Yagyu Jin'ya

The site of Yagyu Jin’ya is located on a small plateau west of Hōtoku-ji Temple. The jin’ya served as the administrative headquarters of the 10,000-koku Yagyu Domain in the Edo period. The ruins are now preserved as a historical park with stone walls, wells, and building foundation outlines. The gro

History

In 1636 (Kan’ei 13), Yagyu Munenori, sword instructor to the Tokugawa shoguns, was elevated to the rank of daimyō with a fief of 10,000 koku in Yamato Province. In 1642, he constructed the Yagyu Jin’ya, also known as Masakizaka Jin’ya (正木坂陣屋), on a small plateau surrounded by cliffs on three sides. The jin’ya replaced the old Yagyu Castle as the clan’s official base.

Because the Yagyū were "residence-in-Edo" daimyō who spent most of their time in the capital serving the shogunate, the jin’ya was primarily used as a local administrative office. The site later fell into disuse, and during the modern period a school was built here. In 1980 it was redeveloped as a historical park. Today visitors can see surviving stone walls, a well, and traces of building foundations marked out on the ground.

Field Notes

The site of Yagyu Jin’ya is located on a small plateau west of Hōtoku-ji Temple. The jin’ya served as the administrative headquarters of the 10,000-koku Yagyu Domain in the Edo period. The ruins are now preserved as a historical park with stone walls, wells, and building foundation outlines. The grounds were once used as a school before being redeveloped in 1980. Because the Yagyu lords were hereditary sword instructors to the shogun, they were "residence-in-Edo" daimyō (定府大名), meaning the jin’ya functioned more as an administrative office than a lordly residence. Combine with visits to Yagyu Castle and Yagyu Furushiro Castle to see the full transformation of the Yagyu Valley from Sengoku to Edo.

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Gallery

Jin'ya seen from Yagyu Castle

Castle Profile
English Name	Yagyu Jin'ya
Japanese Name	柳生陣屋
Founder	Yagyū Munenori
Year Founded	1642
Castle Type
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Edo Period
Features
Visitor Information
Access	Yagyu Bus Stop (Nara Kotsu Bus from Kintetsu Nara Station); 10 min walk
Hours	Historic park with explanatory signs
Time Required	20–30 mins
Location	Nara, Nara Prefecture
Coordinates	34.7342, 135.9881
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2025
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2025
Admin Visits	February 11, 2025
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