Tachiki Shell Mound, Tone Town
Article

08564 ／ とねまち

Ibaraki Prefecture 北相馬郡

Tone Town

A shell-mound dune gave up clay figures.

Tachiki Shell Mound

Photo by 国立文化財機構 (CC BY 4.0)

01 ／ Former residence

Tone River Illustrated, written by a Fukawa doctor,has its author's birthplace rebuilt.

Akamatsu Sotan practiced medicine in Fukawa and, alongside it, researched the history, legends and geography of the Tone River basin, compiling them as Tonegawa Zushi (Illustrated Records of the Tone River). The site of his former residence is a reconstruction of his birthplace and a town-designated cultural property. The town records that Yanagita Kunio read the book as a boy, which led him to pursue folklore studies.

  • Reconstructed birthplace of the book's author
  • Town-designated cultural property
  • Book completed in 1858

02 ／ Old road

A road thought to link two provincial capitalslies in the woods as the Shimo-no-michi.

Old road in Tone Town
Photo by 茨城 とね (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The town records that its Kamakura Kaido is thought to have been part of a road running from the Shimosa provincial capital (Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture) to the Hitachi provincial capital (Ishioka), and corresponds to the Shimo-no-michi, one of three main routes. The town's sightseeing page says it still survives in the woods of northeast Moegino-dai 5-chome.

  • Thought to be part of the road from Shimosa to Hitachi
  • One of three main routes: the Shimo-no-michi
  • Northeast Moegino-dai 5-chome

03 ／ Votive picture

A votive picture of the river wharf's bustlebears the names of some 140 donors.

Votive picture in Tone Town
Photo by Suikotei (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Kotohira Shrine holds the Fukawa Kashi Ema, offered in 1843 (Tenpo 14), which depicts Fukawa as a thriving Tone River wharf. According to the town, Fukawa Wharf then bustled in step with Kioroshi Wharf, and the roughly 140 donor names on the back suggest who was involved in the wharf.

  • Offered in 1843
  • Some 140 donors
  • Kotohira Shrine

Tone Town from the sky

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

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot May–September 2008)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

A town with no station, by bus from Toride.

  • about 20,000 people
  • Rural district town

There is no railway station in the town. According to the town's public transport guide map (revised 2024), route buses of the town's operator link Toride Station with Haneno, Kitakata Depot, Moegino-dai, Tatsuzaki and Tone New Town East. The town office is in Fukawa.

People living here
15,340people
19952020

−6% since 2015

20,202 → 15,340

Area
24.86km²

24.2km² of it habitable

2024

Households
6,258households

2.5 people per household

2020

Rent (average for rentals)
50,167yen

National average 60,630 yen

2023

Healthcare
0 hospitals ／ 9 clinics

5.9 per 10,000 people

2023

Almost entirely flat.Almost all of it is habitable land (97.3%)
Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103
Children waiting for childcare
—3 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.

Shape

Surrounded by 6 municipalities, and almost entirely flat.

Tone Town in Japan35.858°N 140.139°E
OsakaTone Town
Territory of Tone Town
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

5.1km

Ibaraki Prefecture
Ryugasaki City, Kawachi Town, Toride City
Chiba Prefecture
Sakae Town, Abiko City, Inzai City

Travel times per leg are not published by the municipality, so they are not shown.

Tone Town isthis kind of town.

  1. 01Tachiki Shell Mound is a shell mound of Yamato and marsh clams, 150 m east to west and 50 m north to south; the town records that it is known as a site where clay figures have been excavated
  2. 02The former residence of Akamatsu Sotan is a town-designated reconstruction of the birthplace of the author of Tonegawa Zushi, with the book and his Choshi diary on display inside
  3. 03The Kamakura Kaido is a woodland road thought to be the Shimo-no-michi, and Kotohira Shrine holds the Fukawa Kashi Ema of 1843

See the town as it is now.

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

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Tone Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

Similar towns

Next town Ibaraki Prefecture Kashima City →A narrow front stretches into the grove.