[Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture] What is Shirakawa Seki? Shirakawa, a border town where a checkpoint was once located

Until around the Nara period, Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture was located at the entrance to a region called Emishi (present-day Tohoku region), which was beyond the reach of the imperial court. A gate was set up to strictly control the entry and exit of people.

*Emishi is used to refer to people living in unknown lands beyond the reach of the imperial court, unlike Ezochi, where the indigenous Ainu people lived. . Recent research seems to suggest that the people living in the Tohoku region at that time were not Ainu people but Yamato people.

"Shirakawa Seki", whose role ended in the Heian period

The Imperial Court had frequently attempted to bring Ezo under its control since before the Nara period, but in the early Heian period, in 797, the head of the Ezo conquest, Sei Tai Shogun, was appointed. Sakanoue no Tamuramaro almost achieved that goal. By that time, Shirakawa Seki had also completed its role.

During the Kamakura period, the Yuki clan made Shirakawa their territory.

Shirakawa was given to Tomomitsu Yuuki, who participated in Minamoto no Yoritomo's conquest of Oshu in 1198 and was active in the war, and has been ruled by the Yuki clan (Shirakawa Yuki clan) for 400 years since then. The Yuki clan's residence was originally Shirakawa Castle, but during the Sengoku period they moved to Komine Castle.

In 1590, the Yuki clan did not participate in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's conquest of Odawara, the battle that destroyed the Hojo clan, and in the same year, Hideyoshi punished them by stripping them of their positions and confiscating their territory (Oshu punishment), and they left Shirakawa.

Shirakawa Domain, where Sadanobu Matsudaira also served as the lord.

The Yuki clan was succeeded by Hideyuki Gamo, the feudal lord of Aizu, and Shirakawa remained Aizu territory even into the Edo period, but in 1627, Shirakawa was ruled by Niwa Nagashige. ), and the Shirakawa domain was established. Nagashige made major renovations to Komine Castle as his residence and maintained the castle grounds.

The Shirakawa domain changed hands one after another. The second generation of the Niwa family was succeeded by Tadatsugu Sakakibara, followed by Tadayoshi Honda, Tadahira Honda, and in 1681 Tadahiro Matsudaira. Tadahiro Matsudai) has joined Shirakawa. The Matsudaira family is a direct descendant of the Tokugawa family, and was the lord of the domain for eight generations until 1823.

In particular, Sadanobu Matsudaira, who became the senior roju of the Tokugawa shogunate and carried out the Kansei reforms, served as the lord of the domain from 1783 to 1823. Sadanobu identified the site of Shirakawa Seki and built Nanko (Nanko Park), which is still popular for its beautiful scenery. The Matsudaira family was succeeded by the Abe family, and it remained in the custody of the shogunate for about two years from 1867 to 1869, when Taisei Hokan was restored.

“Shirakawa Seki Ruins” identified by Sadanobu Matsudaira

"Shirakawa Seki Ruins" is located in a mountainous area about 3 km from the border of Tochigi Prefecture. Even after its role as a checkpoint ended, Shirakawa Seki remained a dream-like place for people living in the capital, as it served as the entrance to the unknown world of Oshu, known as Mutsu, and was often used as a place for poetry. It has appeared in famous places. The Edo period haiku poet Matsuo Basho also visited Shirakawa and thought about the border checkpoints, saying, ``As the days piled up, I stopped at the Shirakawa checkpoint and lost my desire to travel.'' It is written in ``Hosomichi''.

Sadanobu Matsudaira investigated the places where checkpoints were said to have existed, identified areas where Karahori (waterless moats) and earthworks remained, and erected monuments to mark them as ``Kosekiato.'' ``Shirakawa Seki Ruins'' includes ``Koseki Monument'', ``Shirakawa Shrine'', and ``Juunii no Sugi'', an 800-year-old tree that is said to have been hand-planted by Fujiwara no Ietaka, a poet of the early Kamakura period. '', and the free admission park ``Shirakawa Seki no Mori Park.'' ``Shirakawa Seki Ruins'' is a nationally designated historic site.

Shirakawa Seki Ruins＜Information＞

• Facility name: Shirakawa Seki Ruins
• Address: Hatajuku Sekinomori, Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0248-22-1147 (Shirakawa Tourism and Products Association)
• Facility name: Shirakawanomori Park
• Address: 7-2 Hatajuku Shirakawachi, Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0248-32-2921
• Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (until 16:00 from November to March)
• Closed: 2nd Wednesday of the month (the following day if it is a public holiday), New Year holidays
• Admission fee: Free
• URL: Go! Mippe!! Shirakawa Shirakawa Seki

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Shirakawa Castle, the residence of the Yuki clan, the first lord of Shirakawa

Shirakawa Castle is said to have been built around 1298 by Sukehiro, the grandson of Tomomitsu Yuki, whose first territory was Shirakawa.It is a mountain castle located on Mt. Fujisawa, about 3km east of JR Shirakawa Station. . Another name is "Karamejo". In the early 1500s during the post-war era, Komine Castle was built, ending its role as the main castle. There are no buildings left at the Shirakawa Castle Ruins, but there are a moat, earthworks, and the remains of a mansion. It is a nationally designated historic site.

Shirakawa Castle Ruins＜Information＞

• Facility name: Shirakawa Castle Ruins
• Address: Fujisawa and others, Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0248-27-2310 (Shirakawa City Cultural Properties Division)

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Komine Castle was the residence of the Shirakawa clan.

"Komine Castle" is a castle that was the residence of the Shirakawa clan during the Edo period. It is said that the castle was built by Chikatomo Yuki around 1350. It was extensively renovated by Niwa Nagashige, the first lord of the Shirakawa domain during the Edo period.

Komine Castle was attacked by the new government during the Boshin War (1868-1869), when the Edo shogunate made its last stand against the new government after the Meiji Restoration. Masu.

No buildings from that time remain at the Komine Castle Ruins. Only the stone walls and part of the moat remain from that time, but the triple turret and front gate have been restored since 1991 based on materials from that time. "Komine Castle Ruins" is a national historic site.

Komine Castle Ruins＜Information＞

• Facility name: Komine Castle Ruins
• Address: 1 Kakuuchi, Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0248-22-1147 (Shirakawa Tourism and Products Association) *Free to visit except for Mie Yagura
• Facility name: Mie Yagura
• Opening hours:
  • April-October/9:30-17:00
  • November - March / 9:30 - 16:00
• Admission fee: Free
• Closed: Year-end and New Year holidays
• URL: Michinoku Entrance Komine Castle Ruins

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Nanko, a park built by Sadanobu Matsudaira for the common people

Nanko is a park built by Sadanobu Matsudaira in 1801. Sadanobu created a pond in what was originally a wetland, developed gardens, walking paths, etc., and created a park where everyone could enter, eliminating boundaries, based on his philosophy of ``enjoying the people and the people.'' Said to be Japan's first park, the park's Kyoraku-tei (an important cultural property designated by Shirakawa City) is a tea room that anyone can use regardless of social status.

``Nanko'' has been developed by Shirakawa City as ``Nanko Park,'' a civic park, and ``Suirakuen,'' located within the park, is a beautiful Japanese garden with a strolling pond and fountain where you can enjoy tea.

Nanko Shrine in Nanko Park is a shrine dedicated to Sadanobu and was built by Eiichi Shibusawa in 1922 (Taisho 11).

Nanko Park＜Information＞

• Facility name: Nanko Park
• Address: 1 Minamiko, Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0248-22-1147 (Shirakawa Tourism and Products Association) *Free to walk around except for “Suirakuen”
• Facility name: Suirakuen
• Address: Inside “Nanko Park”
• Phone number: 0248-22-1147 (Shirakawa Tourism and Products Association)
• Opening hours:
  • April to November/9:00 to 17:00
  • December-March/9:00-16:30
• Closed days:
  • April to June, August to November/Open every day
  • March/July/2nd Wednesday, Thursday (the next day if it is a holiday)
  • December to February/2nd Wednesday (the next day if it is a holiday)
  • New year holiday season
• Admission fee: 350 yen for adults, 170 yen for elementary, middle and high school students
• URL: Let's walk through the nationally designated historic site and scenic spot "Nanko Park"

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