Gojou Daikansho
Gojō-daikansho is a daikansho site in Gojō Municipality. Sitting upon a terrace of the Yoshino River, the site features ishigaki (stone-piled ramparts) and extant architecture. The original location of the daikansho, built in 1795, was a little to the east, but it was rebuilt in 1864. The structures
History
Gojō-daikansho was established in 1795 to govern shogunal holdings in the area, 50,000 koku (later 70,000 koku) worth of territory spread across Yoshino and Uda counties. In 1863, the Tenchū-gumi ('Heavenly Wrath Brigade'), an Imperialist group led by samurai Yoshimura Toratarō and court noble Nakayama Tadamitsu, rebelled against the shogunate, starting the Yamato Rebellion. This incident was one of the first major challenges to Shogunate rule, and locals consider it the precursor to the Meiji Restoration.
Gojō-daikansho, despite being the headquarters of a vast feifdom, was very lightly defended, with only thirteen samurai to protect it. The daikansho was attacked by rebels, its magistrates were slaughtered, and it was burnt to the ground. The rebels, who set up a fleeting government based in Gojō, were ultimately suppressed by the shogunate. Gojō-daikansho was rebuilt in 1864 in a location slightly west of the old site. The settlement beneath the daikansho was also rebuilt, being then called Shinmachi ('New Town'; the former settlement was Honmachi ('Old Town')).
Field Notes
Gojō-daikansho is a daikansho site in Gojō Municipality. Sitting upon a terrace of the Yoshino River, the site features ishigaki (stone-piled ramparts) and extant architecture. The original location of the daikansho, built in 1795, was a little to the east, but it was rebuilt in 1864. The structures date to the Bakumatsu period. The main entrance is a 40m-long nagayamon, a gatehouse with rowhouse wings attached. This is an unusually long nagayamon, and the end of the southern wing stands atop 7m-tall ishigaki.
Dobei (parapet walls) run the length of the ishigaki for at least 100m. There is a small uramon (rear gate) at the opposite end of the ishigaki along the terrace, but the path to it was overgrown. The area behind the nagayamon is fenced off as it is now used as a court building, so access to what would've been the bailey area is restricted. The uramon may be visible from below, but I couldn't see it; it may be in poor condition.
The historic district of Shinmachi is to the south of the daikansho. It was built along with the daikansho, and it still has many old buildings preserved from those times. These pictures also show this old town (daikan-machi?).
Gallery
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Gojou Daikansho |
| Japanese Name | 五條代官所 |
| Founder | Tokugawa Shogunate |
| Year Founded | 1795; 1864 |
| Castle Type | Hilltop |
| Castle Condition | No main keep but other buildings |
| Historical Period | Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Nagayamon, Uramon, Parapet Walls |
| Features | gates, stone walls, walls, castle town |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Gojō Station on the Wakayama Line; 10 min walk |
| Hours | 10:00-16:00 (free); closed New Year's |
| Time Required | 30 mins |
| Location | Gojō, Nara Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 34.35006, 135.69074 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Hōrōki | |
| Yogo | |
