Site of Tagajō

Taga-jō (多賀城^?) was a fort in Tōhoku established during the campaigns against the Emishi in the eighth century. It was located in what is now the modern city of Tagajō, Miyagi Prefecture. It served as the administrative centre of Mutsu Province. Bashō tells of his visit to the site in Oku no Hosomichi. The ruins of Taga-jō and its former temple have been designated a Special Historic Site (特別史跡^?).

During the wars against the Emishi (蝦夷^?) in northeastern Honshū, the Japanese built a series of forts and stockades to provide strongholds and administrative centres as part of their conquest and colonization of the area. An inscription gives a foundation date of 724 for Tagajō. It became the administrative capital of Mutsu Province and one of the main bases for operations, alongside Akita Fort and Okachi Fort in Dewa Province. The military jurisdiction was termed Chinjufu Shogun (鎮守府^?), the northeastern equivalent to Dazaifu (太宰府^?) in the southwest. Tagajō was rebuilt after being sacked and burned by the Emishi in 780, before being badly damaged by the Jōgan tsunami of 869. The rise of Hiraizumi in the twelfth century saw its final demise.

...
Wikipedia