Historic buildings in Odate City, sparing the war caused by the Boshin War [Akita Prefecture]

The castellan of Odate Castle, a subsidiary castle of the Kubota Domain, was the Satake Nishi family

During the Edo period, Odate City Domain Kazuno region (Kazuno City, Kosaka Town) was the territory of the Nanbu Domain (part of Iwate Prefecture and Aomori Prefecture).

In the early Edo period, there were constant disputes with the Nanbu clan over the border, and the border was ultimately determined by the Edo Shogunate

Odate Castle was located in Odate, a subsidiary castle of the Kubota Domain, and in 1610, Oba Yoshinari , a cousin of Satake Yoshinobu , was appointed as the castle lord.

The third castle lord the Oba family took the surname Satake, and ruled Odate until the Meiji era. The Satake family of Odate Castle was affectionately known as the Satake Nishi family

Odate was completely burned down during the fierce fighting of the Boshin War

The storm of the Meiji Restoration blew through the calm Kubota domain

The various domains in the Tohoku region rebelled against the new government led by the Satsuma, Choshu, and Tosa domains, and the Oshu-Uetsu Alliance was formed by adding all the domains in the Tohoku region to the six domains in Hokuetsu (Niigata Prefecture). From April to April in the lunar calendar (May to June in the solar calendar) in 1868, armed conflict broke out between the allied forces of the Aizu and Shonai domains and the forces of the new government, leading to a civil war. This marked the beginning of the Tohoku front of the Boshin War.

At first, the battle was back and forth, but as time passed, the new government forces began to gain the upper hand. Although the allied forces had been united, some domains were persuaded by the new government forces to leave the alliance. The Kubota domain was one of them, and joined the new government forces along with the neighboring domains of Kameda, Honjo, and Yajima

The allied forces, enraged by the defection of the Kubota clan and others, viewed the Kubota clan as an enemy and launched an offensive against them, led by the Shonai clan from the south and the Nanbu clan from the east. Odate in particular came under attack from the powerful Nanbu clan, and the entire town was set ablaze, burning down not only Odate Castle and the castle town, but also the rural areas

The Kubota clan's forces were retreating further and further west and were on the verge of death, but the new government sent in reinforcements and they were able to push back the allied forces just before reaching their base, Kubota Castle

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

The history of Odate, which played an important role in the borders of the domain during the Meiji Restoration [Akita Prefecture]

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/29208

Odate, known for its Odate Akita dogs, Hinai chicken, and kiritanpo (spicy rice balls), was a feudal domain over the first half of the Edo period. During the Edo period, Odate was located at the easternmost point of the Kubota Domain (Akita Domain). With the Tsugaru Domain to the north and the Nanbu Domain to the east, disputes were constantly brewing along the border, eventually leading to major disputes that even involved the Edo Shogunate. While Kazuno City and Kosaka Town, both east of Odate, are now municipalities within Akita Prefecture, they were only incorporated into Akita Prefecture after the Meiji period. During the Edo period, they were part of the Nanbu Domain. For this reason, the Kubota Domain had a powerful castellan stationed at Odate Castle...

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Odate Hachiman Shrine miraculously survived the Boshin War

This civil war, also known as the Akita War, was a part of the Boshin War, and ultimately ended with the victory of the new government forces, but it left a tragic scar on Odate. Among these, there is one building that miraculously survived without being burned down: the main hall of Odate Hachiman Shrine

"Hachiman-sama," the guardian deity of the Satake clan for generations

The Satake clan was originally Minamoto Minamoto no Shinrasaburo Yoshimitsu , who played an active role in the Gosannen War (1083-1087) that took place in Oshu , they worshipped Hachiman, the god of war.

In Hitachi Province (Hitachi-Ota City, Ibaraki Prefecture), which was the domain of the Satake clan before it was transferred to Akita, Baba Hachiman Shrine (Baba-cho, Hitachi-Ota City) was built in 1161, receiving a branch of the spirit from Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine in Kyoto (Yawata City, Kyoto Prefecture, a National Treasure), and in 1417 Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine (Miyamoto-cho, Hitachi-Ota City) was built, receiving a branch of the spirit from Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine in Kamakura (Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture), and these were used as places of prayer for the Satake clan

When the Satake clan was transferred to Akita in 1602, they brought with them the spirits of Baba Hachiman Shrine and Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine, and enshrined them within Kubota Castle

Within Kubota Castle, two shrines Shohachimansha (Small Hachimansha) and Ohachimansha. The main hall of Shohachimansha, built in 1819, has now been relocated to Iyataka Shrine in Senshu Park and is used as the main hall (designated an important cultural property by Akita Prefecture).

The two Hachimangu shrines within Odate Castle are designated as important cultural properties of Japan

When Yoshinari Oba was assigned to Odate Castle, he enshrined Hachiman as the guardian deity, in accordance with the custom of the Satake clan

In 1687, the fourth castle lord, Yoshitake Satake, built two shrines, Sho Hachimangu and Wakamiya Hachimangu, within the castle grounds and made them the main guardian shrines protecting Odate. Sho Hachimangu enshrines a branch spirit of Iwashimizu Hachimangu, and Wakamiya Hachimangu enshrines a branch spirit of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu

The main shrines of Sho Hachimangu Shrine and Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine are built side by side in one place, with Sho Hachimangu Shrine on the left and Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine on the right

The building, which was built in 1687, remains intact and is currently the main hall of Odate Hachiman Shrine, enshrined within a roofed structure that was built to protect the two main halls

The main hall buildings, which are lined up like a pair, are designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan as valuable shrine architecture from the early Edo period. The two buildings are identical in construction, in a traditional shrine style known as "kokerabuki-nagare-zukuri waui-ken kohaitsuki" (see notes)

The two buildings are decorated with various carvings and patterns, and each building has a different decoration

Remarks

• Kokera : A traditional Japanese roof construction method, where "kokera" refers to boards or pieces of wood. Several pieces of wood are stacked and fastened with bamboo nails, and then roofed from the bottom up. Roofing materials include sawara, cedar, and cypress, but when cypress is used, it is called hiwadabuki (cypress bark roofing).
• Nagare-zukuri : A common style of shrine roof in which the front of the roof extends downwards longer than the back, creating a eaves-like effect. It is said to have been perfected during the Heian period.
• Square room : A square room supported by four pillars. The space between the pillars is called an ikken, and the width is not necessarily one ken (1.8m).
• Mukohai : A place where worshippers pray, located under the protruding Nagare-zukuri roof.

Odate Hachiman Shrine <Information>

• Facility name: Odate Hachiman Shrine (Sho Hachiman Shrine/Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine)
• Location: 1 Yahata, Odate City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0186-42-1328
• Free to visit
• URL: Odate Hachiman Shrine (Sho Hachiman Shrine/Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine)
• access
  • Public transportation: Approximately 20 minutes by bus from Odate Station on the JR Ou Main Line or Hanawa Line, then approximately 3 minutes from the Homei High School bus stop
  • By car: Approximately 30 minutes from Towada IC on the Tohoku Expressway

Google Map

The main building of Torigata Hall was remodeled and expanded on the foundation of a private house from the Edo period

During the Boshin War, most of Odate's buildings were burned down, but there is one valuable building that escaped the disaster, along with Odate Hachiman Shrine

The Torigata Hall Main House is the main house of the Torigata family, who have served as kimoiri (leaders/caretakers) since before the Edo period in the former Hanaoka-cho (Hanaoka-cho, Odate City), located north of the castle town of Odate Castle.

The building is said to have been constructed in the mid-Edo period, and when the Torigata family created a new garden on the property in 1936 (Showa 11), it was moved (in its current state) to the current location of Torigata Kaikan

After that, the old main house was expanded and remodeled and used as the main house of the Torigata family for a while, but in 1951 (Showa 26) it was donated to the former Hanaoka town and is now open to the public as the Torigata Hall

Torigata Kaikan was built by the 17th head of the Torigata family Torigata Ryuzo (1877-1952), who invited a total of 1,000 carpenters and landscape gardeners from Kyoto to expand and renovate the main house and the garden, and it took about five years to complete.

The former main house has been renovated to incorporate a Kyoto-style appearance while leaving the foundations and pillars intact, and the added sections use fine woods such as Yakusugi cedar. The total floor area is approximately 791 m² (approximately 240 tsubo). The Former Torigata Family Residence has been designated a tangible cultural property of Akita Prefecture

Ryuzo Torigata was a doctor of medicine who studied serology at the University of Bern in Switzerland after graduating from Kyoto Imperial University (Kyoto University). He invented the open thoracotomy and contributed to the improvement of pulmonary tuberculosis surgery

Torigata Kaikan Garden is a typical Kyoto-style strolling garden with a pond in the early Showa period

Another highlight of Torigata Kaikan is its 8,191m² (approximately 2,500 tsubo) Kyoto-style garden with a strolling pond

The garden is centered around a pond of approximately 377 square meters (approximately 115 tsubo), and visitors can enjoy the garden while strolling around the pond. The garden is equipped with a thatched teahouse, a teahouse waiting area, and an gazebo, and is beautiful in every season

Torigata Hall <Information>

• Facility name: Torigata Hall (former Torigata family residence)
• Address: 156 Neishimo, Hanaoka-cho, Odate City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0186-46-1009
• Opening hours
  • April to October: 9:00-17:00 (last entry at 16:30)
  • November to March: 9:00-16:00 (last entry 15:30)
• Admission fee: Free
• Closed: Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a public holiday), New Year's holidays (December 29th to January 3rd)
• URL: Torigata Hall (former Torigata family residence)
• access
  • Public transportation: From Odate Station on the JR Oo-u Main Line or Hanawa Line, take the Hokuyo Junior High School Line bus (via Tsunagizawa) for approximately 30 minutes and get off at the Torigata Kaikan-mae bus stop
  • By car: Approximately 10 minutes from Odate Kita IC on the Akita Expressway

Google Map

A historical building representative of Odate City, built during the Meiji period

Since the Meiji period, Odate City has lost many historical buildings due to fires and other causes, but valuable buildings remain, such as the Hokuroku Orthodox Church of Christ the samurai gate of the Nagaki residence of the Nagaki family, who were large landowners (a cultural property designated by Odate City).

The oldest wooden Byzantine-style church in Japan, the Kitaka Orthodox Church of Christ, was built on a private estate using private funds

The Kitaka Orthodox Church of Christ was built in 1892 (Meiji 25) by the wealthy farmer and devout Christian, Hatakeyama Ichinosuke was originally called the Magata Gospel Church

It is now part of the Morioka Holy Church of Christ and is used as the Magata Church

Inside the Byzantine-style cathedral, made from Akita cedar, you will find an icon (a sacred painting/Odate City Tangible Cultural Property) by Yamashita Rin

Kitaka Orthodox Cathedral ＜Information＞

• Facility name: Kitaka Orthodox Church of Christ (official name as a cultural property)
• Address: 80-1 Magata, Odate City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 019-663-1218 (Morioka Holy Church of Christ)
• Tours: Advance notice required
• URL: Kitaka Orthodox Cathedral
• access
  • Public transportation: JR Hanawa Line, get off at Otaki Onsen, about 30 minutes on foot, or about 5 minutes by taxi
  • By car: Approximately 30 minutes from the Tohoku Expressway and IC

Google Map

Nagaki Residence Samurai Gate ＜Information＞

• Facility name: Nagaki Residence Samurai Gate
• Address: 79 Kami-Ogidate, Ogidate, Hinai-cho, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0186-48-2119 (Odate Local Museum)
• access
  • Public transportation: Approximately 15 minutes on foot from Ogida Station on the JR Hanawa Line
  • By car: Approximately 20 minutes from Towada IC on the Tohoku Expressway

Google Map

NORIJUN

My love of travel grew, and I used to write a travel magazine, and now I'm a travel writer for the web. During my research, I visited all 47 prefectures in Japan, mainly in the Tohoku region, but my fun part is soaking in hot springs and experiencing traditional Japanese culture such as old townscapes, lifestyles, and performing arts and crafts.