Nishiokitama

Western Okitama includes the Nagai basin on the upper reaches of the Mogami River. In the Edo period, river transport gave this mountain-bound part of the Yonezawa domain a route to distant markets. Landings at Miya and Koide became collecting points for goods, and the settlements developed as merchants' towns. Rice and other products passed through their warehouses on the way downriver, while supplies travelled back into the basin.