🗺️ Musashi Province Government Ruins武蔵国府跡

From the early Nara period to the mid-Heian period (approximately the 8th to 10th centuries), there were more than 60 "kōchō" (国庁) established across Japan, which served as facilities for local administrative officials (kokushi) to carry out their duties. The cities where these kōchō were located were referred to as "kōbu" (国府). The former capital of Musashi Province was located in what is now Fuchū City. Fuchū City prospered and developed due to its strategic location for both land and water transportation, becoming a center of politics, economy, and culture (Musashi Province was an administrative division in Japan that included parts of present-day Tokyo, Saitama, and Kanagawa). Within the kōbu, there was also a location called "kōga" (国衙), which served as the central area for governmental affairs within the kōchō. After more than 30 years of archaeological excavation and investigation, the ruins of the kōga have been confirmed to be located within and to the east of the Ōkunitama Shrine, where large architectural remains that served as the kōchō were discovered. Next to the exhibition facility, many vermilion pillars have been erected, which were used to indicate the original positions of the building's pillars during the excavation process.

The site of the facilities where administrative officials carried out their duties during the period of 1000 to 1300 years ago. The original building has been spatially restored using vermilion columns, allowing one to imagine the size and scope of the original structure. Red circular markings indicating the positions of the columns are drawn on the pavement of the road next to the ruins.