Ihara

Ihara was a district of Suruga whose settlements lay near the eastern approaches to the provincial centre and the coastal road. During the Northern and Southern Courts wars, Ashikaga Takauji made the Imagawa his governors in Suruga and Tōtōmi. He also rebuilt Seikenji near the Kiyomi barrier, using its position to defend the road and watch opposing forces. Later the region became part of the struggle for Suruga after Imagawa Yoshimoto's death. Takeda Shingen invaded in 1568 and established a stronghold at Ejiri as his control expanded. Archaeological work at Ihara Castle has identified multiple enclosures, cut ditches and vertical defensive trenches, making the district's military landscape tangible. Under the Tokugawa, the Tōkaidō was developed around Ejiri and nearby temple settlements, and post stations connected this former zone of competing castles with a more regular system of official travel.