Noheji Castle (野辺地城 Noheji-jō) was a small flatland fortress (平山城) located in Noheji Town at the base of the Shimokita Peninsula. It is also known as Kinkei Castle (金鶏城 Kinkei-jō).
Neither the owner nor the date of construction is known, but it is believed that the Noheji clan (野辺地氏), a member of the Shichinohe-Nanbu clan (七戸南部氏), moved to the area during the Nanbokucho period . It is also said to have fallen during the Kakizaki Kuroudo Rebellion (蠣崎蔵人の乱) of 1457, when the Kakizaki clan (蠣崎氏), based at Kakizaki Castle, attacked it. In 1598, Ishii Iga no Kami (石井伊賀守) was assigned as castellan to suppress the local Tsugaru clan (津軽氏).
Noheji Castle was converted into a deputy magistrate's office in the Edo period . Noheji was an important transport hub between Morioka and the Shimokita Peninsula, an important port for the Morioka domain (盛岡藩). It was also located on the clan border with the Hirosaki domain (弘前藩), making it a crucial strategic location for the Morioka clan.
In 1868, during the Boshin War , the Hirosaki clan, which had withdrawn from the Ouetsu Clan Alliance, raided Noheji. However, the Morioka and Hachinohe clans repulsed them within a day. This battle is called the Noheji War (野辺地戦争). The castle was later abandoned due to the abolition of the han system. More information is available at the Aomori Historical Road Exploration website (in Japanese).
Noheji Castle is situated on a river terrace along the Noheji River. Old maps show a deputy post surrounded by a moat.
Aerial photographs taken from Geographical Survey Institute maps. The location of the enclosures is estimated.
From the local information board
The castle ruins are now the Noheji Community Center, a library, a history and folklore museum, and a parking lot. In one corner of the ruins, shown in the first photo, is the Noheji Magistrate's Office Monument.
There is little in the way of remains, but the remains of a moat can be found on the southeast side.
The castle's ruins are seen from the Noheji River. They are on slightly elevated ground.
Noheji is a town on the border of a clan, so several historical sites are associated with it.
➣ Noheji War Gravesite of the War Dead (野辺地戦争戦死者の墓所)
As mentioned above, Nanbu and Tsugaru fought each other for one day during the Boshin War. The graves of the 27 Hirosaki clan casualties are located on Prefectural Road 243, west of downtown Noheji.
➣ Domain boundary mounds (四ツ森 Yotsumori)
Four mounds, two on each side of the Futamata River, were built to mark the boundary between the Nanbu Domain and the Tsugaru Domain. Although it is not good to link everything to the discord between the two, a parking lot and a pathway to the mounds have been built separately on the Noheji Town side of the former Nanbu Domain and the Hiranai Town side of the former Tsugaru Domain. They are located along National Highway 4.
Date of visit: 16 June 2014
Neither the owner nor the date of construction is known, but it is believed that the Noheji clan (野辺地氏), a member of the Shichinohe-Nanbu clan (七戸南部氏), moved to the area during the Nanbokucho period . It is also said to have fallen during the Kakizaki Kuroudo Rebellion (蠣崎蔵人の乱) of 1457, when the Kakizaki clan (蠣崎氏), based at Kakizaki Castle, attacked it. In 1598, Ishii Iga no Kami (石井伊賀守) was assigned as castellan to suppress the local Tsugaru clan (津軽氏).
Noheji Castle was converted into a deputy magistrate's office in the Edo period . Noheji was an important transport hub between Morioka and the Shimokita Peninsula, an important port for the Morioka domain (盛岡藩). It was also located on the clan border with the Hirosaki domain (弘前藩), making it a crucial strategic location for the Morioka clan.
In 1868, during the Boshin War , the Hirosaki clan, which had withdrawn from the Ouetsu Clan Alliance, raided Noheji. However, the Morioka and Hachinohe clans repulsed them within a day. This battle is called the Noheji War (野辺地戦争). The castle was later abandoned due to the abolition of the han system. More information is available at the Aomori Historical Road Exploration website (in Japanese).
Noheji Castle is situated on a river terrace along the Noheji River. Old maps show a deputy post surrounded by a moat.
Aerial photographs taken from Geographical Survey Institute maps. The location of the enclosures is estimated.
From the local information board
The castle ruins are now the Noheji Community Center, a library, a history and folklore museum, and a parking lot. In one corner of the ruins, shown in the first photo, is the Noheji Magistrate's Office Monument.
There is little in the way of remains, but the remains of a moat can be found on the southeast side.
The castle's ruins are seen from the Noheji River. They are on slightly elevated ground.
Addendum:
Although they are now part of the same Aomori prefecture, from the end of the Sengoku period to the Edo period, they were divided into the Tsugaru territory in the west and the Nanbu territory in the east, and the two were bitter enemies. As a personal experience, there happened to be a person from Hachinohe (the city in the Nanbu territory) and another from Hirosaki (the city in the Tsugaru territory) in the same workplace. I thought they got on well with each other because they were from the same prefecture, but I was surprised to find out that they were not. And I am amazed that they were combined into one prefecture.Noheji is a town on the border of a clan, so several historical sites are associated with it.
➣ Noheji War Gravesite of the War Dead (野辺地戦争戦死者の墓所)
As mentioned above, Nanbu and Tsugaru fought each other for one day during the Boshin War. The graves of the 27 Hirosaki clan casualties are located on Prefectural Road 243, west of downtown Noheji.
A map of the Noheji War (野辺地戦):
➣ Domain boundary mounds (四ツ森 Yotsumori)
Four mounds, two on each side of the Futamata River, were built to mark the boundary between the Nanbu Domain and the Tsugaru Domain. Although it is not good to link everything to the discord between the two, a parking lot and a pathway to the mounds have been built separately on the Noheji Town side of the former Nanbu Domain and the Hiranai Town side of the former Tsugaru Domain. They are located along National Highway 4.
Date of visit: 16 June 2014
Access:
- Address: 1 Noheji, Kamikita District, Aomori 039-3131
- Access: A 16-minute walk from Noheji Station on the Aomori Railway or JR Ominato Line. Thirty-seven kilometres from Aomori Expressway, Aomori Higashi Interchange via National Route 4.
- Parking: Noheji Town Library Parking Lot (free)
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