The Etymology of Okehazama

Okehazama, where Oda Nobunaga and Imagawa Yoshimoto
fought.

It is a battlefield known as a major
turning point in the Sengoku period,
which suddenly elevated
Nobunaga's name, but
in terms of current place names,
Okehazama is located in a place
that straddles Midori Ward in Nagoya City
and Toyoake City in Aichi Prefecture.

Now, what do you think
is the origin of the place name
Okehazama?

Originally, this area was a village
pioneered by defeated warriors of the Southern Court
during the Northern and Southern Courts period,
and it was said to be a land
rich in water.

It is said to originate from the fact that
water buckets for drawing water
would spin around
due to the force of the gushing spring,
leading travelers to name it
"the valley where buckets spin."

Currently, it is written with the kanji
for "bucket" and "valley",
but in Edo period records,
the kanji for "bucket" and "to spin" were used,
and it was written as
"Okehazama" (using the character for spin).

Why did the notation
change?

Since the enforcement of the
Gun-Ku-Cho-Son Organization Law in 1878,
the reason is unknown, but
suddenly, it became the current kanji notation
of Okehazama.

In Okehazama Battlefield Park, there is a spot
called the "Yoshimoto Head-Washing Spring" or
the "Yoshimoto Water-Drawing Spring,"
and it used to be rich in water.
However, after the land readjustment

in 1986,
the spring water, which was actually abundant,
dried up, so
it is said that water is now circulated
by a pump.

Also, there is a juniper tree
where it is said Lord Yoshimoto tied his horse,
and a tree called the "Horse-Tying Juniper"
remains.

There was a legend that
touching it would cause a fever,
but unfortunately, that tree has now
withered and
remains in a dead state.

When people think of Imagawa Yoshimoto, many
have the image of a
"courtier-like Sengoku daimyo."
However, Yoshimoto was actually
a capable manager of his territory,

and with the backing of his retainer, Taigen Sessai,
he succeeded in making Suruga, Totomi, and Mikawa,
which could not be said to have high rice production,
into wealthy lands, while
using military and diplomatic power
to expand his territory.

He also actively developed gold mines,
such as the "Abe Gold Mine" upstream of the Abe River
and the "Fuji Gold Mine" at the foot of Mount Fuji.

He was a daimyo who sought ways
to enrich his territory
by utilizing abundant buried resources.