Obayashi Corporation 3D-reconstructed a fictitious Edo-period castle town designed by 19-year-old Kokugaku scholar Motoori Norinaga circa 1749.
Key Takeaways
The Hashihara Castle Town Map (517x720mm) depicts a complete fictional castle town; a matching Genealogical Table discovered in 1978 confirmed both artifacts are paired works by Norinaga.
The genealogical table catalogs 200+ vassals with kokudaka, chigyo-chi, mansion locations, and birth/death years; building positions in the table correspond exactly to the map layout.
Norinaga reused the genealogical table’s reverse side for a waka draft (Kokinsen), hiding the artifacts until a 1978 Agency for Cultural Affairs survey surfaced them.
Obayashi’s 2024 project team analyzed the map under themes: defense, disaster prevention, logistics, waterways, streets, and festivals, cross-referencing Matsusaka and Kyoto topography.
The reconstruction goal is a fully 3D-rendered imaginary town, treating the map as an ideal urban blueprint reflecting the intellectual principles of a future leading Edo-period scholar.
