Kiso Daikansho

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History

The Yamamura were vassals of the Owari-Tokugawa appointed to administer their territory in Kiso. Kiso-daikansho was built as the Daikan's fortified administrative and residential base around 1604. The Yamamura were in charge of overseeing the Fukushima-seki, a fortified checkpoint used to control travel along the Nakasendō. Applications for passports were submitted to the offices at the daikansho. The remaining structure at the daikansho site is a residential hall dating to 1723. The garden is also traditional, a strolling landscape garden with burrowed scenery from the mountain peaks across the valley. The site was purchased by the Kiso municipal government from Yamamura Tetsuo and opened to the public in 1971.


Visit Notes

The Kiso-daikansho, more popularly known as the Yamamura-daikan'yashiki, was the administrative center of the Fukushima-juku, a post town in Kiso along the Nakasendō (Interior Mountain Highway). The Fukushima-seki, a checkpoint, was located here, and was one of the most important in the entire national road network of the Edo Period. The Yamamura were representatives employed by the Owari-Tokugawa rather than daimyō, and thus they did not have a castle, but a daikansho. Nevertheless, they were an affluent family, due to the importance of their charge, and maintained townhouses in both Edo and Nagoya. And their yashiki ("house" or "mansion") was large for a daikansho, and like a castle, with many layers of fortifications, including stone walls with parapets and gatehouses. Unfortunately little of this complex remains today, though what does remain is valuable. Firstly there is a segment of ishigaki (stone ramparts) which once supported a gatehouse. Next are original residential structures used by the Yamamura which are now open to the public (paid entry). Not many daikansho structures remain throughout the country, so this is a special site.




Gallery


Castle Profile
English Name Kiso Daikansho
Japanese Name 木曽代官所
Alternate Names Yamamura-daikan'yashiki
Founder Yamamura Yoshikatsu
Year Founded 1604
Castle Type Flatland
Castle Condition No main keep but other buildings
Designations has Important Cultural Properties
Historical Period Edo Period
Artifacts Ishigaki, Go'ten, Garden
Features palace, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access Kiso-Fukushima Station on the Chūō Line; 15 minute walk
Visitor Information Opens 8:30-16:30. Closed at year's end, in addition to every thursday from december to march (except national holidays, in which case the next work day is off). Entry fee is reduced if purchased in combination with a ticket for the sekisho.
Time Required 60 minutes
Location Kiso, Nagano Prefecture
Coordinates 35° 51' 6.70" N, 137° 41' 53.38" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle 2020
Contributor ART
Admin Year Visited Viewer Contributed


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