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.
The signpost of Shinori-Tate Ruins
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.
Going to the exit of the airportWalking 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 AirportTurn right at the first intersection
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.
You can see the runway of the airportThe entrance of the tunnel under the runwayThe sideway of the tunnel
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.
Turn left after exiting the tunnelGetting close to the hall ruinsYou can see the hall ruins on the rightTurn right at this intersectionArriving at the ruins soon
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.
The parking lot at the 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.
The center of the trading between Japanese and Ainu people
Location and History
One of Dounan Twelve Halls
Shinori-Tate was a hall which Japanese warriors built in the Middle Ages in what is now Hakodate City of Hokkaido Island. At that time, the island was called Ezo, where the native Ainu people lived. They spoke a different language and had a different way of life from people living in the mainland of Japan (called “Japanese people” later in this article). They earned a living by hunting, fishing, and trading, not by farming like “Japanese people” usually did. The first “Japanese people”, who moved from the mainland to Ezo, were said to be exiles, surviving warriors and merchants. Some historians speculate these moving people became a group, called Watari-To or the Migrating Party, who traded with the people of the mainland. The Ando Clan, which governed the northern edge of the mainland, monitored and controlled the party as the Shogunal Deputy for Ezo since the 13th Century.
The painting of Ainu men, attributed to Isabella Lucy Bird, in the 19th Century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
In the late 14th Century, the Migrating Party and other “Japanese people” were very active in Oshima Peninsula at the southern edge of Hokkaido. The leaders of them started to build several halls for living and trading alongside the peninsula. Shinori-Tate was one of the Dounan (southern part of Hokkaido) Twelve Halls, the easternmost and probably earliest one of the halls. Historians think the Kobayashi Clan which worked under the Ando Clan built the hall.
The location of the castle
Hall prospers with Shinori Town
Shinori town beside the hall also prospered in commerce and industry between the “Japanese” and Ainu people. Records say there was a blacksmith town with hundreds of houses because Ainu people could not produce iron items. In 1968, about 370 thousand buried old coins in three big jars were found at the seaside of Shinori, 100m away from the hall ruins. The jars are partially broken, so if they were intact, the number of coins would reach 500 thousand. Upon checking the kinds of the coins, it was found out that they were buried in the same period as the hall. That would prove that a rich merchant or lord was there. Some historians even speculate the Kobayashi Clan might have buried the coins for the Ground-breaking ceremony of Shinori Tate.
The buried old coins which were designated as an Important Cultural Property, quoted from the website of Hakodate City
The hall was built on an over 20m high hill beside the seaside in the south. The ground for the hall was a square space which was 70m from the east to the west and 50m from the south to the north. It was surrounded by earthen walls and dry moats outside. The western side of it has its entrance and double dry moats. It is thought that the hall was usually used for a living or trading but also used for a base like a castle when an emergency situation or battle happened.
The relief map around the castle
The ruins of Shinori TateThe location map of Shinori-Tate Ruins at the site
Hall is captured twice by Ainu Rebellions
The situation dramatically changed after the Ando Clan was defeated and evicted from the mainland by the Nanbu Clan in 1432. The Ando Clan had to move their home base to Hokkaido. Since then, tension increased between the “Japanese” and Ainu people because the clan tried to rule the island directly. In 1456, an incident happened at a blacksmith in Shinori. An Ainu boy complained about the short sword that he ordered to a craftsman who made it. However, the craftsman killed the boy. This made the Ainu people very angry and resulted in an uprising led by their leader, Koshamain.
The Ainu style short swords called Makiri (licensed by Haa900 via Wikimedia Commons)
Shinori Tate, which was owned by Yoshikage Kobayashi, was attacked and captured by the uprising people. Yoshikage was also killed. Then, ten out of the Dounan Twelve Halls fell. In the following year, a “Japanese” general, Nobuhiro Takeda defeated Koshamain and crushed the rebellion. After that, Shinori Tate was restored by Yoshisada Kobayashi, the son of Yoshikage. However, the Ainu people raised a rebellion and captured Shinori Tate again in 1512. During this encounter, Yoshisada was killed. As a result, the “Japanese” people decided to get together in the western part of Oshima Peninsula, which led to the launching of the Matsumae Domain and Matsumae Castle in the Edo Period. Shinori Tate, which was located in the eastern part of the peninsula, was eventually abandoned.
The portrait of Nobuhiro Takeda (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)Matsumae Castle
秋田城は、「城柵」と呼ばれた政府の防衛拠点の代表的なもの一つで、古代に中央政府により東北地方の統治のために設置されました。もともと東北地方には、政府の支配に属さない蝦夷と呼ばれる部族の人々が住んでいました。彼らは政府に属す古代の日本民族とは異なる言語を話し、またそのうちの一部はアイヌ民族の始祖になったと言われています。 Akita Castle was one of the representatives of official defense sites called “Josaku” and was placed for the governance of Tohoku Region by the central government in the Ancient Ages. Originally, people belonging to the Emishi tribe ,who were not subject of the government, lived in the north of Tohoku Region . They spoke a different language from that of the ancient Japanese people living under the government, and some of them were also said to be ancestors of the Ainu tribe.
蝦夷の頭領の一人、阿弖流為の出し物、青森ねぶた祭～The attraction of Aterui, one of the leaders of Emishi, in the Aomori Nebuta Festival （Photo by Aaron Cox from Pexels)
政府はその領土を広げるため、支配下の人々を移住させたり、「蝦夷」の人々を臣民として受け入れようとしました。ところが、蝦夷はしばしば政府に反抗しました。城柵は複合的な拠点で、城としての用途だけではなく、統治や全般的な用途の施設もありました。政府は１０前後の城柵を築き、秋田城はそれらの中で最北で、出羽国の北部（現在の秋田県）に位置していました。 The government aimed to spread its domain, so it tried to relocate its own people there and to accommodate “Emishi” people as its subjects. However, Emishi often rebelled against the government. Josaku was a complex mix of sites made not only for the use of castles, but also for government purposes and general facilities. The government built around 10 Josaku and Akita Castle was the northernmost site among those Josaku and it was located on the northern part of Dewa Province (what is now known as Akita Prefecture).
主な城柵の位置～The locations of the main Josaku
最北の地で外交も～Even Diplomacy in Northmost land
秋田城の起源は、733年に現在の山形県（秋田の南）から移転してきた「出羽柵」という城柵です。この移転は、領土拡大計画の一環でした。760年には秋田城と改称されます。この城は他の城柵と同じように、中心部分に政庁があり、外郭には高さ４ｍを超える屋根付きの築地塀が巡っており、外周は２ｋｍ以上ありました。この拠点は出羽国の国府でもあり、アジア大陸にあった渤海国との外交を行う役目も担っていました。 The origin of Akita Castle lies in the Josaku called “Ideha-no-ki” which was moved in 733, from a region where now Yamagata Prefecture (south of Akita) is. This movement was done as a part of expansion plan. Then it was renamed Akita Castle in 760. The castle consisted of the Government Office in the center, and roofed mud walls on the outline, similar to other Josakus, which were over 4m high, and their perimeter was over 2km. The site was also the provincial capital of Dewa Province and had a role in the foreign diplomatic relation with Bohai Kingdom on the Asian continent.
政庁と外郭の範囲を示す現地の模型～The model which shows the ranges of the government office and the outline渤海国の最大領土～The territory of Bohai Kingdom at its peak (licensed by Samhanin via Wikimedia Commons, partly modified)
多くの困難と遺産～Many difficulties and heritage
その期間中、秋田城は多くの災難に見舞われました。例えば830年には、出羽国大地震により大きな被害を受けました。その後、蝦夷の人々による２回の反乱が、878年と939年に起こりました。特に878年の元慶の乱では、城は一時占拠されてしまいます。発掘により、政庁が焼けた跡が実際に発見されました。 During its time, Akita castle faced a lot of adversities. For instance in 830, the castle suffered a heavy loss from the Dewa Great Earthquake. After that, two rebellions by Emishi people happened in 878 and 939 respectively. In particular, during the Gangyo Rebellion in 878, the castle was once captured. Traces of burned Government Office were actually found by the excavation.
現地にある政庁の模型～The model of the Government Office at the site (licensed by 掬茶 via Wikimedia Commons)
この城は１０世紀にその歴史的役割を終えたため廃城となりました。しかしながら、城主の官職名「秋田城介」は武士の名誉職として使われ続けました。恐らくもともとの官職が北の地を鎮護するためのものだったからでしょう。 The castle was abandoned by the late 10th century after its historical reason was finished. However, the name of the castle’s lord “Akita-josuke” was used as a warrior’s honorary post, perhaps because the original post had been created for protectors of the northern lands.
安達泰盛、秋田城介で鎌倉幕府の重臣、「蒙古襲来絵詞」より～Yasumori Adachi, the Akita-Josuke and a senior vassal of the Kamakura Shogunate, from “The picture scrolls of the Mongol invasion attempts against Japan” (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
特徴～Features
現在、秋田城跡は「高清水公園」という歴史公園として整備されています。更には最近の2016年、秋田城跡歴史資料館がオープンしました。公園でだけでなく、ここでも城について多くのことを学ぶことができます。公園には見ておくべき場所が三つあります。 Now, the ruins of Akita Castle have been developed as a historical park called “Takashimizu Park”. In addition, Akita City History Museum of Akita Fort Ruins opened recently in 2016. You can learn a lot about the castle at the museum as well as in the park. There are three main parts in the park you should check out.
城周辺の航空写真～The aerial photo around the castle
政庁跡～Ruins of Government Office
もし車かバスで公園を訪れた場合、駐車場かバス停からは一番近いところにあります。政庁もまた屋根付きの築地塀に囲まれていました。建物のレイアウトは、古代奈良にあった朝廷の建物に準じていました。城跡が発掘された後は、建物の柱の位置が地面の上にわかるようになっています。東門とともに塀の一部も復元されています。残念ながら、西側の部分は道路建設のために破壊されてしまいました。 If you visit the park by car or bus, it is the nearest spot from the parking lot or the bus stop. The government office was also surrounded by roofed mud walls. The layout of its buildings followed the way of the Imperial Palace in ancient Nara. After the ruins were excavated, the positions of the building columns can be seen on the ground. Part of the walls has also been restored with the Eastern Gate. Unfortunately, the western part was destroyed by the construction of the road.
政庁跡～The ruins of the Government Office柱の位置を示した建物跡～The building ruins with their columns’ positions復元された政庁の東門～The restored Eastern Gate of the Government Office
外郭東門～Eastern Gate of Perimeter
政庁跡からは、１２ｍの幅がある「東大路」という城内道路を歩いて行くことができます。この道路は２７０ｍ続き、屋根付きの築地塀とともに復元された外郭東門にたどり着きます。この塀は、長さが５０ｍあり、発掘後の研究により外郭の一部として復元されました。双方とも近年元来の工法で、城の初期の状態を想定して作られました。また、塀部分は版築という多層の土を押し固める方法が用いられています。 You can walk on the restored 12m wide inner road called “Higashi-oji” from the government office ruins. This road goes on for 270m, then you will reach the restored eastern gate of the perimeter with the roofed mud walls. These walls, which are about 50m long, are part of the restored perimeter based on the study after excavation. The gate and walls were built in the original way recently, assuming the first appearance of the castle. The walls are also made using a method called Rammed Earth, which refers to compressing many layers of earth.
城内道路～The inner road復元された外郭東門～The restored Perimeter Eastern Gate版築で作られた塀、政庁部分より～The wall made of Rammed Earth from the part of the Government Office
古代水洗トイレ～Ancient flush toilet
この城で最も面白い見物の一つに復元された古代水洗トイレがあります。元からあること自体稀ですが、復元されることも稀です。その上に、もう一つ興味ある事実が遺跡から見つかりました。遺跡からの遺物の中に、豚を食べる人から出る寄生虫の卵があったのです。日本の当時の人たちは豚を食べませんでした。そのため、そのトイレを使った人は外国から、恐らくは渤海か中国から来たに違いないのです。この事実は、古書に書いてあるのと同じように、秋田城と外国との関係を証明しているのです。 One of the most interesting attractions of this castle ruins is the restored ancient flush toilet. The original one was rare, and the restored one is also rare. Moreover, one more interesting fact was found at the ruins. The relics from the ruins include eggs of the parasite which lived in a man who ate pork. Japanese people at that time didn’t eat pork, so the man who used the toilet must have come from a foreign country, probably Bohai or China. The fact proved the relationship between Akita Castle and foreign countries while old documents say the same thing.
中世になって、人々は秋田城のことをまだ覚えていましたが、どこにあったかは誰もわからなくなりました。江戸時代に有名な旅行家の菅江真澄が秋田にしばらく滞在して、辺りを歩き回り、どこに城があったか推測しました。最初の国による近代的調査は1924年に行われ、城の土塁が発見されました。いくつかの調査により、城の場所が特定され、1939年に城跡は国の史跡に指定されました。発掘は1959年以降行われています。更には遺跡が宅地として開発されていたため、行政側も土地の買い上げを始め、歴史公園として整備しました。そのおかげで、私たちは公園で復元された施設を見学できるのです。 In the Middle Ages, people still remembered Akita Castle, but no one was sure where it had been. In the Edo Period, a famous traveler, Masumi Sugae stayed in Akita for a while, walked around the area, and speculated where the castle was. The first modern national research was done in 1924, which discovered the earthen walls for the castle. After the place of the castle had been confirmed by several researches, the ruins were designated as a National Historic Site in 1939. Excavations have been done since 1959. In addition to developing the ruins as a residential area, the officials also started intensive purchase of land to develop them as a historical park. That’s why we can see the developed park with restored items.
1970年代の城周辺の航空写真、宅地化が進んでいました～The aerial photo of the area around the castle in the 1970s, it was becoming a residential area
私の感想～My Impression
私は以前、秋田には、日本の他地域とは違う、アジア大陸の人々に近いDNAを持っている人もいると聞いたことがあります。この話がちょうど秋田城と外国とが関係した説に図らずも一致したことになります。また、この城跡では、日本の歴史の一端を学んだり、見たりするのにいい機会を得られると思います。 I have once heard that some people around Akita may have different DNA from that of other areas in Japan, but similar to people in the Asian continent. I was fascinated as it coincided with the theory of a relationship between Akita Castle and foreign countries. I also think that the ruins of the castle can offer us a good opportunity to learn and see part of Japanese history.
高清水公園にある復元された古代池～The restored Ancient Pond (licensed by 掬茶 via Wikimedia Commons)
ここに行くには～How to get There
車で行く場合は、秋田自動車道の秋田北ＩＣから約１５分かかります。秋田城跡歴史資料館脇に駐車場があります。 電車の場合は、ＪＲ秋田駅から将軍野線か寺内経由土崎線のバスに乗り、秋田城跡歴史資料館前バス停で降りてください。 If you want to go there by car, it takes about 15 minutes from the Akita-kita IC on Akita Expressway. There is a parking lot beside Akita City History Museum of Akita Fort Ruins. When using train, take the bus on Shogunno Line or Tsuchizaki Line via Terauchi from JR Akita Station, and take off at the Akitajo-ato-rekishi-shiryokan-mae bus stop.
リンク、参考情報～Links and References
・秋田城跡歴史資料館、秋田市（Akita City Official Website） ・「日本の城改訂版第１２８号」デアゴスティーニジャパン（Japanese Book） ・「蝦夷と城柵の時代」熊谷公男編、吉川弘文館（Japanese Book）
