Suwa Koji in Kanegasaki Castle Town

Overview

Suwa Koji in Kanegasaki Castle Town is an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings located in Kanegasaki-machi, Oshu-gun, Iwate Prefecture. Spanning 690 meters east-west, 980 meters north-south, and covering approximately 34.8 hectares, it encompasses almost the entire area of Kanegasaki Yogai (fortified district) and the samurai residences, one of 21 such districts established by the Date clan of Sendai Domain. The former yogai and samurai residences were structured with samurai residences along the Kitakami River, ashigaru (foot soldier) residences at both ends of the north-south Oshu Kaido (highway), merchant residences in the central area, and the yogai clearly demarcated from surrounding rivers and farmland by a belt of trees. The framework of Kanegasaki Yogai is believed to have been developed by Omachi Sadayori, who was transferred to the domain in 1644 (Kan'ei 21). The preservation district's streets within the samurai residences largely remain as they were in the Edo period, exhibiting a characteristic castle town layout with a combination of hook-shaped, checkered, and bow-shaped roads. Each residence site is demarcated by a sawara-hiba (Japanese cypress) hedge, and various trees, including sugi (cedar) groves called 'egne', are planted in the northwest direction. The samurai residences are predominantly gabled, thatched-roof buildings. The view of large roofs of samurai residences peeking through the hedges and groves along the streets is a typical example of the samurai district in this region. Suwa Koji in Kanegasaki Castle Town is a place where history breathes in tranquility. Why not take a leisurely stroll, imagining the lives and culture of the samurai of that time and the role of Kanegasaki Yogai?