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

Shirakawa Komine Castle DATA
Other name	Komine Castle, Shirakawa Castle
castle construction	1340
address	Kakuuchi, Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture

HISTORYShirakawa Komine Castle, said to be a famous castle at the Oshu barrier

Shirakawa Komine Castle is a flat castle located in Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture. Seven families ruled the Shirakawa area using this castle as their residence, including Sadanobu Matsudaira, who was known for his complete reforms. It was praised as a famous castle on the Oshu barrier, but most of the buildings were destroyed by fire during the Boshin War that broke out at the end of the Edo period. Let's unravel the history of Shirakawa Komine Castle.

Shirakawa Komine Castle before the Edo period: The predecessor of Shirakawa Komine Castle is said to be Komine Castle, which Chikatomo Yuki built in Kominegaoka in the 14th century. In 1590, when the Shirakawa Yuki clan, the castle's lord at the time, was ceded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Oshu regime, Komine Castle came under the control of the Gamo clan and the Uesugi clan.
From the construction of Shirakawa Komine Castle to the Edo period: In 1627, Niwa Nagashige was transferred from Tanagura Castle to Shirakawa for 100,000 koku. Niwa Nagahide was the eldest son of Niwa Nagahide, a vassal of the Oda family, and when Oda Nobunaga was defeated in the Honnoji Incident, he became a vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and sided with the western army at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. As a result, he once faced the trouble of being forced to change his name, but in 1603 he returned to the position of daimyo with 10,000 koku. Later, due to his military exploits during the Osaka Siege that broke out in the 19th year of the Keicho era, he was promoted to the Otogishu group of the second shogun, Hidetada Tokugawa. Furthermore, there is a well-known episode in which the Niwa clan's vassals, who had been scattered all over the country, came together again after Niwa Nagashige's promotion. Niwa Nagashige began major renovations of the castle in 1629 by order of the shogunate, and completed the construction of Shirakawa Komine Castle over a period of three years. Once completed, Shirakawa Komine Castle became known as one of the ``Three Great Castles of Tohoku,'' along with Morioka Castle and Wakamatsu Castle.
After that, Shirakawa Komine Castle became the residence of the lords of the Shirakawa domain, where seven families ruled and 21 lords were born. Then, at the end of the Edo period in 1868, Shirakawa Komine Castle became the stage of a fierce battle between the Ouuetsu feudal alliance army and the new government army during the Boshin War, and all the notable buildings were burnt down. This battle was called the ``Battle of Shirakawaguchi'' and ended with an overwhelming victory for the new government, with the allied forces suffering hundreds of casualties, while the new government lost only around 20 casualties. Ta.
Shirakawa Komine Castle after the Meiji era: In 1873, Shirakawa Komine Castle was abolished under the Castle Abandonment Ordinance. Most of the notable buildings were destroyed by fire during the Boshin War, so from an early stage only the kuruwa, earthworks, stone walls, and water moat remained of Shirakawa Komine Castle, and Ninomaru Square became Shirakawa Town's park plaza. Until the historic site was developed in 1987, there was a baseball field in the park plaza, and bicycle racing was also held there. In 1991 (1991), the triple turret corresponding to the store owner was restored at the site of the main enclosure, and in 1994 (1994) the front gate was restored. The Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred in 2011 (2011), caused several stone walls and curves to Shirakawa Komine Castle, and the accumulation was loosened. Steady repairs began in the fall of 2011, drawing up the fallen stones one by one, comparing their shapes with photos of the stone wall before the collapse to identify which stones, and then re-stacking them as before. Finally, re-entry was possible, and in 2019, Mayor Kazuo Suzuki declared the completion of stone wall restoration at Shiroyama Park. Today, Shirakawa Komine Castle has become a symbol of earthquake recovery. There is also the Komine Castle History Museum on the grounds of the castle ruins park, where you can learn about the history of Komine Castle through panels, models, and a VR theater, as well as see the treasured possessions of past castle owners.
summary: It is said that Shirakawa Komine Castle was so beautiful that it was called one of the three most famous castles in Tohoku. Currently, only the restored stone walls remain as they were back then, but the restored turrets and gates have also been restored using techniques from the Edo period, allowing you to get a glimpse of those days.

The history of the Shirakawa domain, with Shirakawa Komine Castle as its domain office.

Shirakawa domainSadanobu Matsudaira also served as the lord of the castle.: The Shirakawa Domain was a domain in the Tohoku region located in Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture. In ancient times, Shirakawa Seki was established here, and it was regarded as an important gateway to the Ou region. This has not changed since the Edo period, when the Shirakawa domain was established, to monitor and suppress the powerful Tozama daimyo of Tohoku.
Read Shirakawa Domain

Shirakawa Domain DATA
Domain office	Shirakawa Komine Castle
old area	Shirakawa, Shirakawa District, Mutsu Province
stone height	100,000 koku
Fudai/Tozama	Fudai
main lord	Niwa family, Sakakibara family, Honda family, Matsudaira family, Abe family

Nagashige Niwa joined the clan with over 100,000 koku and became the first lord of the Shirakawa domain. At the end of the Edo period, Abe Masagai, who served Naosuke Ii, was ordered to transfer to Tanagura, resulting in the end of the Shirakawa domain.