Isawa Castle

A base for the management of the Ezo in the early Heian period. A naval castle. It is believed to have been located in Sakuragawa, Mizusawa-ku, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture. The ancient state's management of Isawa began at the end of the Nara period, and had already been in operation for a quarter of a century. Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, who won the final victory in the battle against the Isawa Emishi in 801 (Enryaku 20), went down to the site as the Isawa Castle builder the following year, 802, and began construction. Approximately 4,000 farmers from Tokai and Higashiyama were transferred there as Kinohe (a type of Tondenhei). In 803, Tamuramaro was appointed as the builder of Shiwa Castle, and built a frontline castle to defend the north of Isawa Castle in what is today Ota, Morioka City, so Isawa Castle must have been completed by 802. At the same time, the naval base that had been located in Taga Castle was moved here, and it became a castle second only to the provincial capital, Taga Castle, and was governed by the Chinju Shogun, and was equivalent to the provincial capital for various affairs. Remains have been clarified through several excavations, and recently a lacquered paper document indicating the year of construction has been unearthed, but there are still some remains that are insufficient to demonstrate the grandeur of the castle.

[Takahashi Tomio]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

平安時代前期の蝦夷(えぞ)経営の基地。鎮守府城。所在は岩手県奥州(おうしゅう)市水沢(みずさわ)区佐倉河(さくらかわ)の地と考えられている。古代国家の胆沢経営は奈良時代末期から始まって、すでに四半世紀を閲(けみ)していた。801年（延暦20）の胆沢蝦夷との戦いに、最後の勝利を得た坂上田村麻呂(さかのうえのたむらまろ)は、翌802年、造胆沢城使として、現地に下向、造城に着手した。東海、東山からおよそ4000人の農民が柵戸(きのへ)（一種の屯田兵(とんでんへい)）として、移配された。803年には、田村麻呂は造志波城(しわじょう)使に任ぜられ、胆沢城の北を守る第一線の城を、今日の盛岡市太田に築いているから、胆沢城は802年のうちには成ったであろう。同時に多賀(たが)城に置かれていた鎮守府がここに移転し、国府多賀城に次ぐ鎮城となり、鎮守将軍の治するところとなって、諸事国府に準じた。数次にわたる発掘調査により、遺構が明らかになり、最近は、築城の年を示す漆(うるし)紙文書が出土するなどしているが、府城の威容を示す遺構としては、十分でないところもある。

［高橋富雄］

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