Article

08341 ／とうかいむら

Ibaraki Prefecture 那珂郡

Tokai Village

One of Nariaki's chosen views is here.

Seiran Stone, Mito Eight Views

Photo by Matsumotonaiko (CC0)

01 ／ Castle ruins

Excavations point to a refuge castlethat became a lord's castle.

Castle ruins in Tokai Village — Photo by Steven zoy (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ishigami Castle Site stands at the edge of a plateau where the Kuji River once meandered widely. The village records that it began as a refuge castle where local people sheltered temporarily, and that late in the Sengoku period its moats and earthworks were reworked into a lord's castle. To the south is Chosho-in, the family temple of the castle's lords.

Prefecturally designated historic site
Plateau rises 15 m
Moats and earthworks remain

02 ／ Jomon

Jade beads placed in graves:five came from a plateau edge.

Hokkome A Site, on a plateau edge that once faced Masaki-ura inlet, dates to the mid-Middle Jomon period. Five jadeite beads (taishu) were unearthed from pit graves and are prefecturally designated archaeological materials. A University of Tsukuba study found the stone could in every case come from Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture.

Five beads (prefecturally designated)
Found in pit graves
Source possibly Itoigawa

03 ／ Shrines

Two village shrines the tourist associationpresents as the "inner" and "outer" shrines.

Muramatsu's Daijingu is said to date from the first year of Wado (708) and enshrines a divided spirit of Ise Grand Shrine. At Shirakata's Toyouke Kotaijingu, the Joshu Handa Gosho Daijingu engi and related records are held as village-designated historical materials. The tourist association introduces the former as the "inner shrine" and the latter as the "outer shrine."

Said to date from 708
Engi: village-designated historical material
Two shrines, Muramatsu and Shirakata

Tokai Village from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Now1974–78

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot January 2021)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles（全国最新写真（シームレス）／国土画像情報（第一期：1974〜1978年撮影））

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

78 minutes to Ueno, 85 to Tokyo.

about 40,000 people
90 min to a city centre
Rural district town

The village covers 38.01 km², faces the Pacific to the east, and meets Hitachi City across the Kuji River to the north. Its station is Tokai on the JR Joban Line, where the Limited Express Hitachi runs without a change: 78 minutes to Ueno and 85 to Tokyo.

People living here: 37,891people
Area: 38.01km²
Households: 15,429households
Rent (average for rentals): 49,841yen
Healthcare: 2 hospitals ／ 16 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —9 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Tokai Village in Japan36.473°N 140.566°E

to UenoLtd. exp. Hitachi78min
to TokyoLtd. exp. Hitachi85min

Travel times follow JR東日本の駅の時刻表（東海駅・常磐線。2610版）の下り平日・下り土曜休日の特急の列車ごとの停車駅一覧 (checked 2026-10-22). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 3 municipalities.

Territory of Tokai Village

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号平27情使、第585号)

North to south

11.2km

Hitachinaka City, Naka City, Hitachi City

Tokai Village isthis kind of town.

01The Mito Eight Views are eight scenic spots that Tokugawa Nariaki chose within the Mito domain in 1833; in Tokai Village Muramatsu was chosen, and a stone in Nariaki's own hand was set up. The Muramatsu Seiran stone is a village-designated historic site
02Ishigami Castle Site was a castle held by retainers of the Satake clan; the village records that it began as a refuge castle and became a lord's castle late in the Sengoku period. Its family temple, Chosho-in, lies to the south
03At Hokkome A Site, five jadeite beads were unearthed from Middle Jomon graves, and their source may be Itoigawa. Muramatsu's Daijingu is said to date from the first year of Wado

See the town as it is now.

Facebooktokai.vill ↗

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Tokai Village official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes