SHIZUOKA CITY KANKO NAVI

Located on a river terrace on the right bank of the Okitsu River (at an elevation of approximately 60 meters), it offers a panoramic view of the townscape of Kojima stretching along the Minobu Road.The Kojima Domain began in 1704 (the first year of the Hōei era) when Matsudaira Nobuharu established a military headquarters here. For the next 164 years, until the domain was transferred to Kazusa Province in 1868 (the first year of the Meiji era), he governed the domain as a 10,000-koku hereditary daimyo, ruling over thirty villages in Abe, Yuto, and Anbara.

　Characterized by a layout reminiscent of a small castle, the site features extensive use of stone walls extending from the west to the south of the central palace, with three tiers of bailey-like enclosures. While the height of the stone walls is generally kept under 2 meters, some sections of the main gate reach up to 4 meters.

　After the Kojima Domain was transferred in 1868 (Meiji 1), an elementary school was established on the site, and some of the buildings from the domain headquarters were used as school buildings. However, following the school’s relocation in 1928 (Showa 3), most of the buildings were demolished. Only the study hall, part of the main residence, was relocated to a different site along the national highway and used as a local community hall; it was then moved back to its original location and restored in November 2024 (Reiwa 6).

　The site was designated a National Historic Site on July 28, 2006, as it is considered a valuable resource for understanding the layout and structure of daimyo administrative compounds during the mid-Edo period, given the survival of the study hall where the feudal lord resided and the well-preserved stone walls reminiscent of a castle.