Yamaguchi Yakata (Mino)
Yamaguchi-yakata is a yakata (fortified manor hall) site in Yamaguchi Township, Motosu Municipality. There are apparently ruins in the form of earthworks such as berms and dry moats, but the site is densely overgrown and private property, so I could not confirm this. Also, my train was due very soon
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History
Yamaguchi-yakata was the manor hall of the Furuta-Oribe Clan. Furuta Shigenari is believed to have been born here in 1543. In the Sengoku period, Yamaguchi-yakata was the kyokan (residential annex) associated with Yamaguchijō on Monjuyama above. In times of conflict the yamajiro would've been used to protect the yakata's inhabitants; this is called the jōkan (castle and manor hall) arrangement.
Field Notes
Yamaguchi-yakata is a yakata (fortified manor hall) site in Yamaguchi Township, Motosu Municipality. There are apparently ruins in the form of earthworks such as berms and dry moats, but the site is densely overgrown and private property, so I could not confirm this. Also, my train was due very soon so I had little time to look around.
The yakata site is located right beside the Tarumi Railway and Oribe Station. There is a marker for the yakata at the edge of the property, and a signboard about it on the station platform. On the opposite side of the tracks from Yamaguchi-yakata is the Oribe Roadside Station ('michi-no-eki'). I'd actually visited this place before because of the large castle folly it has. Rather than a tower, there is an Edo period-style yaguramon (gatehouse). Sometimes it's possible to enter, but when I first visited there was some kind of alternative medicine workshop / scam going on inside, and this time I didn't have time to check. The yaguramon, called "sanmon", likely dates to 2001.
The rest-stop is also called 'Oribe-no-sato', so the yaguramon is like a ceremonial entrance for this "village". Additionally there is an exhibition hall, and the displays introduce Furuta Shigenari who was born at the yakata, so the yaguramon and village appear to be purposeful in their relation to the yakata. Maybe they wanted to build the yaguramon on the yakata site but the landowner wouldn't sell, or cooler heads deterred them from doing anything so silly. Of course, an Edo period yaguramon would not have been built at a Sengoku period yakata! The yakata does not seem to have featured any ishigaki (stone walls) either. For me, there is really no relation between the yakata and the folly, but for more casual history fans maybe the connection is more intuitive. Basically, I think we should treat the yaguramon as an ahistorical faux-reconstruction of the yakata. Anyway, it's a fun bonus for Sengoku history enthusiasts (as for castle-bloggers, Kyūtarō (no Sengoku shiro meguri) rejoices in the folly, whilst Jōkaku Hōrōki coldly ignores it).
Gallery
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Yamaguchi Yakata (Mino) |
| Japanese Name | 美濃山口館 |
| Alternate Names | Yamguchijōshu-kyokan (山口城主居館) |
| Founder | Furuta-Oribe Clan |
| Year Founded | Medieval Era |
| Castle Type | Fortified Manor |
| Castle Condition | No main keep but other buildings |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Features | gates, trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Oribe Station on the Tarumi Railway; 1 min walk |
| Hours | Mogi open 10-4 except Wed. |
| Time Required | 20 mins |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Motosu, Gifu Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 35.49954, 136.66653 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Hōrōki | |
| Kyūtarō no Sengoku Shiro Meguri | |
