志苔館跡 | |
 Aerial view (courtesy ofHakodate City) | |
  Shown within Hokkaido Show map of Hokkaido Shinoridate (Japan) Show map of Japan | |
| Location | Hakodate,Hokkaidō,Japan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°45′57″N140°49′20″E / 41.765825°N 140.822251°E /41.765825; 140.822251 |
| Altitude | 17 to 25 m (56 to 82 ft) |
| Type | Fortified residence |
| Length | 50 to 65 metres (164 to 213 ft) |
| Width | 70 to 80 metres (230 to 260 ft) |
| Area | 4,100 square metres (44,000 sq ft) (enclosure) 19,960.14 square metres (214,849.2 sq ft) (Historic Site) |
| Site notes | |
| Ownership | National Historic Site |
| Public access | Yes |
The site ofShinoridate (志苔館跡,Shinoridate ato) inHakodate,Hokkaidō, Japan, is that once occupied by the Shinori Fort or Fortified Residence (as denoted by thetateordate ending). This was the easternmost of the so-called "Twelve Garrisons of Southern Hokkaido", built on theOshima Peninsula by theWajin from the fourteenth century.[1][2] The site wasdesignated aNational Historic Site in 1934 and is one of the Japan Castle Foundation'sContinued Top 100 Japanese Castles.[3][4]
Shinoridate is located some 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) to the east of the center ofHakodate, along a stretch of coast with many good natural harbours. A short distance inland from Shinori Fishing Port, with the mouth of the Shinori River to the west, the gently sloping site overlooks theTsugaru Strait andShimokita Peninsula, with views also towardsMount Hakodate.[1][7]
The earthworks rise to a height of 4 to 4.5 metres (13 to 15 ft) on the north side and 1 to 1.5 metres (3.3 to 4.9 ft) to the south and are interrupted by an opening on both the east and the west sides. The moat is 5 to 10 metres (16 to 33 ft) wide on the north and west sides and up to 3.5 metres (11 ft) deep and is crossed by two earth bridges, that to the west particularly well-preserved.[1][7]
First laid out around the end of the fourteenth century, Shinoridate features in theMatsumae Domainal historyShinra no Kiroku, which tells of it being sacked by the Ainu inChōroku 1 (1457), duringKoshamain's War, and again falling to theAinu inEishō 9 (1512), after which its occupants, the house of Kobayashi (小林氏), became subject to theMatsumae clan.[1][note 1]
The Hakodate City Board of Education conducted excavations and surveys of the enclosure and surrounding area between 1983 and 1985, uncovering the remains of a number of buildings, palisades, a well, artefacts made of bronze, iron, stone, and wood,celadons andwhite porcelain from southern China, as well as domesticSuzu,Echizen, andSeto ware.[1][7][8]
Three different intercolumnar measurements were used in the construction of the buildings, the style of the well is that found inHeian-kyō in the late Kamakura period, while many of the ceramics are typical of the early fifteenth century.[7]
Accordingly, three mainphases have been identified: the end of the fourteenth or early-fifteenth century; mid-fifteenth century; and sixteenth century or later. With the archaeological evidence pushing back the origins of the fort at least half a century before Koshamain, its construction can no longer be understood as an immediate response to the contingencies of 1457, and other explanations are required.[7]
In July 1968, during widening work on the prefectural road (nowNational Route 278) that runs past the fort, aNanbokuchō-period (C14)coin hoard was unearthed some 40 metres (130 ft) inland from the mouth of the Shinori River, at a location 3 metres (9.8 ft) above sea level. This is the largest hoard found to date in Japan in terms of the number of coins it contains.[7]
The three large vessels excavated weighed, together with their contents, 1.6 tonnes (1.6 long tons; 1.8 short tons). Ninety-three different types of coin have been identified: a handful in total ofearly Japanese coinage of theAsuka,Nara and earlyHeian periods, late tenth-centuryVietnamese coinage of theĐinh andEarly Lê dynasties, and late eleventh-centuryGoryeocoinage from Korea; the bulk comprisingChinese coinage, primarily of theSong dynasty, issues ranging in date from4 Zhu Ban Liang minted in the fifth year ofEmperor Wen ofHan (175 BC) toHongwu Tongbao from the first year of theHongwu Emperor, founder of theMing dynasty (1368).[7] The 374,435 coins from this hoard now at theHakodate City Museum have beendesignated anImportant Cultural Property.[9]
A 1999 study of 275 Japanese hoards, totalling 3,530,000 coins, found that theChinese copper coins used in Japan in the Middle Ages were brought over in the largest number in the thirteenth century, were used primarily in commerce or for paying soldiers, and were buried largely for reasons of security, although there were also instances of ritual or votive deposits.[10][11] The dating of the Shinori hoard precludes its burial as a response toKoshamain's War; instead it may relate to trade, the local Shinori orKagakombu featuring alongsideEzo salmon in theNanboku-chō period textTeikin Ōrai (庭訓往来). Produce from the area would have been traded along theHokuriku coast to reach the markets of Kyōto and Ōsaka.[7]
