English – ページ 122 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

121.Motosakura Castle Part1

The castle of the Chiba Clan, an illustrious clan in Kanto Region

Location and History

Chiba Clan built it in 15th Century

Motosakura Castle was a large castle which was located in Shimosa Province (what is now the northern part of Chiba Prefecture). A warlord, Suketane from the Chiba Clan, first built the castle at latest in 1484 on a hilly area called Masakado-yama. The area was surrounded by Inba-numa Lake, and only open to the Shimosa Road on flat land in the southern direction. This meant the area was defensive and convenient for water and land transport.

The map around the castle in the early Meiji Era, Inba-numa Lake was still near the castle

The Chiba Clan’s family crest, Gessei or Moon and Star *(licensed by Los688 via Wikimedia Commons)*

Central portion, Inner Compounds.

When the castle was first built, the warlords in the Kanto Region were split into two groups, the western group and the eastern group. The western group was led by the shogunal deputy for the Kanto Region, the Uesugi Clan, and the eastern group was led by the head of the Kanto government in Koga, the Ashikaga Clan. The Chiba Clan was included in the eastern group and the Motosakura Castle was also an important site which connected Koga in Shimosa Province to the other provinces in Boso Peninsula inside the group. The clan built several enclosures in the central portion of the castle called the Inner Compounds.

The location of the castle

The Main Enclosure called Shiro-yama had the Main Hall for the lord of the castle. The hall had a set of two formal buildings called Shuden and Kaisho, because the clan was the governor of the province. The Okuno-yama enclosure, which had the Myoken Shrine where the clan went for worship, is next to the main enclosure on the west. The Okuno-yama enclosure was connected to the Main Enclosure by a wooden bridge . The next one is the Kura-ato Enclosure which had warehouses. The westmost one is the Settei-yama Enclosure which was used for guesthouses. In addition to these enclosures, the Higashi-yama Enclosure was set to protect them, and the Tokoji-byo Enclosure, which had temples, faced Inba-numa Lake.

The enclosures of the Inner Compound (from the signboard at the site)

Outer Compounds were built against Satomi Clan

In the middle of the 16th Century, the situation of the Kanto Region changed. The Hojo Clan captured most of the region, then the Chiba Clan decided to support Hojo by adopting a son from them. However, the Satomi Clan in Boso Peninsula (the south of Honsakura Castle) was against Hojo. As a result, the Chiba Clan had to reinforce the defense of the castle on the south.

The location of Motosakura Castle and the home base of the Satomi Clan

The clan built large enclosures outside the Inner Compounds, called the Outer Compounds such as Araue, Negoya, and Mukai-Negoya. They were surrounded by thick earthen walls and had the sticking out defensive positions called Umadashi, which were built using Hojo’s techniques. In addition, the Settai-yama Enclosure became the pivot of the defense because it was the connecting point between the Inner Compounds and the Outer Compounds. The range of the castle finally reached 39,000 square meters.

The whole image of the castle including the Outer Compound *(from the signboard at the site)*

However, The Chiba Clan was fired by the ruler Hieyoshi Toyotomi in 1590, as their master Hojo Clan was also defeated by Hideyoshi. After that, Motosakura Castle was sometimes used by several clans. The castle was finally abandoned in 1615.

The Portrait of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, attributed to Mitsunobu Kano, ownd by Kodaiji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Motosakura Castle Part2”

160.Imori Castle Part3

The ruins are becoming a National Historic Site.

Later History

Imori Mountain was developed as a tourist spot in the Modern Times. For example, the statue of Masatsura Kusunoki and the stand for hoisting the national flag were built on the top. In addition, an amusement park was built on the Senjojiki Enclosure during the early Showa Era which might have destroyed part of the castle ruins. Shijonawate and Daito Citys, which own the ruins of Imori Castle dividedly, have recently been excavating the ruins. That’s why new discoveries such as the stone walls are often found. They aim to have the ruins designated as a National Historic Site.

*The remaining stone walls at the eastern side of the Main Enclosure* (quoted from the Daito City Website)

My Impression

I think visiting the ruins of Imori Castle is like killing two birds with one stone. You can see the castle ruins while taking a hike. In addition, you may find a new discovery from the recent excavation with every visit.

As for Nagayoshi Miyoshi, if he lived a little longer, the Japanese history might have been different. Nobunaga Oda would not have gotten to Kyoto that easily, so his unification of Japan would be impossible. Nobunaga was not only strong, but also very fortunate.

Part of the *portrait of Nagayoshi Miyoshi, owned by Juko-in of Daitokuji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

How to get There

It takes about one and a half hours from Shijonawate Station or Nozaki Station on JR Gakuen-toshi line to the castle ruins on foot.
To get to the stations from Tokyo: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen Super Express, transfer to the Osaka-Higashi Line at Shin-Osaka Station, and transfer to the Gakuen-toshi Line at Hanaten Station.

Links and References

・Daito City Website
・Shijonawate City Website

That’s all.
Back to “Imori Castle Part1”
Back to “Imori Castle Part2”

160.Imori Castle Part2

This castle was covered with stone walls.

Features

Trail from Shijonawate Shrine

Now, the trails at the ruins of Imori Castle have become very popular for hiking. There are several trails to choose from when you visit the ruins. I will describe one of the trails from JR Shijonawate Station via Shijonawate Shrine. The shrine is dedicated to Masatsura Kusunoki, a warrior in the 14th Century during Northern and Southern dynasties. He was the son of Masasige Kusunoki. He supported the Southern dynasty and was beaten in the battle of Shijonawate in 1348 by the troop of the Ashikaga Shogunate. Ashikaga Shogunate supported the Northern dynasty which used their position at Imori-yama Mountain to defeat Masatsura.

The aerial photo around the castle

Northern Enclosures and Great Wide View

The trail behind the shrine is very long and steep. You need to climb nearly 300m up the mountain. All the trails are on the western side of the mountain, so you won’t see any of the stone walls until you get to the top of the mountain. At the top of the slope, you will reach the northern part of the castle. This part is narrow, and there are several small enclosures. You will suddenly see a great city-wide view of Kyoto and Osaka. You can also see some of the remaining stone walls on the eastern side of the mountain. However, you can’t go below the stone walls because the trails on that side are abandoned and dangerous. There is also the burial mound for Nagayoshi Miyoshi called Gotaizuka around there.

The remaining stone walls of the northern enclosures

Southern Enclosures – Main and Senjojiki Enclosures

As you go on the trail to the south, it is divided into two branches at the entrance of the southern part. The one on the right is for the Main Enclosure on the top of the mountain. There are several attractions for hikers on the top such as the observation platform, the statue of Masatsura, the ruins of the stand for hoisting the national flag before World War II, and the signpost of the castle. You can also see a great view again of Osaka Plain on the west. If you go on the other branch on the left, you can see a lot of stone walls on the eastern side of the Main Enclosure. New discoveries about the stone walls were recently found one after another.

The statue of Masatsura Kusunoki *(licensed by ブレイズマン via Wikimedia Commons)*

The ruins of the stand for hoisting the national flag

A view of Osaka Plain from the Main Enclosure

On the south of the Main Enclosure, there is the largest enclosure in the castle, called Senjojiki, which means a hall of 1,000 mats. It is thought that it had the Main Hall for Nagayoshi, and now has a transmitting tower. The enclosure was guarded by the narrow earthen bridge on the north and the entrance with stone walls on the south. You can see both of these ruins onsite.

The Senjojiki Enclosure with the transmitting tower

The earthen bridge in the north of the enclosure

The ruins of the entrance in the south of the enclosure

To be continued in “Imori Castle Part3”
Back to “Imori Castle Part1”