Tokushima Castle | Highlights of sightseeing | History explained in an easy-to-understand manner

Tokushima Castle DATA
Other name	Weiyama Castle, Weijin Castle
castle construction	1585
address	1, Jonai, Tokushima-cho, Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture

HISTORYTokushima Castle, where the garden and stone walls retain the vestiges of yesteryear

Tokushima Castle is a flat castle located in Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture. The castle was built by Iemasa Hachisuka, and the Hachisuka family ruled it as the lord until the Meiji era. Although no buildings within the castle remain, the garden and stone walls retain traces of the past. Let's unravel the history of Tokushima Castle.

To Tokushima Castle: Tokushima had been ruled by the Kono clan, the head of Iyo province since the Kamakura period, but in 1385, Yoriyuki Hosokawa, the second Kanrei of the Muromachi shogunate, defeated the forces of the Southern Court and built Kiyama Castle. Build two castles, Terashima Castle.
During the Sengoku period, many warlords fought over control over Tokushima, but in 1582, Tosa's Motochika Chosokabe subdued the land and brought it under his control.
However, three years later, in 1585, Toyotomi Hideyoshi conquered Shikoku and ceded the three provinces of Awa, Sanuki, and Iyo to Motochika Chosokabe. After that, Awa (Tokushima) was given to Hachisuka Iemasa, who had distinguished himself in the invasion of Shikoku. Hachisuka Iemasa built Tokushima Castle by partially rebuilding Kiyama Castle.
Tokushima Castle is built in the ``Renku-style'' style, with the main enclosure built on Mt. Kiyama and the eastern and western second enclosures lined up in a straight line. At the foot of the mountain, Sannomaru was built to the southeast and Ninomaru to the west. The castle tower was located in the Honmaru when the castle was built, but it was dismantled and relocated to the Nishinomaru in the early Edo period.
Tokushima Castle was completed in 1586. At this time, Hachisuka Iemasa's koku height was 186,000 koku. Later, due to Hachisuka Iemasa's eldest son, Shichin, who achieved great results during the Summer Campaign in Osaka, Awaji's 71,000 koku was increased, making it 250,000 koku and 7,000 koku. This stone height remained unchanged throughout the Edo period, and the Hachisuka family continued to rule Tokushima as the Tokushima domain until the Meiji Restoration.
Tokushima Castle after the Meiji era: As the Meiji era progressed, most of the buildings on the grounds of Tokushima Castle were demolished based on the Castle Abandonment Ordinance. Later, in 1910, as a commemoration of the victory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, the castle ruins were developed as Tokushima Park and opened to the public.
In 1941, the Omote Goten Garden was designated as a national scenic spot. In addition to the garden, the stone wall, moat, and Washinomon gate remained at that time, but the Washinomon gate was destroyed in the Tokushima air raid in 1945.
Forty-four years later, in 1989, Washinomon was restored, and in 2006, it was selected as one of Japan's 100 Famous Castles (number 76).
summary: Most of the buildings in Tokushima Castle have been demolished since the Meiji era, and the only things that remind us of the past are the garden and stone walls. There is also a museum within the park, where you can see items related to the Hachisuka family. Since it is located close to Tokushima Station, it is a place for locals to relax and is also a tourist attraction. It is also famous as a cherry blossom viewing spot, especially in spring.

History of the Tokushima Domain, with Tokushima Castle as the domain office

Tokushima domainRuled by the Hachisuka family from the end of the Sengoku period.: Shimahan was a domain that ruled Tokushima Prefecture and Awaji Island throughout the Edo period. It is a rare domain, with the Hachisuka clan having its origins in Iemasa Hachisuka, who was given this land by Toyotomi Hideyoshi for his achievements in the conquest of Shikoku at the end of the Sengoku period, and continued to be ruled by the Hachisuka family until the Meiji Restoration. That
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Tokushima Domain DATA
Domain office	Tokushima Castle
old area	Awa country
stone height	257,000 koku
Fudai/Tozama	Foreigner
main lord	Hachisuka family
Estimated population	710,000 people (first year of the Meiji era)