En un regard
Le château en bref
Tate Castle, at Assabu in south-western Hokkaidō, is the last work of the Matsumae house. It occupies a projecting terrace overlooking the plain of the Assabu River, at about fifty metres above sea level. Its origin lies in a political crisis and an agricultural scheme: in July 1868 (old calendar), Shimokuni Tōshichirō, a young retainer who favoured developing the valley for rice growing, took control of the domain government and secured the decision to move the residence. With the agreement of the lord Norihiro, a request was made to the Hakodate authorities and then to the Daijōkan. Work began in September and Norihiro entered the castle on the 3rd day of the 11th month, which earned the domain the name of Tate domain.
The castle's military life was very short. The force of Matsuoka Shirōjirō, drawn from the former shogunate troops entrenched at Goryōkaku, set out on the 10th day of the 11th month and took the stronghold on the 15th, which falls in late December 1868 in the Gregorian calendar. The sources differ on how far construction had progressed: the official notice speaks of a work finished in October, whereas an archaeological study supposes that building was suspended until the snow melted. The site, never rebuilt, was partly farmed in the 1930s. Excavations have uncovered foundation stones attributed to the lord's living quarters, whose layout partly matches an old plan. Today the place is a rural park and a National Historic Site.
