Kujira Jin'ya
Kujira-jin'ya is a jin'ya site located in Kujira Township, Gose Municipality. It has relocated buildings but access to the site itself appears to be restricted as it is on private property. Castle-bloggers do not agree on whether any ruins remain. I went to the site of the jin'ya and found only a lo
History
In 1680, Naitō Tadakatsu of Tobajō murdered Nagai Naonaga of Miyaźujō at the funeral of Tokugawa Ietsuna, the fourth shōgun. I decided to look into this incident. Tadakatsu had been given the responsibility that day of guarding the rear gate of Zōjōji, the funerary temple of the Tokugawa in Edo. Tadakatsu and Naonaga disdained each other. When Naonaga tried to exit the gate, Tadakatsu demanded to be shown certain official documents. The implication was probably that Naonaga was of insufficient rank to pass by unmolested or something. Naonaga ignored Tadakatsu. Then Tadakatsu drew his sword. Naonaga tried to flee as Tadakatsu set upon him, but the attacker trod upon his victim's hakama (trousers), tripping him as he attempted to get away. As Naonaga lay on the ground, Tadakatsu stabbed him. Tadakatsu was then restrained by Tôyama Masasuke who had arrived upon the scene, and placed into custody. Naitō Tadakatsu was sentenced to seppuku (execution by ritual disembowlment).
Nagai Naonaga was now dead, and he had no heir. It being illegal for a samurai to die without an heir, Naonaga's fiefdom was confiscated and given to another lord. However, perhaps taking pity on the Nagai Clan, the new shōgun allowed Naonaga's younger brother, Naotsune, to continue on the family name as a minor daimyō clan, and he was granted the small Shinjō Domain in Yamato Province, valued at 10,000 koku. This may not have been until 1683, however, as another clan, the Kuwayama Clan, is registered as having ruled Shinjō Domain until that time.
Following changes to the sankin-kōtai system (which the Nagai had previously been exempted from), Nagai Naosaka relocated from Shinjō and constructed Kujira-jin'ya as the new headquarters for the domain in 1863. Kujira Domain was administered from Kujira-jin'ya, being too small to warrant a full-on castle. Nagai Naoya took over in 1865, and became governor (rather than daimyō) of Kujira Domain in 1869. Feudalism was abolished soon after, and in 1871 Kujira-han (Kujira Domain) became Kujira-ken (Kujira Prefecture), though it was shortly thereafter merged into Nara Prefecture. Kujira-jin'ya was short-lived, but its new buildings were put up for re-sale after its decommission.
Field Notes
Kujira-jin'ya is a jin'ya site located in Kujira Township, Gose Municipality. It has relocated buildings but access to the site itself appears to be restricted as it is on private property. Castle-bloggers do not agree on whether any ruins remain. I went to the site of the jin'ya and found only a locked gate. There was a strange 'water wheel tower (suishatō)' nearby.
As for this site's relocated buildings, there is a nagayamon-type gatehouse extant also in Kujira village - at a saké brewery called Chiyo. This gate was relocated in 1873, but was originally the jin'ya's south gate.
The jin'ya goten (palace) and eastern gate also survived into modern times. However, a large fire in 1997 at the residence they were located at destroyed them both. Old pictures show the goten hall, a seemingly fantastical structure with a chimney - likely a modern addition - seemingly abandoned, so the fire may have been due to neglect rather than accident. Or maybe it was arson and insurance fraud. I don't know. Anyway, I was under the impression that was that for the jin'ya goten, but actually another part of it also survives; the genkan (entrance portico) was relocated to Kuhonji, a temple in neighbouring Narabara Township.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Kujira Jin'ya |
| Japanese Name | 櫛羅陣屋 |
| Founder | Nagai Naosaka |
| Year Founded | 1863 |
| Castle Type | Flatland |
| Castle Condition | No main keep but other buildings |
| Historical Period | Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Relocated Nagayamon, Relocated Genkan |
| Features | gates, palace |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Gose Station on the Wakayama Line or Kintetsu-Gose Line; 25-40 min walk |
| Hours | Access Limited |
| Time Required | 30 mins |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Gose, Nara Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 34.46312, 135.70948 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Hōrōki | |
