occupation. Towns today with names like Gofuku-machi ("apparel town"), Aburaya-cho ("oil town"), Daiku-machi ("carpenter town"), Kaji-machi ("blacksmith town"), and Kōya-chō ("dye-shop town") are remnants of Chōnin-chi. Chōnin-chi was smaller in land size per family compared to Samurai-machi and were tightly aligned along the streets. This is why a Chōnin house had a narrow entrance and great depth and was called an "eel's nest". It had two floors, but the second floor was used as a storeroom to avoid looking down at the feudal lord. Tera-machi was placed on the outer rim of the Jokamachi and formed an array of large temples. It contributed to reinforcing the city's defense. Modern presence In Japan today, more than half of its cities with a population of over 100,000 are former Jōkamachi. Their appearances have changed through great fires, war damage, and urban development. Cities with any signs of the original Jōkamachi are decreasing, and those that have preserved the entire area are very few. However, many former Jōkamachi have preserved remnants of the old city design, albeit partly, and cities with streets originally designed to hamper foreign intruders are indeed causing traffic congestion today. Modern cities often have other traces of Jōkamachi, such as former Chōnin-chi districts that still function as the city center as well as festivals and traditions that have continued since the Jōkamachi era. Cities that have kept its design from before the Edo period are often called Sho-kyoto ("small Kyoto"). Cities with remnants of the Edo period are sometimes called Ko-edo ("small Edo"). Further reading References 脇田修『織田信長―中世最後の覇者』、中央公論社、1987年6月、 池享『日本の時代史 (13) 天下統一と朝鮮侵略』吉川弘文館、2003年6月、 大岡敏昭 『武士の絵日記 幕末の暮らしと住まいの風景』 角川ソフィア文庫 2014年 p. 28. Castles in Japan Types of towns