Editing Fukushima (city) (section)

=== Kamakura to Edo period ===
In 1180, [[Minamoto no Yoshitsune]], was accompanied by Shinobu district residents {{Nihongo|[[Satō Tsugunobu]]|佐藤継信}} and {{Nihongo|Satō Tadanobu|佐藤忠信}} on his way south to [[Kantō region|Kantō]] to fight the [[Taira clan]] in the [[Genpei War]].

[[File:Fukushima Prefectural Government (02.19.2009).jpg|thumb|right|Site of Daibutsu Castle, also known as Suginome Castle and later [[Fukushima Castle]]. It is now home to the Fukushima Prefectural Offices.]]

In 1413, {{Nihongo|[[Date Mochimune]]|伊達持宗}} shut himself inside {{Nihongo|Daibutsu Castle|大仏城}} in defiance of the [[Kamakura kubō]]. This is the first known historical mention of Daibutsu Castle, which was near the confluence of the Abukuma and [[Arakawa River (Fukushima)|Arakawa]] rivers at the present-day location of the Fukushima Prefectural Offices. It is said that the castle was named after the {{Nihongo|"Suginome Great Buddha"|杉妻大仏|Suginome [[Daibutsu]]}}, a [[Vairocana Buddha]] statue kept within the castle. The castle was also known as {{Nihongo|Suginome Castle|杉妻城}}.<ref name=fukushimaayumi1>{{cite book |publisher=福島市教育委員会 (Fukushima City Board of Education) |script-title=ja:福島のあゆみ |trans-title=The Progression of Fukushima |editor=『福島のあゆみ』編集委員会 ("The Progression of Fukushima" Editing Association) |orig-year=1967 |date=31 March 1969 |language=ja |pages=24–30}}</ref> It is believed that in this time period the area's name was changed from Minekoshi to {{Nihongo|'''Suginome'''|杉妻}} to reflect the concentration of political power in the area.

During the [[Azuchi–Momoyama period]], in 1591 [[Gamō Ujisato]] gained control of the Shinobu and Date districts, and under him {{Nihongo|[[Kimura Yoshikiyo]]|木村吉清}} took control of {{nihongo|Ōmori Castle|大森城}}, which was in the southwest of present-day Fukushima. The following year he moved from Ōmori Castle to Suginome Castle. It is said that, inspired by the recent renaming of {{nihongo3|"Black River Castle"|黒川城|Kurogawa-jō}} to the more joyous-sounding {{nihongo3|"Young Pine Castle"|若松城|[[Wakamatsu Castle|Wakamatsu-jō]]}}, he changed the name of his new residence to {{nihongo3|"Lucky Island Castle"|福島城|Fukushima-jō}}.<ref name=fukushimaayumi1 /> This castle, like many others in Japan, was later demolished at the beginning of the Meiji period.

In 1600, [[Date Masamune]] and [[Honjō Shigenaga]], who was under the [[Uesugi clan]] and head of [[Fukushima Castle]] at the time, fought the {{Nihongo|Battle of Matsukawa|松川の戦い}}. At the time, the Matsukawa River flowed in a different riverbed than it does now, as the current Matsukawa River is north of Mt. Shinobu, while the Matsukawa River at the time of the battle flowed south of Mt. Shinobu. It is said that the Battle of Matsukawa's battlefield extended from the southern base of Mt. Shinobu and extended into the center of modern-day Fukushima. In 1664 the Uesugi clan lost control of the Shinobu district, and the area became directly ruled by the [[Tokugawa shogunate]].

In 1702, the [[Fukushima Domain]] was established and governed from Fukushima Castle, and in 1787, the {{Nihongo|[[Shimomura Domain]]|下村藩}} was established in the present-day Sakurashimo area in the western part of Fukushima. This domain was later abolished in 1823.