Hirogawa, Wakayama
Encyclopedia
is a town
located in Arida District
, Wakayama
, Japan
.
As of 2003, the town has an estimated population
of 8,221 and a density
of 125.80 persons per km². The total area is 65.35 km².
) and Lafcadio Hearn
's "Gleanings in Buddha-Fields" (1897), Hirogawa (then Hiro-Mura) is often referred to the home of "A Living God" : Goryo Hamaguchi
(1820-1885). In 1854, Goryo Hamaguchi saved many lives from the tsunami struck the Kii Peninsula
following the big earthquake
. He set fires to rice sheaves (inamura) to help guiding those people in a great danger to safe place on the hilltop. He also devoted to help fellow villagers for finding jobs (hiring them) and build confidence among them by constructing a huge sea wall along the shore.
Goryo Hamaguchi and others established a private academy called "Taikyu-sha" (current Taikyu Junior/High School) to give many people opportunities to learn whatever they need. (According to the school record, they are not teaching the way to be successful or be famous but to be practical in many ways such as farming and ironing.) In 1907, Mr. George Trumbull Ladd
, assisting Marquis Ito (Hirofumi) then, visited the school and later published his journal "Rare Days in Japan" (1910) in the U.S.
Towns of Japan
A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...
located in Arida District
Arida District, Wakayama
is a district located in Wakayama, Japan. As of September 1, 2008, the district has an estimated Population of 50,095 and a Density of 114 persons/km². The total area is 437.88 km².-Towns and villages:*Aridagawa*Hirogawa*Yuasa-Merger:...
, Wakayama
Wakayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Wakayama.- History :Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.- 1953 Wakayama Prefecture flood disaster :...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
As of 2003, the town has an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 8,221 and a density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 125.80 persons per km². The total area is 65.35 km².
History
Thanks to the story called "Inamura no Hi: The Burning Rice Fields" by Tsunezo Nakai (translated and published in English by Sara Cone BryantSara Cone Bryant
Sara Cone Bryant was the author of various children's book in the early 20th century, including*How to Tell Stories To Children*Stories to tell the littlest ones*Epaminondas and His Auntie*I am an American...
) and Lafcadio Hearn
Lafcadio Hearn
Patrick Lafcadio Hearn , known also by the Japanese name , was an international writer, known best for his books about Japan, especially his collections of Japanese legends and ghost stories, such as Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things...
's "Gleanings in Buddha-Fields" (1897), Hirogawa (then Hiro-Mura) is often referred to the home of "A Living God" : Goryo Hamaguchi
Goryo Hamaguchi
was the seventh business owner of current Yamasa Corporation in Japan He saved many lives of his fellow villagers of Hiro, Kii Province , when a massive tsunami struck the Kii Peninsula in 1854. He set fire to stacks of "Inamura" to use as landmarks and help him guide those villagers to safe place...
(1820-1885). In 1854, Goryo Hamaguchi saved many lives from the tsunami struck the Kii Peninsula
Kii Peninsula
The is the largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan. The area south of the “Central Tectonic Line” is called Nankii , and includes the most poleward living coral reefs in the world due to the presence of the warm Kuroshio Current, though these are threatened by global warming and human...
following the big earthquake
1854 Ansei-Nankai earthquake
The 1854 Ansei-Nankai earthquake occurred at about 16:00 local time on 24 December, 1854. It had a magnitude of 8.4 and caused a damaging tsunami...
. He set fires to rice sheaves (inamura) to help guiding those people in a great danger to safe place on the hilltop. He also devoted to help fellow villagers for finding jobs (hiring them) and build confidence among them by constructing a huge sea wall along the shore.
Goryo Hamaguchi and others established a private academy called "Taikyu-sha" (current Taikyu Junior/High School) to give many people opportunities to learn whatever they need. (According to the school record, they are not teaching the way to be successful or be famous but to be practical in many ways such as farming and ironing.) In 1907, Mr. George Trumbull Ladd
George Trumbull Ladd
George Trumbull Ladd was an American philosopher, educator and psychologist.-Early life and ancestors:...
, assisting Marquis Ito (Hirofumi) then, visited the school and later published his journal "Rare Days in Japan" (1910) in the U.S.
Further reading
- Ladd, George T. (1908). In Korea with Marquis Ito