I have been traveling around the Hokushinetsu region for the past ten days. Hokushinetsu refers to the vast area consisting of the three Hokuriku prefectures of Toyama, Ishikawa, and Fukui, along with Nagano and Niigata from the Shin’etsu area, but today it is rarely noted for anything other than its natural environment.
In the present day, the Pacific side of Japan is filled with major cities and economic zones, and is thus often seen as the “front side,” but since ancient times the Sea of Japan side centered on Hokushinetsu had served this role. I have personally visited the Sea of Japan side many times to conduct research in order to better understand this ancient reality, and while it cannot be said to be absolute, I feel this argument captures one aspect of history.
So then, where exactly does the “northern limit” of Hokushinetsu lie? This becomes very important when considering the Tohoku region further to the north, but what I found particularly interesting on my recent trip was the character of Murakami in Niigata Prefecture as a cultural northern limit.