It was not until the beginning of the period of civil wars that the name “Komatsu” appeared in documentary records. According to legend, in the middle of the Heian period the monk-emperor Kazan planted a pine sapling during a tour of the Hokuriku region, and the area where it grew came to be called sono no komatsubara (“small-pine field with gardens”). This name is said to have been shortened to “Komatsu”. Another theory is that the city of Komatsu got its name from Komatsu Temple, which was built by Minister Taira-no-Shigemori, who was also called “Komatsudono”. The temple, which existed from 1167 in the Heian period to the beginning of the turbulent Tensho period (1573-1592).
The history of Komatsu City dates back to the Jomon period, and it is known from excavations at the Yokaichi Chikata site that farming was already being practiced in the middle of the Yayoi period. Because the site of the city in the Heian and Kamakura periods was marshland, the political and cultural centers were Yusenji, Nakatsumi and other places in the hilly part of present-day Komatsu. Many places in this area such as Kokufu (government office of the Kaga domain), Kofu (the location of Kokubun-ji Temple), Nomi (the location of the Nomigun-ke, county hall) and Chugu Hachiin appear in the historical records.
The formation of the present-day urban area began with the construction of Komatsu Castle by Wakabayashi Nagato, the leader of the religious revolt of 1576. The lord of the castle changed frequently because of the ravages of war, but in 1639 the third lord of Kaga,
Maeda Toshitsune, retired to the castle. He put domestic affairs in order and promoted industry, and Komatsu developed rapidly as a castle town. Toshitsune is still now the subject of veneration, and is referred to as “The Restorer”.
In 1889, when the system of towns and villages was adopted, Komatsu Town was born, and in 1940 it amalgamated with the adjacent Ataka Town and the six nearby villages of Maki, Itazu, Shirae, Noshiro, Miyuki and Awazu to form the 176th municipal system in Japan. In 1955 the town was expanded to include the villages of Yatano, Nata, Nakaumi and part of Tsukizu, and in 1956 the villages of Kaneno, Nishio, Osugidani, Shinmaru and part of Kokufu were added to form the Komatsu City that we know today.
