town area; townspeople's district
Historical term from the Edo period referring to the commoner/town district, as opposed to samurai or temple areas. Not used for modern towns.
江戸時代、町方は商人や職人が住む区域だった。
In the Edo period, the machikata was the district where merchants and artisans lived.
Compound of 町 (machi, 'town') and 方 (kata, 'direction' or 'side'), referring to the town/commoner quarter in Edo-period urban planning.