was a Japanese castle in what is now Tsuchizaki Minato, Akita,

Akita Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is approximately 966,000 (as of 1 October 2019) and its ge ...

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 ...

. Throughout the Muromachi period, Minato Castle was home to the Ando clan, '' daimyō'' of

Akita Domain was a feudal domain in Edo period Japan, located in Dewa Province (modern-day Akita Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Kubota Castle in what is now the city of Akita and was thus also known as the . It was governed for the whole of its hi ...

, rulers of northern Dewa Province.

History

The early history of the castle is shrouded but it might have been constructed by the second of the Minato branch of the Ando family, Ando Yasusue, in

1436 Year 1436 ( MCDXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 11 – Eric of Pomerania is deposed from the Swedish throne for the second t ...

. Ando "Big Dipper" Chikasue of the Hiyama Ando went down from

Hiyama Castle Hiyama may refer to: *Hiyama (surname), a Japanese surname * Hiyama Subprefecture, a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan *Hiyama District, Hokkaidō, a district in Hiyama Subprefecture See also *Hiyama coupling, a carbon-carbon bond-forming reaction ...

to Minato Castle uniting the two clan branches.After the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu prefecture, Japan, at the end of ...

, his son, Akita Sanesue was moved to Shishido, in Hitachi Province, and Satake Yoshinobu of Hitachi was relegated to Minato Castle in

1602 Events January–June * January 3 – Battle of Kinsale: The English defeat Irish rebels and their Spanish allies. (The battle happens on this date according to the Gregorian calendar used by the Irish and Spanish but on Thursday, 24 Dec ...

. Satake began to build the new Kubota Castle and Minato Castle was abandoned in

1604 Events January–June * January 1 – '' The Masque of Indian and China Knights'' is performed by courtiers of James VI and I at Hampton Court. * January 14 – The Hampton Court Conference is held between James I of England ...

Access

The exit station is

Tsuchizaki Station is a railway station in Tsuchizaki Minato, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East).The station is also a freight depot for the Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight). Lines Tsuchizaki Station ...

(north next of Akita Station). 2-minute walk straight from the exit of the station and you can soon see Tsuchizaki Shinmeisha Shrine on your left.

Notes

{{reflist