Nice place to spend maybe an hour. Recommend doing this, Namiki Gelato Farm and the park in 1 day. Nice little trail and shrine and huge grass area.
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Nanbu clan historical site.
Visited on October 18, 2020.
The castle was built by Masamitsu Nanbu, the 8th generation of the Nejo Nambu clan. During the Nanbokucho period, along with Nejo, it became an important base for the Southern Court. Masamitsu handed over the headship of the family to his nephew Nagatsune, who took up residence at Shichinohe Castle and became the founder of the Shichinohe clan.
During the Kunohe Masazane Rebellion in 1591, Shichinohe Iekuni sided with Kunohe and together with Masazane resisted the Oshu Shioki army, but Shichinohe Castle fell to Kagekatsu Uesugi. The country, which had been barricaded in Kunohe Castle, surrendered along with Masazane and was executed in Misako, Kurihara District. The following year, Shichinohe Castle was destroyed, but as a precaution against the Tsugaru clan, the Shichinohe territory was given to Naokatsu, the third son of Minami Nagayoshi, the lord of Asamizu Castle, to inherit the name of the Shichinohe clan. After that, the magistrate's office and the domain office were located there, and it was recognized by the shogunate as a stronghold residence, and was regarded as an important base for the Nanbu domain.
Taking advantage of the topography of the plateau, Shichinohe Castle is comprised of seven forts: Honmaru, Ninomaru, North Building, North Building, Kakunodate, West Building, Shimodate, and Hosenkan, with Ninomaru being maintained as Kashiwaha Park. The grounds are vast, and the remains of the moat and other structures, as well as the restored east gate, are worth seeing. Shinmei Shrine in the main enclosure was built by Nanbu Masamitsu, who built the castle, and was deeply worshiped as a place of prayer for the Tono Nanbu clan during the Edo period.