Gojome Town (Akita Prefecture): Home to a morning market that has been running for over 500 years and the "zelkova tree with breasts"

located north of Akita City,Gojome-machi,is a town with a population of approximately 7,700 (as of February 2024, according to the Akita Prefecture Population and Households (Monthly Report)) and is known for its morning market that began about 500 years ago.

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Gojome was the territory of the Kubota clan during the Edo period

During the Edo period, this area was part of the Kubota Domain (Akita Domain). Originally, the area"Gojume/Isome,"and pronounced

It was officially called Gojome in 1896 (Meiji 29). Later, in 1955 (Showa 30), the current(the former Gojome Town)centered aroundGojome Town was formed through the merger of five surrounding towns and villages: Babame Village, Futsunai Village, Uchikawa Village, and Okawa VillageIsobe settlement

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Before the Edo period, the lords of the domain changed from the Fujiwara clan, to the Tachibana clan, and to the Ando clan (Akita clan)

People have lived in the area around Gojome Town since the Jomon period (Nakayama Ruins), andarchaeological sites from the Nara and Heian periods (Nakayachi Ruins, Iwanoyama Tumulus Cluster = Akita Prefecture Designated Historic Site, etc.)have also been excavated.

Under the regional division of the country established by the Yamato court during the Ritsuryo period after the Nara period, the Gojome area was incorporated into Akita County, and during the Heian period it was under the control of the Oshu Fujiwara clan of Hiraizumi (Iwate Prefecture). When the Fujiwara clan was destroyed by Minamoto no Yoritomo and the Kamakura period began, the Tachibana clan, under Yoritomo's orders, came to Akita County as Jito (regional administrator)

The Tachibana clan ruled Gojome for a while, but in the Muromachi period, they left Akita County. Around that time, the Ando clan, who had moved south from Tsugaru and built Minato Castle at Tsuchizaki Port (Tsuchizaka Port, Akita City) in Dewa Province (Akita Prefecture), began to gain power

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The Ando clan, originally from Mutsu Province, ruled Akita County

The Ando clan (later the Ando clan) is a powerful local family whose originsthe Yamato court (Kyoto)and were destroyed byMutsu Provinceare said to lie in the Abe clan, who were based inFujisaki (Fujisaki Town, Aomori Prefecture),built Fujisaki Castle, and founded the Ando clan (later the Ando clan).

Later, they gained power and expanded their sphere of influence,Tosaminato (Goshogawara City, Aomori Prefecture), where they prospered greatly.

The Ando clan split into two factions and expanded their territory. The faction that extended south built a castle in Tsuchizaki Port andthe "Minato Ando clan."is therefore also known as

On the other hand, the group that invaded the east did not have an easy time, as they were defeated by the Nanbu clan, who had power in the eastern part of Mutsu Province (including Iwate Prefecture), and were forced to flee to Ezo (Hokkaido)

In the mid-1400s, he returned to Mutsu Province and built a castle in Hiyama (Hiyama, Noshiro City) (Hiyama Castle/Hiyama Castle ruins are a nationally designated historic site) and regained his power

the "Hiyama Ando clan," with the support of the Minato Ando clan, gradually expanded southward, and it is said that by the latter half of the Sengoku period, they had brought parts of the area around Gojome into their sphere of influence.

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At the end of the Sengoku period, he was caught up in the internal conflict of the Ando clan, the "Minato Battle."

The Hiyama Ando and Minato Ando clans were not on good terms and frequently engaged in internal conflicts, which"Minato Battle,"escalated into the

The Hiyama Ando clan prevailed in this dispute, and the two families were eventually merged and the matter was resolved amicably

The merged Ando clanthe Akita clanand became the rulers of Akita County, including Gojome. The Akita clan (formerly the Ando clan), who ruled Akita County, moved to Hitachi Province (present-day Ibaraki Prefecture) in 1602 during the Edo period, replacing the Satake clan who were ordered to relocate from Hitachi Province, and became a daimyo with a 50,000 koku domain.

He spent about 40 years in Hitachi Province, and in 1645 was transferred to the Miharu Domain (Miharu Town, Fukushima Prefecture) in Iwaki (Fukushima Prefecture) with a fief of 55,000 koku, and served as the lord of Miharu Domain until the end of the Edo period

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Gojome Town is home to the remains of castles built by many powerful clans and vassals of the Ando clan

In the former towns and villages that make up Gojome Town, there were small local clans who had built castles (or mansions) even before the Ando clan came to rule. Even after the Ando clan took over, their retainers continued to build castles, and there are at least10 castles (or mansions) recorded, including Babame Castle, Yamauchi Castle, Saruta Manor, Tomita Castle, Okawa Castle, Ura Castle, Okamoto Castle, Sunazawa Castle, Oshikiri Castle, and Kio Manor. Their locations have been identified, but little is known about their details.

Babame Castle

Babame Castleis located upstream of the Babame River, which flows through the center of Gojome Town, and a morning market has been held in the castle town for about 500 years. After the Battle of Minato, the Akita clan built Sunazawa Castle in Gojome, and it is said that they moved the Babame morning market to Sunazawa Castle town (the present-day Gojome morning market) at that time.

Babame Castle was abandoned after the war because the lord of the castle belonged to the Minato Ando clan and resisted the Hiyama Ando clan during the Minato War

Sunazawa Castle

Sunasawa Castlewas built in Isobe-machi (formerly Gojome-machi) towards the end of the Sengoku period by the Akita Domain, replacing Babame Castle and Ura Castle. The first lord of the castle was Fujiwara Naiki Hidemori, a retainer of the Akita clan. It was a mountain castle located on the top of a small hill (Sunasawa-yama, elevation approximately 95m) overlooking the current center of Gojome-machi. Currently,the Gojome-machi Forest Museum,stands on the castle site.

Sunazawa Castle was abandoned when the Akita clan moved to Hitachi Province

Gojome Castle＜Information＞

• Facility name: Gojome Castle (Gojome Town Forest Museum)
• Address: 62-2 Usagishinazawa, Gojome-cho, Minamiakita-gun, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 018-852-3110
• Opening hours:
• April 1st to October 31st / 9:00am to 5:00pm
• November 1st to November 30th / 9:00am to 4:00pm
• Admission fee: Free
• Closed: December 1st to March 31st: Winter closed
• URL:Gojome Castle (Gojome Town Forest Museum)
• Train: Take the bus bound for Gojome Bus Terminal from Hachirogata Station on the Ou Main Line for about 15 minutes, then get off at the last stop and walk for about 2 minutes
• By car: Approximately 15 minutes from Gojome Hachirogata IC on the Akita Expressway

Google Map

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Gojome Morning Market, a bustling local market with over 500 years of history

The Gojome Morning Marketis a morning market that is said to have started in the Babame district of Gojome town, in the castle town of Babame, around the end of the 1400s. When Babame Castle was abandoned, it was moved to the castle town of Sunazawa, which was built in Gojome (Gojome) around the same time, and has continued to this day.

Unlike Takayama (Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture) and Katsuura (Katsuura City, Chiba Prefecture), which have a strong tourist appeal, this market is an essential part of daily life for the local people, and ittakes the form of a so-called "Twelve Years' Market" held on the 2nd, 5th, 7th, and 0th of every month.

Gojome Morning Market<Information>

• Facility name: Gojome Morning Market
• Location: Shimotamachi Street, Gojome Town, Minamiakita District, Akita Prefecture (commonly known as Morning Market Street)
• Phone number: 018-852-5222 (Gojome Town Hall, Commerce and Industry Promotion Division, Commerce and Industry Promotion Section)
• Dates: Held on the 2nd, 5th, 7th, and 0th of each month, as well as three special markets (May 4th "Festival Market", August 13th "Bon Market", December 31st "New Year's Market")
• Event time: 7:00-12:00
• Events: Wild Vegetable Festival (mid-May), City Shrine Festival (mid-June), Mizutataki Festival (mid-July), Mushroom Festival (mid-October), Atakanabe Festival (mid-February)
• URL:Gojome Morning Market
• access:
  • Train: Take the bus bound for Gojome Bus Terminal from Hachirogata Station on the Ou Main Line for about 15 minutes, then get off at the last stop and walk for about 2 minutes
  • By car: Approximately 5 minutes from Gojome Hachirogata IC on the Akita Expressway

Google Map

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Five castles from the Edo period recorded in Masumi Sugae's book

During the Edo period, the Gojome area came under the control of the Satake clan of the Kubota domain, a rule that continued until the Meiji Restoration

During the Edo period, there were not many major incidents, and people lived peacefully. In "Sugae Masumi (1754-1829),bytravel(89 volumes in total / National Important Cultural Property),a section called "Doll Play (Isha Nu Ansohi)"in which illustrations depict the scenery of Gojome, folk performing arts, and treasures, along with explanations.

Although 220 years have passed since Masumi lived in the Edo period, some of the scenery and tools he saw remain to this day

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Noda Zelkova, beloved as the "God of Breast Milk"

The Noda Zelkova tree isthe Moriyama district of Gojome Towninthe Hachiman Shrine. Because the two knots on its trunk resemble human breasts, itthe "God of Breast Milk."is affectionately known as

The tree is said to be about 1,000 years old, and is currently a large tree with a height of about 21m and a maximum trunk circumference of 6.5m. More than 220 years have passed since Masumi"Chichizuki" (a traditional name for zelkova), and it has watched over people in the same form. The Noda Zelkova is a natural monument of Gojome Town.

Noda's Zelkova Tree<Information>

• Facility name: Noda Zelkova/Hachiman Shrine
• Address: 109 Aino, Noda, Gojome-machi, Minamiakita-gun, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 018-852-4411 (Gojome Town Board of Education, Lifelong Learning Division)
• Free to stroll around the temple grounds
• access:
  • Train: From Hachirogata Station on the Ou Main Line, take the bus bound for Gojome Bus Terminal for approximately 15 minutes, then get off at Isonome bus stop and walk for approximately 25 minutes
  • By car: Approximately 3 minutes from Gojome Hachirogata IC on the Akita Expressway

Google Map

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"Banraku" and "Banraku masks," traditional Japanese tradtions that Masumi also drew

Bangakuis a type of Kagura dance that is passed down in various parts of Akita and Yamagata prefectures.

Kagura dance is said to have originated from a dance performed by Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto to summon Amaterasu-Omikami, who had hidden herself in the Ama-no-Iwato cave, and it has spread to various parts of the country in various forms

Banrakudevelopeda dance performed by mountain ascetics (yamabushi)and has been passed down as a folk art.

Originally, it was performed by mountain ascetics wearing masks and going around people's houses, but at some point it began to be performed by villagers

There are four types of banraku dances handed down in Gojome: Yamauchi, Nakamura, Nishino, and Koichi. When Masumi stopped by Gojome in the early 1800s, he saw the banraku dances of the Yamauchi village and drew illustrations of the dances and banraku masks

Gojome Banraku<Information>

• Facility name: Gojome Banraku Competition/Gojome Shinmeisha Kagura Hall
• Address: 115 Shinmeimae, Gojome-cho, Minamiakita-gun, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 018-852-4411 (Gojome Town Board of Education, Lifelong Learning Division, Lifelong Learning Promotion Section)
• Date: The day before the third Sunday in May, from 7:00 PM
• access:
  • Train: From Hachirogata Station on the Ou Main Line, take the bus bound for Gojome Bus Terminal for approximately 15 minutes, then get off at Isonome bus stop and walk for approximately 8 minutes
  • By car: Approximately 5 minutes from Gojome Hachirogata IC on the Akita Expressway

Google Map

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The stone monuments painted by Sugae Masumi have existed since the Kamakura period

An itabiis a type of memorial tower made by processing stone into a flat, slab-like shape, and was mainly created from the Kamakura period to the Muromachi period. Many itabi remain throughout Japan, and several also remain around Gojome, and are depicted in Masumi's drawings.

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