Understand
Its Japanese name refers to the ancient province of Japan, Koshi, which covered the area known as Hokuriku today. Echizen means "the beginning of Koshi." The region has a long history as an important military base and castle town, though nothing is left of its castles today. The city promotes itself as the city of Murasaki Shikibu, who stayed here for a year and is said to have been greatly influenced by her life here. Echizen is also home to many temples and shrines.
In 2005, the cities of Takefu and Imadate were combined to form Echizen city. However, it is often still referred to as Takefu, including the names of the highway interchange and train station. This fact, along with the fact that two of Echizen's neighbors are Echizen town and Minami-Echizen town can cause of confusion.
