English – ページ 97 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

119.Sugiyama Castle Part1

A castle which has both an advanced defense system and a mysterious history

Location and History

Simple but Popular Castle

Sugiyama Castle was located in Hiki District, what is now in the western part of Saitama Prefecture. The ruins of the castle recently became popular among history fans in Japan. The ruins are not so large and have no buildings and no stone walls. The ruins are all made of soil. In addition, it is also uncertain when and who built and used the castle. There are no clear records about the castle at all. So, what did the castle become famous for? The answer is that the castle had a surprisingly artful defense system for such a small local castle.

The location of the castle

“Sugiyama Castle Problem”

Historians have tried for a long time to find out when and who built Sugiyama Castle. However, their conclusions became more complicated. When the excavation team researched the castle ruins, they thought the castle was built and used around early 16th Century based on the unearthed relics. The Uesugi Clan, which governed the Kanto Region, had internal conflicts in the area around the castle at that time. The team speculates the clan built the castle. On the other hand, the researchers who study the layout of castles argue that the complex defense systems like Sugiyama Castle should have appeared later, such as in the late 16th Century. They think the Hojo Clan, which governed the Kanto Region after the Uesugi Clan, must have built such an advanced defense system. People call this discussion “Sugiyama Castle Problem”. The problem might even make the castle more popular.

The family crest of the Uesugi Clan called the Uesugi Bamboo Grass (licensed by Mukai via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Ujityasu Hojo, the lord of the clan in the 16th Century, owned by Odawara Castle (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

“Textbook for Building Castles”

Sugiyama Castle was built on a hill. The hill measured 42m high from the base. The castle had 10 enclosures, including one in the center of the castle. The enclosures spread into three directions in the south, north and east. These enclosures were built to protect the center of the castle called the Main Enclosure. The west of the castle was a steep cliff with a river flowing below, which was a natural hazard. All the enclosures were surrounded by earthen walls and dry moats and connected by earthen or wooden bridges. The most important feature of its defense system was that all the entrances of the enclosures were protected by the frank attacks or Yokoya. Protection was provided by the clever layout of the L-shaped earthen walls and the route to the enclosures. The design of the castle was highly sophisticated, so it is now often called “a textbook for building castles”.

The miniature model of the castle ruins, exhibited in the Ranzan Town Office

Castle may be Temporary

The excavation found that Sugiyama Castle didn’t have permanent buildings such as halls, turrets, and gates. It probably only had temporary buildings like huts and fences. It was also found that the castle was used for a short time because it was not modified before it was destroyed by fire. This means that the castle could have been built for a single purpose or battle. There were many other castles around Sugiyama Castle, which were also built probably for a single purpose. Many of these castles, such as Ogura Castle, had distinct features. Many battles happened around this area in the 16th Century during the Sengoku Period. It is thought that the warlords in this area built residential castles as well as single-use castles to survive. Even though Sugiyama Castle may have been one of the latter, it had a surprisingly technical defense system.

The whole view of Sugiyama Castle Ruins, from the signboard at the Ranzan Town Office

The ruins of Ogura Castle, this castle has stone walls which were rare in the Kanto Region when it was built

To be continued in “Sugiyama Castle Part2”

125.Kozukue Castle Part3

The ruins have become popular since the construction of the road.

Features

Parted Barbican

In fact, the ruins were partly destroyed and divided by the Daisan-Keihin Road. You can look at one of the barbicans over the road from the entrance of the Western Enclosure. You will have to go through the tunnel under the road to get there. The top of it is one of Fujizuka Mounds, called Fuji-sengen, made for worshiping Mt. Fuji since the Edo Period. It might had been a turret base before that. When you walk out of the ruins, you will get back to the city area right away.

The map around the castle

The Daisan-Keihin Road parting the ruins

Later History

After Kozukue Castle was abandoned, the local people have called the ruins Shiroyama or the Castle Mountain. The studies about the castle started as early as in the Edo Period. However, the ruins ironically became popular as a historic site since they were partly destroyed by the construction of the Daisan-keihin Road in 1963. Through that, Yokohama City launched the Kozukue Castle Ruins Forest to preserve them in 1977. People are now interested in what the castle was like in the past.

The ruins of Kozukue Castle and Daisan-Keihin Road

My Impression

I think Kozukue Castle is a good example of how to protect a castle with few defenders. I guess if a battle happened at Kozukue Castle when Hideyoshi invaded, this castle could survive at least over one night unlike Yamanaka Castle and Hachioji Castle.

The large dry moat in front of the Western Enclosure

How to get There

I recommend using a train when you visit the ruins because the park has no parking lot.
It takes about 15 minutes on foot from JR Kozukue Station on the Yokohama Line.

The castle ruins seen from the platform of Kozukue Station

The Yokohama-Kamiasao Road (Kanagawa Prefectural Road 12) goes near the station, so turn right at the Kozukue Station Intersection and go along the street. Then, turn right at the Kozukuetsuji Intersection.

Turn right at the Kozukuetsuji Intersection

Go along the street again, cross the railway and turn left at the first intersection.

Go along the street in the residential area, and when you find the signpost for the ruins on the utility pole on the right, turn right. You will eventually arrive at the entrance of the ruins.

Turn right when you find the signpost on the utility pole (inside the red circle)

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Kozukue Castle Part1”
Back to “Kozukue Castle Part2”

125.Kozukue Castle Part2

Another world in Yokohama City

Features

Ruins planted with Bamboo Forest

Today, the ruins of Kozukue Castle are preserved by Yokohama City as a park called the Kozukue Castle Ruins Forest. Yokohama City has the largest population among the cities in Japan except for Tokyo Special Ward, with about 3.8 million citizens. Even the hilly area around the ruins is covered with lots of modern facilities, office buildings and residences. However, once you walk into the ruins, you may feel like you are in another world. The hill for the ruins is basically planted with a beautiful and well-maintained bamboo forest. The foundation of the castle also remains under the forest.

The map around the castle

You can climb up on the well-developed trail from the foot of the hill called Nekoya.

Large-scale Dry Moat

You will soon reach the top of the outer earthen walls and see the large-scale dry moat in front of the enclosures. This dry moat is still about 13m in width and about 12m in depth. It must have been much deeper in the past. When the excavation team recently dug the bottom of another dry moat in the castle at over 2m, they still could not find its original bottom.

The trail goes on the outer earthen walls at the same level as the top of the moat, but you can also go down to the bottom from some points where the slope of the moat is gentle. If you stand at the bottom looking up, you might find another perspective of the castle.

The trail going on the outer earthen walls

One of the points where you can go down to the bottom of the moat

Eastern Enclosure under Excavation

If you walk around the outer earthen walls to the right, you will reach the Eastern Enclosure which is also called the Second Enclosure at the site. The excavation is also ongoing at the center of the enclosure, where some buildings were built in the past.

You can also climb up to the high turret earthen base at the edge of the enclosure, where you can look down the dry moat around it from the top.

A view of the dry moat around the enclosure from the base

The trail around the enclosure goes to the bottom of the moat. You will find the beautiful bamboo forest around the enclosure again when you walk on the trail.

Western Enclosure used as Sports Square

If you walk around the outer earthen walls to the left or walk over the Connecting Enclosure from the Eastern Enclosure, you will reach the Western Enclosure which is also called the Main Enclosure at the site. The inside of it is a flat square, so it is used for sports like baseball now. An altered gate called Kabuki-mon was built at the entrance of it to look like the Main Enclosure. However, in fact, historians have been arguing for over 150 years if this enclosure was really the main one. Some of them think the Eastern Enclosure was main. The excavation may find the correct answer in the future.

You can go there by turning left at the first intersection

Or walking over the Connecting Enclosure from the Second Enclosure

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