Ohkura Yakata
Ôkura-yakata is a yakata (fortified manor hall) ruin in Ôkura village of Ranzan Township, Hiki County. Ruins include dorui (earthen ramparts) which partially ensconce Ôkura-jinja. There is another stretch of dorui down the road from the shrine. The site today is a shrine, fields and farmsteads. No
History
Ôkura-yakata was constructed in 1153 by Minamoto Yoshikata following his marriage to the daughter of Chichibu Shigetaka. Minamoto Yoshikata was the father of Kiso Yoshinaka and younger brother of Minamoto Yoshitomo, head of the Minamoto Clan. Yoshitomo was concerned that Yoshikata's alliance with the powerful Chichibu Clan could pose a threat, so he ordered his son, Minamoto Yoshihira, to attack Ôkura-yakata in the summer of 1155. In what became known as the battle of Ôkura, Yoshikata was surrounded and compelled to fall on his sword. His two year old son, known to posterity as Kiso Yoshinaka, who was at Ôkura-yakata, was entrusted to Nakahara Takatô, and taken to safety in Shinano.
The ruins of a medieval fortified residence 220m by 170m in a rectangular formation, surrounded by berms and moats, are in evidence. However, it is thought the original Heian period residence was smaller in scale, a square of about 70m on each side, which was surrounded by a moat and palisades.
Field Notes
Ôkura-yakata is a yakata (fortified manor hall) ruin in Ôkura village of Ranzan Township, Hiki County. Ruins include dorui (earthen ramparts) which partially ensconce Ôkura-jinja. There is another stretch of dorui down the road from the shrine. The site today is a shrine, fields and farmsteads.
Note: Jōkaku Hōrōki gives the site the name 'Ohkura-tachi', 'tachi' being an alternate reading for 'yakata' often used in northeastern Japan. Other sources just go with 'yakata', the standard reading.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Ohkura Yakata |
| Japanese Name | 大蔵館 |
| Alternate Names | Ôkura-tachi |
| Founder | Minamoto Yoshikata |
| Year Founded | 1153 |
| Castle Type | Fortified Manor |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Designations | Prefectural Historic Site |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Dorui |
| Features | |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Musashi-Ranzan Station on the Tōbu-Tōjō Line; 35min walk. |
| Hours | 24/7 free; shrine |
| Time Required | 15 mins |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Ranzan, Saitama Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 36.02754, 139.32888 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Hōrōki | |
| Yogo | |
