This site is an online media that delivers all sorts of trivia about the six Tohoku prefectures, from sightseeing and gourmet spots to local customs, history, and more
Until the Edo period, the areas of Yamagata and Akita prefectures were treated as one country
Yurihonjo CityMount Chokai (2,236m above sea level) , which towers over the border with Yamagata Prefecture , and together with Nikaho City, it was part of Yuri District in Akita Prefecture.
Yuri County in Akita Prefecture was established in 1871 (Meiji 4), and had many towns and villages since the Edo period, but in 2005 (Heisei 17), the cities of Yurihonjo and Nikaho were born through a merger of towns and villages
Around 710 during the Asuka period, the area that roughly combined present-day Akita and Yamagata prefectures was designated as Dewa Province
Dewa Province was treated as a single province until the Edo period, when it was first divided into two provinces, Uzen Province and Ugo Province, in 1868 (the first year of the Meiji era)
Uzen Province is roughly the area of present-day Yamagata Prefecture, and Ugo Province is Akita Prefecture. In 1871 (Meiji 4), Ugo Province officially became Akita Prefecture, and in 1876 (Meiji 9), Uzen Province became Yamagata Prefecture
During the Sengoku period, the Yuri region was divided into more than 10 small clans
Yuri County, where Yurihonjo City is located, was ruled by successive clans, Abe, Kiyohara, and Fujiwara, who all had influence in Mutsu Province until the Heian period. However, after the Fujiwara clan was destroyed by Minamoto no Yoritomo and the Kamakura period began, the area entered an era in which many small clans fought for power
The Oi clan of Shinano Province (Nagano Prefecture) temporarily entered Yuri County under orders from the shogunate, but towards the end of the Kamakura period, the area once again entered an era of war
In the middle of the Muromachi period, around the time of the outbreak of the Onin War (1467-1477), the "Twelve Yuri Clan" began to rise to power.
The "Twelve Yuri clans" were actually more than 12 clans, including the Nikaho, Koyoshi, Kataho, Takizawa, Yajima, Tomai, Shimomura, Ishizawa, Utechosh, Akaozu, Hanegawa, Iwaya, Ayukawa, and Serida clans
The period in which the "Twelve Yuri Heads" ruled Yuri County while competing for power continued until the end of the Sengoku period
During the Edo period, three feudal domains were established in the relatively small Yuri region
During the Edo period, the Mogami clan of the Yamagata domain, which ruled the area that is now Yamagata Prefecture, became the lord of Yuri County
However, in the early Edo period, the Mogami clan fell into decline after being severely punished by the Edo Shogunate in 1622 due to an internal conflict over the head of the family (the Mogami Disturbance)
After Yuri County was separated from the control of the Mogami clan, three small domains were established: Honjo Domain, Kameda Domain, and Yashima Domain, and this three-domain system continued until the end of the Edo period. After the Meiji Restoration in 1871 (Meiji 4), the three domains became Honjo Prefecture, Kameda Prefecture, and Yashima Prefecture, but these three prefectures were soon incorporated into Akita Prefecture
Yuri County is said to have been named after the lily village
The "Yuri" in the name of Yurihonjo City comes from the name of a county established during the Asuka period
In ancient documents from that time, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Yuri," "Aburi," and "Aburi," but it is certain that it is pronounced "Yuri." It is said that the name was unified to the current "Yuri" during the Genroku period of the Edo period
Tobishima daylily
What is the reason that this region was called "Yuri"? Mt. Chokai, which towers to the south of Yurihonjo City, is home to a large colony of Daylily, a flower of the lily family
On Tobishima Island (Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture), which floats off the coast of Mount Chokai, a type of lily called Tobishima daylily, which grows only on Tobishima Island and Sado Island (Niigata Prefecture), brightens the island in early summer
Considering this, it is natural to assume that lilies grew wild around the foothills of Mt. Chokai, and the prevailing theory is that the county was named after "Yuri."
After the fall of the Mogami clan, four domains, including Nikaho Domain, were born in Yuri County
During the Edo period, with the fall of the Mogami clan, the Honjo Domain, Kameda Domain, Yajima Domain, and Nikaho Domain in the Nikaho City area, known for Kisakata, were established in Yuri County
However, the first lord of the domain died within a year, the Nikaho domain was abolished, and most of its territory became the domain of the shogunate, and later the Shonai domain
How did the three feudal domains that make up Yurihonjo City come into being?
During the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), which was a struggle for supremacy after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, between the Eastern Army led by Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Western Army united against the Tokugawa, the powerful clans of Yuri County generally sided with the Tokugawa, but were not very proactive
The Tokugawa side won the battle, and the Yuri forces were accused of dishonesty and had many of their territories confiscated. With the Yuri forces gone, Yuri County became the territory of the Mogami clan, who had distinguished themselves in battle, and Tateoka Mitsushige (also known as Honjo Michishige) was appointed as the county lord
However, in 1622, due to the Mogami Disturbance, the Mogami clan was forced to relocate to Omori in Omi (Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture) with its fief reduced from 570,000 koku to 10,000 koku. Naturally, Mitsushige was dismissed from his post
The three Yuri domains where local daimyo who were not natives were assigned by order of the Edo Shogunate
After the fall of the Mogami clan, many domains were created on the territory of the former Mogami domain by daimyo such as Torii Tadamasa (Yamagata domain, Yamagata city, Yamagata prefecture), Sakai Tadakatsu (Shonai domain, Tsuruoka city and Sakata city, Yamagata prefecture), and Tozawa Masamori (Shinjo domain, Shinjo city, Yamagata prefecture)
In Yuri County, Rokugo Masanori from Hitachi Province entered the Honjo area (central Yurihonjo City), and Iwaki Yoshitaka from Shinano Province entered the Kameda area (northern Yurihonjo City), and they established the Honjo Domain and Kameda Domain
In the Yajima region (southern Yurihonjo city), the Uchikoshi clan, a powerful clan that was one of the Twelve Heads of Yuri, returned as lords, but later the Ikoma clan came from Sanuki Province
Honjo Domain, the most prosperous domain in Yuri, was ruled by the Rokugo clan until the end of the Edo period
Honjo Domain was a domain located in the central area of Yurihonjo City, where the city hall is now located and which has developed into the center of the city
Honjo Castle (Tsurumai Castle) has been developed as Honjo Park, and Ugo-Honjo Station on the JP Uetsu Main Line is also the starting point of the Yuri Kogen Railway Chokai Sanroku Line.
In the Edo period, Tateoka Mitsushige, who was sent by the Mogami clan, built a castle on the south bank of the Koyoshi River, which was a key transportation point, and took the name Honjo as his lord. However, in the Mogami Disturbance of 1622, Mitsushige was dismissed from his post, and Honjo Castle was demolished
The following year, in 1623, Rokugo Masanori of the Hitachi Fuchu Domain (Ishioka City, Ibaraki Prefecture, later Ishioka Domain) with a stipend of 10,000 koku was increased to 20,000 koku, and he moved to Honjo and founded the Honjo Domain
Masanori restored Honjo Castle and made it his residence, and the Rokugo clan subsequently served as lords of the Honjo domain for 11 generations until the Meiji Restoration
A port (Furuyuki Minato) was established in Furuyuki (Furuyuki-cho, Yurihonjo City) along the Koyoshi River, which flows into the Sea of Japan, and the town prospered greatly as cargo ships, known as Kitamaebune, which traveled between Osaka, Tohoku, and Hokkaido, began to stop there
In 1623, Iwaki Yoshitaka, who was the lord of the Matsushiro domain of Kawanakajima in Shinano Province with a fief of 10,000 koku, moved to Kameda and was given 20,000 koku, which he used to found the Kameda domain
The Iwaki clan built Kameda Castle and ruled Kameda for 13 generations until the Meiji Restoration. Kameda Domain was located on the north side of the Koyoshi River, and Iwaki Port along the river, along with Honjo Domain's Furusato Port on the opposite bank, was bustling with Kitamaebune ships
In 1626, Iwaki Yoshitaka was adopted by his uncle, Satake Yoshinobu, the first lord of the Kubota domain, and changed his name to Satake Yoshitaka. After Yoshinobu's death, he became the second lord of the domain and solidified the foundation of the Kubota domain
Yajima Domain is located in the southern part of Yuri County, bordering Honjo Domain to the north and Shonai Domain at the foot of Mount Chokai to the south
During the Sengoku period, the Oi clan (Yajima clan) built and ruled the Yajima region, having built Yamori Castle (Yajima Castle). In the Edo period, it came under the control of the Mogami clan, and after the Mogami clan was abolished, Uteichi Mitsutaka (Utechi Mitsutaka), one of the Twelve Heads of the Yuri clan, became thelord of the region in 1623.
However, the Uchikoshi clan only ruled the domain for two generations, and not much is known about what happened after that until 1660, when the Ikoma clan entered the castle from Takamatsu Domain (Kagawa Prefecture)
The Ikoma clan was the lord of the Takamatsu domain with a fief of 170,000 koku, but in 1640, during the reign of the third lord, Takatoshi, the shogunate confiscated all of their territory due to their inability to settle disputes between their vassals. Yajima was transferred in his place, and was given 10,000 koku as a token of sympathy
After Takatoshi's death, Yajima's 10,000 koku was divided among his two children, so Takakiyo, who inherited the domain with 8,000 koku, was stripped of his status as domain lord as this violated the principle that only those with more than 10,000 koku could become domain lords
After Takakiyo, the Ikoma clan was demoted to the status of Koutai Yoriai, and until it was restored during the Meiji Restoration, it remained in an incomplete state of being a feudal lord but not a feudal domain lord
A Kotai Yoriai was a rank equivalent to that of a fudai daimyo, who was allowed to live in the territory and was required to perform sankin-kotai (alternate attendance) duties
During the Meiji Restoration, the Ikoma Domain was finally restored with the permission of the new government, but after just three years the domains were abolished and prefectures were established, and the Yajima Domain disappeared
Yamori Castle (Yajima Castle) Ruins <Information>
Facility name: Yashima Shrine
Address: 3 Yamori, Jonai, Yajimacho, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture
Train: Approximately 1 minute walk from Yajima Station on the Yuri Kogen Railway Chokai Sanroku Line
By car: Approximately 30 minutes from Honjo IC on the Nihonkai Tohoku Expressway
Google Map
The Boshin War, in which he fought alongside the new government and the rebel forces together with the Kubota clan
, the Boshin War (1867) broke out, a decisive battle between the new government and those opposed to it
Initially, the various domains of Mutsu Province, Dewa Province, and Echigo Province (Niigata Prefecture) formed the Oshu-Uetsu Alliance, and prepared to fight to the death against the new government. However, the Kubota Domain withdrew from the alliance, and they found themselves facing off against the allied forces
The three Yuri clans had also joined the alliance, but all three clans joined forces with the Kubota clan and withdrew from the alliance
After the withdrawal, the Kubota clan was attacked by the allied Shonai and Nanbu clans, and all three clans suffered heavy damage
The Honjo clan set fire to Honjo Castle, the Yajima clan set fire to their own camp and retreated, and the Kameda clan surrendered and joined the allied forces, and Yuri was almost entirely occupied by the allied forces
However, upon learning of their plight, the new government forces launched a major offensive against the allied forces, improving the situation. Ultimately, the new government forces were victorious, and the three Yuri domains were restored and became part of Ugo Province (Akita Prefecture)
My love of travel led me to work for a travel magazine some time ago, and now I work as a travel writer for an online publication. I have visited all 47 prefectures in Japan, focusing on the Tohoku region, and I enjoy soaking in hot springs and experiencing traditional Japanese culture, including old townscapes, lifestyles, and performing arts and crafts
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![matagi](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/matagi-150x150.jpg.webp "The popular "Matagi" tradition of wild game began in Kitaakita City! [Akita Prefecture]")
