Ne Castle

Ne Castle (Nejo) is the site of a medieval castle in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. Built in 1334, it was the centre of the Hachinohe area for about 300 years. The main part of the site is now a park, Shiseki Nejo no Hiroba (史跡根城の広場), where the buildings of the main bailey have been rebuilt as they stood in the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Ne Castle is No. 5 on the list of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan.

History

In 1333 Emperor Go-Daigo made Kitabatake Akiie governor of Mutsu Province, and Akiie went north with Prince Noriyoshi, the later Emperor Go-Murakami. Nanbu Moroyuki went with them and was appointed Akiie's deputy for Nukanobu District. In 1334, according to the museum, he built Ne Castle as one of the bases of the Southern Court. The line of the Nanbu clan that made the castle its seat became known as the Nejo Nanbu, or the Hachinohe clan.

The castle came through the wars between the Northern and Southern Courts and stood on through the Muromachi, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. In 1590 Toyotomi Hideyoshi confirmed Nanbu Nobunao of the Sannohe Nanbu as lord of all the Nanbu lands, and the Nejo Nanbu came under his command. Hideyoshi also ordered castles across the country pulled down. The Nanbu demolished most of theirs except Sannohe Castle, and Ne Castle stopped serving as a castle. In 1627 Nanbu Toshinao moved the Nejo Nanbu to Tono, in present-day Iwate Prefecture, and the castle's role came to an end.

Excavation and the park

The castle site became a National Historic Site in 1941. Excavation and restoration began in 1978 and took about 11 years. The finds include parts of armour, swords and other weapons, and ceramics and other everyday objects. The main part of the site opened as a park in October 1994.

The main bailey

The Honmaru (本丸), the main bailey, has been rebuilt on the evidence of the excavations. At its centre is the shuden (主殿), the main hall where the lord received guests and held ceremonies. Inside, the ceremony held on the eleventh day of the New Year is recreated. Around it stand a workshop where weapons and armour were made and repaired, a plank storehouse, a barn and stables, and their interiors show tools and other objects of the time.