Suwon Castle

Japanese: 水原城 - すいばらじょう

Hirajiro Castle was located in Agano City, Niigata Prefecture (formerly Mizuhara Town, Kitakanbara County). During the founding of the Kamakura Shogunate, the Omi clan of Izu Province was appointed as land steward of Shirakawa Manor due to their military achievements and moved to this area. The clan later took the name Mizuhara, but the castle was built and used as the residence of the Mizuhara clan (the main line took the name Yasuda). The Mizuhara clan served Uesugi Kenshin during the Sengoku period, but in the Shibata Shigeie Rebellion in 1581 (Tensho 9), the castle lord Mizuhara Mitsuie, who sided with Uesugi Kagekatsu, was killed in battle while retreating from Shibata Castle, Shigeie's residence, by Shigeie's pursuit, and the castle was handed over to Shigeie's side. After that, Mizuhara Castle stubbornly resisted the offensives of Kagekatsu's side and did not fall easily, but it finally fell in 1584 (Tensho 12) and became Kagekatsu's subordinate castle. In 1598 (Keicho 3), Mizuwara Castle was abandoned when Kagekatsu was transferred to Aizu. Later, in 1746 (Enkyo 3), an area of 60,000 to 100,000 koku, including Agano City, Kitakanbara County, Nakakanbara County, Minamikanbara County, and parts of Iwafune County, became Tenryo (territory directly controlled by the shogunate), and a magistrate's office was established on the ruins of Mizuwara Castle as a base for governance. 22 generations of magistrates, including the first magistrate, Naito Juemon, used this magistrate's office as a base for governance of the Tenryo, development of new fields and ports, and monitoring of outside domains such as Shibata and Murakami Domain. Ogasawara Nobusuke, who took up the post as the 19th magistrate, established a learning center called Onkodo within the magistrate's office in 1850 (Kaei 3), inviting Rai Sanyo's son Rai Shiho to give lectures. This is said to have led to the later Mizuwara Elementary School. In March 1868 (Keio 4), the Mizuwara Daikansho came under the care of the Aizu Domain following the Boshin War, but was closed in July of the same year when the Aizu Domain soldiers retreated due to an invasion by the Imperial Army. The new government later took over the building and used it, but it was demolished when its functions were transferred to the Echigo Prefecture, and the site became the grounds of Mizuwara Elementary School and housing. In August 1995 (Heisei 7), the building was restored and opened to the public. Unfortunately, no remains of Mizuwara Castle from the Sengoku period remain. It is about a 10-minute walk from JR Mizuwara Station on the Uetsu Main Line.

Source: Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles Information

Japanese:

新潟県阿賀野市（旧北蒲原郡水原町）にあった平城(ひらじろ)。鎌倉幕府創立期に戦功により白河荘地頭職に任ぜられ、この地に移り住んだ伊豆国の大見氏の一族はのちに水原氏を名乗ったが、その庶流の水原氏（嫡流は安田氏を名乗った）が築き、居城としていた城である。水原氏は戦国時代、上杉謙信に仕えたが、1581年（天正9）の新発田重家の乱で、上杉景勝に味方した城主の水原満家は、重家の居城の新発田城から退却する途中、重家の追撃を受けて討ち死にし、城は重家方に渡った。その後、水原城は景勝方の攻勢に頑強に抵抗して容易に落ちなかったが、1584年（天正12）、ついに落城し、景勝の属城となった。1598年（慶長3）、景勝の会津移封に伴い、水原城は廃城となった。その後、1746年（延享3）、阿賀野市・北蒲原郡、中蒲原・南蒲原・岩船の各郡の一部を含む一帯6～10万石が天領（幕府直轄領）となったことから、その統治の拠点として、水原城跡に代官所が設置された。初代代官の内藤十右衛門を含め22代の代官がこの代官所を拠点として、天領の統治のほか新田・港などの開発と新発田、村上藩などの外様藩の監視にあたった。19代の代官として着任した小笠原信助は1850年（嘉永3）、代官所内に温故堂という名の学問所を設立し、頼山陽の息子の頼支峰を招いて講義を行っている。これがのちの水原小学校につながったとされる。水原代官所は1868年（慶応4）3月、戊辰戦争にともない会津藩預かりとなったが、官軍の侵攻により会津藩の兵が撤退したことにより、同年7月に閉鎖された。その後、新政府はこの建物を接収して利用したが、その機能を越後府に移したことから破却され、跡地は水原尋常小学校の敷地や宅地となった。1995年（平成7）8月、この代官所の建物が復元され、一般に公開された。戦国時代の水原城の遺構は残念ながら残っていない。JR羽越本線水原駅から徒歩約10分。

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