Japan's first public park, Nanko Koen, was completed in 1801. It was built by Matsudaira Sadanobu (1759–1829), the lord of the Shirakawa Domain who went down in history an a benevolent ruler. The park was built as a place where people could relax regardless of their social standing in a time when distinctions between the classes were rigorously enforced under Japan's feudal system.
		An Important Location, Past and Present Blessed with Clean Air and Water Corporations Work to Protect the Natural Environment Striving to Become an Academic and Cultural Center

An Important Location, Past and Present

Shirakawa is a familiar name throughout Japan because it is the site of the Shirakawa Barrier Station, a fortified checkpoint in service up to the 10th century. The barrier was originally established in Shirakawa because of its ideal geographical location as a natural fortress to prevent the incursion of invading enemies from the north. After the barrier station fell into disuse, Shirakawa became famous as the overland gateway to the Tohoku (north-east) region thanks largely to poems composed by Minamoto-no-Yoshiie, the warrior who subdued the Tohoku region in the 11th century. Many poignant songs were written by poets who visited Shirakawa thereafter. A common thread in them is the sense of remoteness (Shirakawa is over 700 kilometers from Kyoto, the ancient capital) and the deep emotions generated by the thought that their authors were about to set foot into the deep north, with its much harsher natural environment. Shirakawa today feels much closer today, though—only 180 kilometers from Tokyo, the present capital. And with the concentration of transportation networks, traveling time has gotten much shorter: to Tokyo, 77 minutes with the Tohoku Shinkansen or about two hour's drive via the Tohoku Expressway; and to Osaka, only 70 minutes by air from Fukushima Airport.

Kashima Shrine was built at the beginning of the ninth century.