This site is a web media that delivers all kinds of trivia, from sightseeing and gourmet spots in the six Tohoku prefectures to local, customs, and history.
Until around the Nara period, Shirakawa City in Fukushima Prefecture was located at the entrance to a region known as Emishi (present-day Tohoku region), where the power of the Imperial Court did not extend. A checkpoint (Shirakawa Barrier) was set up at the border, and entry and exit of people was strictly controlled.
*Emishi is different from Ezochi, where the indigenous Ainu people lived, and refers to people living in an unknown land beyond the reach of the Imperial Court. Recent research has led to the growing theory that the people living in the Tohoku region at that time were not Ainu, but the Yamato people
Shirakawa Barrier: Its Role Ended During the Heian Period
The Imperial Court had been trying to bring the Emishi under its control for some time since before the Nara period, but in the early Heian period, this goal was almost achieved by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, who was appointed Seii Taishogun (Great General of the Expedition to Subjugate the Emishi) and head of the Emishi Conquest. By that time, Shirakawa Barrier had also ceased to function
During the Kamakura period, the Yuki clan took control of Shirakawa
Shirakawa was given to Yuki Tomomitsu, who participated in Minamoto no Yoritomo's conquest of Oshu in 1198, and has been ruled by the Yuki clan (Shirakawa Yuki clan) for the past 400 years. The Yuki clan's castle was originally Shirakawa Castle, but during the Sengoku period it was moved to Komine Castle
The Yuki clan did not participate in the Odawara Campaign, the battle in which Toyotomi Hideyoshi annihilated the Hojo clan in 1590, and so that same year Hideyoshi stripped them of their positions and confiscated their territory (Oshu punishment), forcing them to leave Shirakawa
Shirakawa Domain, where Matsudaira Sadanobu served as lord
The Yuki clan was succeeded by Gamo Hideyuki, the lord of Aizu, and Shirakawa remained under Aizu territory even during the Edo period, but in 1627 it became the territory of Niwa Nagashige, and the Shirakawa Domain was established. Nagashige made Komine Castle his residence, and carried out extensive renovations and developed the area around the castle
The Shirakawa Domain saw a succession of successive lords. Sakakibara Tadatsugu succeeded the Niwa family for two generations, and was then succeeded by Honda Tadayoshi and Honda Tadahira, before Matsudaira Tadahiro entered Shirakawa in 1681. The Matsudaira family was a direct descendant of the Tokugawa family, and remained as lords of the domain for eight generations until 1823
In particular, Matsudaira Sadanobu, who became a senior councilor of the Tokugawa shogunate and carried out the Kansei Reforms, served as the domain's lord from 1783 to 1823. Sadanobu identified the site of the Shirakawa Barrier and constructed Nanko (Nanko Park), which is still popular today for its beautiful scenery. The Abe family succeeded the Matsudaira family, and the area was under the stewardship of the shogunate for around two years from 1867 until the restoration of imperial rule in 1869
The Shirakawa Barrier Site identified by Matsudaira Sadanobu
The Shirakawa Barrier Site is located in the mountains, about 3km from the Tochigi Prefecture border. Even after it ceased to function as a checkpoint, Shirakawa Barrier remained a place of longing for people living in the capital as the gateway to the unknown world of Oshu, known as Michinoku, and it appears in poetry as a well-known utamakura (famous place). The Edo period haiku poet Matsuo Basho also visited Shirakawa and reflected on the border checkpoint, writing in his book Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North): "As the days of anxiety continued to pass, I came to Shirakawa Barrier and my mind was set on my journey."
Statue of Basho and his attendant Sora at the Shirakawa Barrier ruins
Matsudaira Sadanobu investigated the location where the checkpoint is said to have been located, identified the location where the dry moat (a moat without water) and earthworks remain, and erected a monument marking the "ancient site." In addition to the "Ancient Site Monument," the Shirakawa Barrier Site is home to Shirakawa Shrine, the 800-year-old "Junior Second Rank Cedar" tree said to have been planted by the early Kamakura period poet Fujiwara Ietaka, and Shirakawa Barrier Forest Park, a free-to-enter park. The Shirakawa Barrier Site is a nationally designated historic site
Shirakawa Castle, the residence of the Yuki clan, the first lord of Shirakawa
Shirakawa Castle is a mountain castle that is said to have been built around 1298 by Sukehiro, the grandson of Yuki Tomomitsu, whose first domain was Shirakawa. It is located on Mount Fujisawa, about 3km east of JR Shirakawa Station. It is also known as Karamejo Castle. In the early 1500s, after the war, Komine Castle was built, and the castle ceased to function as the main castle. No buildings remain at the Shirakawa Castle ruins, but there are moats, earthworks, and remains of a residence. It is a nationally designated historic site
Shirakawa Castle Ruins <Information>
Facility name: Shirakawa Castle Ruins
Address: Fujisawa, Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture, etc
Phone number: 0248-27-2310 (Shirakawa City Cultural Properties Division)
Komine Castle was the castle that served as the residence of the Shirakawa Domain during the Edo period. It is said to have been built by Yuki Chikatomo around 1350. During the Edo period, the first lord of the Shirakawa Domain, Niwa Nagashige, made extensive renovations to the castle
Illustrated Map of Ancient Japanese Castles, Oshu Shirakawa Castle Map (mid- to late Edo period, Shirakawa Castle is shown, but it is actually Komine Castle) Collection: National Diet Library
Komine Castle was attacked and fell to the new government during the Boshin War (1868-1869), which was the final resistance of the Edo Shogunate against the new government after the Meiji Restoration
Komine Castle was destroyed during the Boshin War, leaving only the stone walls. 1910 (Meiji 43) Collection: National Diet Library
No buildings from that time remain at the Komine Castle Ruins. The only remains are the stone walls and parts of the moat, but since 1991 (Heisei 3), the three-story turret and front gate have been restored based on documents from that time. The Komine Castle Ruins are a national historic site
Komine Castle Ruins <Information>
Facility name: Komine Castle Ruins
Address: 1 Gurouchi, Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture
Phone number: 0248-22-1147 (Shirakawa Tourism and Products Association) *Open to the public except for the triple tower
Nanko is a park built by Matsudaira Sadanobu in 1801. Sadanobu's philosophy was "enjoyment for the common man and the samurai," and he created a pond in what was originally a wetland, and developed gardens and walking paths, eliminating boundaries to create a park that anyone could enter. It is said to be Japan's first park, and the Kyorakutei teahouse (designated an important cultural property by Shirakawa City) within the park is a teahouse that was open to everyone regardless of social status
Nanko Lake has been developed by Shirakawa City as a public park called Nanko Park, and Suirakuen within the park is a beautiful Japanese garden with a strolling pond where you can enjoy tea and other activities
My love of travel grew, and I used to write a travel magazine, and now I'm a travel writer for the web. During my research, I visited all 47 prefectures in Japan, mainly in the Tohoku region, but my fun part is soaking in hot springs and experiencing traditional Japanese culture such as old townscapes, lifestyles, and performing arts and crafts.
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