Abstract
The purpose of this study is the determination of the developmental characteristics of Shibukawa, a town situated in Gunzna Prefecture near the confluence of the Tone and Agatsuma Rivers. Shibukawa may be regarded as an example of one of the valleymouth settlements of the Nothern Kanto Plain. Results of this study may be summarized as follows:
(1) Since the beginning of the Tokugawa Period (1600-1868), the-town of Shibukawa has developed out of a marketplace into one of the important centers of North Kanto, with a tipycal “Strassendorf” form.
a) In the early stages of its developement, Shibukawa was an agricultural settlement.
b) Later, a regular market well organized and with its own system of “za” was established and the town become local center serving a hinte rland consisting of the Agatsuma 'Basin and the eastern slope of Mt. Haruna.
(2) Contributing toward the early developement of the town was its position as a post station on the Mikuni Kaido (Sea Road).
(3) Since the Meiji Era (1869-1912), the town has became an important communication center.
(4) Shibukawa's growth has been materially aided by its position as the starting point of a route to the Ikaho Hot Springs.
