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

Kubota Castle DATA
Other name	Yaru Castle, Kakone Castle, Akita Castle
castle construction	1604
address	1-39 Senshu Park, Akita City, Akita Prefecture
telephone number	018-832-7892
Opening hours	9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
closing day	From December 1st to March 31st of the following year
Admission fee	100 yen for adults, free for high school students and younger

HISTORYKubota Castle was built by the Satake clan, a prestigious clan of the Genji clan.

Kubota Castle is a flat castle located in Akita City, Akita Prefecture. The castle was built in the Edo period, so it had almost no stone walls and was surrounded by earthworks and a moat, and no castle tower was built from the beginning. It is also known as a castle that has suffered many fires. Let's unravel the history of Kubota Castle.

A castle built in the Edo period: Kubota Castle was built by Yoshinobu Satake, the first lord of the Kubota domain. Yoshinobu Satake was a member of the Minamoto clan whose ancestor was Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, and he was also a maternal cousin of Date Masamune. The story goes that he fought with Date Masamune for supremacy in the Tohoku region, and was relieved of his territory by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It is also famous for the story that it saved the life of Ishida Mitsunari. Yoshinobu Satake was once the most powerful daimyo in the northern Kanto region, but as he effectively sided with the Western army at the Battle of Sekigahara, he was transferred to Akita and his territory was reduced from 540,000 koku to 200,000 koku. Ta. However, Yoshinobu Satake was not discouraged by this and reorganized his vassals and established a ruling system in Akita, laying the foundations for the Satake family, which continued to be the lord of the Kubota domain until the end of the Edo period. Incidentally, there is an anecdote that Yoshinobu Satake achieved outstanding military feats during the summer and winter campaigns in Osaka, and received a letter of commendation from Tokugawa Ieyasu.
In 1602, Yoshinobu Satake entered Minato Castle, which was the residence of the Akita clan that once ruled this area, but the castle was too small for the Akita clan, who were only feudal lords with a wealth of 50,000 koku. Therefore, the construction of Kubota Castle began the following year. Yoshinobu Satake began not only building Kubota Castle but also the castle town and roads at the same time. Kubota Castle was completed in 1604. The structure is typical of a castle built during the Taiping era, with almost no stone walls, earthworks and a moat, and no castle tower built from the beginning.
Kubota Castle has been destroyed by fire three times in recorded history: in 1633, in 1776, and in 1797. Reconstruction work was carried out each time and the buildings were rebuilt, but in 1880 a fire destroyed all the buildings within the castle, leaving Kubota Castle with no trace of its former self.
Kubota Castle after the Meiji era: Kubota Castle once became the property of the Ministry of War during the Meiji era, and in 1890 it was sold to the Satake clan, who served as the lord of the Kubota domain until the end of the Edo period, and the castle ruins were developed as Chishu Park. The park also has Akita Arts Theater Milhas, Akita City Central Library Meitokukan, Akita City Cultural Creation Center, and Akita City Satake Historical Museum, making it a place of relaxation for not only tourists but also locals. In 1984, Mr. Satake donated Chishu Park to Akita City. Later, in 1989, the Honmaru New Weapons Corner Yagura (Osumi Yagura), Honmaru Omotemon Gate, etc. were restored. In 2006, it was designated as the ninth of Japan's top 100 castles, and remains to this day.
summary: Kubota Castle is one of the newest castles in Japan, having been built in the Edo period, but it has suffered four fires, and most of the old buildings have been destroyed. Most of the earthworks and moat have also been demolished, and the only remnants of the time are the restored front gate and turret. However, Senshu Park is famous as a landmark of Akita, and you can enjoy seasonal flowers.

History of the Kubota clan, whose domain office is Kubota Castle

Kubota domainThe Satake clan ruled until the end of the Edo period.: The Kubota domain, also known as the Akita domain, was ruled by the Satake clan until the end of the Edo period, when the domain of Hitachi Province was reduced to Akita due to siding with the Western army at the Battle of Sekigahara. The Satake clan is a prestigious family descended from the Minamoto clan, and after moving to Akita, in addition to the main family, the
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Kubota clan DATA
Domain office	Kubota Castle
old area	Akita District, Dewa Province
stone height	205,800 koku
Fudai/Tozama	Foreigner
main lord	Mr. Satake
Estimated population	435,000 people (first year of the Meiji era)

Yoshinobu Satake, a daimyo in Hitachi Province with a wealth of 540,000 koku, was transferred to Dewa Province because he refused to comply with Tokugawa Ieyasu's request to dispatch troops. The amount of koku decreased drastically to just over 200,000 koku.