|
| In the latter half of the 14th century on this site there was a spring which cured people’s ailments. In 1432, the ruler of the Aizu area Morihisa Ashina built a villa here thinking it a sacred place. This is regarded as the beginning of Oyakuen. Following this, Japan entered a period of civil war and the leaders of Aizu changed in rapid succession from Date, Gamō, and Uesugi to Katō. Also as a result of the confusion of the continuing war, Oyakuen went unused. But in the beginning half of the 17th century the ruler of the region—Lord Matsudaira—revived the sacred spot and it came to be used as a place of refuge. In 1670 Lord Matsudaira planted medicinal herbs with the objective to help save the locals from sickness through preventative methods. In addition, after initial success with its growth, ginseng cultivation came to be popular within the region. As a result, ginseng came to be a crop which was not only sent to various regions within the country, but exported to China as well. Also, medicinal studies proceeded with the cultivation of the herbs. |
|
|
