Negishi Racecourse was a

horse-racing Horse racing is an equestrianism, equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all spor ...

facility located on the outskirts of

Yamate is the name of a historic neighbourhood in Naka-ku, Yokohama often referred to in English as ''The Bluff.'' The neighbourhood is famous as having been a foreigners' residential area in the Bakumatsu, Meiji and Taishō periods. While still domi ...

in the

treaty port Treaty ports (; ) were the port cities in China and Japan that were opened to foreign trade mainly by the unequal treaties forced upon them by Western powers, as well as cities in Korea opened up similarly by the Qing dynasty of China (before the ...

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, recognized as the first purpose-built European style racecourse in Japan. The course was operational between 1866 and 1942. It had a major influence on racecourses built later all over Japan, such as its clockwise circuit course and the structure of the stands.

History

The completion of the Negishi Racecourse in 1866 provided the first permanent site for horse racing in Yokohama, replacing a temporary Swamp Ground site at the rear of the Kannai foreign settlement where the first races had been run in 1862. Initially intended as an entertainment venue for the foreign community, the racecourse rapidly became popular with Japanese society; the

Emperor Meiji , posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...

visiting on 14 separate occasions. After the

Great Kantō earthquake Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...

, the main grandstand of the course was rebuilt in 1929 to a design by American architect Jay Morgan. Horse racing at the Negishi Racecourse continued until 1942. During wartime, portions of the original site were requisitioned by the military and only later turned into a public park, the U.S. Navy's Negishi Heights housing facility and the location of an equestrian sports museum.

References

{{coord, 35.4244, N, 139.6362, E, source:wikidata, display=title Horse racing venues in Japan Sports venues in Yokohama Defunct sports venues in Japan Sports venues completed in 1866 1866 establishments in Japan 1942 disestablishments in Japan Naka-ku, Yokohama

History

See also

References