South Fukui · IchijodaniNo.476★Open in map →
Ichijodani Asakura Clan Ruins
The excavated castle town of the Asakura clan, spread along a valley south of Fukui. Streets, house plots and gardens lie exposed as excavation found them, with part of the townscape rebuilt at full scale.
- FromFukui Station
- ~15 minJR train, ~15 min
- Get off atIchijodani Station (JR Kuzuryu Line)
- From there
- Ichijodani Asakura Clan Ruins
The sweet spot
This is a major national site with a large prefectural museum, so it is not a secret. What makes it read differently from a castle is its shape: there is no keep to queue for and no single gate to gather at, only a valley you walk, with the interest spread along a couple of kilometres of road.
Where it is
28 more notes in Fukui · open the map →What to look for — in walking order
- Shimo-kido gate sitethe earthwork gate that closed the northern end of the town, the first of the ruins you reach
- Karamonthe gate facing the front of the lord's residence, built in the Edo period for the repose of Asakura Yoshikage
- Asakura Yakata-atothe compound of the lord's residence, the political centre of the valley
- Yudono-ato gardena garden on the high ground by the residence, kept as a bold arrangement of set stones
- Fukugen Machinamisamurai houses and merchant shops rebuilt at full scale on their excavated plots
How to actually get there
- Fukui Station → Ichijodani Station (JR Kuzuryu Line, about 15 min).
- Ichijodani Station → Fukui Prefectural Ichijodani Asakura Family Site Museum (walk about 3 min).
- Museum → the Shimo-kido gate site → the Karamon gate and the Asakura residence (walk about 30 min up the valley, or take a rental bicycle from the museum).
- Cross to the reconstructed townscape, then return to Ichijodani Station or take the Keifuku bus back to Fukui.
- JR Kuzuryu Line from Fukui Station
- Fukui Station →(JR Kuzuryu Line, about 15 min)→ Ichijodani Station. The prefectural museum is a three-minute walk from the platform. The Karamon gate and the Asakura residence are about thirty minutes further on foot, up the valley road.
- Return from Ichijodani Station or by bus
- Take the Kuzuryu Line back to Fukui from Ichijodani Station, or use the Keifuku bus from the museum instead. The Kuzuryu Line is a rural branch, so read the departure board on your way in and set your turnaround time before you walk up the valley.
About the place
Ichijodani is a narrow valley closed by mountains on three sides, with the Asuwa River along its northern edge. The Asakura made it the seat of their rule over Echizen and built a town on the valley floor, walled at each end by earthwork gates. Excavation has laid the town bare: stone-paved surfaces, the plots of houses and shops, drains and wells. Part of the townscape has since been rebuilt at full scale, so a samurai residence and a merchant shop stand at their original footprints. The prefectural museum at the north end holds the finds and a full-scale reconstruction of the lord's hall, and a large model of the whole town.
How to enjoy it
Start at the museum, which opens 9:00 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:30 and closes on Mondays; adult admission is 700 yen and the combined ticket with the reconstructed townscape is sold there. See the full-scale reconstruction of the lord's hall and the model of the town first, then walk out into the real one, which reads far better once you know the plan. The museum rents electric bicycles, which turns the length of the valley from a commitment into a short ride.
Background & history
The Asakura came out of the Muromachi wars holding Echizen, and by 1471 the clan's claim to the province was settled. They ruled from Ichijodani for five generations, a little over a century, and the valley grew into a castle town with the lord's hall at its centre. In 1573 the clan was defeated by Oda Nobunaga and the town was burned. Excavation has since brought the plan of the streets back to the surface, and much of it is now left exposed rather than reburied.
Before you go
- Cash
- The valley is free to walk. The museum charges admission and the reconstructed townscape has its own ticket, with a combined ticket sold at the museum. Bring cash for the museum's bicycle rental, which does not take cards.
- Before you go
- The museum closes on Mondays and over the New Year period, so a Monday visit gives you the valley without the exhibits. The site is open ground on a valley floor, and there is very little cover from weather once you leave the museum.
- Another way
- From Fukui Station west exit, stop 5, the Keifuku bus route 62 reaches the museum in about 25 minutes. From the east exit, stop 1, the Asakura-Eiheiji Direct Bus takes about 16 minutes and also links the site with Eiheiji temple.
- After you get off
- From Ichijodani Station it is about three minutes on foot to the prefectural museum. The ruins run south from there along the valley road, roughly thirty minutes of walking to reach the Karamon gate.