* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Yokote Castle (Asakura Castle)
横手城（朝倉城）
Yokote Castle (Asakura Castle) is a historic castle in the Tōhoku region (Sengoku period to Edo period (said to have been built around Tenbun 23 (1554))). Its lord was Onodera clan, Mogami clan, Satake clan (Kubota Domain; castellans included the Tomura clan and others).
Overview
Yokote Castle is a mountain castle built on a hill overlooking the Yokote Basin in southern Akita Prefecture, and is also known as Asakura Castle. It is said to have been built around Tenbun 23 (1554) by the Onodera clan, a powerful local lord (kokujin) of Dewa Province, and later became the Onodera clan's main base. After the Battle of Sekigahara, Mogami Yoshiaki briefly controlled the castle, but when Satake Yoshinobu entered Kubota (Akita) Domain in 1602, a castellan (jōdai) was placed there as a branch castle, and from Kanbun 12 (1672) onward the Tomura clan, a kinship line of the Satake house, held the post of castellan until the Meiji period. The castle town of Yokote developed as a distribution center for goods in southern Dewa Province. The castle is an earthwork castle without stone walls; because nira (Chinese chives) were planted on its slopes to prevent the earth from collapsing and to keep enemy soldiers from climbing up, it was also called “Nira Castle” (Nira-jō). The original Yokote Castle had no main keep (tenshu); the present keep is a replica keep (observation deck) built in Shōwa 40 (1965) on the site of the ninomaru. The view from within the castle grounds is superb, allowing visitors to see the entire Yokote Basin and Mount Chōkai. Yokote City is a snow country nationally known for its “kamakura” snow huts, and it has a distinctive regional character that blends samurai culture with agricultural culture.
Connection to Swords
After the Battle of Sekigahara, Yokote Castle became part of the holdings of the Satake clan (Kubota Domain, also known as Akita Domain), and the Tomura clan (the Tomura Jūtayū family) served as castellans, looking after the castle until the Meiji period. During the Boshin War, in Keiō 4 (1868), Yokote Castle, held by Tomura Yoshinori (Daigaku), was attacked by the forces of Sendai Domain and Shōnai Domain and fell (Battle of Yokote).
Highlights
- Panoramic view overlooking the Yokote Basin
- A castle said to have been built by the Onodera clan
- Akita Shrine — a shrine built on the former site of the honmaru using castle materials that survived the fire
- Grave Marker of Honda Masazumi — the grave marker of Honda Masazumi, who was exiled following the Utsunomiya Tsuritenjō Incident
- Replica keep (observation deck) built in Shōwa 40 (1965)
* Opening hours and admission fees are subject to change. Please check the official website before visiting.