Tahara Castle
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese castle
located in Tahara
, southern Aichi Prefecture
, Japan
. At the end of the Edo period
, Tahara Castle was home to the Miyake clan
, daimyō
of the 12,000 koku
Tahara Domain
. .
during the Sengoku Period
, erected the predecessor of Tahara Castle on a site facing Mikawa Bay
. Threatened by the growing power of the Matsudaira clan
to the north, he Toda pledged loyalty to the Imagawa clan
, but later came under the rule of the Tokugawa clan
. Following the Battle of Odawara in 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi
assigned the Kantō region
to Tokugawa Ieyasu
and the Toda were dispossessed of their holdings, which were given to Hideyoshi's vassal, Igi Tadatsugu, who rebuilt the moats and stonework.
Following the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate
, Toda Katatsugu was raised back from hatamoto
status to a 10,000 koku daimyō
, and allowed to return to Tahara Castle, which was now the center of the newly created Tahara feudal domain in 1601. In 1664, his son Toda Tadamasa
, was transferred to Amakusa Domain in Bungo Province
with an increase in revenues to 21,000 koku and Tahara Domain was reassigned to the Miyake clan
, who remained in residence until the Meiji Restoration
.
Little remains of the original castle aside from portions of the moats and stonework, as all castle buildings were destroyed in 1872 in accordance with the new Meiji government. Within the central keep of the former castle is a Shinto shrine to the ancestors of the Miyake clan, and another dedicated to the famed local scholar Watanabe Kazan
, as well as the local Tahara City Museum. When the Tahara City Museum was reconstructed in 1990, a faux yagura
and gate were reconstructed.
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 Tahara
Tahara, Aichi
is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of August 2011, the city had an estimated population of 63,886 and a population density of 338 persons per km². The total area was 188.81 km².-Geography:...
, southern 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....
, Tahara Castle was home to the Miyake clan
Miyake clan
The were a samurai kin group which rose to prominence in the Sengoku period and the Edo periods. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the Miyake, as hereditary vassels of the Tokugawa clan, were classified as one of the fudai daimyō clans...
, 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 the 12,000 koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
Tahara Domain
Tahara Domain
was a minor fudai Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in southern Mikawa Province , Japan. It was centered on Tahara Castle in what is now the city of Tahara.-History:...
. .
History
In 1480, Toda Munemitsu (1439-1508), virtually independent warlord of the Atsumi PeninsulaAtsumi Peninsula
is a peninsula in southeastern Aichi Prefecture, central Honshū, Japan.Atsumi Peninsula is a narrow strip of land running approximately east-west, separating Mikawa Bay from the Philippine Sea to the south. It faces the Chita Peninsula southeast across Mikawa Bay. It has a width ranging from to...
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...
, erected the predecessor of Tahara Castle on a site facing Mikawa Bay
Mikawa Bay
thumb|right|Mikawa Bay Mikawa Bay is a bay to the south of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, surrounded by Chita Peninsula to the west and Atsumi Peninsula to the east and south. Its area is approximately 604 km2...
. Threatened by 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...
to the north, he Toda pledged loyalty to the Imagawa clan
Imagawa clan
The was a Japanese clan that claimed descent from Emperor Seiwa . It was a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Ashikaga clan.-Origins:Ashikaga Kuniuji, grandson of Ashikaga Yoshiuji, established himself in the 13th century at Imagawa and took its name.Imagawa Norikuni received from his cousin the...
, but later came under the rule of 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:...
. 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...
assigned 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....
to 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...
and the Toda were dispossessed of their holdings, which were given to Hideyoshi's vassal, Igi Tadatsugu, who rebuilt the moats and stonework.
Following 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...
, Toda Katatsugu was raised back from hatamoto
Hatamoto
A was a samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as gokenin. However, in the Edo period, hatamoto were the upper vassals of the Tokugawa...
status to a 10,000 koku 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...
, and allowed to return to Tahara Castle, which was now the center of the newly created Tahara feudal domain in 1601. In 1664, his son Toda Tadamasa
Toda Tadamasa
was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period. He served in a variety of positions in the Tokugawa Shogunate, including rōjū and Kyoto Shoshidai.-References:...
, was transferred to Amakusa Domain in Bungo Province
Bungo Province
was a province of Japan in eastern Kyūshū in the area of Ōita Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Buzen Province. Bungo bordered Buzen, Hyūga, Higo, Chikugo, and Chikuzen Provinces.-History:...
with an increase in revenues to 21,000 koku and Tahara Domain was reassigned to the Miyake clan
Miyake clan
The were a samurai kin group which rose to prominence in the Sengoku period and the Edo periods. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the Miyake, as hereditary vassels of the Tokugawa clan, were classified as one of the fudai daimyō clans...
, who remained in residence 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...
.
Little remains of the original castle aside from portions of the moats and stonework, as all castle buildings were destroyed in 1872 in accordance with the new Meiji government. Within the central keep of the former castle is a Shinto shrine to the ancestors of the Miyake clan, and another dedicated to the famed local scholar Watanabe Kazan
Watanabe Kazan
was a Japanese painter, scholar and statesman member of the samurai class.- Early life :He was born Watanabe Sadayasu in Edo to a poor samurai family, and his artistic talent was developed from an early age. His family served the lord of the Tahara Domain, located in present day Aichi prefecture....
, as well as the local Tahara City Museum. When the Tahara City Museum was reconstructed in 1990, a faux 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...
and gate were reconstructed.