Formation process and urban morphology of pre-modern port towns located on the coastal area of the Sea of Japan

Focusing on Tohoku and Hokuriku Region in Japan

Abstract

Studies of pre-modern towns are conducted in Japan to grasp their history and culture. However, there are fewer studies of pre-modern port towns compared to castle towns. It is not generally known that several pre-modern port towns located on the coastal area of the Sea of Japan were built as outports of castle towns. The purpose of this study is to uncover formation process and urban morphology of pre-modern port towns located on the coastal area of the Sea of Japan. As a result of the analysis , there is a tendency that the town structure of the harbour side was rationally planned, and on the other hand , the inner side was unregulated.