Okuyama shōjōkan

Okuyama Manor

奥山おくやま荘そう
Site of Tossaka Castle
Okuyama Manor Okuyama shōjōkan (Japan)
Location	Tainai, Shibata, Niigata Japan
Region	Hokuriku region
Coordinates	38°03′18″N 139°25′18″E
Type	settlement, castle
History
Founded	Muromachi period
Site notes
Public access	Yes (Park, Museum)
National Historic Site of Japan

The Okuyama Manor (奥山おくやま荘そう, Okuyama no shō) was a shōen, or great landed estate, located in what is now the cities of Tainai and Shibata, Niigata Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan, from the end of the Heian period through the Sengoku period. A series of thirteen ruins were collectively designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1984 as the Okuyama Manor, Castle, and Fortified Residence Sites (奥山おくやま荘そう城じょう館かん遺跡いせき, Okuyama no shōjōkan iseki).

Overview

Shōen were private, tax-free, autonomous feudal manors which arose after the decay of the ritsuryō system. Hereditary landowners, often descendants of estate managers sent by the original stakeholders, commended shares of the revenue produced to more powerful leaders at the court, in return for protection of their independence and tax-free status. The foundation of the estate in the late Heian era is uncertain, but it was held by the Jō clan (城じょう氏し), who had the status of a "pioneer developer" (開発かいはつ領主りょうしゅ) and who nominally commended his revenues to one of the Five regent houses. However, after the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate, the estate was awarded to Wada Yoshimochi, the brother of Wada Yoshimori, one of Minamoto no Yoritomo's senior retainers. The Wada clan had the post of Jitō, but continued to retain the Jō clan to manage the estate. Even after the purge of the Wada clan in 1213, the cadet branch at Okuyama, was split into three branches: the Hōjō, Nakajō and Nanjō clans after the death of Wada Yoshimori. During the late Muromachi period, the Nakajō clan became retainers of the Nagao clan and from thence were in the service of the Uesugi clan. They relocated from the Egami Fortified Residence to Tossaka Castle around 1453. In the Sengoku period, they relocated to Aizu with Uesugi Kagekatsu and the name of disappears from history.

The National Historic Site designation includes the following sites:

• Egami Fortified Residence ruins (江上こうじょう館かん跡あと)
• Tossaka Castle ruins (鳥とり坂城さかき跡あと)
• Kurata Castle ruins (倉田くらた城跡じょうせき)
• Nonaka Stone Pagodas (野中のなか石せき塔婆とうば群ぐん)
• Kotaka-gū Precinct (小鷹こたか宮みや境内けいだい地ち)
• Idatenyama ruins (韋駄天山あまやま遺跡いせき)
• Kurokawa Castle ruins (黒川くろかわ城跡じょうせき)
• Zao Gongen ruins (蔵王ざおう権現ごんげん遺跡いせき)
• Kusamizu ruins (臭におい水すい遺跡いせき)
• Kaneyama Castle ruins (金山かなやま城跡じょうせき)
• Ganmonyama Castle ruins (願文がんもん山城やましろ跡あと)
• Taka Fortified Residence ruins (高館たかだて跡あと)
• Tatenouchi ruins (館ノ内たてのうち跡あと)
• Katatsumuriyama Castle ruins (蝸牛山かたつむりやま城跡じょうせき))
• Bō Fortified Residence ruins (坊ぼう城じょう館かん跡あと)
• Furudate Fortified Residence ruins (古館ふるだて館かん跡あと)
• Tossaka Castle Sanrokukyo Fortified Residence ruins (鳥坂とりさか城跡じょうせきの山麓さんろく居館きょかん跡あと)

These thirteen sites include the ruins of castle buildings, religious sites, and production sites. The Egami Fortified Residence ruins were excavated from 1991, with the complete foundations of the main building and adjacent south and north buildings discovered, together with a large amount of Suzu ware and other pottery from the 13th century to the early 16th century. The site also contained four bridges, foundations of the south gate and north gate, and several portions of the moat and earthen ramparts. A small museum exists near this ruin, which is about 20 minutes by car from Nakajo Station on the JR East Uetsu Main Line.

See also

• List of Historic Sites of Japan (Niigata)

External links

• Niigata tourist information (in Japanese)
• Castles of the Hokuriku region(in Japanese)