- Kawagoe domainRuled by powerful daimyo who produced dairo and roju.
- The Kawagoe domain was the largest domain in Musashi Province, located in present-day Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture. When Tokugawa Ieyasu was transferred to the Kanto region by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he established the Kawagoe domain by appointing his senior vassal, Shigetada Sakai, as the lord of Kawagoe Castle. Throughout the Edo period, he served as Tairo and Rojū.
Kawagoe CastleKawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture
| Other name | Kawagoe Castle, Hatsugan Castle, Kirigakure Castle |
|---|---|
| castle construction | 1457 |
| address | 2-13-1 Kakumachi, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture |
- Access to Kawagoe Castle
- From Tobu Tojo Line/JR Kawagoe Line "Kawagoe Station East Exit" or Seibu Shinjuku Line "Hon-Kawagoe Station", take the Tobu Bus bound for Ageo Station West Exit, Saitama Medical University, or Kawagoe Sports Park for approximately 10 minutes to Shiyakusho-mae. Get off and walk for about 5 minutes.
HISTORYKawagoe Castle, the only Honmaru Palace in eastern Japan
Kawagoe Castle is a flat castle located in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture. This castle was built in 1457 during the Muromachi period by Mochitomo Uesugi of the Ogidani Uesugi clan, ordering the father and son Michizane Ota and Dokan Ota to build it. It was renovated many times during the Edo period, and is currently famous as the only castle in eastern Japan that still has a main castle palace. Let's unravel the history of Kawagoe Castle.
- From the construction of Kawagoe Castle to the Edo period
- Kawagoe Castle was first built in 1457 during the Muromachi period. During this period, Kamakura Prefecture was located in 10 areas in the Kanto region, including Kawagoe, and was ruled by the Ashikaga clan, the Kamakura kubo, and the Uesugi clan, who served as their assistants. However, as the generations passed, the Ashikaga clan, who had served as Kamakura kubo, became more independent and came into conflict with the Uesugi clan, which was strongly connected to the central government. Finally, in 1454, the fifth Kamakura kubo Shigeuji Ashikaga plotted to kill Noritada Uesugi, Kanto Kanrei, and the Kyotoku Rebellion broke out. This war lasted for 28 years and threw the 10 countries in the Kanto region, which were ruled by Kamakura Prefecture, into chaos. Kawagoe became the front line of the conflict between the Uesugi clan and the Ashikaga clan, and in 1457, the Uesugi clan ordered Michizane Ota and Dokan Ota to build Kawagoe Castle, and became the lords of the castle, in order to make it their base for war. Furthermore, Dokan Ota is famous as the military commander who built Edo Castle, and Edo Castle, along with Kawagoe Castle, was built as a line of defense for the Ashikaga clan.
Kawagoe Castle, which was built at this time, was a magnificent castle with an area of 50,000 tsubo and 8 gates and 8 turrets. There are also records that a Fujimi turret was built on a hill to the southwest of the main enclosure. Furthermore, Ota Dokan also worked hard to bring an end to the Kyotoku War. In 1482, the Ashikaga clan and the Muromachi shogunate reconciled, marking the end of the Kyotoku War. However, Dokan Ota's lord, the Uesugi clan, was afraid that Dokan had made a name for himself, so they assassinated him. As a result of this incident, the Ota clan separated from the Uesugi clan, and the Uesugi clan itself continued to have internal conflicts, and Ashikaga City, which was the Kamakura kubo, intervened and the Chokyo Rebellion broke out.
This war lasted for 13 years, and created an opportunity for the Gohojo clan, who later came to rule the entire Kanto region, to expand into the Kanto region.
Hojo Soun, the founder of the Gohojo clan, took control of Sagami Province from Izu Province in the wake of the Chokyo Rebellion, and Soun's eldest son, Hojo Ujitsuna, invaded the Musashi Province area and took possession of it. Hojo Ujitsuna, who kicked out the Uesugi clan and set out to control the entire Kanto region, established Kawagoe Castle as his base for controlling Musashi Province. Hojo Ujiyasu won the Battle of Kawagoe Castle in 1546 between Hojo Ujiyasu's army and the combined forces of Norimasa Uesugi, Tomosada Uesugi, and Haruji Ashikaga, completing his rule over Musashi Province and majorly renovating Kawagoe Castle. The we. During the era when the Gohojo family ruled, Kawagoe Castle was lorded by Ujiyasu Hojo and Ujimasa Hojo, while others such as Tsunari Hojo, Morimasa Daidouji, Shigeoki Daidouji, and Masashige Daidouji served as castle owners.
In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi embarked on a conquest of Odawara, and Kawagoe Castle was captured by Toshiie Maeda's army. The Gohojo clan was destroyed by the Odawara conquest, and Tokugawa Ieyasu was confined to the Kanto region. Kawagoe Castle was occupied by Shigetada Sakai, the leader of the Tokugawa clan, and the Kawagoe clan was born. After that, the Kawagoe domain became the main domain of the Edo shogunate, with the Echizen Matsudaira family and others acting as lords. - Kawagoe Castle in the Edo period
- During the Edo period, Kawagoe Castle underwent major expansion work in 1628 by Nobutsuna Matsudaira of the Okochi Matsudaira family. As a result, the castle was doubled in size and established as a domain office. The castle tower was not built, and Fujimi Yagura was used instead. As its name suggests, it is a turret with a view of Mt. Fuji, and Sengen Shrine and Mitake Shrine are currently being built on its site. Additionally, in 1848, Masanori Matsudaira of the Echizen Matsudaira family rebuilt the Honmaru Palace, which had been destroyed by fire in 1846. This is the existing Honmaru Palace.
- Kawagoe Castle after the Meiji period
- In 1868, Yasuhide Matsudaira of the Matsudaira family buried the moat of Kawagoe Castle to show his obedience to the Meiji government. In the 2nd year of Meiji, the demolition of the dilapidated parts of the castle began, and most of the castle except for the Honmaru Palace was demolished. In accordance with the castle abolition ordinance in 1873, unused and damaged buildings within Kawagoe Castle were put up for bid and sold, and the site was developed into a city hall, park, school, etc., and in the Taisho era, the Kawagoe Castle ruins were rebuilt in Saitama Prefecture. It has been designated as a prefectural historic site.
Later, in 1967, when the Honmaru Palace was designated as a tangible cultural property by the prefecture, the old school's office, which had been relocated, was relocated to the large hall that existed at that time, and it is now open to the public. The shape is ready.
The only remaining large halls in the Honmaru Palace are the one in Kochi Castle and the one in Kawagoe Castle, and they are extremely valuable. The area is also dotted with the ruins of castles from the Edo period, such as the Nakanomon moat ruins, Kiribuki no Ido, and Miyoshino Shrine, which are now tourist spots. In 2006, it was designated as the 19th Japan's 100 Famous Castles. - summary
- Currently, Kawagoe City in Saitama Prefecture is being revitalized as a "little Edo" and is a popular tourist destination that is easily accessible from Tokyo. The inside of Kawagoe Castle Honmaru Palace can be viewed, and it is a popular spot for walking around Kawagoe. In spring, the ``Little Edo Kawagoe Spring Festival'' is held, and there are many events reminiscent of the Edo period, such as matchlock demonstrations by the Kawagoe Clan Matchlock Gun Corps Shishi.
In addition, Kita-in, a Tendai sect temple in Kawagoe City, still has the guest hall, study hall, and warehouse that were relocated from Edo Castle and still exist today. In addition, Toshogu Shrine, located within the precincts of Hikawa Shrine, was built by the third Shogun Iemitsu and is the only remaining religious facility that was relocated from Edo Castle.
When you visit Kawagoe, it would be fun to tour along with the Kawagoe Castle ruins.
History of the Kawagoe domain, with Kawagoe Castle as the domain office
| Domain office | Kawagoe Castle |
|---|---|
| old area | Iruma District, Musashi Province |
| stone height | 80,000 koku |
| Fudai/Tozama | Fudai |
| main lord | Mr. Matsudaira |
| Estimated population | 62,000 people (first year of the Meiji era) |
When Tokugawa Ieyasu entered the Kanto region, his vassal Shigetada Sakai was confined to Kawagoe and established a domain. Successive castle lords held important positions in the shogunate. The Echizen Matsudaira family moved from Maebashi to Kawagoe and then returned to Maebashi. The Matsudaira family moved into Kawagoe and ushered in the Meiji Restoration.
