Shimizu Jin'ya (Fuefuki)
.JPG)
History
Tokugawa Shigeyoshi was the son of Tokugawa Ieshige, the ninth Tokugawa shōgun. He was the patriarch of the Shimizu Clan, an off-shoot of the Tokugawa Clan which was one of the Gosankyō. The Gosankyō represented the lesser branches of the Tokugawa whilst the Gosanke represented the higher branches of the regime. The Gosanke houses had their own sprawling domains, but the Gosankyō had no semi-autonomous fiefdoms, but instead were granted land conditionally by the shogunate in a manner similar to hatamoto (direct retainers). The Gosankyō branches were the Shimizu, the Tayasu and the Hitotsubashi, and they were dealt land which was part of those holdings, called tenryō, directly controlled by the Shogunate (not daimyō) via representatives (called daishō). Shimizu Shigeyoshi held territory in Kai and Musashi (and many other disparate locations), and the Shimizu-jin’ya was used as the head office to administer his domains (though I wonder if he himself ever left Edo!). The jin’ya was established in 1763 when Shigeyoshi was around 18, and it was abolished upon Shigeyoshi’s death in 1795 as he had no heir. The land was then retained as tenryō again. In 1827 the Shimizu fief was re-established with Tokugawa Narikatsu as its head, but this time the jin’ya was based in a new location. The Shimizu fiefs were valued at 100,000 koku, and were not trivial holdings, but the jin’ya do not appear to have been very grand as there was no reason to strongly fortify them for a major conflict.
Visit Notes
There are two Shimizu-jin’ya sites: this one in Fuefuki Municipality and another in nearby Yamanashi Municipality; both sites are located in the historical Yamanashi County. To distinguish, this one I will list as Shimizu-jin’ya (Fuefuki), Fuefuki being the modern municipality. It may also be referred to as Kasugai-Shimizu-jin’ya after the nearest settlement of significance. The reason for the two sites being close together with the same name is that the jin’ya was relocated but retained its name after the clan that ran it.
Of this Shimizu-jin’ya no ruins remain, and the site is now orchards and a small shrine on an earthen platform encased with stone blocks; the masonry appears modern, though the stone blocks on one side appear older than on the front. There is a signboard erected with information about the jin’ya.
- this site is not to be confused with the site of Shimizu Jin'ya in Yamanashi Municipality.
Gallery
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Shimizu Jin'ya (Fuefuki) |
| Japanese Name | 清水陣屋 (笛吹) |
| Alternate Names | Kasugai-Shimizu-jin'ya |
| Founder | Tokugawa Shigeyoshi |
| Year Founded | 1763 |
| Castle Type | Flatland |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Features | |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Kasugaichō Station on the Chūō Main Line; 8 minute walk |
| Visitor Information | 24/7 free; shrine |
| Time Required | 10 minutes |
| Location | Fuefuki, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 35° 40' 38.14" N, 138° 39' 23.87" E |
|
|
|
| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2022 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
Enable comment auto-refresher