更新日：2021年1月1日

Hamamatsu, the land where Ieyasu spent his early life

Tokugawa assumed rule over Hamamatsu when he was still young, and there are many stories about battles and vassals regarding the city, as well as local specialty products related to Ieyasu.
It is known that in addition to Ieyasu’s first wife (Tsukiyama-dono) and his second wife (Asahihime), he also had 16 concubines. These women bore him 16 children in total; 11 boys and 5 girls. Of them, 5 were born in Hamamatsu, including his second son Yuki Hideyasu and his third son Tokugawa Hidetada, who became the second shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate. There are many places in the city related to Ieyasu’s wives and children.

1）Komyo Kachiguri

When Ieyasu made his assault on Futamata Castle, it is said that the villagers of Komyo presented him with kachiguri (baked chestnuts). In Japanese, “kachi” is a homonym for “victory”, and Ieyasu was very pleased with the auspicious name of this present. Records remain showing that throughout the Edo period, Komyo Village continued to present kachiguri to Edo Castle, the seat of government of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

2）Seiryuji Temple

This Buddhist temple was built in 1579 to mourn the loss of Ieyasu’s oldest son Nobuyasu, who committed suicide at Futamata Castle. There is a mausoleum dedicated to Nobuyasu on the grounds of the temple.

3）Old Suzuki Family Manor

It is said that Acha-no-Tsubone, a concubine of Tokugawa Ieyasu, was sent to live at this manor of the Suzuki family, which had their base on the Tenryu River plain. Suzuki Goemon, a lord of the manor in the Edo Period, was granted the privilege of exclusive audiences with the feudal lord of Hamamatsu.

4）Azukimochi and Zenitori

While fleeing from the Battle of Mikatagahara, Ieyasu stopped to eat mochi (doughy rice cakes) at a teahouse, but as his enemies approached, he attempted to flee without paying for his meal. The owner of the teahouse caught up with Ieyasu and made him pay. Now the place where the teahouse once stood is called “Azukimochi” (literally, “mochi with bean paste”) and the place where the teahouse owner took payment is called “Zenitori” (literally “taking payment”).

5）Saigagake Historic Battlefield　(Prefectural Designated Historic Site)

Designated Historic Site)
Saigagake is said to be the place where the Tokugawa clan, who were defeated at the Battle of Mikatagahara, raided the Takeda clan at night and dealt them a serious blow. There is now a valley with a depth of 7 meters remains, so you can see what the site was like at the time.

6）Kumodachi no Kusu (prefectural natural monument)

Following his defeat at the Battle of Mikatagahara, Ieyasu hid inside grotto of this kusunoki (camphor tree) of the Hamamatsu Hachimangu Shrine, narrowly escaping the Takeda forces. Legend has it that when he faced the camphor tree and prayed, auspicious clouds rose above the tree.

7）Gosha Shrine

This Shinto shrine venerates the ubusunagami (god of one’s birthplace) of Tokugawa Hidetada, the second Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate. In the Kan’ei era (1624 – 1644) this shrine was built in the gongen-zukuri style (in which the main hall and worship hall are linked by a passageway, all under adjoined roofs) by decree of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third Shogun. There also remains the chozubachi (handwashing basin for ritual purification before visiting a shrine or temple) dedicated to the shrine by Koriki Tadafusa, a feudal lord of Hamamatsu domain who served as the magistrate of the area.

8）Daifukuji Natto

The Buddhist temple Daifukuji makes this kara natto (a type of fermented soybeans made by Buddhist temples), which is also called by the names Hamana Natto or Hama Natto. It has been known as a local specialty since medieval times, and it was presented to the Tokugawa Shogunate every year. Records remain showing that Ieyasu himself used kara natto as a portable food.

9）Nakamura Family Residence (Important Cultural Property)

The Nakamura family manor, which boasted of their power on the banks of Lake Hamana, is known as the birthplace of Ieyasu’s second son Hideyasu, and Hideyasu’s enazuka (placenta burial mound, a municipal designated cultural property) can be found on the premises of the manor. The Nakamura family residence built in 1688 also remains intact.

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