[Akita Prefecture] The townscape of Yokote, which was burnt down during the Boshin War, has been recreated

The Yokote Basin, where Yokote City is located, is located in the southeastern part of Akita Prefecture, and borders Iwate Prefecture to the east. During the Heian period, it was under the control of the Kiyohara clan, and is known as the site of the historically famous ``Go Sannen Battle.'' During the Edo period, it became a territory of the Kubota domain (Akita domain), and the castle town also flourished as a post town (Yokote-juku) on the Ushu-kaido road, which connects Kuwaori-juku on the Oshu-kaido road to Akita and Aomori.

The Kiyohara clan, a powerful family in Dewa Province, whose base was Yokote, fought for supremacy due to internal conflicts within the clan, resulting in the ``Go Sannen War'' (1083-1087), which left the Kiyohara clan as the only survivors. was Kiyohara Kiyohira, a relative (child of his second wife) who was not directly related by blood. Kiyohira later changed his father's surname to Fujiwara, moved his headquarters from Yokote to Hiraizumi (Iwate Prefecture), ruled the entire Tohoku region, and continued to build the legacy of the Hiraizumi golden culture as the Oshu Fujiwara clan for about 100 years. That's what happened.

After the fall of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, Yokote continued to be ruled by clans appointed as land leaders by the Kamakura shogunate, such as the Hiraga clan, for a while.

The Onodera clan, a powerful family from Dewa Province, advances to Yokote and builds Yokote Castle.

During the Muromachi period, the Onodera clan, which was based in Ogatsu District, expanded to Hiraka District and made Yokote their base. Yokote Castle is said to have been built by Terumichi Onodera around 1550, and is also known as Asakura Castle, and it is thought that the castle town was established around this time.

During the Azuchi-Momoyama period, when the Oda, Toyotomi, and Tokugawa clans were competing for supremacy, the Onodera clan is said to have had 470 castles in a wide territory spanning from southern Akita Prefecture to northern Yamagata Prefecture. However, due to constant conflicts with neighboring feudal lords and family defections, their power declined. Furthermore, in the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), the battle that divided the world between the Toyotomi and Tokugawa sides, the Onodera clan was seen to have sided with Toyotomi, so their territory was confiscated from Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the feudal lord was Iwami Province Tsuwano (Iwami Province). Nokunitsuwano/Shimane Prefecture), and the Onodera clan's rule came to an end.

A castle town developed by the Tomura clan during the Edo period when it became the domain of the Satake clan of the Kubota domain.

In the Edo period, Yokote became the territory of the Satake clan of the Kubota domain (Akita domain). The Kubota clan built a new castle in Kubota (Akita City Senshu Park) and made it their headquarters. Therefore, Yokote Castle became a branch castle of Kubota Castle. Even after the Edo shogunate issued the One Castle in One Country Law in 1615, which allowed only one castle per domain, most of the branch castles in the country were demolished, and Yokote Castle, along with Odate Castle (Odate City), was demolished. It continued to exist as a branch castle of the Kubota clan. This was an unprecedented measure for the Edo Shogunate, and one of only a few in the country.

The Date, Suda, and Tomura clans were appointed to Yokote Castle as the castle lords of the Kubota domain, but after Yoshitsura Tomura became the castle lord in 1672, it was changed into the Meiji era. The Tomura family has passed it down from generation to generation.

Mr. Satake worked hard to develop roads such as the Ushu Highway and the river transportation network along the Omonogawa River, and also actively worked on the influx of goods and Kamigata culture from the Kitamaebune ships that called at Tsuchizaki Port at the mouth of the Omonogawa River. I did.

During the Boshin War at the beginning of the Meiji period, Yokote was burnt to the ground.

Yokote, which had been relatively calm for 200 years during the Edo period, was struck by a severe earthquake. In 1867, power was returned to the Emperor through the Taisei Hokan. The clans in the Tohoku region, which were completely out of the loop, fell into chaos. The new government, which gained control of the Kanto region and westward after winning the opening battles of the Boshin War, sent various orders to the Tohoku clans. In response, each domain was divided into those that opposed the new government, those that followed the new government, and those that had an ambiguous attitude. Therefore, unification of will was promoted, and the Ouetsu Alliance was formed centered on the Sendai, Aizu, and Yonezawa domains, and it was decided that they would fight against the new government forces throughout the Tohoku region. is.

The Kubota clan initially participated in the Ouetsu clan alliance, but it was not very active from the beginning and left the alliance midway through to join the new government army. As a result, the Sendai and Shonai clans attacked, and Yokote in particular became the center of the battle, with the defenders of Yokote Castle setting fire to the castle themselves and retreating, and most of the town being burnt down by arson by the attackers. .

Yokote Castle Ruins and Samurai Residence Street are being developed

Akita Shrine was built on the ruins of Yokote Castle in 1879 (Meiji 12), using the remains of Yokote Castle that had been left behind after the fire. Since the 1900s, it has been developed as a park. In 1965 (Showa 40), a "three-story castle tower-style observation deck (mock castle tower, commonly known as Yokote Castle)" and the Heiwa Kannon statue were built on the site of Ninomaru. The interior of Yokote Castle is an exhibition room where items related to Yokote Castle are displayed. In addition, from the observation room on the 4th floor, you can see the Yokote Basin spreading out in front of you and the majestic Mt. Chokai in the distance.

Yokote Park＜Information＞

• Facility name: Yokote Park
• Location: 29-1 Shiroyamacho, Yokote City
• Phone number: 0182-32-1096
• Opening hours: 9:00-16:30
• Admission fee: 100 yen, free for junior high school students and under
• *Common to all 4 buildings: Yokote Park Observation Deck, Fureai Center Kamakura Hall, Go Sannen Battle Kanazawa Museum, and Yojiro Ishizaka Literature Memorial Museum.
• *Walking around Yokote Park is free.
• Opening period: April 1st to November 30th, during the “Kamakura” period in February
• URL: Yokote Park

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Haguro-machi samurai residence street maintained and recreated as it was in the past

The samurai residences of Yokote were burnt down during the Boshin War, but efforts to restore the old town began in the 1980s. Since the beginning of the Heisei era, the "town-like environment improvement project" has continued to be actively developed, and in Haguro-cho, where the residences of mid-level samurai were lined up, samurai residences with a unified design such as black walls and plantings are now being built. The townscape has been recreated.

This samurai residence street is also the venue for Yokote City's representative winter event, ``Kamakura''.

Haguro-cho Samurai Residence Street <Information>

• Facility name: Haguro-machi Samurai Residence Street
• Location: Haguro-cho, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0182-32-2408 (Yokote City Construction Department Urban Planning Division)

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Omachi Street was a merchant town during the Edo period

During the Edo period, the castle town of Yokote Castle was a samurai town on the castle side of the Yokote River, and a merchant town on the outside along the Ushu Highway. Omachi along the Yokote River was the center of a merchant town, and although buildings from before the Edo period were reduced to ashes during the Boshin War, some buildings from the Meiji and Taisho periods remain.

Kimuraya Honten, a confectionery store founded in the Meiji era (nationally registered tangible cultural property)

Kimuraya is a confectionery store that the founder trained at Kimuraya in Tokyo and other confectionery shops in the late 1890s and returned to Yokote to open. The store name was given to us by Tokyo Kimuraya, and the main store building was built around 1904 (Meiji 37). In 1924 (Taisho 13), it was renovated by the engineering department of Morinaga Western Confectionery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Morinaga & Co., Ltd.), with whom we had a close friendship.

Kimuraya Main Store <Information>

• Facility name: Kimuraya main store
• Location: 5-23 Omachi, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0182-32-0700
• Business hours: 9:30-17:30
• URL: Kimuraya main store

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"Heigen Ryokan" currently open as a wedding venue (nationally registered tangible cultural property)

Hiragen Ryokan was founded in 1873 (Meiji 6), with the parent company being Hirataya, a dyeing shop founded in the Edo period. The storehouse built in the Meiji era and the main building built in 1926 (Taisho 15) remain as they are, but in 2012 (Heisei 24) it was renovated as a wedding hall and restaurant "Guest House Heigen" and is now open for business.

Heigen Ryokan＜Information＞

• Facility name: Guest House Heigen (Heigen Ryokan)
• Location: 6-24 Omachi, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0182-33-1100
• Business hours: 10:00-17:30
• Closed: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Obon holidays, New Year holidays
• URL: Guest House Hiragen

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