This site is a web media that delivers all kinds of trivia, from sightseeing and gourmet spots in the six Tohoku prefectures to local, customs, and history.
KakunodateSamurai- dori," which still retains its townscape built during the Edo period , spring cherry blossoms, the " Konodate Festival Yama EventHirokama Pillow, an intangible folk cultural property designated inboku city , is the largest tourist destination in Akita Prefecture, attracting tourists from all over the country.
Kakunodate was a small village along a highway that crossed the Ou Mountains until the Sengoku period.
The name Kakunodate appears in history in 1423 (or 1424), when the 13th lord of the Tozawa clan, who had a castle (Konya Castle) in Kadoya (Konya Castle/Nishikimonya, Senboku City), attacked Komatsuyama Castle, which had been ruled by a small local clan (also known as the Suga clan) , changed his castle from Komatsuyama Castle Kakunodate Castle
It is unknown when and who built Komatsuyama Castle. Furthermore, there seems to be no clues as to why the name was changed to "Kakudate (Kangdong)" later. However, this area was originally a bustling transportation hub with the Obonai Highway (later Kakunodate Kaido) that crossed the Ou Mountains.
The Life Insurance Road opened by Sakaue Tamuramaro during the Heian period
The Life Insurance Kaido is an old highway that is said to have been opened by Sakanoue Tamuramaro, the Sakanoue Tamuramaro, who marched in the Emishi (the people who lived in the Tohoku region/named by the Yamato Imperial Court during the Heian period as Seiitai Shoguns.
The final destination of the Life Insurance Cooperative Road is Ogakushuku (Daisen City) on the Ushu Kaido Road, passes through Kakunodate, then from Life Insurance Cooperative, passes through Kunimi Pass (960m above sea level/near Seniwa Pass), then passes through Shizukuishi (Shizukuishi Town, Iwate Prefecture) of the Nanbu Domain, then heads towards Morioka (Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture). This highway is one of the few roads that can cross the Ou Mountains, so there is a lot of traffic and people and supplies, and during the Edo period, the Kubota Domain set up a checkpoint within the life insurance insurance (within the life insurance insurance insurance in the life insurance in the Tazawako-cho, Senboku City), located on the border with the Nanbu Domain. It is believed that the Tozawa clan, who came to Senboku from Shizukuishi Tozawa (Shizukuishi/Furukan, Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate Prefecture) in Mutsu Province (Munokuni/Iwate Prefecture, etc.), to the land of Senboku, is also walking along this highway and crossed the mountain pass.
Tozawa Iemori, a town built on the north side of Kakunodate Castle
Tozawa Iemori, who entered Kakunodate in 1423, developed a castle town on the north side of Kakunodate Castle (now the ruins of the ancient castle mountain castle = Furushiro Yamashiroato), which was on the top of the mountain, on the opposite side of the current Castle Town Street. It is said that this is strategic, but the details are unknown.
The Tozawa clan was based at Kakunodate Castle for about 180 years and ruled the Senboku region, but in 1602, Masamori (1585-1648), the 21st head of the family, was appointed by Tokugawa Ieyasu the Matsuoka Domain in Hitachi Province (Takahagi City, Ibaraki Prefecture), and left Kakunodate.
Even after the abandoned castle, Ashina Yoshikatsu built the foundation of Kakunodate as the essential lord of the castle.
After Tozawa Masamori headed to Hitachi Province, the Satake clan, who came to Akita from Hitachi Province, founded the Kubota Domain, and the Senboku region also entered its control. The Kubota Domain built its main castle in Kubota (Chiaki Park, Akita City) and Kakunodate Castle was the branch castle. Therefore, a castle was required, and Ashina Yoshikatsu, the younger brother of Satake Yoshinobu (1570-1633), the first lord of the Kubota domain, and was adopted by the Ashina clan of Aizuwakamatsu (Aizuwakamatsu city, Fukushima prefecture), was sent to Kakunodate.
Ashina Yoshikatsu initially housed the castle on the summit of Komatsuyama, built by the Tozawa clan, and the castle town remained the same. Kakunodate Castle was abandoned due to One Country and One Castle Order issued by the Edo Shogunate in 1615 However, it was no longer an ostensibly branch castle, but in reality the Ashina clan was the castle lord, and the castle town was still functioning.
After the flood, the south side of the castle was forced to turn into a castle town
In 1619, a major flood struck Kakunodate. The castle town was flooded and the disaster occurred, with vassals and townspeople also suffering deaths. Therefore, the Ashina clan made a large-scale reconstruction plan, moving the castle town on the north side of the castle to the south side, and in 1620 began construction of the new castle town. At the same time, the castle on the summit was relocated to the south foot of the castle, with the order by the shogunate to destroy it.
To the top of the north is Mt. Furushiro (formerly Kakunodate Castle), and to the south is a town-distance that runs through the samurai residences and machiya. 1704 "The Map of the Kakunodate-San-People Houses" Holdings: Akita Prefectural Archives
Kakunodate Castle is located to the north, and the townscape was created on long, narrow flat lands, about 500 meters east and west and 2,000 meters north and south. The Hinokinaigawa River to the western end the Tamagawa River flows to the southern end On the east side was a hilly area called Tonoyama
the 21-cho of Kakunodate was created, which remains today On the north half is the samurai residence (Uchimachi) and on the south side (Outto Town) is a commercial area and machiya houses. The ruins of Kakunodate Castle, which had been abandoned, seem to have come to be called Furushiroyama from
A detailed illustration of the town (machijin town) in 1727. "Illustrated by Kakunodate Socho (outside town) in 2019" Collection: Akita Prefectural Library
List of 21 Kakunodate Towns
Higashi Katsurakucho
Tamachi Kamicho
Tamachi Shimocho
Takewaracho
Kobito Town
Walking town
Kawaramachi
Omotemachi Kamicho
Omotemachi Shimocho
Yamanemachi
Hosogoe Town
Uramamachi
Iwase Town
Shimoiwase Town
Shimoshinmachi
Kamishinmachi
Nishikatsurakucho
Nakamachi
Nanakamachi
Shimonakamachi
Yokomachi
*Current place names are marked by Kakunodate Town before the town name.
Samurai residence street in the summer. The wide road remains the same as before
Samurai Mansion Street Information
Facility name: Samurai-yashikidori
Cultural Property Designation: Designated as a district for the important traditional buildings conservation of the Kakunodate Town Kakunodate
Public Transportation: Approximately 20 minutes on foot from Akita Shinkansen, JR Tazawako Line, Akita Uchiriku Longitudinal Railway Kakunodate Station
Car/Approximately 39 minutes from the Akita Expressway Kyowa IC via National Routes 341 and 46
Public Transportation: Approximately 40 minutes on foot from Akita Shinkansen, JR Tazawako Line, Akita Uchiriku Longitudinal Railway Kakunodate Station
Car/Approximately 35 minutes from Kyowa IC on the Akita Expressway
Google Map
The Satake Kita family, who succeeded the Ashina clan, inherited the town division of the Ashina clan.
After Yoshikatsu, Ashina's family was not blessed with a successor, and after three generations the family was cut off. Therefore, in 1656, close relatives of the Satake clan , Satake KitaSatake Yoshinori (in-chika/Yosichika/1619-1702), entered Kakunodate as a koto (tokoro Azukari/position overseeing the position of office).
The Satake Kita family was a family that originally followed the Seiwa Genji, who was the leader of the Yamato Imperial Court during the Heian period, and is based on the same bloodline as Minamoto Yoritomo. The Satake clan was originally a powerful clan in Hitachi Province (Ibaraki Prefecture), and the family that was entrusted with the Kakunodate were located north of Ota Castle, the castle of the original Satake clan (Hitachi Ota City, Ibaraki Prefecture), and they came to be called the Kitaya.
The era was in the mid-Edo period. The bustling town of Kakunodate, "Dialect Training: Kaneko Pass" 21 volumes Author: Jurosha Iku, Holdings: National Diet Library
Kakunodate the Life Insurance Kaido Road and was located at the entrance to the Ani Kaido Road heading towards the Ani Dozan which was the source of the Kubota Domain As a result, the town under the Satake Kita family developed greatly. From Yoshinin onwards, the Satake Kita family ruled Kakunodate for 11 generations from Yoshinao (1848-1909).
"Satake Kita Family Diary" written every day by the head of the Satake family.
"Satake Kita Family Diary" written every day by past heads of the family (partially) Holdings: Akita Prefectural Archives
The Satake Kita family continued to maintain a custom of past heads of families keeping diaries every day until 1894 (Meiji 27). the Satake Kita Family Diary or the Kita Family Diary , ranged from 220 years from 1894 (Meiji 27), when the second generation of the Satake Kita Family Kakunodate, Tosai Isai Mei (Yokiaki/7th generation of the Kubota Domain, a different person) to the 11th generation of Tosai Meiro (Meiji 27). Some of the items are thought to have been written by vassals, but most are written by successive heads of family members.
The contents cover everything from the life of the Kita family, official duties in the domain, vassals, festivals, annual events, customs, and other topics, as well as the standard weather for the day in the diary. The Satake Kitaya Diary (Kitaya Diary) is an intangible folk cultural property designated as Akita Prefecture, as a unique historical document that lets you learn about everyday life in the Edo period.
Kakunodate, where many cultures blossomed during the Satake Kita family era
During the Satake Kita family, events began such as the Yama Events of the Kakunodate Festival, which is designated as a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the winter tradition, "Fire-Ranguage Pillow" (Semboku City designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property), and the Kakunodate also blossomed in Akita Ranga It is said that the first of the "Cherry Blossom Lined Trees" in the country, where the entire Kakunodate is dyed cherry blossoms in the spring, was the first three shidare cherry trees that the wife of Tosaimei, the second generation of the Kakunodate Satake Kita family, brought with her when she marries her from Kyoto.
We will introduce events, entertainment, and culture that are said to have started at Kakunodate during the Satake Kita family era, in "Senboku City's Highlights 3."
![5 Great Sea Lion Dance](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/0215ff7aa0e94eddc6dff8713d12e83b-150x150.jpg.webp ""Honkai Lion Dance Banraku" is a folk entertainment that has been handed down for 400 years [Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture]")
