Ichijodani medieval town

A town in the Warring States period

'Ichijodani' is a place name where is located in Fukui prefecture. In the Warring States period, Fukui prefecture was called Echizen country, and this area was territory of the Asakura clan.

They built their capital town at Ichijodani, so if we call the name 'Ichijodani' it means the capital of the Asakura clan. Considering the Warring Sates period, the capitals of the Sengoku lord's territory were taken as castles more often. For example, we usually describe this territory was ruled by a certain Sengoku lord in a certain castle. However, that situation began after the completion of Oda Nobunaga's Azuchi castle, which a certain castle had a castle-town as a capital town.

Before that incident, for example, when Oda Nobunaga owned Gifu castle, Gifu was the center of his territory, and his residence and craftsmen's town were made at the foot of the castle hill. The town at the foot of the castle hill was only for craftsmen at that time. As his new trial, Oda Nobunaga made a further step to gather merchants to retail goods and made the economy activate.

'Ichijodani' is one of the typical sample of the town of the Sengoku period. Most of other Sengoku lords made small towns at the feet of their castle mountains. And they made their residence and their employee craftsmen's living places there. Then, castles were the first and towns were the next in their priority. On the other hand, Ichijodani was the first in the town planning of it. So, it was typical and many Sengoku lords paid attention to it.

About the Odani castle in north Oumi district, it's famous the castle but the town called 'Shimizudani'. By contrast, Ichijodani town is famous in spite of the castle called the Ichijoyama castle. That was because the town was typical among many Sengoku lords. This town was sandwiched tall mountains and in the center of them, and it was made in this flatland relatively wide and long enough. Each end of the valley, there were big earthworks to prevent invading enemy's forces. It's like a walled city in Europe.


Is it needed archeology?

This town was started to build at the latter half of the Muromachi period. More detail, maybe at 1468, the construction of this Asakura clan's capital was started. And at 1573, it was destroyed by Oda Nobunaga's invasion. So, it was flourished approximately 100 years.

This famous town was the headquarters of the Asakura clan who had a strong political power, and also relatively close to Kyoto, so many intellectuals at that time visited there. 

'Ichijodani' is considered as the headquarters of Asakura Yoshikage who was a famous enemy leader of Oda Nobunaga. However, this town had another aspect. We think it's suitable to see this town as a cultural pioneer town except for Kyoto. It was not an impregnable fortress. In the western half of Japan, the capital of the territory of the Ouchi clan, Yamaguchi town was the same kind of town. 

If you visit 'Ichijodani', you can't find anything special and you never seen. There are natural objects, a narrow plain sandwiched tall mountains, a pellucid stream in the center of the plain, and remains of the old road and many lined foundation stone of old wooden buildings on each side of the stream. In a very small part of this town, buildings such like Samurai residences and merchants houses were reproduced. There are dolls wearing the closes at that time in some buildings. However, almost of all are empty space and some sitings have only earthen walls and gates.

About the Asakura clan

In the Warring States period, many big-name Sengoku warriors appeared. Asakura Yoshikage was only one of them. The most famous three big-name were Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu. Others were connected with these three and estimated contributions on them. Asakura were usually connected with Oda Nobunaga, because he was a leader of Oda's opposition lords. However, this estimation is far biased to the political priority such like 'ruling over the whole country of Japan'.

The Warring States period was also a period when the priority of Samurai value of the Muromachi period destroyed. Asakura clan was a Shugodai (a high rank retainer of a Shugo or regional governor) of Shiba clan who was the Shugo of Echizan country. His ancestors had come from Tajima area where is now a northern area of Hyogo prefecture. They had moved to Echizen country and gathered their political power there. These kind of Samurai people were many in the Warring States period.

Asakura clan established their headquarters at Ichijodani region and began to stay there. And also they had been strengthening the dominance of the Echizen country. To say another word, they spent everyday life to battle their enemies in their neighboring areas, and that was same as other Sengoku lords. They concentrated their interest to rule their country, and didn't invade other districts. That was a difference from other Sengoku lords. Other Sengoku lords who typified by Oda Nobunaga had enlarged conflicts against neighboring Sengoku lords.

If we look at from another perspective, Ichijodani was utopia in the Warring States period. The Asakura clan was not only a Sengoku lord who battled for ruling over the whole country but also an adventure to seek an ideal town. We suppose they didn't intend to battle but to build their utopia such like a permanent neutral country. However, they failed in the middle of the way. They didn't make a relationship with Oda Nobunaga and his army destroyed their utopia.