi was opened in the northern corner of Nara, Minami-ichi to the southwest of Sarusawa-no-ike Pond, and in 1414 (Oei 21), Naka-ichi (Imaichi) was opened halfway between the two markets, and these markets were opened alternately every day. Nara was changing from temple towns centered around these to commercial settlements. As society stabilized in the early modern period and pilgrimages and visits to temples by common people became more popular, the temple towns took on a more leisurely and tourist character. Famous examples include Ujiyamada (Ise Grand Shrine), Kitsuki (Izumo Taisha Shrine), Miyajima (Itsukushima Shrine), Kotohira (Kotohira Shrine), Nagano (Zenkoji Temple), Narita (Shinkoji Temple), and Koyasan (Kongobu Temple). These towns also have Shakemachi (shrine towns) and Oshimachi (master towns) where temple and shrine workers live.

[Yukio Asaka]

"Medieval Settlements" by Yukio Asaka (included in "New Geography Lectures, Vol. 7", 1953, Asakura Publishing) " "Research on Early Modern Temple Towns" by Yoshiro Hiranuma (1957, Waseda University Press) "Temple Towns" by Toshiharu Fujimoto (1970, Kokin Shoin)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

寺社の門前に発達した封建集落（都市）。神社の場合は鳥居前町ということもある。中世初期の寺社は、律令(りつりょう)制の系譜を引く寺田、位田、職田(しきでん)などをもつ荘園(しょうえん)領主であり、その境域内には多くの僧侶(そうりょ)・神官を抱え、僧院や房舎が集まっていた。そしてそれらの消費生活を支えるため、近辺で蔬菜(そさい)その他の食料作物の栽培が行われ、農産加工（油、粕(かす)、飼料、そうめん、麹(こうじ)、菅笠(すげがさ)、簾(すだれ)、菰(こも)など）の手工業的生産も発達しつつあった。また市場も開かれて寺域外との商取引も行われ、「富貴ノ輩(ともがら)多ク止住シ、売買ノ道繁昌(はんじょう)ス」（『峯相記(ほうそうき)』）のようににぎわいつつあった。もともと寺社は神仏を祀(まつ)る神聖な場所で、その前で行われる売買には不正をなさないとする商道の信仰があった。中世領主たちは社寺を信仰し、社寺周辺の治安については、「国質所質(くにしちところしち)之事、喧嘩(けんか)口論之事、押売狼藉(ろうぜき)之事」はすべて禁止され、寺社門前は商取引の安全地区となり、室町末期には「楽市(らくいち)・楽座」として保護されるものもみられた。さらに郷村制の発達にともなって、庶民の寺社参拝が盛んになると、寺社門前には参詣(さんけい)者を目当てとした旅籠(はたご)（宿屋）や商店、手工業者の店が集まるようになった。とくに奈良、宇治山田、天王寺（大坂）には社寺が集中していて有力な門前町とされていた。たとえば中世の奈良では平城京のおもかげは消滅して、東大寺、春日(かすが)大社、興福寺などの大寺社の門前町として発達し、ことに興福寺は僧侶3000といわれて奈良の中核となった。中世中ごろには奈良北隅に北市、猿沢池(さるさわのいけ)の南西に南市、さらに1414年（応永21）には両市の中間に中市（今市）が開かれて、交互に毎日開市した。奈良はこれらを中心にした門前町から商業集落へと変化しつつあった。近世に入って社会が安定し、庶民の巡礼や講参りが盛んになると、門前町は遊楽観光地的性格を強めていった。宇治山田（伊勢(いせ)神宮）、杵築(きづき)（出雲(いずも)大社）、宮島（厳島(いつくしま)神社）、琴平(ことひら)（金刀比羅宮(ことひらぐう)）、長野（善光寺）、成田（新勝寺）、高野山(こうやさん)（金剛峯(こんごうぶ)寺）などが知られる。それらには社寺奉仕者が集住する社家(しゃけ)町、御師(おし)町などもみられる。

［浅香幸雄］

『浅香幸雄著『中世の集落』（『新地理学講座　第七巻』所収・1953・朝倉書店）』▽『平沼淑郎著『近世寺院門前町の研究』（1957・早稲田大学出版部）』▽『藤本利治著『門前町』（1970・古今書院）』

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