 Until the Meiji Era, the district was known as "Tsukama" but the pronunciation was changed to "Chikuma".However, people in Matsumoto still pronounce it "Tsukama", as in Tsukama Elementary School (筑摩小学校-つかましょうがっこう).Chikuma District once encompassed the present municipalities of Matsumoto (excluding parts of Nagawa, Azusagawa and Azumi areas), Shiojiri, the areas of Tazawa, Hikari, and Kawate from Azumino, Higashichikuma District, Kiso District, and the areas of Yamaguchi, Magome, and Kamisaka areas in the city of Nakatsugawa in Gifu Prefecture.