{"id":159,"date":"2025-08-22T14:18:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T05:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geo-itoigawa.com\/en\/?page_id=159"},"modified":"2026-01-30T13:39:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T04:39:52","slug":"area01","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/geo-itoigawa.com\/en\/igp\/area\/area01\/","title":{"rendered":"1. Ichiburi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n

Ichiburi Area<\/h1>\nJade and Jurassic Fossils\n\n\t

Created from volcanic rock during the Cretaceous period (about 100 million years ago)<\/b>, the mountains here press against the coastline. The same geological formations found at Oyashirazu Geosite in the east continue here. In addition to those found in Oyashirazu, serpentine, crystalline schist (dating to the Paleozoic era), and marine fossils (from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods)<\/b> are distributed throughout the area.<\/p>\n

Constant wave activity along this area’s gravel coast provides many naturally polished, hand-sized rock specimens<\/b>. Many of these rocks have been carried here by deep ocean currents from the Omigawa River and the Himekawa River to the east, and the Sakaigawa River in the west. A determined hunter can find especially beautiful jade along this coast. It’s believed that the natural polishing effect of the sea has cleaned the masses of jade pulled down from the mountains to their superior-quality cores.<\/p>\n

From the nearby Sakaigawa River, sandstone and mudstone left behind by marine fossils drifts in to Ichiburi. Especially inside dark mudstone, it is possible to find fossils of plants, bivalve mollusks, ammonites, and other marine organisms<\/b>.<\/p>\n

In ancient times, Ichiburi served as a checkpoint and inn town along the old Hokuriku Road, just west of the infamously treacherous cliffs of Oyashirazu<\/b>. Matsuo Basho, the most celebrated poet of the Edo period, once stopped in an inn here where he wrote the poem “Hitotsu-ya ni, yuujo mo netari, hagi to tsuki,” which translates roughly to, “For one night at this inn, prostitutes sleep, as do clovers and the moon.”<\/p>\n\t\"\"\n \n \"Ichiburi\n \"Kaido\n \"Former\n \"Tamanoki\n \"Ichiburi\n \"Road\n \"Jurassic\n <\/map>\n\t

1Ichiburi Coast<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t

Mountains made of volcanic rocks formed during the Cretaceous period (when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, fall here into the coast. These beaches are gravelly and covered with a variety of rock specimens. With luck (and a lot of searching) you might even find jadeite among them.<\/p>\n\t

2Kaido Pine Tree<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t

The Kaido Pine Tree was a 20 m tall, 230-year-old pine tree which stood at the eastern entrance of Ichiburi. It long served as a landmark for travelers crossing the nearby cliffs of Oyashirazu. Sadly, the Kaido Pine Tree was toppled by a typhoon in 2016. A tree believed to be its direct descendant now stands in its place.<\/p>\n\t

3Former Site of Kikyoya Inn<\/ruby><\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t

The famous and celebrated seventeenth century poet, Matsuo Basho, stopped at an inn once located here and wrote about it in his famous travelogue, Oku no Hosomichi. While staying at Kikyoya Inn, he wrote a well-known poem, a monument commemorating this poem can be found at nearby Choenji Temple.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the inn was lost in a devastating fire in 1914. A stone marker was built by the site where the inn once stood.<\/p>\n\t

4Tamanoki Landslide<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t

The Tamanoki Landslide happened in the early evening on January 15, 1985. The mountains crumbled as a result of heavy rain and melting snow bringing stone and earth down upon the village below. In the ensuing destruction and fire, 10 people lost their lives and several homes and other buildings were destroyed.<\/p>\n

A memorial was built as a silent reminder of those who lost their lives to the frightening indifference of nature.<\/p>\n\t

5Ichiburi Customs Gate Site and Hackberry Tree<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t

Along Japan’s old roads, a system of barriers were put in place in order to control movement, collect taxes, and inspect cargo. One of these barriers was constructed in Ichiburi in 1624. The barrier was demolished in 1869 as the system had been abolished, but a hackberry tree that had been planted beside the barrier still stands in the middle of the former local school ground.<\/p>\n\t

6Road Station\u00a0– Echigo Ichiburi no Seki<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t

This small roadside station along National Route 8 sits along the cultural border between eastern and western Japan. As such, you can buy products here manufactured in both regions. Many visitors are surprised to learn the differences in flavor between the two halves. For example, instant noodles are flavored more strongly in the East.<\/p>\n

The station sells a variety of gifts and locally-produced goods. It also houses a small restaurant specializing in local cuisine.<\/p>\n\t View Map\n