The are historic ruins located in the Kidonouchi section of the city of Fukui,

Fukui Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 778,943 (1 June 2017) and has a geographic area of 4,190 km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the north, Gif ...

, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. This area was controlled by the Asakura clan for 103 years during the

Sengoku period The was a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Variou ...

. It is designated as Special Historic Site in 1971, and in June 2007 2,343 artifacts were designated as Important Cultural Property.

Site

Ichijōdani is a valley of a branch of the Asuwa River with an east-west width of approximately 500 meters and a length of approximately three kilometers. The valley is surrounded by mountains on the east, west and south, and by the river to the north, forming a natural fortification.

History

In 1471, Asakura had displaced the Shiba clan as the '' shugo'' military commander of Echizen Province. The same year, Asakura Toshikage (1428–1481) fortified the Ichijōdani by constructing hilltop fortifications on the surrounding mountains and constructing walls and gates to seal off the northern and southern end of the valley. Within this area, he contracted a fortified mansion, surrounded by the homes of his relatives and retainers, and eventually by the residences of merchants and artisans, and Buddhist temples. He offered refuge to people of culture or skills from Kyoto attempting to escape the conflict of the

Ōnin War The , also known as the Upheaval of Ōnin and Ōnin-Bunmei war, was a civil war that lasted from 1467 to 1477, during the Muromachi period in Japan. '' Ōnin'' refers to the Japanese era during which the war started; the war ended during the Bu ...

, and the Ichijōdani became a major cultural, military, and population center, and by the time of Asakura Takakage (1493–1548) it had a peak population of over 10,000 inhabitants. Yoshikage succeeded his father as head of the Asakura clan and castle lord of Ichijōdani Castle in 1548. The Asakura maintained good relations with the

Ashikaga shogunate The , also known as the , was the feudal military government of Japan during the Muromachi period from 1336 to 1573.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Muromachi-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 669. The Ashikaga shogunate was establis ...

, and thus eventually came into conflict with

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese '' daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unif ...

. Following Nobunaga's capture of

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ...

Shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

Ashikaga Yoshiaki "Ashikaga Yoshiaki" in '' The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. was the 15th and final '' shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan who reigned from 1568 to 1573.Ackroyd, ...

appointed Asakura Yoshikage as regent and requested aid in driving Nobunaga out of the capital. As a result, Nobunaga launched an invasion of Echizen Province. Due to Yoshikage's lack of military skill, Nobunaga's forces were successful at the Siege of Kanegasaki and subsequent Battle of Anegawa in 1570, leaving the entire Asakura Domain open to invasion. Ichijōdani was razed to the ground by Nobunaga during the 1573 Siege of Ichijōdani Castle. Excavation of the ruins began in 1967 and continued on in 2017, revealing the shape of the whole town, including the house of the lord, samurai residences, temples, houses of merchants, houses of craft workers, and streets. Residences of samurai as well as merchants' quarters have since been restored along the 200 meter long street. Four

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...

s were unearthed and partially restored, and those were designated as Places of Scenic Beauty in 1991. The ruins of are on top of a nearby hill, with a scenic view of Fukui. Approximately 1,700,000 relics were found at the ruins, and of these 2,343 are nationally designated as Important Cultural Properties, many of which are on display at the Ichijodani Asakura Family Site Museum.

Cultural properties

Designated in the following categories: * Special Places of Scenic Beauty — The Gardens, including Nanyōji-ato Garden of a temple and those of residences (Suwa Yakata-ato, Asakura Yakata-ato, and Yudono-ato) * Special Historic Sites — The whole site (278 hectares) * Important Cultural Properties — 2,343 pieces from among excavated artifacts File:Suwa Yakata-ato Garden of Ichijodani Asakura Family Historic Ruins04s3s4592.jpg, Suwa Yakata-ato Garden File:Yudono-ato Garden of Ichijodani Asakura Family Historic Ruins05s3s4592.jpg, Yudono-ato Garden File:Asakura Yakata of Ichijodani Asakura Family Historic Ruins12s5s4592.jpg, Asakura Yakata-ato Garden File:Nanyoji-ato Garden of Ichijodani Asakura Family Historic Ruins04n4592.jpg, Nanyōji-ato Garden File:Nakanogoten-ato of Ichijodani Asakura Family Historic Ruins01n4500.jpg, Stone wall of Nakanogoten gate File:Distant view of restored town of Ichijodani.jpg, Distant view of restored town of Ichijodani

Access

* Take JR Etsumi-Hoku Line from Fukui Station and get off at Ichijōdani Station. The lower gate is about 5 min walk from the station and the center of village is about 30 min. Free shuttle bus ''Asakura-Yumemaru'' from Ichijodani Asakura Family Site Museum is also available on weekends to reach the directly to the center of village.

Literature

References

External links

Ichijōdani Asakura Family Site Museum website

Ichijōdani Asakura Family Site Museum website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ichijodani Asakura Family Historic Ruins Archaeological sites in Japan Tourist attractions in Fukui Prefecture Special Historic Sites Special Places of Scenic Beauty Castles in Fukui Prefecture Important Cultural Properties of Japan Fukui (city)