Skip to content
Japan
Deutsche Version

Gunma · Capital · Core city

Maebashi

前橋市まえばししMaebashi-shi

Silk, canals and poetry below Mount Akagi

Maebashi is the capital of Gunma Prefecture, a former castle town on the Tone River at the foot of Mount Akagi. It was a leading centre of the Meiji-era silk trade and calls itself the 'city of water, greenery and poetry' after its canals and the poet Hagiwara Sakutaro.

Overview

Maebashi spreads across the fan of land between the Tone River and the long southern slopes of Mount Akagi, whose summit area and caldera lake lie within the city boundary. The old centre occupies a terrace on the east bank of the Tone, where a castle stood from the sixteenth century; the prefectural government tower now rises on the castle site.

In the Meiji era Maebashi was one of Japan's silk capitals. Its domain founded the country's first Western-style mechanised silk-reeling mill in 1870, two years before Tomioka, and 'Maebashi silk' was a recognised brand among Yokohama's exporters. The wealth of the silk trade paid for the Rinkokaku guest house and for the city's early status as a centre of education and culture.

Today Maebashi is Gunma's administrative centre, somewhat quieter than its larger neighbour and rival Takasaki. The Hirose River canal flowing through the centre, the gardens of Shikishima Park and the memory of the poet Hagiwara Sakutaro give it a gentle character; its northern districts reach up into the farmland, forests and ski slopes of Akagi.

Landmarks

  • Rinkokaku

    臨江閣Rinkōkaku

    Meiji-era guest house and tea house built in 1884 on the Tone River terrace, an Important Cultural Property.

  • Gunma Prefectural Government Building

    群馬県庁Gunma Kenchō

    A 33-storey tower on the castle site with a public observation floor looking out to Akagi, Haruna and, on clear days, Mount Fuji.

  • Maebashi Castle site

    前橋城跡Maebashi-jō ato

    Earthworks and fragments of the castle survive around the prefectural office and the old prefectural assembly building.

  • Maebashi Literature Museum

    前橋文学館Maebashi Bungakukan

    Museum by the Hirose River devoted to Hagiwara Sakutaro and other poets of the city.

  • Shikishima Park

    敷島公園Shikishima Kōen

    Riverside park with pine woods and a rose garden, where Sakutaro's reconstructed house stands.

  • Akagi Shrine and Lake Onuma

    赤城神社Akagi Jinja

    Vermilion shrine on a peninsula in the caldera lake Onuma near the summit of Mount Akagi, frozen and used for ice fishing in winter.

  • Arts Maebashi

    アーツ前橋Ātsu Maebashi

    Contemporary art museum in a converted department store in the city centre.

Districts

  • Central Maebashi

    中央通りChūō-dōri

    Covered shopping streets along the Hirose River canal between JR Maebashi and Chuo-Maebashi stations.

  • Otemachi

    大手町Ōtemachi

    The former castle area on the Tone terrace, with the prefectural office, Rinkokaku and Maebashi Park.

  • Akagi slopes

    赤城南面Akagi nanmen

    The rural north of the city, with orchards, dairy farms and the road up to Onuma.

History

The castle, first called Umayabashi, was a stronghold contested by the Uesugi, Takeda and Hojo. Under the Tokugawa the Sakai family ruled Maebashi from 1601, followed by a branch of the Matsudaira in 1749. The Tone River repeatedly eroded the castle mound, and in 1767 the lord moved his seat to Kawagoe, leaving Maebashi without a resident daimyo for a century. Silk merchants financed the castle's reconstruction in the 1860s.

In the Meiji period the city became the capital of Gunma and a centre of silk reeling and trade. It received city status in 1892. An air raid in August 1945 destroyed much of the centre. Mergers with surrounding villages in 2004 and 2009 extended the city up to the summit of Mount Akagi.

  1. 1601

    Sakai Shigetada becomes lord of Maebashi.

  2. 1767

    Tone River erosion forces the Matsudaira lord to move his seat to Kawagoe.

  3. 1867

    The rebuilt Maebashi Castle is completed with funds from silk merchants and the lord returns.

  4. 1870

    The Maebashi domain opens Japan's first Western-style mechanised silk-reeling mill.

  5. 1881

    Maebashi is formally confirmed as the capital of Gunma Prefecture.

  6. 1884

    The Rinkokaku guest house is built for an imperial visit.

  7. 1892

    Maebashi receives city status.

  8. 1945

    An air raid on 5 August destroys much of the city centre.

  9. 2009

    Maebashi becomes a core city and absorbs the village of Fujimi.

Culture

Maebashi's cultural identity is built on its silk-trade past and on poetry: Hagiwara Sakutaro, the modernist poet born here, walked and wrote along the Hirose River, and the city presents itself as 'the city of water, greenery and poetry'. Contemporary art has a strong presence through Arts Maebashi and events in the refurbished city centre.

Festivals

  • Hatsuichi Festival

    前橋初市まつりMaebashi Hatsuichi Matsuri

    New Year market on 9 January with daruma stalls, one of the oldest markets in Kanto.

  • Maebashi Tanabata Festival

    前橋七夕まつりMaebashi Tanabata Matsuri

    Summer festival in July with streamers hung across the central shopping streets.

  • Maebashi Festival

    前橋まつりMaebashi Matsuri

    Autumn festival with floats, portable shrines and yagibushi dancing in the city centre.

Food

  • Sauce katsudon

    ソースかつ丼sōsu katsudon

    Pork cutlets dipped in a sweet-savoury sauce on rice, served in long-established Maebashi restaurants.

  • Yakimanju

    焼きまんじゅうyakimanju

    Grilled buns glazed with sweet miso, sold by old family shops in the city.

  • Pork dishes

    豚肉料理butaniku ryōri

    Pig farming is important on the Akagi slopes, and the city promotes itself for its pork cuisine.

Getting around

  • JR Maebashi Station is about 15 minutes from Takasaki, the nearest Shinkansen stop, on the JR Ryomo Line; some trains run through from Ueno.
  • The Jomo Electric Railway runs from Chuo-Maebashi Station east along the foot of Mount Akagi to Nishi-Kiryu.
  • Buses run from JR Maebashi Station to the Akagi summit area and Lake Onuma, and to Ikaho Onsen.
  • The city lies on the Kan-Etsu and Kita-Kanto expressways; the centre is compact and walkable along the Hirose River.

Day trips

  • Mount Akagi and Lake Onuma

    赤城山Akagi-yama

    Caldera lake, the Akagi Shrine and hikes to Kurobi-san, the highest peak.

  • Ikaho Onsen

    伊香保温泉Ikaho Onsen

    Hot-spring town with a 365-step stone stairway on Mount Haruna, about 50 minutes by bus.

  • Takasaki

    Daruma temple, Kannon statue and Shinkansen connections.

  • Tomioka Silk Mill

    World Heritage silk mill, about an hour away via Takasaki.

  • Kusatsu Onsen

    Gunma's most famous spa, reached via the JR Agatsuma Line and bus.

Other cities in the prefecture

TownKusatsuKusatsu-machiJapan's classic highland hot-spring townCore cityTakasakiTakasaki-shiDaruma dolls and the crossroads of Gunma

Frequently asked questions

Is Maebashi or Takasaki the capital of Gunma?

Maebashi is the capital, with the prefectural government. Takasaki, 15 minutes away by train, is slightly larger and has the Shinkansen station.

What is Maebashi known for?

Its role in the silk industry, the poet Hagiwara Sakutaro, the Rinkokaku guest house, the view from the prefectural office tower and Mount Akagi.

How do I get from Tokyo to Maebashi?

Take the Joetsu or Hokuriku Shinkansen to Takasaki (about 50 minutes) and change to the JR Ryomo Line for Maebashi (about 15 minutes).

Can Mount Akagi be visited without a car?

Yes, buses run from Maebashi Station to the Akagi summit area in about an hour, though services are less frequent outside the main season.

Related

Sources

  1. 1.前橋市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 前橋市 (Maebashi City)
  2. 2.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — 総務省統計局 (Statistics Bureau of Japan)
  3. 3.群馬県ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 群馬県 (Gunma Prefecture)

Editorial team · Published: