Asakura Yakata: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:07, 31 August 2023

Please also see the in-depth article Ichijodani: A Sengoku Period Castle Town for more insights and details combining all the albums and related castles of the Ichijodani Valley. Parts of the Asakura Palace have been modeled in scale size at the Asakura Museum. There is a

History

See Ichijodani Castle

The center of Ichijodani is the palace of the Asakura. This fortified home itself is enough to rival some castles. Water moats and earth embankments run along three sides of the compound, while the fourth side is the mountain itself. A horikiri type moat behind the yakata serves to separate the palace from the mountain and provides an escape route either to Nanyoji and the northern exit of the castle or behind the other residences and out to Kamikido. Trails up the mountain also allow for quick escape to the mountaintop castle. The new Asakura Museum also has an amazing life size reconstruction of part of the palace and a detailed model of the whole compount.

The Karamon gate at the entrance to the grounds is not original, but dates to the Edo period when it was erected at Sho'un'in Temple by the Fukui daimyo to honor the memory of Asakura Yoshikage, the last of the Asakura lords. It was later moved to this site as the gate of the palace ruins.

On the south side of the palace the water moat leads up to a large tatebori dividing the Asakura Palace from the Nakano Goten. The Nakano Goten was the residence of Yoshikage's mother. It has embankments and a stone entrance on the south side. On the east side is another embankment and a karabori ditch.

Just beyond the stone-walled entrance and stone-lined walkway is an area known as the Jadani. From the Eirinzuka (tomb of Asakura Takakage) to the valley floor is a series of terraces that housed the homes of high-ranking vassals and family members. From Eirinzuka, you can also follow a trail through the deep trench along the back of Asakura Yakata to Nanyoji Temple. Nanyoji was the kimonyoke of Ichijodani, protecting it from evil spirits flowing down from the northeast.

Continuing south from these terraces is the Suwa Yakata, the palace of Yoshikage's wife. These residences are all high enough to have panoramic views of the valley and the castle town. It must have been a fantastic sight to behold.

Field Notes

Please also see the in-depth article Ichijodani: A Sengoku Period Castle Town for more insights and details combining all the albums and related castles of the Ichijodani Valley.

Parts of the Asakura Palace have been modeled in scale size at the Asakura Museum. There is a separate album below for those pictures. I actually thought the diorama was the most interesting part. It beautifully shows the fortified yakata design.

Loading map...

Gallery

More Galleries and Feature Pages

Asakura Museum

(12 photos)

Nakano Palace

(9 photos)

Suwa Yakata

(5 photos)

Nanyoji

(7 photos)

Jadani Residences

(12 photos)

Castle Profile
English Name	Asakura Yakata
Japanese Name	朝倉館
Founder	Asakura Takakage
Year Founded	1471
Castle Type	Fortified Manor
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Designations	National Historic Site, Special Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	gates, water moats, trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Fukui Sta. (Hokuriku Line), 25min bus; or, Ichijodani Sta (Etsumihoku Line), walk
Hours	Museums are open 9am-5pm; closed 12/28-1/4; museum is 100yen admission, reconstructed town is 210yen
Time Required	90 mins
URL	Castle Website
Location	Fukui, Fukui Prefecture
Coordinates	35.99946, 136.29593
Loading map... {"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"auto","height":"200px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"Castlemarker.png","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":6,"defzoom":14,"layers":["CartoDB.Positron"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":35.99946,"lon":136.29593,"icon":"../images/1/1e/Castlemarker.png"}],"imageoverlays":null}
Admin
Added to Jcastle	2023
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2023
Admin Visits	May 1-2, 2023

4.00

(one vote)

Loading comments...

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 Parts of the Asakura Palace have been modeled in scale size at the Asakura Museum. There is a separate album below for those pictures. I actually thought the diorama was the most interesting part. It beautifully shows the fortified yakata design.
 |History=See [[Ichijodani Castle]]
+The center of Ichijodani is the palace of the Asakura. This fortified home itself is enough to rival some castles. Water moats and earth embankments run along three sides of the compound, while the fourth side is the mountain itself. A horikiri type moat behind the yakata serves to separate the palace from the mountain and provides an escape route either to Nanyoji and the northern exit of the castle or behind the other residences and out to Kamikido. Trails up the mountain also allow for quick escape to the mountaintop castle. The new Asakura Museum also has an amazing life size reconstruction of part of the palace and a detailed model of the whole compount.
+The Karamon gate at the entrance to the grounds is not original, but dates to the Edo period when it was erected at Sho'un'in Temple by the Fukui daimyo to honor the memory of Asakura Yoshikage, the last of the Asakura lords. It was later moved to this site as the gate of the palace ruins.
+On the south side of the palace the water moat leads up to a large tatebori dividing the Asakura Palace from the Nakano Goten. The Nakano Goten was the residence of Yoshikage's mother. It has embankments and a stone entrance on the south side. On the east side is another embankment and a karabori ditch.
+Just beyond the stone-walled entrance and stone-lined walkway is an area known as the Jadani. From the Eirinzuka (tomb of Asakura Takakage) to the valley floor is a series of terraces that housed the homes of high-ranking vassals and family members. From Eirinzuka, you can also follow a trail through the deep trench along the back of Asakura Yakata to Nanyoji Temple. Nanyoji was the kimonyoke of Ichijodani, protecting it from evil spirits flowing down from the northeast.
+Continuing south from these terraces is the Suwa Yakata, the palace of Yoshikage's wife. These residences are all high enough to have panoramic views of the valley and the castle town. It must have been a fantastic sight to behold.
 |Year Visited=2023
 |AddedJcastle=2023