Shiroishi Castle
{{Short description|Building in Shiroishi, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan}}
{{Infobox Military Structure
|name=Shiroishi Castle
| nativename-a=白石城
|partof=
|location=Shiroishi, Miyagi, Japan
|image=白石城三階櫓.JPG
|image_size=300px
|caption=Shiroishi Castle
|map_type = Japan Miyagi Prefecture#Japan
|map_size =
|map_relief = 1
|type =flatland-style Japanese castle
|coordinates = {{coord|38.002589|140.617128|format=dms|display=inline, title|type:landmark_region:JP_scale:10000}}
|built=Kamakura period, rebuilt 1591
|builder=Shiroishi clan
|materials=wood, stone
|height=
|used=Kamakura period through 1871
|demolished=1875, rebuilt 1995
|condition=
|ownership= City of Shiroishi
|controlledby=Shiroishi clan, Gamō clan, Uesugi clan, Katakura clan (17th century – 1871)
|garrison=
|commanders=
|occupants=
|battles=
|events=Boshin War
}}
{{nihongo|Shiroishi Castle|白石城|Shiroishi-jō}} is a flatland-style Japanese castle in what is now the city of Shiroishi, Miyagi.Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1976). Historical and geographical dictionary of Japan, Vol. 1, p. 581. During the Edo period, it was the castle of the Katakura clan, who were hereditary retainers of the Date clan of Sendai Domain. During the Boshin War, it was also temporarily the headquarters of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei.Onodera, p. 10. The castle was also known by the name of {{nihongo|Masuda Castle|益田城|Masuda-jō}}
Early history
Sengoku Era
In 1591, during the late Azuchi–Momoyama period, the castle was completely rebuilt by the Gamō clan with stone walls and a donjon, and ruled by the senior retainer Gamō Satonari.[http://www.jcastle.info/castle/profile/65-Shiroishi-Castle "Shiroishi Castle" at JCastle.info]; retrieved 2013-5-30.
Edo Era
Beginning in 1600,{{cite web |url=http://www.shiro-f.jp/shiroishijo/mokuji.htm |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2008-03-28 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080103194113/http://www.shiro-f.jp/shiroishijo/mokuji.htm |archivedate=2008-01-03 }} the castle and its environs were recovered by the Date clan as part of Sendai Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. From 1600 onward, Shiroishi Castle was ruled by the Katakura clan, who were retainers of the Date.{{in lang|ja}} [http://www2.harimaya.com/sengoku/html/katakura.html "Katakura-shi" on Harimaya.com] (28 March 2008). It was also one of the few exceptions to the Tokugawa shogunate's rule of one castle per domain. The castle burned down in 1819, but was rebuilt four years later by Katakura Munekage.
Boshin War
The castle was the meeting place for the delegates of the northern domains in early 1868, during the Boshin War.Sasaki, p. 98. It then became the headquarters of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei. Following the Meiji Restoration, it was briefly placed in the care of the Nanbu clan formerly of Morioka Domain, who were dispossessed of their original holdings by the new Meiji government and assigned a new domain carved out of the southern portion of Sendai Domain. The Katakura clan and its retainers were resettled in Hokkaidō. The castle buildings were demolished in 1875.
Reconstruction
After some of the castle buildings were restored in 1995 using traditional materials and building techniques, the castle is now open to the public. Adjacent to Shiroishi Castle is the {{nihongo|Shiroishi Castle History Exploration Museum|白石城歴史探訪ミュージアム||}}. The castle was listed as one of the Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles in 2017.{{cite web|url= http://jokaku.jp/japan-top-100-castles/best-100-castles-of-japan-2nd-selection/ |title=続日本100名城 |date=29 November 2017 |publisher=日本城郭協会|language=Japanese|accessdate=25 July 2019}}
The castle has also become a "contents tourism" spot for fans of the video game Sengoku BASARA2, which features Katakura Kojūrō as a main character.{{Cite journal|last=Yamamura|first=Takayoshi|date=2018|title=Pop culture contents and historical heritage: case of heritage revitalization through 'contents tourism' in Shiroishi city|journal=Contemporary Japan|volume=30 |issue=2|pages=144–163|doi=10.1080/18692729.2018.1460049|s2cid=158229168 }}
References
{{Reflist|1}}
Further reading
- {{cite book |title=An Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles | last=De Lange |first=William |year=2021 |pages=600 pages|publisher=Toyo Press |location=Groningen |isbn=978-9492722300}}
- Onodera, Eikō (2005). Boshin Nanboku sensō to Tōhoku seiken. Sendai: Kita no sha.
- Sasaki, Suguru (2001). Boshin sensō: haisha no Meiji ishin. Tokyo: Chūōkōron-shinsha.
- {{cite book| title=Castles in Japan| last=Schmorleitz| first=Morton S.| year=1974| pages=[https://archive.org/details/castlesinjapan00schm/page/144 144–145]| publisher=Charles E. Tuttle Co.| location=Tokyo| isbn=978-0-8048-1102-6| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/castlesinjapan00schm/page/144}}
- {{cite book | title=Japanese Castles| last=Motoo| first=Hinago| year=1986| publisher=Kodansha| location=Tokyo| isbn=978-0-87011-766-4| page= 200 pages}}
- {{cite book | title=Castles of the Samurai: Power and Beauty | last=Mitchelhill| first=Jennifer| year=2004| publisher=Kodansha| location=Tokyo| isbn=978-4-7700-2954-6 | page= 112 pages}}
- {{cite book | title=Japanese Castles 1540–1640 | last=Turnbull| first=Stephen| year=2003| publisher=Osprey Publishing| isbn=978-1-84176-429-0 | page= 64 pages}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{official|1=http://www.shiro-f.jp/shiroishijo/mokuji.htm}} {{in lang|ja}}
- [http://www2.harimaya.com/sengoku/html/siraisi.html "Shiroishi-shi" on Harimaya.com] (28 March 2008) {{in lang|ja}}
- [http://www2.harimaya.com/sengoku/html/katakura.html "Katakura-shi" on Harimaya.com] (28 March 2008). {{in lang|ja}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110516000125/http://www.city.shiroishi.miyagi.jp/section/english/attractions/culturalattractions.html Shiroishi City's Cultural Attractions Webpage]
{{Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles}}
Category:Castles in Miyagi Prefecture
Category:Buildings and structures in Sendai
Category:Museums in Miyagi Prefecture