* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Tatebayashi Castle
館林城
Tatebayashi Castle is a historic castle in the Kantō region (Founded in the Sengoku period; Sakakibara Yasumasa became lord in 1590; abandoned in the Meiji era). Its lord was Sakakibara Yasumasa (later Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the Akimoto clan, and others).
Overview
Overview
Tatebayashi Castle was a flatland fortress built in what is now Jōmachi, Tatebayashi City, Gunma Prefecture, situated in a naturally defensible spot that used the Jōnuma marsh as a natural moat. Its founding date is debated, but records show it was held during the Sengoku period by local Kōzuke lords such as the Akai and Nagao clans.
Sakakibara Yasumasa and Early-Modern Reconstruction
When Tokugawa Ieyasu took control of the Kanto region in 1590, Sakakibara Yasumasa — one of the Tokugawa Four Guardian Kings — became lord of Tatebayashi Castle with a stipend of 100,000 koku. Yasumasa developed the castle town and rebuilt the castle into an early-modern fortress with stone walls and a keep, ruling the domain until his death at Tatebayashi in 1606.
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi and Later Lords
Throughout the Edo period, Tatebayashi domain held an important position for the shogunate. In 1661, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the fourth son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, became lord of Tatebayashi before later becoming the fifth shogun. After Tsunayoshi's ascension, the domain was governed by a succession of daimyo households that held important shogunate posts, with the Akimoto clan holding it until the Meiji Restoration.
Present State
The castle was abandoned in the Meiji era and most of its structures were lost, but the Dobashi Gate of the third bailey (San-no-maru) has been reconstructed, and portions of its earthworks survive. The former castle grounds today house Tatebayashi City Hall, a cultural center, and a children's science museum, and the site is preserved as a Tatebayashi City Historic Site.
Connection to Swords
Associated with Sakakibara Yasumasa (Shikibu-no-taifu), lord of Tatebayashi Castle, is the named sword "Shikibu Masamune" (also called Shikibu Sakakibara Masamune). One blade of this name, said to have passed from the Nakamura family, lords of Suruga-Fuchū (Sunpu) Castle, through Yasumasa to Tokugawa Ieyasu, is listed in the Kyōhō Meibutsuchō; it later passed to the Matsudaira Yamato-no-kami family, lords of Maebashi, and was destroyed in the Tokyo air raids of 1945. Another Masamune known by the same name was handed down in the Shimazu family, but it too was lost in World War II together with its mounting.
Highlights
- Dobashi Gate — a reconstructed gate in the third bailey (San-no-maru)
- Earthworks — surviving remains tracing the castle's layout
- Ties to Tokugawa Tsunayoshi — he served as domain lord before becoming shogun
- Tatebayashi City Hall area — city facilities now stand on the former main and second bailey sites
* Opening hours and admission fees are subject to change. Please check the official website before visiting.