Preserving cultural history

The Tachibana family and Yoshimasa Tanaka are indispensable in talking about the history of Yanagawa. Their military exploits, culture, and deep ties with the local residents have played an important role in shaping the Yanagawa of today.

The Tachibana family and 400 years of Yanagawa history

It was about 400 years ago that Tachibana Muneshige became the lord of Yanagawa Castle.

It was in 1587 that the Sengoku warlord Tachibana Muneshige entered Yanagawa Castle under the orders of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Muneshige was a vassal of the Otomo clan, a feudal lord in Kyushu, but Hideyoshi recognized his military achievements and promoted him to feudal lord status. Muneshige was not only skilled in battle. He was also an excellent leader, and it seems he was trusted by the people of Yanagawa.

Muneshige sided with the Western Army in the Battle of Sekigahara and was driven out of his territory. Afterwards, he experienced life as a wanderer, but his military achievements and character during his time as Toyotomi were recognized by the Tokugawa Shogunate, and he was restored as the lord of Yanagawa Domain. After the Battle of Sekigahara, Tachibana Muneshige was the only daimyo who was able to regain his former territory after being driven out.
→ Click here for more details on the history of the Tachibana family

Fumiko, the 16th generation of the Tachibana family, married Kazuo and decided to run a Japanese restaurant using the Tachibana daimyo mansion.

This was the birth of the restaurant and inn “Ohana.”

The people of Yanagawa were astonished, saying, “A lord and a princess are running a restaurant!”

“At the time, the conversation was often along the lines of, ‘It’s natural for feudal lords to frequent traditional Japanese restaurants, but I’d never heard of one running one’, and ‘If you fail, you’ll be the laughing stock of society.'” Fumiko, with her usual cheerfulness, encouraged Kazuo by saying, “You’ll manage to do it,” and although it took many years for things to get on track, Onohana today has become a tourist hub for Yanagawa.

It is loved by many people as a cultural facility that conveys daimyo culture to the present day.
→Today, the restaurant and inn Ohana, run by a descendant of the Tachibana family, is here

Yoshimasa Tanaka, the man who shaped Yanagawa

He sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Battle of Sekigahara, and was recognized for his achievement in capturing Ishida Mitsunari. He became the lord of Chikugo Province and entered Yanagawa Castle in 1601.

Tanaka Yoshimasa was not just a military commander, but also an excellent urban planner and flood control engineer. He was called the “god of civil engineering” and showed a wide range of talents, greatly changing Yanagawa.

First, Yoshimasa renovated Yanagawa Castle and developed the castle town. It can be said that the urban structure that forms the foundation of modern Yanagawa was established at this time.
Yanagawa, a low-lying marshland along the Ariake Sea coast, was plagued by floods, and Yoshimasa carried out large-scale flood control projects and worked hard to solve the problem.
Many of the canal networks that characterize Yanagawa were developed during Yoshimasa’s time.
This moat not only improved transportation access but also served as a defense for the castle.
He also focused on promoting agriculture and commerce, contributing to the economic development of Yanagawa.

Many of Yoshimasa’s achievements can still be seen in present-day Yanagawa. Many things that are visible to the eye, such as Yanagawa Castle, its moats, and the structure of the castle town, were shaped by Yoshimasa’s hand.
His achievements are the foundation of modern-day Yanagawa and are deeply rooted in the lives of its people. If you visit Yanagawa, be sure to follow in the footsteps of Tanaka Yoshimasa and experience his great accomplishments.
→ Click here for Shinshoji Temple