History

The pre-historic Jomon Period is said to have existed about 16,500 years ago, during the Neolithic era. Relics from the Jomon period still exist throughout Japan, some of them in Ichikawa City　the famous places such as, Ubayama, Soya, Horinouchi Kaizuka.

In Japan's ancient era, since the Taika Reform (Taika Period, year 645), Japan was divided into 68 regions, with each region having a local government (Kokufu). Ichikawa City's northwestern part of Konodai used to be the site of Shimousa Kokufu, or the regional headquarters covering the north Chiba Prefecture & south Ibaraki Prefecture. In the 7th century, the Kokufu was the term for regional administration headquarters or center of government for designated region. At the site of the Kokufu in Ichikawa, the Kokubunji Temple was also erected. Kokubunji temple is where the Emperor of that period had wished for peace. However, now, in the vicinity of Ichikawa City's Kokubunji temple, buildings no longer exist, but just the remains.

Nichiren Shonin (1222 ~ 1282), the founder of Buddhism sect of Nichiren separated from the Buddhist center of Kamakura (Kanagawa Prefecture), and around the year 1260, established the first temple in the city, called Nakayama Hokekyoji. In the temple, many cultural assets can be found which include some national treasures.

During the Edo period (1596 ~ 1868), salt production was thriving in Ichikawa City's southern region called, Gyotoku. Salt pans were spread along the seashore of Gyotoku. Because Gyotoku is located closely to the capital region, Edo (the present Tokyo), the shogunate (military government) extended its custodian administration to this area and encouraged salt production. Salt-making continued until around 1949. Now in Gyotoku area, names of places like Honshio, Shioyaki, and Shiohama serve as proof. "Shio" is the Japanese term for salt.

The city's moderate climate, serene and beautiful surrounding, and its rich historical past, have been adorned by many literary figures and contemporary artists who have come to settle here. It is said that some parts of the city are high-class residential area, close to Tokyo. This may be the reason why in the past, famous personalities like, Kafu Nagai, Rohan Koda (together with his daughter, Fumi Koda and granddaughter, Tama Aoki ), Hakusyu Kitahara, and many more literary figures, chose to live in Ichikawa City. Moreover, there are numerous literary works that mention details about Ichikawa. All the places connected with these artists are being protected and promoted by civic groups and other organizations in Ichikawa City, with the creation of "Ichikawa Bungaku no Sanpo Michi" , which means, "A Stroll Along the Path to Ichikawa's Literary Culture".