The Reason Why Musashi-Kosugi and Chikuzen-Maebaru Exist
As I walk around various parts of the country, I frequently come across station names that bear the "old province names" from the Ritsuryo period, which are even older than the names of the prefectures themselves.
This might be the best job for a train enthusiast, but unfortunately, I have no interest in it.
(However, there are very diverse types of railway fans, such as those who love taking photos of trains or recording their sounds. Having hobbies is a wonderful thing, but when it comes to ill-mannered railway fans, I truly think in my heart, 'Station staff, please just deal with them already.' But since I'm afraid of their tantrums and excitement, I can only watch.)
Even just in my home region of Northern Kyushu, there are Chikuzen-Maebaru, Chikuzen-Fukae, Hizen-Yamaguchi, and Bungo-Taketa.
On the JR Suigun Line in Ibaraki Prefecture, which I visited the other day, I also saw several station names like 'Hitachi-Kounosu' and other 'Hitachi-something' names.
There are just too many. And honestly, it's a bit tedious.
Locals don't bother adding 'Chikuzen,' 'Hizen,' or 'Bungo' in their everyday conversations.
I'm not interested in railways, but I am somewhat... curious about place names, so I decided to look into it a little.
Place names can overlap, but station names cannot.
When I looked into it, the reason was actually quite practical.
In principle, stations under the same JR jurisdiction cannot have the same name.
Train operations, ticket issuance, public address announcements, disaster response—.
Before station names are about culture or romance, they are 'infrastructure' that cannot be replaced.
For this reason, common place names found all over the country, such as 'Maebaru,' 'Yamaguchi,' 'Taketa,' 'Takada,' and 'Ono,' are difficult to adopt as station names as they are.
As a result, it becomes necessary to add 'something' to the beginning for identification.
That is where our country's former regional administrative divisions, Ritsuryo province names (old province names), were highly valued.
The Capital Region where 'Musashi' is mass-produced
This trend is especially clear when walking around the capital region.
When wandering around Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Saitama, you come across station names with 'Musashi' in them more than you'd like.
Musashi-Koyama (this one is Tokyu, though), Musashi-Kosugi, Musashi-Koganei.
(—Ah, I'm also curious about that 'Musako issue'—.)
Musashi-Urawa, and Musashi-Shinjo. Next to that is Musashi-Nakahara.
When lined up like this, it reminds me once again of how vast the Musashi Province was, spanning not only Tokyo but also Saitama and Kanagawa.
While old province names are practical 'devices' to avoid duplicate station names, they are also 'traces' that convey the historical territory of that land to the present day.
The 'cannot use' rule that also applies to city, town, and village names
The same applies to the names of cities, towns, and villages.
Although it is not explicitly prohibited by law, there is an unspoken rule among local governments that says,
'Do not use the same city name anywhere in the country.'
According to a column by Shinobu Niino of the Mainichi Shimbun, this is based on a notification issued in 1970 by the then-Ministry of Home Affairs (now the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications) stating,
'Give sufficient consideration so as not to be identical or similar to existing city names.'
(Reference) Mainichi Kotoba (
2011 / 7/11 )
The few exceptions that still remain
Currently, there are very few examples where cities with the same name coexist.
Fuchu City (Tokyo and Hiroshima Prefectures)
Date City (Fukushima Prefecture/Hokkaido)
Why were these exceptions permitted?
In the case of Fuchu City, the two cities were established only one day apart.
It is a well-known story that the procedures moved forward before they were strongly aware of each other's existence.
Cities with the same name ended up standing side-by-side before the rule of 'first come, first served' could take effect.
As for Date City, the Hokkaido side was established in 1972, and the Fukushima side in 2006.
Date City in Hokkaido has its roots in the migration of the Date family during the Meiji era, while Date City in Fukushima Prefecture is the birthplace of the Date clan, so to speak, their ancestral home.
They have deep historical connections and are geographically distant.
According to the aforementioned column by Mr. Shinno, the current Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications seems to have shifted to a flexible stance of 'accepting it if there are no objections from existing cities and they are geographically distant,' but it is certain that many duplicate place names were eliminated during the Great Heisei Consolidation.
The true nature of the word 'Fuchu'
Furthermore, 'Fuchu City' and 'Fuchu Town' exist simultaneously in Hiroshima Prefecture.
There is a clear reason for this.
Fuchu City in Hiroshima Prefecture is the Fuchu of 'Bingo Province'.
Fuchu Town in Hiroshima Prefecture is the Fuchu of 'Aki Province'.
In the first place, 'Fuchu' is a term that refers to the location where the 'Kokufu' (an organization similar to a modern prefectural government) was placed during the ancient Ritsuryo system.
In other words, Fuchu was not so much a proper noun as it was a functional name meaning 'central location'.
Later, abbreviations permeated the regions, such as 'Kofu' for the Fuchu of Kai Province, 'Sunpu' for Suruga Province, and 'Chofu' for Nagato Province...
Some of these have become the origins of city names like the current Kofu City and Hofu City.
Station names tell us the 'now' of that town
Let's return to the topic.
Old province names are added to station names. Regional names are added to city names.
Place names can carry history, but station names do not allow for duplication.
That is precisely why station names honestly record the town's current position, centrality, and the fact of 'whether an explanation is necessary'.
While the station name 'Chikuzen-Maebaru' remains,
'Maebaru City' became 'Itoshima City' due to the Great Heisei Consolidation.
The city name disappeared, and the administrative division changed.
Even so, only the station name quietly continues to protect its old name.
In a society with a declining population,
further municipal mergers will likely be unavoidable in the future.
JR is also being forced to make difficult choices regarding the consolidation and closure of stations.
Even so,
it might just be the station names that continue to protect place names until the very end.