Shiwa Castle

Japanese: 志波城 - しわじょう

An ancient castle fort located west of Morioka city, Iwate Prefecture. Nationally designated historic site. Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, who defeated the Emishi chief Aterui (Aterutame, Ateritame ), built this political and military base near the confluence of the Kitakami River and the Shizukuishi River in 803 (Enryaku 22) to establish a ruling system based on the Ritsuryo system in the northern part of Okuroku District (later Rikuchu, the area centered on today's Iwate Prefecture). There were various theories about the location of Shiba Castle, but the location was identified in an excavation survey conducted prior to the construction of the Tohoku Expressway in the late 1970s, and it became a nationally designated historic site, the Shiba Castle Ruins. As a result of this investigation, it was found that the castle had a double structure with an outer wall surrounded by a moat and a tsuji wall, and an inner wall 150m square also surrounded by a tsuji wall, with government buildings arranged inside, and that outside the outer wall there were the remains of many pit dwellings that were thought to have been barracks. Its scale was larger than that of Isawa Castle, which became a naval base, and comparable to that of Taga Castle. However, it suffered heavy damage from the flooding of the Shizukuishi River, and was abandoned about 10 years after construction, and a new castle fence ( Tokutan Castle) was built, completing its role. Currently, the ruins of Shiwa Castle have been developed by Morioka City and have become "Shiwa Castle Ancient Park." Buildings, gates, tsuji walls, etc. have been restored within the park. Take a bus from JR Morioka Station for about 26 minutes, get off at Iioka-Jumonji, and walk for about 5 minutes. ◇It is also written as Shiwa Castle.

Source: Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles Information

Japanese:

岩手県盛岡市市街の西にあった古代の城柵。国指定史跡。蝦夷の首長アテルイ（阿弖流爲、阿弖利爲）を滅ぼした坂上田村麻呂(さかのうえのたむらまろ)が803年（延暦22）、奥六(おくろく)郡（のちの陸中、今日の岩手県を中心とした一帯）北部に律令制に基づく支配体制を根づかせるために、北上川と雫石川が合流するあたりに築いた政治・軍事上の拠点である。志波城があった場所については諸説あり確定していなかったが、1970年代の後半に東北自動車道の建設に先立って行われた発掘調査で所在地が判明し、国指定史跡「志波城跡」となった。この調査の結果、堀と築地塀に囲まれた外郭と150m四方を築地塀で囲まれた内郭の二重構造で、その中に官衙の建物が配され、外郭の外側には兵舎と思われる多数の竪穴住居跡があったこともわかった。その規模は鎮守府となった胆沢(いさわ)城を上回り、多賀城に匹敵する。しかし、雫石川の氾濫により大きな被害を受け、建設から10年ほどで放棄され、新たな城柵（徳丹(とくたん)城）が建設されて、その役割を終えた。現在、志波城跡は盛岡市により整備されて「志波城古代公園」になっている。公園内には建物や門、築地塀などが復元されている。JR盛岡駅からバス約26分で飯岡十文字下車、徒歩約5分。◇斯波城とも記される。

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