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Location and History

Kawagoe Castle was located in modern day Kawagoe City of Saitama Prefecture at the central part of the Kanto Region. The city is known as the street with many Kura storehouses and named as a little Edo, which attracts many tourists. In fact, the streets were mostly rebuilt after Kawagoe Great Fire in 1893 of the Meiji Era, not during the Edo Period. However, the city area originates from the castle town of Kawagoe Castle. In addition, the castle and town were developed with a deep relationship with Edo City (the current Tokyo), the shogun’s capital.

The range of Kawagoe City and the location of the castle

Dokan Ota builds Castle

The Kawagoe area is surrounded by curved Iruma River in three directions, the north, east and west. That’s why the city’s name may come from the place you need to go over (Goe) the river (Kawa). The first lord family of the area is said to be the Kawagoe Clan which lived in the western riverside of the Iruma River between the 12th and 14th Centuries. The clan’s residence was still not located in the later Kawagoe Castle. The castle was first built in 1457 by Dokan Ota who was a senior vassal of the Ogigayatsu Uesugi Clan. The clan had been fighting against the Ashikaga Clan since 1455, together with the relative Yamanouchi Uesugi Clan. They confronted at Tone River, the largest river in the Kanto Region. The Uesugi Clans took their positions at the western side of the river, that’s why they needed several new castles behind the river. Kawagoe Castle was one of the three major ones, followed by Edo and Iwatsuki Castles.

The map around the castle

Stage of Night Battle of Kawagoe

Kawagoe Castle eventually became the home of the Ogikayatsu Uesugi Clan. When the clan had an internal conflict with the Yamanouchi Uesugi Clan during the beginning of the 16th Century, the castle became the frontline of the battle. This was because the Yamanouchi Uesugi Clan reused the former Kawagoe Clan’s residence as its encampment across the Iruma River. During their internal fighting, the Hojo Clan invaded the Kanto Region and finally captured Kawagoe Castle in 1537. Both Uesugi Clans noticed their crisis and made peace with each other to get the castle back. The clans’ large troops surrounded the castle which was owned by Tsunanari Hojo in October of 1545.

The castle was still small at that time and located at the edge of Musashino Plateau with few enclosures made of soil. However, it was protected by natural waterlogged areas around the Iruma River in three directions, the north, south and east. It was thought that artificial ditches and moats were built in the other direction and around the castle. In April of 1546, Ujiyasu Hojo, the lord of the clan reinforced the castle. He announced that he and the castle would surrender to the Uesugi Clans, which threw them off their guard. On 20th of April, Ujiyasu started a night attack against the Uesugi Clans, which was called the Night Battle of Kawagoe. A severe battle happened at Tomyoji Temple, just about 800m away from the center of the castle. That resulted in the Hojo’s hegemony and the Uesugi’s destruction in the region.

The relief map around the castle, the slight elevation around Shingashi RIver is the Musashino Plateau

Place to Stay for Shoguns

The region was owned by the Tokugawa Clan at the end of the 16th Century and the Tokugawa Shogunate was established in 1603. Edo Castle became the shogun’s home, so Kawagoe Castle became an important defense for Edo Castle to the north. That’s why the Sakai Clan, which was trusted by the shoguns, became the lords of Kawagoe Castle. Oher than that, the 1st shogun (Ieyasu) and the 3rd shogun (Iemitsu) often stayed in Kawagoe Castle when they went hunting. There was an episode which indicated their relationship with Kawagoe as following. The Kitain Temple in Kawagoe was re-established by Priest Tenkai who was also trusted by the shoguns in 1599. However, it was burned down by a great fire in 1638. The shogun, Iemitsu ordered to immediately restore the temple, offering some Edo Castle’s buildings including his birth room and his foster mother, Lady Kasuga’s make-up room. They are remaining in the temple.

Important Defense and Satellite City for Edo

The castle and the area around were followed by several other hereditary vassals of the shoguns as the Kawagoe Domain. Some of them became members of the shogun’s council of elders in the central government. One of them, Nobutsuna Matsudaira improved the castle. He doubled the castle’s range by building new enclosures, turrets and gates. However, the castle was still basically made of soil without the Main Tower, which looked like a group of halls. To prevent enemies from invading, complex routes were built with earthen walls, mud walls, and water moats, instead of high stone walls and turrets in other castles. The castle town was also developed with Kawagoe Road, Shingashi River as waterways, and agricultural land. As a result, the town prospered by providing their products, such as Somen noodles, silk goods, and Kawagoe sweet potatoes which is still popular, to Edo City which was already one of the largest cities in the world.

The center of the castle was the Main Hall in the second enclosure. While the main enclosure had been used as the loggings for the shoguns it was abandoned for sometime. After the Main Hall was burned down in 1846, the Kawagoe Domain decided to rebuild the hall in the main enclosure. Although the domain was facing huge financial problems due to being in charge of the coast guard of Edo Bay against possible invasions form the Western ships, the hall was completed in 1848 thanks to lots of additional taxes and donations from locals.

To be continued in “Kawagoe Castle Part2”