The is an
archaeological site consisting of the ruins of a
Sengoku period fortified residence, located in what is now part of the city of
Kōshū, Yamanashi in the
Chūbu region
The , Central region, or is a region in the middle of Honshu, Honshū, Japan, Japan's main island. In a wide, classical definition, it encompasses nine prefectures (''ken''): Aichi Prefecture, Aichi, Fukui Prefecture, Fukui, Gifu Prefecture ...
of
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. The site was designated a
National Historic Site of Japan in 1981.
Overview
The Katsunuma clan were a cadet branch of the
Takeda clan founded by
Takeda Nobutora's brother
Katsunuma Nobutomo. The clan was annihilated by
Takeda Shingen in 1560 during his struggle to seize control of the province from his father. The site of their fortified residence is located in former
Katsunuma town, on a
river terrace of the Higawa River at an elevation of 418 meters. It strategically located overlooking the old route of the
Kōshū Kaidō highway connecting
Kai Province with
Musashi Province
was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami, S ...
and
Sagami Province. The site was discovered in 1973 during construction of a prefectural wine promotion center. An
archaeological excavation
In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...
was conducted from 1973 to 1977 which revealed that the site consisted of a moated compound measuring 90 meters east-to-west by 60 meters north-to-south. Within this compound were the foundations of 23 buildings, along with a temple, blacksmith and reservoir.
A wide variety of artifacts, including Chinese
celadon,
Haji ware pottery (used for lanterns),
Tenmoku pottery,
lacquerware, metal farming tools, weapons such as iron gun balls and other items used in daily life. Finds from the
midden
A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofact ...
included many animal bones (deer, wild boar, chickens) indicating that the
samurai of this period included animal meat in their diet. Other artifacts included a large number of fish bones from oceanic species, especially
horse mackerel, despite Kai Province's landlocked location. A further excavation conducted in 2009 found traces of gold from a small forge, confirming speculation that gold ore from the
Kurokawa gold mine was refined in the area.
The site is now a public park, and is approximately ten minutes by car from
Katsunuma-budōkyō Station
is a railway station of the Chūō Main Line, East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Katsunuma-Hishiyama, in the city of Kōshū, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.
Lines
Katsunuma-budōkyō Station is served by the Chūō Main Line, and is 11 ...
on the
JR East
The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...
Chūō Main Line
The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It connects Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faste ...
.
Gallery
勝沼氏館.jpg, Panoramic view
Katsunumashi yakataato-2.jpg, Traces of the inner moat
Katsunumashi yakataato-3.jpg, Traces of the inner moat
Katsunumashi yakataato-4.jpg, Foundation stones for the main dwelling
See also
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Yamanashi)
This list is of the Monuments of Japan, Historic Sites of Japan located within the Prefectures of Japan, Prefecture of Yamanashi Prefecture, Yamanashi.
National Historic Sites
As of 1 June 2022, sixteen Sites have been Cultural Properties of Jap ...
References
External links
Kōshū tourist information siteKōshū city official site{{in lang, ja
Sengoku period
History of Yamanashi Prefecture
Kōshū, Yamanashi
Historic Sites of Japan
Archaeological sites in Japan