Dounan 12 halls – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

101.Shinori-Tate Part1

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 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)

To be continued in “Shinori-Tate Part2”

102.Kaminokuni-Katsuyama Date Part3

These ruins deserve a long journey to visit.

Features

Main Gate as Pivot of Defense

You will finally reach the front of the main portion, the Main Gate Ruins. If you go out of the ruins, you can see how well the gate was protected. There is another enclosure in front it, divided by a long and deep dry moat. The moat has double ditches and you need to go across them on a small bridge and a large one. These bridges are zigzagged so that enemies would sometimes be stuck when they attacked the hall. There are thick and high earthen walls with restored wooden fences around the gate ruins, where you can imagine defenders could counterattack with arrows.

The two bridges were built being zigzagged

The restored wooden fences on the earthen walls around the gate

Around the Main Gate of the Kaminokuni-Katsuyama-Date miniature model, exhibited by the Katsuyama Castle Guidance Facility

Later History

Kaminoyama-Katsuyama Date Ruins were the place of ancestor worship for the Matsumae Domain during the Edo Period. As castle ruins, they were designated as a National Historic Site in 1977, considered one of the “Kaminokuni Hall Ruins” including Hanazawa Tate, one of the Dounan 12 Halls. After that, they have been excavated and researched since 1979. That’s why the new discoveries about the mainland and Ainu people were found.

the *miniature model* of Kaminokuni-Katsuyama-Date, exhibited by the Katsuyama Castle Guidance Facility

My Impression

I think Kaminokuni-Katsuyama Date deserves not only a hall, but definitely a castle or a medieval city, too. That was the destination of the halls which the mainland people going to Ezo built. That also created a unique way of life where the mainland and Ainu people lived together. I recommend visiting the ruins even though it may take a long time for you to get there.

The Iouzan Tombs seen from the Katsuyama Castle Guidance Facility

How to get There

I recommend using a car when you visit the castle ruins because there are only a few buses available.
It is about 70km drive away from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station. From Hakodate Airport or the center of Hakodate City, it takes about 90km to get there. You can use the parking lot beside the Katsuyama Castle Guidance Facility. It may be a good idea to rent a car at the station or the airport.
To get to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station from Tokyo: Take the Hokkaido Shinkansen super express at Tokyo Station.

The parking lot beside the Katsuyama Castle Guidance Facility

Links and References

・Katsuyama Castle Guidance Facility, Kaminoyama Town

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Kaminokuni-Katsuyama Date Part1”
Back to “Kaminokuni-Katsuyama Date Part2”

102.Kaminokuni-Katsuyama Date Part1

The Mountain Castle & The Ainu People

Location and History

Japanese people get active in Hokkaido where Ainu people live

Kaminokuni-Katsuyama Date was a hall which was built in the Middle Ages in the western part of Oshima Peninsula of Hokkaido. At that time, the island was called Ezo, where the Ainu people lived. They spoke a different language and had a different way of life from the Japanese people that lived on the mainland. They earned a living by hunting, fishing and trading, unlike the mainland Japanese people, who farmed.

The location of the castle

In the late 14th Century, some Japanese people were active in the Oshima Peninsula, in particular the southern edge of Hokkaido. The leaders started to build several halls for living and trading alongside this peninsula. The halls were called the Dounan (southern region) 12 Halls, such as Shinori Tate in the eastern part of the peninsula which was called “Shimonokuni” or the lower province. While the western part was referred to as “Kaminokuni” or the upper province.

Nobuhiro Takeda repels Ainu Rebellion

The Ando Clan, which led the Japanese people in Ezo, also tried to rule the island aggressively. Because of this, it caused an uprising of the Ainu people, who was led by their leader Koshamain in 1456. The angry Ainu people managed to capture 10 of the 12 Dounan Halls, including Shinori Tate. One of the two surviving halls was Hanazawa Tate located in the upper province, which was owned and controlled by The Kakizaki Clan, who was affiliated with the Ando Clan. They were obviously at a disadvantage however, because the rebellion was ultimately crushed when Koshamain was shot with an arrow by Nobuhiro Takeda, a guest commander of The Kakizaki Clan.

Nobhuhiro is originally from Wakasa province, which at that time was located in the central region of the mainland of Japan, which did a lot of trading with Ezo, via the Sea of Japan. For example, potteries like Echizen ware that were made in the surrounding areas were often used in Ezo. The province sold kelp, processed from Ezo. Nobuhiro might have been a vagrant on this well-known route. Therefore, he managed to only become the adopted son of The Kakizaki Clan, but also the chosen leader of the Japanese people in Ezo Island.

A jar of Echizen ware in the Middle Ages, owned by Hakone Museum of Art (licensed by Daderot via Wikimedia Commons)

Nobuhiro builts Kaminokuni-Katsuyama-Date

Nobuhiro would eventually build a new hall near Hanazawa Tate, on a hill located below Iouzan Mountain, which is now known as Kaminoyama-Katsuyama Date, in 1470. The word “Date” means “hall”, however because of its size, it looked more like a mountain castle or a sort of medieval city on the mountain. Nobuhiro probably built his stronger hall based on his experience because most of his previous halls ended up being captured. The hill of the hall had deep valleys on both sides, and dry moats in both the front and the back. There were lots of houses on the hill as well, which were surrounded by fences. A famous region was the Oma Port, located below the hill, so the lord of the hall managed to control the trading that happened at the coast of this region.

Even after the completion of the new hall, some Ainu people would sometimes rebel and attack the hall. The Kakizaki Clan under the command of Nobuhiro, managed to repel the Ainu attacks, mainly because of the robust construction of the hall, and by the use of traps. The Kakizaki Clan were very cunning, as they managed to convince the Ainu people to join them in a peace treaty. After filling up on liquor, the Ainu people were too intoxicated to fight back, and were ultimately murdered during the party. Ainu people never doubted the Kakizaki’s intentions. On the other hand, both Japanese and Ainu people somehow managed to live in harmony together, in the medieval city. You can even find burial sites where both Japanese people and Ainu people were buried in. This led to a long and complex relationship between the Japanese people and the Ainu people.

The defense system of the front of Kaminokuni-Katsuyama-Date, from the miniature model above

burial mounds of Ainu people around the hall

The Kakizaki Clan eventually moved their home base to Matsumae, the southern edge of the peninsula because it was more convenient location for trading. That lead to the launch of both the Matsumae Domain, as well as Matsumae Castle during the Edo Period. Soon after that, the clan renamed themselves The Matsumae Clan. Eventually, Kaminokuni-Katsuyama Date would be abandoned during early stages of the Edo Period.

To be continued in “Kaminokuni-Katsuyama-Date Part2”