Objective

It is said that the last Tokugawa Shogun, Yoshinobu, affectionately known in Shizuoka as "Keiki-san," was the first person in Shizuoka Prefecture to ride a bicycle around the city in 1877-78.
This marked the beginning of the spread of bicycle culture, with bicycle rentals and bicycle shops, and the city's warm climate and flat terrain with few hills make it a suitable place for cycling, which is said to have led to Shizuoka becoming the "bicycle city" it is today.
Using this history, project members will travel across the country to solve three mysteries surrounding "Keiki-san's bicycle," tracing his footsteps and historical sites, and aiming to reproduce the bicycle.
Through this revival project, we aim to widely inform the citizens that "Keiki's bicycle" is connected to the current bicycle city "Shizuoka" and to spread the information nationwide, so that "Shizuoka" will become a world-class bicycle city and establish "pride" in "Shizuoka" when people think of bicycles.

Project members

No.1 Kiyoaki Sekigawa

Descendant of Torakichi Sekigawa, who opened the first bicycle shop in Shizuoka Prefecture

No.2 Yutaka Kubota

CEO of Ugetsuro, which has been the residence of Keiki for 20 years and has been protecting the famous gardens of the Tokai region for about 125 years

No.3 Akira Kurita

Branch chief of Shizuoka Branch, Shizuoka Prefecture Bicycle and Light Vehicle Commercial Cooperative

No.4 Yutaka Murai

Organizer of the Sanso Project, "Heisei Shizuoka Bicycle People," representative of Shizuoka Mobility Research Group

Three mysteries surrounding Keiki's bicycle

Mystery. 1.

Keiki loved photography.
He would have been a perfect subject for photos, whether it was on a bike or his favorite bike, but "why are there no photos of his bike?"

Mystery. 2.

Keiki was the first cyclist in Shizuoka.
It is said that the first bicycle was around 1877, but what kind of bike was this first bicycle in Shizuoka?"

Mystery. 3.

Keiki cycled all over Shizuoka.
"Are there traces of Keiki's cycling still left?"

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