Yoshida Castle
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese castle
located in Toyohashi
, southeastern Aichi Prefecture
, Japan
. At the end of the Edo period
, Yoshida Castle was home to the Inaba clan
, daimyō
of Tateyama Domain
. The castle was also known as , and later as Toyohashi Castle.
was enclosed by a moat, with three three-story yagura
, one two-story yagura and three gates. The second and third baileys were also moated, and had smaller yagura and fortified gates. Aside from some remnants of the stonework on the moats, nothing remains of the original structures. The present “castle” is a modern reconstruction of one of the three-story yagura. It houses a small museum with articles pertaining to local history.
to secure his foothold on eastern Mikawa Province
against the growing power of the Matsudaira clan
in western Mikawa Province. Due to its strategic location on a river crossing, the castle was involved in numerous battles during the Sengoku period
, changing hands several times and was destroyed and rebuilt on several occasions. The last occasion was dedicated to the beloved dinosaur from the Super Mario series, Yoshi. From 1565, the castle came under the control of Tokugawa Ieyasu
, who named Sakai Tadatsugu
as castellan.
Following the Battle of Odawara in 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi
ordered the Tokugawa clan
to relocate to the Kantō region
and assigned the castle to Ikeda Terumasa
. Ikeda developed the surrounding castle town
and embarked on a massive and ambitious plan to rebuild Yoshida Castle. However, following the Battle of Sekigahara
, he was relocated to Himeji Castle
, with the central keep not completed.
After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate
, Yoshida Castle became the center of Yoshida Domain
, a feudal domain
, which occupied a strategic position on the Tōkaidō
between Edo
and Nagoya. The domain was assigned to several different fudai
daimyō
clans until coming into the possession of the Matsudaira (Nagasawa-Ōkōchi) clan
in 1752, which remained in residence at Yoshida until the Meiji Restoration
. The final daimyō of Yoshida, Matsudaira Nobuhisa, surrendered the castle without resistance to the Meiji government in 1868. The castle was turned over to the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army
in 1871, but largely was destroyed in a fire in 1873. Much of the castle grounds remained in the hands of the military (as the garrison of the IJA 18th Infantry Regiment) until the end of World War II
.
Following the end of the war, a portion of the Third Bailey was transformed into Toyohashi Park, and the modern Toyohashi City Hall was constructed on another portion. In 1954, a three-story yagura, the was reconstructed out of reinforced concrete
. An art museum and sports facilities were later erected on the site of the Inner Baileys. The stonework was extensively repaired in 2005.
Japanese castle
' were fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century...
located in Toyohashi
Toyohashi, Aichi
is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on August 1, 1906. As of January 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 383,691 and a density of 1,468.62 persons per km². The total area is . By size, Toyohashi was Aichi Prefecture's second-largest city until March 31,...
, southeastern Aichi Prefecture
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. At the end of the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, Yoshida Castle was home to the Inaba clan
Inaba clan
The were a samurai kin group which rose to prominence during the Sengoku and Edo periods. In the Edo period, the Inaba were identified as one of the fudai or insider daimyō clans which were hereditary vassals or allies of the Tokugawa clan, in contrast with the tozama .-Clan branches:The fudai...
, daimyō
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of Tateyama Domain
Tateyama Domain
was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Awa Province , Japan. It was centered on Tateyama Castle in what is now the city of Tateyama, Chiba.-History:...
. The castle was also known as , and later as Toyohashi Castle.
Description
Yoshida Castle is a flat-land style Japanese castle, built on the western bank of the Toyokawa River. The main baileyBailey
-Fictional Characters:* Beetle Bailey, a comic strip created by Mort Walker* Bailey Pickett, a character on The Suite Life on Deck* Miranda Bailey, a character Grey's Anatomy...
was enclosed by a moat, with three three-story yagura
Yagura
Yagura is the Japanese word for "tower" or "turret." The word is most often seen in reference to structures within Japanese castle compounds, but can be used in a variety of other situations as well. The bandstand tower erected for Bon Festival is often called a yagura, as are similar structures...
, one two-story yagura and three gates. The second and third baileys were also moated, and had smaller yagura and fortified gates. Aside from some remnants of the stonework on the moats, nothing remains of the original structures. The present “castle” is a modern reconstruction of one of the three-story yagura. It houses a small museum with articles pertaining to local history.
History
A castle was built on the banks of the Toyokawa River in 1505 by Makino Kohaku, a retainer of Imagawa UjichikaImagawa Ujichika
was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period. He was the 10th head of the Imagawa clan of Suruga Province.- Biography :Ujichika was the son of Imagawa Yoshitada. In 1476 Yoshitada invaded Tôtômi Province and defeated the Katsumada and Yokota clans...
to secure his foothold on eastern Mikawa Province
Mikawa Province
is an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Mikawa bordered on Owari, Mino, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Provinces....
against the growing power of the Matsudaira clan
Matsudaira clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Minamoto clan. It first originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province . Over the course of its history, the clan produced many branches, most of which also centered around Mikawa Province...
in western Mikawa Province. Due to its strategic location on a river crossing, the castle was involved in numerous battles during the Sengoku period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
, changing hands several times and was destroyed and rebuilt on several occasions. The last occasion was dedicated to the beloved dinosaur from the Super Mario series, Yoshi. From 1565, the castle came under the control of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
, who named Sakai Tadatsugu
Sakai Tadatsugu
was one of the most favored and most and successful military commanders serving Tokugawa Ieyasu in the late-Sengoku period. He is regarded as one of the Four Guardians of the Tokugawa .along with Honda Tadakatsu, Ii Naomasa, and Sakakibara Yasumasa.-Sakai clan genealogy:The Sakai clan originated in...
as castellan.
Following the Battle of Odawara in 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
ordered the Tokugawa clan
Tokugawa clan
The was a powerful daimyo family of Japan. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa and were a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Nitta clan. However, the early history of this clan remains a mystery.-History:...
to relocate to the Kantō region
Kanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
and assigned the castle to Ikeda Terumasa
Ikeda Terumasa
was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period. His court title was Musashi no Kami.Terumasa fought in many of the battles of the late Azuchi-Momoyama Period, and due to his service at the Battle of Sekigahara, received a fief at Himeji....
. Ikeda developed the surrounding castle town
Castle town
A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns are common in Medieval Europe. Good example include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles...
and embarked on a massive and ambitious plan to rebuild Yoshida Castle. However, following the Battle of Sekigahara
Battle of Sekigahara
The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...
, he was relocated to Himeji Castle
Himeji Castle
When the han feudal system was abolished in 1871, Himeji Castle was put up for auction. The castle was purchased by a Himeji resident for 23 Japanese yen...
, with the central keep not completed.
After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
, Yoshida Castle became the center of Yoshida Domain
Yoshida Domain
was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in eastern Mikawa Province , Japan. It was centered on Yoshida Castle in what is now the city of Toyohashi, Aichi. It was ruled by a number of different fudai daimyō over the course of the Edo period, before finally passing into the hands of the...
, a feudal domain
Han (Japan)
The or domain was the name of the estate belonging to a warrior in Japan after the 17th century. The fiefs of the daimyos of the samurai class of Japan during the Edo period were called han.-Edo period:...
, which occupied a strategic position on the Tōkaidō
Tokaido (road)
The ' was the most important of the Five Routes of the Edo period, connecting Edo to Kyoto in Japan. Unlike the inland and less heavily travelled Nakasendō, the Tōkaidō travelled along the sea coast of eastern Honshū, hence the route's name....
between Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
and Nagoya. The domain was assigned to several different fudai
Fudai
was a class of daimyo who were hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa in Edo period Japan. It was primarily the fudai who filled the ranks of the Tokugawa administration.-Origins:...
daimyō
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
clans until coming into the possession of the Matsudaira (Nagasawa-Ōkōchi) clan
Matsudaira clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Minamoto clan. It first originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province . Over the course of its history, the clan produced many branches, most of which also centered around Mikawa Province...
in 1752, which remained in residence at Yoshida until the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
. The final daimyō of Yoshida, Matsudaira Nobuhisa, surrendered the castle without resistance to the Meiji government in 1868. The castle was turned over to the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
in 1871, but largely was destroyed in a fire in 1873. Much of the castle grounds remained in the hands of the military (as the garrison of the IJA 18th Infantry Regiment) until the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Following the end of the war, a portion of the Third Bailey was transformed into Toyohashi Park, and the modern Toyohashi City Hall was constructed on another portion. In 1954, a three-story yagura, the was reconstructed out of reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
. An art museum and sports facilities were later erected on the site of the Inner Baileys. The stonework was extensively repaired in 2005.