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Nikaho City in Akita Prefecture is located in the southern part of Akita Prefecture, on the border with Yamagata Prefecture, and was formed in October 2005 (Heisei 17) through the merger of the towns of Nikaho, Konoura, and Kisakata
As soon as the domain achieved its long-awaited goal of 10,000 koku, the first lord died and the domain was dissolved
Nikaho City is located, was established in the early Edo period as the Yashima Domain, Honjo Domain, Kameda Domain, and NikahoNikaho Domain was established in October 1623 by the Nikaho clan, one of the feudal lords (the 12 Yuri clans) who ruled the Yuri region during the Sengoku period, and its territory covered almost the entire area of present-day Nikaho City.
In the early Edo period, the Nikaho clan was awarded 5,000 koku of land by the Tokugawa shogunate in Hitachi Province (Ibaraki Prefecture) for their meritorious service in the Battle of Sekigahara, and was then transferred to another domain. Further, due to their later achievements, their land was increased to 10,000 koku, and they returned in triumph to the territory associated with the Nikaho clan
The first lord of the Nikaho domain, Nikaho Kiyoshige , abandoned his previous castle, Yamane-yakata, in the mountains, and made Shiokoshi Castle, the previous lord's castle in Shiokoshi (Kisakagata-cho, Nikaho City), near Kisakata, his base. However, Kiyoshige died in February 1624, four months after becoming lord of the domain.
Much of the Nikaho domain was divided into Shonai domain, Yajima domain, Honjo domain, and the Shogunate domain
After Takamasa's death, his will divided the Nikaho family among his three sons, with the eldest son receiving 7,000 koku, the second son receiving 2,000 koku, and the third son receiving 1,000 koku. Furthermore, in 1631, his eldest son also died without an heir, and the Nikaho family line came to an end, with its territory becoming the domain of the shogunate. The territory of the former Nikaho domain, which had become the domain of the shogunate, was temporarily entrusted by the shogunate to the neighboring Shonai domain (Yamagata Prefecture) to the south
After the Nikaho Domain was abolished, much of the former Nikaho territory that had been entrusted to the Shonai Domain was given to the Yajima Domain when the Yajima Domain was established in 1640, and eventually the 3,000 koku of territory inherited by the second and third sons was ruled by the Nikaho clan, while the rest was divided between the Yajima Domain and the Shogunate. The Honjo Domain was given an enclave, with areas such as Kisakata as its territory. The complex boundaries meant that the boundaries of the three villages ran within each village, creating a complicated situation where multiple lords ruled one village (a shared village)
After the Meiji period, towns and villages in the Nikaho area were consolidated, and eventually three towns merged to form Nikaho City
With the Meiji Restoration, feudal domains were abolished and prefectures were established, and Yajima, Honjo, and Kameda prefectures were established in the Yuri region on July 14, 1871 (Meiji 4). The former Nikaho territory came under Honjo and Yajima prefectures, but on November 2 of that year, the first prefectural merger took place, and the three Yuri prefectures were merged into Akita prefecture, with the former Nikaho territory also becoming a part of Akita prefecture
According to the municipal system implemented nationwide in 1889 (Meiji 22), the 35 villages in the former Nikaho territory were merged into seven villages: Hirasawa Village, Kanaura Village, Shiogoe Village, Kamihama Village, Kamigo Village, Koide Village, and Innai Village. Subsequently, in 1896 (Meiji 29), Shiogoe Village became Kisakata Town, in 1897 (Meiji 30), Hirasawa Village became Hirasawa Town, and in 1902 (Meiji 35), Kanaura Village became Kanaura Town. Furthermore, in 1955 (Showa 30), Kisakata Town, Kamihama Village, and Kamigo Village merged, and Kisakata Town, Hirasawa Town, Innai Village, and Koide Village merged to form Nikaho Town.
As mentioned at the beginning, on October 1, 2005, the towns of Nikaho, Kanaura, and Kisakata merged to form Nikaho City
The Boshin War left a great devastation on the Nikaho area
During the Meiji Restoration, the various feudal domains in the Tohoku region split into supporters of the new government and those of the former Edo Shogunate, leading to a fierce civil war. The Akita and three Yuri domains, which initially supported the former Shogunate, eventually joined the new government, coming into conflict with the Shonai (Yamagata Prefecture) and Nanbu (the eastern half of Iwate and Aomori prefectures) domains, which also supported the former Shogunate. This led to the Battle of Akita (Akita War) of the Boshin War (1868), which began on July 13, 1868, in southern Akita, at Misakiguchi (Kisagata Kosagawa, Nikaho City), on the border between the Shonai and Yajima domains. The Akita and new government forces first attacked, but the Shonai domain counterattacked with overwhelming military power and weapons, forcing the Akita and new government forces to retreat
The power of the Shonai clan was so great that within a month, not only the territories of the Yuri clan but also nearly two-thirds of the Kubota clan's territory had been turned into a battlefield and burned to the ground. The former Shogunate forces, centered around the Shonai clan, attacked up to Tsubakidai (Tsubakigawa, Yuwa, Akita City) and Nagahama (Nagahama, Shimohama, Akita City), just before Kubota Castle. After Tsubakidai and Nagahama were breached, Kubota Castle was on the verge of collapse, but reinforcements from the new government forces, armed with new firearms, finally showed their strength and held off the former Shogunate forces, marking the end of the civil war in Akita
This civil war, known as the Akita War, burned down all the villages in the Yuri region and claimed many lives. Looking at the list of cultural properties in Nikaho City, I noticed that there were no cultural properties designated by the national or Akita prefecture governments, such as important cultural properties or registered tangible cultural properties. The Boshin War, a battle between Japanese people, left a deep scar
Yamane-kan was the residence of the Nikaho clan during the Kamakura period. It was abandoned when the Nikaho domain was established
Yamane-kan and Shiokoshi-jo which were the residences of the Nikaho clan , were burned down during the Boshin War and no buildings remain, but the sites have been developed and are open to the public.
Yamane Castle was the castle of the Yuri clan from the Heian period until the Edo period, and then the Nikaho clan during the Kamakura period. They lived there until 1602 when Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered them to move to Hitachi Province (Ibaraki Prefecture)
Yamane Castle is a mountain castle located on a plateau at an altitude of approximately 200m, about 3km southeast of the center of the former Nikaho Town in the northern part of Nikaho City. It is said to have been built by the Yuri clan, a powerful clan that ruled Yuri (Yuri County) during the Heian period. The Yuri clan was a senior vassal of the Fujiwara clan, the leader of Oshu, at the end of the Heian period, but when the Fujiwara clan was attacked and destroyed by Minamoto no Yoritomo, the head of the family, Yuri Korehira, fought bravely against the Minamoto forces, and Yoritomo recognized him. He later became a vassal of Yoritomo, who was an enemy general, and swore loyalty to him in exchange for receiving land from the Kamakura shogunate
The Yuri clan later fell to ruin, and Yuri County was entrusted to the Oi clan, who were the feudal lords of Shinano. In 1468 during the Muromachi period, Oi Tomotaka, who is said to be the ancestor of the Nikaho clan, restored the Yamane residence
The existence of Yamane-kan has been known for quite some time, but investigation into the remains only began in 1980 (Showa 55). Investigations have continued since then, and numerous artifacts have been discovered, including the foundation stones of the building and Chinese pottery from the Muromachi period. Yamane-kan is a designated historic site by Akita Prefecture
Former Yamane Castle Site <Information>
Facility name: Former Yamane Castle Site
Address: 1-2 Oguni Furutate, Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture, etc
Phone number: 0184-43-3230 (Nikaho City Tourism Division)
access:
Public transportation: Approximately 7 minutes by taxi from Nikaho Station on the JR Uetsu Main Line to Yamane Castle Ruins Parking Lot
By car: Approximately 7 minutes from Nikaho IC on the Nihonkai Tohoku Expressway. Yamane Castle Ruins Parking Lot
Google Map
Shiogoshi Castle was the residence of the Nikaho clan for only nine years after the establishment of the Nikaho domain
Shiokoshi Castle is the castle where the Nikaho clan lived when they returned to Nikaho from Hitachi Province as feudal lords with a fief of 10,000 koku in 1623. It is said to have originally been the residence of the Ikeda clan, local samurai of Shiokoshi during the Sengoku period
The first lord of the Nikaho domain, Nikaho Takamasa, lived there for two years, and his eldest son Yoshitoshi, who inherited the family headship, lived there for seven years, for a total of nine years, but since Yoshitoshi had no children, the domain died out and Shiokoshi Castle was abandoned
Shiokoshi Castle is thought to have been located on the coast of Kisakata in the center of Nikaho City, around what is now Kisakata-cho 1-chome Shiokoshi and Kisakata-cho Ninomaru. All that remains of Shiokoshi Castle are the stone walls and the square where the residence once stood, and most of the area has become a residential area
Shiokoshi Castle Ruins <Information>
Facility name: Shiokoshi Castle Ruins
Location: Ninomaru, Kisakata-cho, Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture, Shiogoshi 1-chome, Kisakata-cho
Phone number: 0184-43-3230 (Nikaho City Tourism Division)
access:
Public transportation: Approximately 4 minutes by taxi from Kisakata Station on the JR Uetsu Main Line
By car: Approximately 8 minutes from Kisakata IC on the Nihonkai Tohoku Expressway
Google Map
The Nikaho family's 2,000 koku and 1,000 koku brothers' families lived together until the Meiji era
The main branch of the Nikaho family died out and lost its territory, but the second son, Masamasa, who inherited 2,000 koku, and the third son, Seiji, who received 1,000 koku, had territories north of the Nikaho territory and, like Yoshitoshi, became hatamoto (samurai retainers) of the shogunate. Both families continued their lineage until the Meiji period
Nikaho Jinya was built by the brothers Masamasa and Seiji as a camp where they jointly managed their territory. Almost nothing remains on the site, but Nikaho Shrine was founded and the site has been developed into Nikaho Park
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
