北海道地方～Hokkaido Region – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

101.Shinori-Tate Part3

You can walk to the hall ruins from Hakodate Airport.

Later History

Shinori Tate site was owned by a school or the Japanese Army in the Meiji Era. However, when it got private-owned, some local schoolteachers were worried about the future of the ruins. That’s why they suggested the owner to donate the land of the ruins to the public. As a result, they were succeeded and built the remaining monuments in the ruins in the Taisho Era. That also resulted in the ruins being designated as a National Historic Site in 1934.

My Impression

Maybe Shinori Tate was not strong to fight against the Ainu people because it was captured by them twice. However, it was enough if the “Japanese” and Ainu people lived together peacefully in Shinori. I like the Shinori Tate Ruins very much because I can always enjoy relaxing at the site and access there very easily from Hakodate Airport like I will mention in the next section.

Shinori-Tate Ruins in the front and a view of Hakodate Mountain in the back

How to get There

Let me tell you how to access the ruins of Shinori Tate by walk (or car) from Hakodate Airport.

The map around Hakodate Airport, the red broken line is the route to Shinori-Tate

When you exit the airport, turn right and walk along the taxi stand.

Then, you will reach the edge of the motor pool with the signpost of Hakodate Airport standing. Turn right on the road in front of the airport and turn right again at the first intersection.

Turn right at the signpost of Hakodate Airport

Go along the road with seeing the airport on the right, then you will see the tunnel under the runway of the airport. The tunnel road has the sideway for walkers but be careful when you drive as it has only single lane for cars.

The entrance of the tunnel under the runway

After exiting tunnel, turn left at the next intersection. You will see the ruins on the right, so turn right at the next intersection, and you will soon arrive at the ruins.

It takes about 20 minutes on foot to get there. If you drive, turn to the left at the last intersection as the ruins have no parking area. You can use a parking lot at a park nearby.

If you want to use a bus, take the Hakodate Bus on No.91 line from Hakodate Station and get off at the Shinori bus stop. It takes few minutes from the bus stop to get there.

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Shinori-Tate Part1”
Back to “Shinori-Tate Part2”

101.志苔館　その３

函館空港から歩いて行ける史跡

その後

志苔館があった場所は明治時代には学校や日本陸軍により所有されていました。やがてそこが私有地になったとき、地元の教員たちは館跡が将来どうなってしまうのか大いに憂いました。そこで所有者に、館跡の土地を公有地として寄付してはどうかと勧めたのです。その試みは成功し、大正時代には敷地内に現在も残る記念碑が建てられました。また、1934年には国の史跡にも指定されています。

私の感想

２回も占領されたという事実から考えると、志苔館はアイヌの反乱軍と戦うには不十分だったのかもしれません。しかし、志海苔という土地で和人とアイヌの人たちが平和に共存している分には十分な館だったのです。私は志苔館跡がとても好きです。ここに来るといつでもくつろぐことができますし、函館空港のすぐ近くで簡単にアクセスすることができるからです。空港からの行き方は次に記します。

ここに行くには

函館空港から徒歩（または車）でどうやって志苔館まで行くのかご説明します。

函館空港周辺の地図、赤破線は志苔館へのルート

まず、空港ターミナル出口を出てから右に曲がってタクシー乗り場沿いに歩いていきます。

そうすると、モータープールの端にある函館空港の看板が立っている所に至ります。それから空港の前を走っている道路を右の方に曲がります。最初の交差点ではまた右に曲がります。

空港の滑走路を右に見ながら道路に沿って進んでいくと、滑走路の地下をくぐるトンネルが見えてきます。トンネルには歩行者用の通路がありますが、車の場合は一車線しかありませんので注意して通行してください。

トンネルを出てから次の交差点で左に曲がってください。そうすると館跡が右の方に見えてきます。そして次の交差点を右に曲がると、間もなく館跡に到着です。

歩いて約２０分の道のりです。車の場合は、館跡には駐車場がありませんので、最後の交差点で左に曲がり、すぐ近くの公園に駐車してください。

バスを使っても館跡に行けます。函館駅から９１系統のバスに乗り、志海苔バス停で降りてください。そこから数分で現地に着きます。

リンク、参考情報

・史跡志苔館跡、函館市
・「日本の城改訂版第４号」デアゴスティーニジャパン
・「逆説の日本史１７江戸成熟編アイヌ民族と幕府崩壊の謎／井沢元彦著」小学館
・「函館市史」デジタル版

これで終わります。ありがとうございました。
「志苔館その１」に戻ります。
「志苔館その２」に戻ります。

101.Shinori-Tate Part2

A relaxing place for visitors

Features

Hakodate City partially restores Hall

Today, the ruins of Shinori Tate have been developed by Hakodate City. They are a relaxing place on the hill above the Shinori Fishing Port in the south. They still have the square space in its center, but with no buildings, which is surrounded by the earthen walls and dry moats outside. They are also covered with lawn, which look beautiful.

The ruins of Shinori Tate are above the town

There is the memorial monument of the battle between the “Japanese” and the Ainu people and a rest station in front of the ruins entrance. The entrance at the western side of the ruins, have double of the dry moats. If you want to enter the ruins, you can go across the bridge over the first moat and the earthen bridge over the second moat. They were restored by the city in the present time to show the late stage of the hall.

The aerial photo around the castle

The memorial monument in front of the ruins entrance

The ruin entrance where you can see the double moats over there

Center of Ruins

The center of the ruins is a square surrounded by the earthen walls, which just looks like one of the Japanese style castles’ enclosures which developed after Shinori Tate was built. According to the excavation team, there were three generation houses. The second or third ones were probably rebuilt after the hall was first captured by the Ainu people. How the first-generation houses were built is marked on the ground. The place of the former well is surrounded by four-sided plates. Many Chinese ceramic ware and Japanese potteries were found during the excavation. There are also two monuments of the hall, which were built by local people who first tried to preserve the ruins in the Taisho Era, about 100 years ago.

The center is surrounded by the earthen walls

Enjoying Great View

I recommend you stand or sit on the southern side of the earthen walls. You can enjoy a great view of the Tsugaru Channel on the front and a distant view of Hakodate Mountain on the right. If the weather is fine, you can also see the mainland over the channel. It must be a good experience for you to relax and refresh. If you have time, you should consider walking the path outside the earthen walls on the bottom of the dry moats. For example, the eastern side of the moats uses a stream, so you can see the hall was built using natural terrain as well.

The view of the Tsugaru Channel and the Shinori Fishing Port

The northeastern corner of the earthen walls

To be continued in “Shinori-Tate Part3”
Back to “Shinori-Tate Part1”