Kitagata Jin'ya
Kitagata-jin'ya is a proto-modern daikan jin'ya and medieval fortification site in Kitagata Township, Motosu County. Daikan jin'ya were ruled by appointed deputies of the Edo Shogunate or daimyō related to the Tokugawa (Matsudaira). There are some signposts and explanatory boards for both the jin'y
History
In 1668 Toda Mitsunao, the third son of Matsudaira Mitsushige, constructed Kitagata-jin'ya and, as a hatamoto (deputy), ruled an area valued at 5,000 koku. Kitagata-jin'ya was a part of Kanō Domain, ruled from Kanōjō.
Kitagata-jin'ya was a lightly fortified administrative complex built on either side of a road, with gates called 'shimekirimon (〆切門)' on each end, and a small river, the Tennogawa. There were yashiki (residences) throughout. To the west was a magistrate's office, and on the eastern side were storehouses and granaries.
Kitagata-jin'ya was built over the western outer bailey of the medieval fort known as Kitagatajō. The main bailey of Kitagatajō was immediately east of the jin'ya. In 1868, the jin'ya was decommissioned, and several of its gates were sold off and relocated throughout the surrounding area.
Field Notes
Kitagata-jin'ya is a proto-modern daikan jin'ya and medieval fortification site in Kitagata Township, Motosu County. Daikan jin'ya were ruled by appointed deputies of the Edo Shogunate or daimyō related to the Tokugawa (Matsudaira). There are some signposts and explanatory boards for both the jin'ya and the castle site. The main bailey of Kitagatajō is to the immediate east of the jin'ya site, and the jin'ya covered a part of that medieval fort.
Whilst no ruins of Kitagata-jin'ya remain on-site, four gates, out of a total of thirteen which originally stood at the jin'ya, have been relocated to the surrounding area, and I was able to visit three of these. Albeit, by the time I reached one of those, it was already dark.
Three of the gates are located on private residences, but they can be seen from the roadside. Of these I visited two: one to the south of the jin'ya site known as the Ishimachi-kidomon ('stone town gate'), and one to the north of the jin'ya site, actually in the Nishikaiden Township of neighbouring Gifu Municipality, known as the Honmachi-kidomon ('downtown gate'). A kidomon refers to a more humble type of gate chiefly used for samurai residences; they are not designed to withstand a siege.
The third and final relocated gate from the jin'ya I visited is at the Nishi-Honganji Gifu-betsuin temple in downtown Gifu, serving now as the temple's rear gate. My apologies; it was already dark by the time I located the relocated gate. This gate, which seemed the most impressive of the jin'ya's gates to me, was known as the Shinmachi-kidomon ('new town gate'). The fourth surviving gate, which I didn't visit, is located in Itonuki Township, Motosu Municipality; I actually wasted valuable time searching for it before realising I had no idea where I was going. The gate in Itonuki was known as the Masuyamachi-kidomon.
Gallery
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Kitagata Jin'ya |
| Japanese Name | 北方陣屋・本巣北方城 |
| Alternate Names | 本巣北方城 |
| Founder | Toda Mitsunao |
| Year Founded | 1668 |
| Castle Type | Flatland |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Designations | Local Historic Site |
| Historical Period | Edo Period |
| Features | gates |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Kitagatamakuwa Station on the Tarumi Railway; 25 min walk |
| Hours | 24/7 free |
| Time Required | 20 minutes |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Kitagata, Gifu Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 35.43752, 136.69071 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Hōrōki | |
| Oshiro Gaido | |
