Hikobe Yashiki: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:16, 30 August 2020

Ring the doorbell at the big gate, private tours are conducted on arrival. The Hikobe family still lives here and Mr. Hikobe (49th generation Hikobe) speaks excellent English so English tours are possible. The house and gate are National Important Cultural Properties along with 2 storehouses and th

History

The Hikobe family were close allies of the Ashikaga Shoguns and can trace their family tree back to Emperor Tenmu. The Hikobe represented the Ashikaga in the Hirosawa area of present day Gunma sandwiched between Hishakuyama Castle and Ota Kanayama Castle. When the politics started to turn against the Ashikaga in Kyoto Hikobe Nobukatsu built and fortified this residence and the Hikobe family took up permanent residence. The Hikobe also stayed neutral in the big battle between the Kiryu at Hishakuyama Castle and the Yura at Ota Kanayama Castle.

River stones from the nearby Watarase River were used to line the trenches and build stone walls. In the 1700s, in a crackdown on the class system, the Hikobe gave up their samurai titles and officially became farmers. At this time, the house was rebuilt in a simple farmhouse style with a stable inside for a horse. However, due to the family's importance in the area and lingering power as vast landowners they were allowed to keep the large nagayamon gate, which would have only been allowed to samurai, and they built 2 formal receiving rooms into their farmhouse for meeting with local officials and leaders. The trenches, stone walls and turret base next to the karamate gate (rear entrance) all show signs of the castle still today. The karamete, itself, is an amazing structure with a stone lined twisted (kuichigai) entrance and a watchtower (yaguradai) in the corner.

In the Meiji and Taisho Periods, the Hikobe family built a successful silk weaving business and were critical in building out the Kiryu area textile business. Two of the buildings from this time period (not in these photos) are also National Historic sites for their importance to the weaving industry of this time period.

The mountain behind the Hikobe Yashiki also had a "tsume-no-shiro" or "last redoubt" to flee to in case of siege. This castle, called the Teusuyama Fort, does not have much to see. It is just a very overgrown mountaintop and a weedy trail with fallen trees to scramble over to get to the top. As a castle fan though it's nice to visit as part of the residence/fort combination.

Field Notes

Ring the doorbell at the big gate, private tours are conducted on arrival. The Hikobe family still lives here and Mr. Hikobe (49th generation Hikobe) speaks excellent English so English tours are possible.

The house and gate are National Important Cultural Properties along with 2 storehouses and the winter residence. There are "no photography" signs up and they're a little conservative about you taking many photos on the tour or to let you walk around the grounds on your own.

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Gallery

nice yokoya
notice both the yashiki and mountain retreat

Castle Profile
English Name	Hikobe Yashiki
Japanese Name	彦部屋敷
Alternate Names	Hikobe Yakata, Hikobe Manor, Hikobeke Jutaku
Founder	Hikobe
Year Founded	1561
Castle Type	Fortified Manor
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Designations	has Important Cultural Properties, Prefectural Historic Site
Historical Period	Edo Period
Features	samurai homes, trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Kiryu Station (Jr Ryomo Line, 40 min bus to Hirosawamachi 6 chome bus stop, 15 min walk
Hours	Private property, tours on weekends and national holidays; 10am-4pm; 500 yen
Time Required	60 mins
URL	Castle Website
Location	Kiryu, Gunma Prefecture
Coordinates	36.37355, 139.3483
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2020
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2020
Admin Visits	March 22, 2020
Friends of JCastle
Shirobito - Hikobe Yashiki
Jokaku Horoki - Hikobe Yashiki

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@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 The house and gate are National Important Cultural Properties along with 2 storehouses and the winter residence.
 There are "no photography" signs up and they're a little conservative about you taking many photos on the tour or to let you walk around the grounds on your own.
-|History=The Hikobe family were close allies of the Ashikaga Shoguns and can trace their family tree back to Emperor Tenmu. The Hikobe represented the Ashikaga in the Hirosawa area of present day Gunma sandwiched between [[Hishakuyama Castle]] and [[Ota Kanayama Castle]]. When the politics started to turn against the Ashikaga in Kyoto Hikobe Nobukatsu built and fortified this residence and the Hikobe family took up permanent residence. The Hikobe also stayed neutral in the big battle between the Kiryu at [[Hishakuyama Castle]] and the Yura at [[Ota Kanayama Castle]].
+|History=The Hikobe family were close allies of the Ashikaga Shoguns and can trace their family tree back to Emperor Tenmu. The Hikobe represented the Ashikaga in the Hirosawa area of present day Gunma sandwiched between [[Hishakuyama Castle]] and [[Kanayama Castle|Ota Kanayama Castle]]. When the politics started to turn against the Ashikaga in Kyoto Hikobe Nobukatsu built and fortified this residence and the Hikobe family took up permanent residence. The Hikobe also stayed neutral in the big battle between the Kiryu at [[Hishakuyama Castle]] and the Yura at [[Kanayama Castle|Ota Kanayama Castle]].
 River stones from the nearby Watarase River were used to line the trenches and build stone walls. In the 1700s, in a crackdown on the class system, the Hikobe gave up their samurai titles and officially became farmers. At this time, the house was rebuilt in a simple farmhouse style with a stable inside for a horse. However, due to the family's importance in the area and lingering power as vast landowners they were allowed to keep the large nagayamon gate, which would have only been allowed to samurai, and they built 2 formal receiving rooms into their farmhouse for meeting with local officials and leaders. The trenches, stone walls and turret base next to the karamate gate (rear entrance) all show signs of the castle still today. The karamete, itself, is an amazing structure with a stone lined twisted (kuichigai) entrance and a watchtower (yaguradai) in the corner.