Kanazawa: A Seventeenth-Century Japanese Castle Town

The author, for the first time in English, describes the history of one of Japan’s castle towns during the century of its most rapid growth, from the late sixteenth to the late seventeenth centuries. In 1583 Kanazawa was selected as the administrative and military center for Japan’s largest domain. Construction of the castle that was to form the core of the city began only in 1592, but by 1697 the commoner population numbered 68,636-a figure that would indicate a total population of about twice that size when samurai, priests, and outcasts are included. James L. McClain’s study focuses on this century of growth, which he divides into three periods: "formation,"" consolidation,"and losure." Within each period, he discusses the use of space and urban planning, economic growth, the political system and administration of the city, and culture. His method, basically descriptive, uses primarily the official records of the city, especially various regulations. (Accessed at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/1904983.pdf)