[Aomori Prefecture] ``Place names with doors'' from 1 to 9 - Four houses Where was the phantom four houses? Explore the four houses full of mystery!

Nowadays, ``Shinohe'' is the only place name with a door , and although there are various theories as to why the location and place name did not survive, there is no one that can definitively say that this is the established theory.

However, it has been confirmed that the Shinohe clan actually existed as a branch of the Nanbu clan, and there is no doubt that the place name Shinohe existed somewhere in the vast Nukabe District

name of place with door
“Place names with doors” that remain today Source: Google Map

In this article, we will introduce the most likely theory out of the various theories surrounding Shinohe as to where it was located.


The Shinohe clan was a branch of the Nanbu clan.

Mitsuyuki Nanbu
Mitsuyuki Nanbu, the founder of the Nanbu clan in Oshu (Morioka City Central Community Center collection) Source: Wikipedia

Nanbu the founder of the Nanbu clan, who moved from Kai to Oshu , took the surname Shinohe after being given Shinohe as his fiefdom. Masu.

Branch branches of the Shinohe clan included the Takeda clan, the Kindaichi clan, the Kushibiki clan, the Nakano clan, and the Nukazuka clan, and the castles that were the residences of these families came to be called Shinohe castles in various places.

It is believed that this is why "four houses" were scattered throughout Nukabe District.


Where is “Shinohe” considered based on local materials?

Four doors
Area considered to be “Four Houses” Source: Google Map

Comprehending the local materials that remain in modern times, it is thought that there is a high possibility that there were four houses in the Asamizu, Kenkichi, Nakui, Fukuda, Tomamechi, Kushihiki, and Shimamori districts in the lower reaches of the Mabechigawa River . .

`Iwate Prefectural History compiled by Iwate Prefecture , it is said that Shinohe Village, which was given by Munekiyo, was in Ninohe County, and Kindaichi is said to be in it, and the candidate site is in the southern part as listed below. They are widely scattered throughout the territory.

Theory that the Asamizu River basin flows through Gonohe Town

Asami Hachiman Shrine
Asamizu Hachiman Shrine (Asamizu Castle Ruins) Located on a hill overlooking the highway and Asamizu village

River is a tributary of the Mabuchi River, flowing from west to east between the towns of Sannohe and Gonohe.

In particular, Asamizu is said to have been a small post town along the highway, and there is also a record that Nanbu Munekiyo, the founder of the Shinohe clan, first lived here. He is considered a strong candidate for Shinohe.

Asami Hachiman Shrine
The approach to Hachiman Shrine from a highway barely wide enough for a light car to pass through. 

In addition, Asamizu is a strategic transportation hub bordering Sannohe to the south, Hachinohe to the east, and Gonohe to the north, and the theory that Asamizu is likely to have been used as a defense base for Sannohe is also the basis for the theory that Asamizu is Shinohe. This is one of the.

Nozawa Castle Ruins
Nozawa Castle Ruins This castle ruin is also a candidate for Shinohe Castle

In the basin of the Asamizu River, from the west Asami , Shidogishi , and Nozawa , and these are candidates for Shinohe, and the castle ruins that remain in Asamizu and Nozawa are the Shinohe Castle ruins. There is a theory that it is.

Asamizu Castle Ruins<Information>

  • Facility name: Asami Castle Ruins (Hachiman Shrine)
  • Location: 70 Asami Asami, Gonohe Town, Sannohe District, Aomori Prefecture

GOOGLE MAP


Nozawa Castle Ruins<Information>

  • Facility name: Nozawa Castle Ruins
  • Location: Ogida, Gonohe-cho, Sannohe-gun, Aomori Prefecture

GOOGLE MAP


The theory is that it is located around Kushihiki in Hachinohe City.

Kushihiki Hachiman Shrine
Kushihiki Hachimangu Shrine Source: Amazing AOMORI (Aomori Prefecture Tourist Information Site)

Kushihiki Hachimangu Shrine is Shinohe Hachimangu Shrine , there is a theory that the area from around Hachimangu Shrine to the area around present-day Nanbu Town was Shinohe, and that the Kushihiki clan, the lord of Kushihiki Castle, ruled that area.

According to this, Kiyonaga Kushibiki, , rebelled against Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the Kunohe Rebellion and was destroyed, his territory was taken away, and Shinohe became I think it has disappeared.

Mr. Takijiri, a curator at the Hachinohe City Library in Iwate Prefecture, and others advocate this theory, and this theory was broadcast on NHK Aomori Broadcasting Station on October 20, 2023, and was also featured in the station's web special feature.

According to this theory, the Kushibiki clan the ``Lord of Four Houses'' , that is, the head of the Four Houses, and this is the basis for assuming that Kushihiki is a four-node family; in fact, such a description can be found in the Ounan Kyushiroku . .

However, other historical sources indicate that although the Kushibiki clan was a member of the Shinohe clan, it is likely that they were an offshoot of the Shinohe clan, and some records say that they served the Sannohe Nambu clan and had a fief of around 2,000 koku.

Kunohe Castle ruins
The ruins of Kunohe Castle, where Kiyonaga Kushibiki fought on the side of Masazane Kunohe Looking towards the Honmaru from Ninomaru Ote

In addition, this theory states that Kiyonaga Kushibiki's territory of Shinohe was "distributed to Hachinohe and Sannohe after the war, so Shinohe disappeared," but the Nejo Nanbu clan, which ruled Hachinohe around this time, was a vassal of the Sannohe Nanbu clan. .

Therefore, it is considered legitimate to assume that all of the Kushihiki clan's territories were given to the Mito Nanbu clan, and many people seem to question this theory based on these facts.

Kushibiki Castle Ruins<Information>

  • Facility name: Kushibiki Castle ruins
  • Location: Kushihikidategami, Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture

GOOGLE MAP


The theory is that it was located in Kindaichi in the northern part of Ninohe City.

Yasaka Shrine is located right in front of the Kindaichi Castle ruins.The castle ruins are behind this shrine building.

There is evidence that the Shinohe clan moved from Asamizu Castle to Kindaichi Castle in Ninohe District in the middle of the Sengoku period, and this theory comes from the fact that Kindaichi Castle was called Shinohe Castle.

Kindaichi Castle is located on a river terrace on the left bank of the Mabuchi River, and it is said that the upper, middle, and lower buildings, separated by a dry moat, were the residences of the Shinohe clan, the Kirien clan, and the Kindaichi clan, respectively, making it a castle with complex circumstances. It is believed that

Yasaka Shrine
The approach to Yasaka Shrine The road is wide enough for one light vehicle to pass, just like Asamizu Hachiman Shrine.

It is thought that the reason why this castle came to be called Shinohe Castle was because the Shinohe clan, who had previously ruled Shinohe and took that place name as their surname, moved there. There seems to be little support for this theory.

Kindaichi Castle Ruins (Shinohe Castle Ruins) <Information>

  • Facility name: Kindaichi Castle ruins
  • Location: 73 Kindaichikan, Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture

GOOGLE MAP


summary

As I have introduced so far, there are many theories about where Shinohe was located and why its name disappeared, and there is still no definitive theory.

However, there is no doubt that it existed somewhere in Nukabe District, and the search for its location continues even today.

Let's hope that some new discoveries will be made in the near future to identify Shinohe and solve the mystery.


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