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Northward 1

賀茂史女/かものふひとのむすめ

A travelogue from the spring of 2024. About 10 years ago, after interacting on Twitter with Shiwa-maro-kun, the mascot character of Shiwa Castle, I developed a strong desire to visit Shiwa Castle. Although I had always had an extraordinary interest in the Thirty-Eight Year War in Tohoku, I had given up both my motorcycle and car during my child-rearing years, and after suffering a serious illness, my eyesight deteriorated to the point where it hindered my daily life. I was just barely managing to deal with the sparks flying at me, but before I knew it, I had only two years of post-operative follow-up left, my vision had improved to the point where it didn't hinder my walking even with fixed artificial lenses, I had retired and was free from time constraints, and I thought, 'Wait, could I actually go to Shiwa Castle? Or rather, if I don't go now, will I ever have another chance like this?'

This woman, thinking there might be something interesting, wanders out night after night into the electronic river. Even if such things are nothing out of the ordinary, she records things that she finds interesting in her heart. Who knows if the fish are happy? Only the cat knows the joy of the fish.

Shiwa Castle

I haven't traveled properly using public transportation for a long time, so I've completely forgotten the joy of planning. Although I hesitated for a moment about getting a motorcycle for this, I decided against it because the costs would be on a different scale, and instead chose to enjoy vehicles and seats I've never used before. For starters, I've never ridden the Tohoku Shinkansen. I've never been further north than Iwaki.
I don't need to decide on a return date, but I want to be back before Golden Week. I'm worried about my physical stamina, and since I want to look around slowly and indulge in deep emotions, it seems unlikely I'll be able to go here and there in a single day...
I thought I could go as I pleased, but it's a solo trip for someone over sixty who can't just do whatever they want.

Shiwa Castle, Tokutan Castle, Isawa Castle, Takkoku-no-Iwaya Bishamon-do, Taga Castle ruins, Taga Castle temple ruins, Koromogawa ruins... wait, if I'm going as far as Hiraizumi, what about me not going to Chuson-ji and Motsu-ji?
Oh dear, my destinations have increased again.
Anyway, I'll go straight to the northernmost place I wanted to visit most.
The places I want to visit don't seem like they would be swamped with tourists on weekdays.
After a quick look on the web, it seems I can book accommodation even the day before if it's before Golden Week.
Then let's just go! I'll think about it after I get there!

On my first Hayabusa ride, when I bought a ticket to Morioka at Shizuoka Station early Monday morning, there were no Gran Class or Green Car seats left, and no window seats in the ordinary car either, which surprised me as I wondered if that's just how it is. The weather wasn't great, and although the forecast said it would clear up as I headed north, the clouds wouldn't break at all, which made me anxious.
Eventually, around the time I passed Ichinoseki, the blue sky began to spread rapidly...

I shoved my luggage into a coin locker at Morioka Station and stopped short in the connecting passage. That's Mt. Iwate, right? I'm looking at the real thing, aren't I? Me?
It goes without saying, but that was the level of emotion I felt.
I've arrived. I'm in Morioka.

Once I realized I was in Morioka, I couldn't hold back any longer and took a taxi to Shiwa Castle. I had already bought bread and drinks, so I was so absorbed that I didn't even care about having breakfast later.
Since it's Monday, the guidance facility is closed. If it were open, I might have been able to see the exhibits of government officials working at the government office and the guidance video (which I've seen on the web before, and it was a well-thought-out video production).

The cherry blossoms are already coming to an end.
I turned into a suspicious elderly woman taking pictures while wandering around in front of the outer south gate.
I wanted to include Mt. Iwate in the shot somehow.
Can you get a sense of the width of the outer moat and the distance from the south gate?
An information board that makes it easy to grasp the scale of the past and the positional relationship with the Shizukuishi River.
The outer earthen wall was made using rammed earth; here is an estimated diagram of that process.
An estimated diagram of 'entertainment'.
Approaching and looking up at the outer south gate, it's so tall.
I want to know what the structural relationship between the gate and the earthen wall was like.

The young zelkova trees on the main road that I saw in Shiwa-maro-kun's post before have grown and now have a dignified presence. The government office south gate can be seen small in the far distance.

Inside the outer enclosure of Shiwa Castle, many pit dwelling remains have been detected along the earthen walls, and it is thought that the garrison soldiers might have lived there. The reconstruction uses thatch for the above-ground parts, but they might have had earthen roofs back then.
Just to be sure, the Yoro Code's military defense regulations stipulate that in the eastern, northern, and western districts, people should live inside safe fortifications, and only sheds for tools should be placed near the fields, so I personally believe that not only garrison soldiers and prisoners of war but also 'sakuko' (settlers) lived in the northernmost castle fences.

I can't enter the exhibition room today, but in the sunlight that reminds me of early summer, pheasants are singing, and the area is in full bloom. I found a bench in the shade, and just sitting there amidst the voices of birds, the buzzing of insects, and the dense scent of spring plants makes me happy.

As an addendum for May 2025, after attending the Tohoku History Museum's Tagajo 1300th Anniversary Special Exhibition in the autumn of 2024 and the Chikatsu Asuka Museum's Spring Special Exhibition 'The Kudara-no-Konikishi Clan: Reviving a Lost Lineage' in the spring of 2025, I realized that it is insufficient to consider the Ritsuryo state's management of the Tohoku region without concretely envisioning the actual conditions, practical duties, and authority of the 'Chinju-fu' (Pacification Headquarters).
Until now, I had vaguely assumed that 'relocation' simply meant the place where the Chinju-shogun (General for the Pacification of the North) and the associated officials and armed soldiers were stationed had moved. I was completely wrong!
I would like to leave some notes on the two special exhibitions mentioned above, as well as the special lectures and international symposiums.

As I walked through the suburban rural landscape toward my accommodation near Morioka Station, I was struck by an incredible sense of déjà vu. When I thought about what it could be, I realized that the background scenery from the roadwork scenes in the TV anime version of Haikyu!! was exactly what was unfolding before my eyes.
And then I crossed the bridge over the Shizukuishi River; my, what a lovely riverbed.

A scene that makes you wonder when and where this is.
An attractive riverbed that might have tempted me to get off my bike if I had been riding one (don't do that).

Regarding the Shiwa Castle Ancient Park.


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