Yoshida Shinden

Japanese: 吉田新田 - よしだしんでん

New rice fields in Tsuzuki County, Musashi Province. The area around present-day Isezakicho in Yokohama City was once a bell-shaped inlet of sea, but this was reclaimed by draining the land. Yoshida Kanbei, a native of Settsu Province born in 1611 (Keicho 16), who was in charge of the development, moved to Edo in 1634 (Kan'ei 11) and ran a lumber and stone business. Development began in 1656 (Meireki 2), but failed the following year when heavy rains caused the tide-breaking dike to collapse. Work resumed in 1659 (Manji 2) and was completed in 1667 (Kanbun 7). The key points of the construction were (1) to split the Ooka River, which flows into the top of the bell, in two and to divert it to either side of the bell, (2) to build a tide-breaking dike where it borders the sea, and (3) to create a waterway in the center, creating new rice fields with an estimated land area of 1,038 koku in size according to a land survey conducted in 174 (Enpo 2).

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

武蔵国都筑郡の新田。現在の横浜市伊勢佐木町あたりはかつて釣鐘形の入海であったが，これを干拓してつくられた。開発にあたった摂津国出身で1611年(慶長16)生れの吉田勘兵衛は，34年(寛永11)江戸に出て木材石材商を営んだという。56年(明暦2)開発に着手するが，翌年の大雨で潮除堤が決壊して失敗，59年(万治2)再度着手し，67年(寛文7)に完成。工事の要点は，(1)釣鐘頭部に流れてくる大岡川を二つに分けて釣鐘の両側に回し，(2)海に接した部分に潮除堤を築き，(3)中央部に水路を設けることで，74年(延宝2)の検地で高1038石とされる新田ができた。

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

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