Tsuruoka Castle (Daihoji Castle)

Tsuruoka Castle is a hirayama (flatland castle) located in Tsuruoka City, the central city of the Shonai region in Yamagata Prefecture. Throughout the Edo period, it served as the main castle of Shonai domain and the political and military center of the Sakai clan, which governed the Shonai region. The castle's history traces back to the early Kamakura period, when it is said to have been built by the Daihoji clan (also known as the Mutō clan). During the Sengoku period, it came under the control of Uesugi Kagekatsu, and after the Battle of Sekigahara, it passed through the Mogami clan before the Sakai clan—descendants of Tokugawa Ieyasu's chief retainer Sakai Tadatsugu—were enfeoffed.

As fudai daimyo with seating at Tameatsume, the Sakai clan governed the Shonai domain of 138,000 koku and maintained stable domain administration through the Bakumatsu period. Shonai domain was highly regarded as one of the leading domains in the Tohoku region, known for the exceptional knowledge and martial prowess of its samurai. In the Boshin War at the end of the Edo period, it took a pro-Shogunate stance and participated in the Alliance of Ouetsu Reppan.

Most of the castle's structures were lost due to the Meiji Abolition of Feudal Domains, but the castle site has been developed into Tsuruoka Park. In spring, approximately 800 cherry trees blossom, making it one of the premier cherry-blossom viewing sites in Tohoku. Within the park stands the Shonai domain school "Chidokan" (National Historic Site), which preserves the scholarly culture of the Edo-period domain government. Adjacent to the castle site are the Shōnai Shrine and the Tsuruoka City Local History Museum, with the entire area developed as a cultural space.

Since the Meiji period, Tsuruoka has developed as a center of silk textiles, agriculture, and food culture. It has been designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy and nurtures a distinctive food culture.