Hachinohe Castle was constructed in 1627, but styled as a ''
jin'ya due to restrictions set by the Tokugawa Shogunate, which permitted only one castle per domain. It had two sets of concentric moats, and a two-story central structure with a barracks but no donjon. It became the headquarters of the new Hachinohe Domain in 1664. From 1827 to 1829, the eighth daimyō'', Nambu Nobumasa, constructed a new palace in the
inner bailey, as well as a
martial arts training school in the second bailey. In 1838, Hachinohe Domain was upgraded in rank by the Shogunate, and for the first time Hachinohe Castle was officially styled as a “castle”. After the
Meiji Restoration, the new
Meiji government ordered the destruction of all former feudal fortifications, and in compliance with this directive, all structures of Hachinohe Castle were pulled down in 1871, with the
Shinto shrine erected in the main bailey in its place. The site is now an
urban park,
Miyagi Park, and nothing remains of the former castle aside from a monument and local place-names. One gate from the palace, built in 1797, has survived as a gate to the private residence of the descendants of Hachinohe Nambu clan, who received the title of
viscount under the
kazoku peerage system in the
Meiji period. This is an Aomori Prefecture
Important Cultural Property. == Literature ==