Ōtaki Castle (Chiba)
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese castle
located in Ōtaki
, southeast Chiba Prefecture
, Japan
. In the Edo period
, Ōtaki Castle was home to the daimyō
of Ōtaki Domain
of Kazusa Province
, the Satomi clan
. The castle was also known as .
, virtually independent rulers of all of the Bōsō Peninsula
during the Sengoku Period
, erected the original Ōtaki Castle in the early 1500s to guard the northern approaches to their domains, but fell into ruins by the end of the 16th century. This period of local hostilities, and the exploits of the Satomi clan, is richly described in the Bōsō Chiran-Ki
.
was resettled in Edo
, by order of Toyotomi Hideyoshi
, he assigned Honda Tadakatsu
to erect a new fortification to help contain the power of the Satomi in Tateyama Domain
. The Satomi were destroyed by the Tokugawa shogunate
in 1614, but the Honda continued to rule as daimyo
of the 100,000 koku
Ōtaki Domain
for the following three generations. Control of Ōtaki Domain subsequently passed to daimyo from the Abe, Aoyama, and Inagaki clans before being assigned to Matsudaira Masahisa, whose descendants continued to rule from Ōtaki Castle until the Meiji Restoration
. However, during this history, Ōtaki Domain was reduced from 100,000 koku to 16,000 koku.
An “Ōtaki Castle Festival” is held in late September each year. The main event is a parade of people wearing samurai
armor and costumes reflecting the Edo period
.
Japanese castle
' were fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century...
located in Ōtaki
Otaki, Chiba
is a town located in Isumi District, Chiba, Japan, occupying the center of the Bōsō Peninsula. The town is known for its association with Edo period general Honda Tadakatsu and its prominent castle. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 10,794 and a population density of 83.1 persons...
, southeast Chiba Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. In the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, Ōtaki Castle was home to the daimyō
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of Ōtaki Domain
Otaki Domain
was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Kazusa Province , Japan. It was centered on Ōtaki Castle in what is now the town of Ōtaki, Chiba.-History:...
of Kazusa Province
Kazusa Province
was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. It lies on in the middle of the Bōsō Peninsula , whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was or .Kazusa is classified as one of the...
, the Satomi clan
Satomi clan
The Satomi clan was a clan of samurai which claimed descent from Nitta Yoshishige , whose son Yoshitoshi took 'Satomi' as his surname. The Satomi moved from Kōzuke province to Awa province in the mid-15th century, and remained there into the Edo Period. During the Sengoku period, the Satomi were...
. The castle was also known as .
Construction of the Castle
The Satomi clanSatomi clan
The Satomi clan was a clan of samurai which claimed descent from Nitta Yoshishige , whose son Yoshitoshi took 'Satomi' as his surname. The Satomi moved from Kōzuke province to Awa province in the mid-15th century, and remained there into the Edo Period. During the Sengoku period, the Satomi were...
, virtually independent rulers of all of the Bōsō Peninsula
Boso Peninsula
thumb|Locationthumb|Landsat image with high-resolution data from Space Shuttle is a peninsula in Chiba prefecture on Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It forms the eastern edge of Tokyo Bay, separating it from the Pacific Ocean....
during the Sengoku Period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
, erected the original Ōtaki Castle in the early 1500s to guard the northern approaches to their domains, but fell into ruins by the end of the 16th century. This period of local hostilities, and the exploits of the Satomi clan, is richly described in the Bōsō Chiran-Ki
Bōsō Chiran-Ki
The , or "Chronicle of Bōsō at War and Peace", is a minor Japanese medieval text of unknown authorship that chronicles events of the southern part of Kazusa Province of the Bōsō Peninsula in present-day Chiba Prefecture in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
.
Edo Period
In 1590, after Tokugawa IeyasuTokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
was resettled in Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
, by order of Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
, he assigned Honda Tadakatsu
Honda Tadakatsu
, also called Honda Heihachirō , was a Japanese general of the late Sengoku through early Edo period, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu. Honda Tadakatsu was one of the Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings along with Ii Naomasa, Sakakibara Yasumasa and Sakai Tadatsugu. - Biography :A native of Mikawa Province in...
to erect a new fortification to help contain the power of the Satomi in Tateyama Domain
Tateyama Domain
was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Awa Province , Japan. It was centered on Tateyama Castle in what is now the city of Tateyama, Chiba.-History:...
. The Satomi were destroyed by the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
in 1614, but the Honda continued to rule as daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of the 100,000 koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
Ōtaki Domain
Otaki Domain
was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Kazusa Province , Japan. It was centered on Ōtaki Castle in what is now the town of Ōtaki, Chiba.-History:...
for the following three generations. Control of Ōtaki Domain subsequently passed to daimyo from the Abe, Aoyama, and Inagaki clans before being assigned to Matsudaira Masahisa, whose descendants continued to rule from Ōtaki Castle until the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
. However, during this history, Ōtaki Domain was reduced from 100,000 koku to 16,000 koku.
Disrepair and Ruin
In December 1672, an application was made to the Tokugawa shogunate for permission to rebuild the castle, stating that there was not even a single functional gate and that the 4-story donjon had fallen into ruins. The reconstructed donjon burned down in 1842 and was not rebuilt.Reconstruction
The current donjon was reconstructed in 1975 to boost local tourism and to function as an annex to the local Chiba Prefectural Sonan Museum containing historical artifacts including a small collection of Japanese armor and swords. As there are no surviving records indicating the appearance of the original donjon, the current structure is a mock structure modeled after 1832 sketches of its last known appearance.An “Ōtaki Castle Festival” is held in late September each year. The main event is a parade of people wearing samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
armor and costumes reflecting the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
.