Abstract
The investigation of Jokamachi forms an important branch of the historical and geographical studies of Japan because most of the modern cities in present-day Japan are former castle-cities which had undergone changes under the influence of the industrial revolution in the most recent times.
These castle-cities (or towns), which total about 300 including those that had once existed but were destroyed subsequently, are examined and their certain geographic characters are viewed from the following three standpoints: (1) a castle-city as the capital of a feudal dominion; (2) a castle-city retaining in its form the feudal defense system; and (3) a castle-city still living in -a present day city.
Regarding (1), a city's character as the capital in the feudal times is analyzed. Regarding (2), utilization of moats and topography, rivers in particular, for defense purpose is explained and, in addition, a city plan made in imitation of Heian-kyo (an ancient name of Kyoto City) is presented. With regard to (3), a camparison is made of the present-day population of a city with the production of rice when the same city was a castle-town of the feudal age, and from this comparison the rise and decline of that city is examined. In conclusion, it is stated that the feudal city is still alive in a Japanese city of modern times, and that it is possible to find in Japan too the similar type of a city form which is observable in a country with old history.
