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[Iwate Prefecture during the Boshin War] What was the decision of the Morioka and Ichinoseki clans?

During the Boshin War, which saw the entire Tohoku region become a battlefield, Iwate Prefecture was not included

At that time, just over half of Iwate Prefecture was made up of the Morioka Domain, which was under the control of the Nanbu clan, and just under half of the southern part was made up of the Ichinoseki Domain, which had close ties with the Sendai Domain.Since both the Morioka Domain and the Ichinoseki Domain were members of the Oshu-Uetsu Alliance, there was no fighting

Until the crescent moon is full, the Nanbu domain and Morioka domain

The Nanbu clan, which descends from the Seiwa Genji and Kai Genji clans, reached its peak during the Sengoku period under the reign of the 24th head of the clan, Harumasa

Morioka Castle Ruins Park (Iwate Park)
Morioka Castle Ruins Park (Iwate Park)

At that time, the phrase "Until the crescent moon is full, the Southern Territory" was sung to refer to the vast territory

This means that the Southern Territory is so vast that if you were to walk from one end to the other, it would take so many days that the crescent moon would be full

Although the domain was so large, Tsugaru became independent and was divided into the Hachinohe Domain, and officially the domain was only an outside daimyo with 100,000 koku. Later, this was increased to 200,000 koku through restructuring, but the reality of the domain's administration was said to have been extremely difficult

Divided opinion of the clan and two elder retainers, Narayama Sado and Azuma Seizu

Toshihisa, the 40th head of the Nanbu clan and the 15th lord of the Morioka domain, was an active supporter of the arts and martial arts, and because he was a gentle man who disliked conflict, he left government decisions to his senior vassals

This is said to have intensified the conflict between the chief retainers Narayama Sado and Higashi Masamichi, and the domain was divided into the Narayama faction, which advocated joining the Alliance of the Satsuma and Choshu Clans, and the Higashi faction, which advocated joining the government army, and the domain was unable to reach a consensus

When the group from the Oshu Pacification General Headquarters, who had escaped from house arrest in the Sendai domain, arrived in Morioka, the domain's lord, Toshitaka, donated 10,000 ryo to the group, but sent them off to Akita with their position unclear

Sado Narayama, who came into contact with important figures in the new government, decided to overthrow the Satsuma-Choshu clan

In 1868, Sado Narayama was assigned to guard the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, shortly after the Battle of Toba-Fushimi had ended

He was displeased with the actions of the Satsuma and Choshu samurai who acted as if they owned the place, and when he met with Saigo Takamori, he evaluated him as "a man who knew no etiquette and had no dignity, and who was not the kind of person who could govern the country."

Furthermore, he met with Iwakura Tomomi, who advised him that "the Imperial Court, which does not have military power, has left everything to Satsuma and Choshu, but is worried about the future," and that "only the Oshu domains can fight them, and if they rise up, the opportunistic domains will respond," and he is said to have decided to oppose the new government

Furthermore, on his way back to Japan, he met with Tadaki Tosa, the chief retainer of the Sendai domain, and after returning home he suppressed the dominant pro-imperial faction and unified the domain's opinion in favor of joining the Oshu-Uetsu Alliance

The Sanbei Uprising, Narayama-Sado, and the Sendai Domain

In 1853, when Narayama Sado became a chief retainer at the young age of 22, the Sanbei Rebellion broke out on the coast of Iwate Prefecture

In putting down this uprising, which was said to be the largest in the Edo period, Narayama Sado sought the help of the Sendai Domain and even saved the Morioka Domain by requesting that the incident not be reported to the shogunate. For this reason, it is believed that joining the Alliance of the Satsuma and Choshu Domains was a way of repaying the kindness of the Sendai Domain

The Akita War and the Morioka Domain

On August 9th of the lunar calendar in 1868, the Morioka Domain declared war on the Kubota Domain, gathered soldiers in the Kazuno area (Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture), and with Narayama Sado at the forefront, marched toward Odate Castle, capturing the Jusansho area on the domain border

At 5:00 a.m. on the 22nd, a full-scale attack on Odate Castle began, and after a fierce battle, the Kubota clan soldiers collapsed. Satake Yamato, the castle governor, set fire to the castle and escaped, while the Morioka clan soldiers stormed into the castle and took it

The Battle of Kimimachizaka

As the Morioka clan headed for Kubota Castle, the Kubota clan prepared to meet them with the vanguard of Saga clan soldiers who had just arrived, using the fortress of Kimimachizaka as a defensive base

The current Byobuiwa rock in Kimimachizaka Park
The current Byobuiwa rock in Kimimachizaka Park

On August 25th, the Morioka clan attacked the fortress from the main road and a side road, but were unable to take it and retreated

In addition, 300 members of the main force of the Saga clan arrived with the latest Armstrong cannons and guns, causing the Morioka clan to retreat significantly

The Battle of Iwase and the Battle of Odate, and then surrender

The Battle of Iwase, which began in the early morning of September 2nd, was the fiercest battle in the history of the Morioka domain

Under the command of Narayama Sado, the Morioka clan fought bravely and at one point pushed the Saga clan to the brink of retreat, but they were gradually pushed back by the government forces equipped with the latest weaponry and were forced to retreat by the afternoon

Afterwards, fierce fighting took place around Odate Castle, but fearing that their retreat route would be cut off, the Morioka clan retreated to the border of their domain, which they defended until surrendering on the 22nd

Morioka Castle Ruins＜Information＞

  • Name: Morioka Castle Ruins
  • Address: 1-37 Ichimaru, Morioka, Iwate 020-0023
  • URL: Morioka City HP

Google Map

From a branch domain of the Sendai domain to the outside daimyo Tamura clan, Ichinoseki domain

The Ichinoseki Domain began as a separate territory within the Sendai Domain (a branch of the Date clan), and the Tamura clan was later established as a domain by dividing it from the Date clan, so they fought alongside the Sendai Domain during the Boshin War

Genbikei Gorge in Ichinoseki City
Genbikei Gorge in Ichinoseki City

The Tamura clan is said to be a descendant of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, and is also the family home of Date Masamune's wife, Princess Aiko

Ichinoseki Castle <Information>

Google Map

summary

Before joining the Oshu-Uetsu Alliance, the Morioka domain was dominated by supporters of the new government

After his defeat, Narayama Sado returned to the territory of Morioka Domain, where he was captured by the pro-imperial forces that had seized control of the domain while he was away. The following year, he was held responsible for the defeat and executed at Hoon-ji Temple in Morioka City

His death poem was "Flowers bloom, willows sway, on a spring night, what remains is the way of the samurai."

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