Doi Tono Yashiki
Doi-Tono-yashiki is a fortified residence site in Banba Township, Maibara Muncipality. Few ruins remain, some on private property. The site is often listed as simply 'Tono-yashiki', which just means "(Feudal) Lord's Residence". I thought it prudent to attach the clan name of 'Doi' to this, which, lo
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History
Doi-Tono-yashiki is said to be the site of the Doi Clan's family mansion, used from the 13th century up until the early 15th century. The castellan was Doi Saburō, though this was likely a name used to refer to all of the Doi Clan patriarchs. The yashiki was protected by Banbajō, a fortified redoubt on the hill above. The Hori Clan replaced the Doi Clan and then built Kamahajō, a much larger castle than Banbajō. The Hori Clan also built a new kyokan (residential annex) to the south of the Doi yashiki.
Field Notes
Doi-Tono-yashiki is a fortified residence site in Banba Township, Maibara Muncipality. Few ruins remain, some on private property. The site is often listed as simply 'Tono-yashiki', which just means "(Feudal) Lord's Residence". I thought it prudent to attach the clan name of 'Doi' to this, which, lo, appears to be the technically correct name for it. It appears to be the original kyokan (residential annex) for Banbajō on the hill above. On the mountain above that is Kamahajō; Banbajō was the first fort to be built by the earlier Doi Clan. It was the Hori Clan who built Kamahajō. This 'Tono-yashiki' business has led to understandable confusion between the Doi yashiki and the site of the yakata (fortified manor hall) of the Hori Clan, but they're separate sites with seperate histories.
Anyway, my visit to this site was mostly incidental to me visiting the information centre for Kamaha Castle, as well as the scenic shukuba (inn-town) called Banba-juku. I was getting on well with the guide at the visitor centre, housed in a lovely old thatched-roof (covered up) dwelling, so I asked him about the yashiki site. He said that there was a small mound beneath a gingko tree in a field, and this was the most castle-like feature he could suggest. I was able to see the gingko tree rising from behind the cottage, but couldn't get close enough to confirm the mound. It seems that some excavations were done here at some point and a demarquette erected where a building had been found, but that maybe now the site has been reploughed for rice paddies. The site was further damaged by the construction of the Meishin Expressway in the satoyama area.
These pictures also show the visitor centre and Banba-juku. Banba-juku seems to be in a dead-end valley these days, but there is a cutting in the mountains in the west. This route was used because where Maibara downtown is today stretched an inlet of Lake Biwa, and the surrounding terrain was difficult and marshy, so Banba became an important checkpoint along the Tōkaidō route.
Gallery
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Doi Tono Yashiki |
| Japanese Name | 土肥殿屋敷 |
| Founder | Doi Clan |
| Year Founded | 13th Century |
| Castle Type | Fortified Manor |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Features | |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Maibara Stn on Tōkaidō Line; 20 min bus |
| Hours | Access Limited |
| Time Required | 10 minutes |
| Location | Maibara, Shiga Prefecture |
| Coordinates | |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Hōrōki | |
