Hachinohe CastleHachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture

Hachinohe Castle in Spring 1Hachinohe Castle in Spring 2Hachinohe Castle in Spring 3Hachinohe Castle in Spring 4Hachinohe Castle in Spring 5Hachinohe Castle in Spring 6Hachinohe Castle in Spring 7Hachinohe Castle in Spring 8Hachinohe Castle in Spring 9Hachinohe Castle in Spring 10
  • Hachinohe Castle in Spring 1
  • Hachinohe Castle in Spring 2
  • Hachinohe Castle in Spring 3
  • Hachinohe Castle in Spring 4
  • Hachinohe Castle in Spring 5
  • Hachinohe Castle in Spring 6
  • Hachinohe Castle in Spring 7
  • Hachinohe Castle in Spring 8
  • Hachinohe Castle in Spring 9
  • Hachinohe Castle in Spring 10
Hachinohe Castle DATA
castle construction1627
address1-14-49 Uchimaru, Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture
Access to Hachinohe Castle
About 3 minutes walk from JR Hon-Hachinohe Station.

HISTORYHachinohe Castle, the headquarters of the Hachinohe Domain

Hachinohe Castle was one of the castles that the Hachinohe Nanbu clan used as their residence, and became the clan headquarters when the Hachinohe clan separated from the Morioka clan. The castle tower and corner turret were not built, but were planned, and after the main castle was abandoned, it became the base of the Hachinohe Nanbu clan. Let's unravel the history of Hachinohe Castle.

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Until the construction of Hachinohe Castle
Hachinohe Castle is said to have been built as a subsidiary castle by Nanbu Nobusuke, the third son of Nanbu Masanaga, the younger brother of Nanbu Michiyuki, who built Nejo Castle, the headquarters of the Hachinohe Nanbu clan. Later, this clan, which branched off from the Hachinohe Nanbu clan, took the name "Nakadate clan." Therefore, the castle came to be called Nakadate.
During the Azuchi-Momoyama period, the Hachinohe Nanbu clan came under the control of the Sannohe Nanbu clan, and in the Edo period, the Sannohe Nanbu clan established the Morioka domain. In 1627, during the reign of Hachinohe Naoyoshi, the 22nd head of the Hachinohe Nanbu clan, the first lord of the Morioka domain, Nanbu Toshinao, transferred the Nakadate clan to Tono Province, and the Hachinohe area became a direct territory of the Morioka domain.
Nanbu Shigenao, the successor to Nanbu Toshinao and the second lord of Morioka Domain, died without leaving a legitimate son, so the fourth shogun, Tokugawa Ietsuna, had Shigenao's younger brother, Shigenobu Shichinobe, succeed the family, reducing his fief by 20,000 koku and giving him 80,000 koku of Morioka.The remaining 20,000 koku was then given to another younger brother, Nakazato Naoyoshi, to make the Hachinohe Domain independent.
Nakazato Naoyoshi changed his name to Naofusa Nanbu and renovated a building on Sanhachijoyama that had been built during the Morioka Domain era into Hachinohe Castle.
Hachinohe Castle after the Edo period
Although Hachinohe Castle is a castle, the turrets and the castle tower were never built, just planned.
The clan office was set up in a palace, and it is believed that the building was more like a mansion than a castle.
It was rebuilt into a new palace in 1829, and records remain that in 1838, it was recognized as a "castle" for the first time in recognition of its contributions to coastal security.
In 1871, when the feudal domains were abolished and prefectures were established, the castle was abandoned and the site became Sanhachijo Shrine.
The castle ruins were later developed into a park and are now a place of relaxation for local citizens.
Excavations and surveys have been carried out, but very few remains remain today.
summary
Although Hachinohe Castle is called a castle, it did not have a tower or a castle tower, and was built like a mansion with only a palace and a study. Currently, the front gate of Hachinohe Castle's Kakugoten Palace has been moved to the Nanbu Kaikan and is designated as a treasure of Aomori Prefecture. In addition, the old east gate of Hachinohe Castle is the entrance to the square of the Nejo Castle Historic Site in Hachinohe City.

The history of the Hachinohe Domain, whose headquarters was Hachinohe Castle

Hachinohe DomainBecame independent from Morioka Domain
The Hachinohe Domain was created when the second lord of the Nanbu Morioka Domain, Nanbu Shigenao, died without appointing a successor. By order of the shogunate, 20,000 koku was allocated from the 100,000 koku of land in the Nanbu Morioka Domain, and Nanbu Shigenao's younger brother, Nakazato Kazuma (Nanbu Naofusa), became the first lord of the domain.
Reading the Hachinohe Domain
Hachinohe Domain
Hachinohe Domain DATA
residenceHachinohe Castle
old areaMutsu Province, Sannohe District
stone height20,000 koku
Fudai/TozamaForeigner
main lordNanbu family
Estimated population68,000 people (first year of the Meiji era)

Split from the Morioka domain. Naofusa Nanbu became the first lord of the domain.

Japanese Castle Photo Contest.03