Hideyoshi Toyotomi – ページ 5 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

96.Obi Castle Part1

The castle the Ito Clan managed to maintain

Location and History

Shimazu Clan first owns Castle

The Obi area of Nichinan City, in the southern part of Miyazaki Prefecture, is popular for tourism. It is sometimes called a little Kyoto in the Kyushu Region. It has an old atmosphere of castle and town, which has been designated as a Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings since 1950. It also provides its local specialties such as Obi cedar trees and a traditional Japanese spirit, Shochu, made from sweet potatoes. In fact, they originally came from the long and severe history of Obi Castle and the Obi Domain.

The range of Nichinan City and the location of the castle

Obi cedar trees in the former Main Enclosure of Obi Castle

It is said that a local clan first built Obi castle in the 14th Century, but its details are uncertain. During the Sengoku Period, from the late 15th Century to the end of the 16th Century, the southern part of Hyuga Province (currently Miyazaki Pref.) became the site of the battle over the province between the Ito Clan from the north and the Shimazu Clan from the south. The Shimazu Clan owned the area at that time, so they improved Obi Castle in 1458 to prevent the area from being invaded by the Ito Clan.

One of Southern Kyushu type castles

The castle was originally one of the Southern Kyushu type castles. They were built processing the natural Shirasu plateau, which was made of volcanic ash caused by ancient eruptions. Its soil is fragile and can be easily collapsed vertically to make cliffs. Warriors in the area often used this geographical feature to build their castles, because it was easy for them to process the natural terrain for strong defensive systems. For example, they built deep dry moats, high walls under enclosures, and narrow defensive gates by cutting the soil. Some popular examples of those were the Chiran, Shibushi, Sadowara and Obi Castles. In addition, in the case of Obi Castle, Sakatanigawa River winded and surrounded the plateau as a natural moat.

The ruins of Chiran Castle *(licensed by PIXTA)*

*The miniature model of Shibushi Castle, exhibited by Shibushi City Center for Archaeological operations*

The relief map around the castle

Ito Clan’s success and failure

The Ito Clan started to attack the Obi Castle in 1484, before the long battle over the castle. The lord of the clan in the middle of the 16th Century, Yoshisuke Ito was so aggressive that he was able to capture the castle and send his son, Suketake to it as its lord in 1569. He was just at his peak, having owned 48 castles in the Hyuga province. However, his glory didn’t last long, he was losing the 48 Castles one by one including Obi Castle, triggered by the defeat at the Battle of Kizakihara against the Shimazu Clan in 1573. The Shimazu’s force made the Ito family flee from the Hyuga Province to the Bungo Province in the north in 1577, which was called the Collapse of Ito. They finally lost all that they once had and eventually became wanderers. Yoshisuke died while drifting in 1585.

*The portrait of Yoshisuke Ito, from the Sakai City History Volume 1 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

*The portrait of Suketake Ito, owned by the board of education of Nichinan City (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Ito Clan returns and governs Castle long

After this misfortune, Yoshisuke’s son, Suketake was occasionally hired by Hideyoshi Hashiba, who would be the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi later in 1582, who was very fortunate for Suketake. When Hideyoshi invaded the Kyushu Region, which was almost completely controlled by the Shimazu Clan in 1586, Suketake supported Hideyoshi to guide the region. The Shimazu Clan eventually surrendered to Hideyoshi. Suketake finally returned to Obi Castle as its lord in 1588 due to his contribution to Hideyoshi after over 100 years of battle with the Shimazu Clan.

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

The Ito Clan somehow managed to maintain their territory of the Obi area while the ruler of Japan changed from the Toyotomi Clan to the Tokugawa Shogunate. As a result, the Obi Domain led by the Ito Clan, continued to exist until the end of the Edo Period for nearly 300 years. However, it was not that simple. The Satsuma Domain led by the Shimazu Clan secretly sent Ninja to Obi to research what Obi Castle was like. They still seemed to want to take the castle away from the Ito Clan, if the situation changed. Meanwhile, the Ito Clan also seemed to recognize Obi as their final ground, improving the castle and town the hard way. For instance, the Main Enclosure on the top collapsed due to earthquakes in the late 17th Century because the plateau under it was weak. The Obi Domain rebuilt the new Main Enclosure below the former one and fortified both of them by building great stone walls. It also introduced planting cedar trees and sweet potatoes for people and industrialization to be sustainable.

The stone walls of the former Main Enclosure

To be continued in “Obi Castle Part2”

118.Oshi Castle Part1

Tins castle is known for the Battle of Oshi Castle.

Location and History

Narita Clan builds Castle using Marshes between rivers

Gyoda City is located in the northern part of Saitama Prefecture, which is sandwiched by two large rivers in the Kanto Region, Tonegawa and Aarakawa Rivers. The land of the city is very flat and has been developed for living comfortably, however, it was marshy and waterlogged in the Middle Ages due to its terrain and flood from the rivers. The Narita Clan governed the area, which was called Oshi, in the 15th and 16th Centuries during the Sengoku Period. It is said that the clan first built Oshi Castle in the late 15th Century. Many battles happened in the Kanto Region at that time, so local lords needed to protect themselves by building strong castles. Some built mountain castles such as Minowa Castle for the Nagano Clan and Kanayama Castle for the Iwamatsu Clan. On the other hand, the Narita Clan’s choice was to build a Water Castle, using the area’s features of islands among the marshes and natural levees along the rivers. The castle’s enclosures were connected by paths on bridges and earthen walls.

The range of Gyoda City and The location of the castle

The strength of the castle was actually proven when Hideyoshi Toyotomi invaded the Kanto Region to complete his unification of Japan in 1590. The whole region had been governed by the Hojo Clan which the Narita Clan served then. The Hojo Clan ordered their branches including Oshi Castle to gather soldiers to their home base, Odawara Castle to against Hideyoshi. Ujinaga Narita, the lord of Oshi Castle had to leave it for Odawawa, so few defenders were left in the castle, under the castle keeper, Nagachika Narita, Ujinaga’s cousin. Hideyosi attacked the Hojo’s territory with over 200,000 soldiers, sending troops to not only Odawara Castle but also branch castles. For example, Kanayama Castle where a magistrate from the Hojo governed was easily open by the troops. However, the only 500 defenders with 2500 residents in Oshi castle, instructed by Nagachika, never surrendered against over 20,000 attackers.

Castle is attacked by Inundation tactics in Battle of Oshi Castle

The commander head of the attackers was Mitsunari Ishida, a highly trusted retainer from Hideyoshi, who was also supported by other lords, such as Nagamasa Asano and Masayuki Sanada. Hideyoshi was not there, but he ordered Mitsunari to flood the castle by making banks surrounding it to keep more water. His idea probably came from the geographical features and his successful experience of the Battle of Bicchu-Takamatsu Castle where he did the same way. It is said that Mitsunari put his strong hold on Maruhakayama-Kofun, an Ancient Burial Mound, about 2km away from the castle in the south. His team rapidly built 15 to 25 km banks around the mound in few days to dam water from the rivers. A folk story remains that farmers were asked to bring earth bags to build banks for a high fee.

The portrait of Mitsunari Ishida, owned by Hajime Sugiyama (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The partially remaining bank Mitsunari built, called Ishida Tsutsumi

It is uncertain if his attempt was successful according to some records in which the defenders secretly cut part of the banks to drain water drowning some attackers. The fact is that when the supporting lords tried to assault the castle, Hideyoshi ordered them to stop it and continue the inundation. The siege lasted for about a month, however, the castle couldn’t be beaten until the master Hojo surrendered in Odawara Castle. The castle has been nicknamed “a floating castle” of “a turtle castle” which probably originate from what the castle looked like in the siege.

“The illustration of the Narita Clan’s Oshi Castle during the Tensho Era”, it was made by a local historian to consider the Battle of Oshi Castle during the Meiji Era, exhibited by the Gyoda City Local Museum

The Horikiri-bashi Bridge where the bank was cut according to a local tradition

Castle becomes important defense site for Edo

In the Edo Period, Oshi Castle was governed by relatives or hereditary vassals of the shoguns as the Oshi Domain. This was because this castle was located in an important defensive site for Edo Castle, the shogun’s home base in the south. It is said that the Abe Clan, which often became members of shogun’s council of elders, completed the castle. They still used the basic structures of the castle as the island-like enclosures among the moats and marshes. However, they improved the castle’s defense systems more by building the three-level turret (similar to the Main Tower), other turrets and gates. The castle and domain were finally followed by the Okudaira-Matsudaira Clan, whose origin was the son of Nobumasa Okudaira who contributed to Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder of the shogunate, in the Battle of Nagashino Castle and was married with Ieyasu’s daughter. They were trusted in and ordered by the shogunate to guard the No.3 Shinagawa Battery facing Edo Bay to prepare for possible threat to Western battleships at the end of the Edo Period.

The miniature model of Oshi Castle during the Edo Period, exhibited by the Gyoda City Local Museum

The rebuilt three-level turret of Oshi Castle, it was built in a different position from the original one

To be continued in “Oshi Castle Part2”

195.Nobeoka Castle Part1

A castle all built using stone walls by Mototane Takahashi

Location and History

Only Castle completely built using Stone Walls in Hyuga Province

Nobeoka is an industrial city, located in the northern part of Miyazaki Prefecture which used to be called Hyuga Province. The province was very long from the north to the south and its terrain was complex with plain and mountain areas, so it was divided by many lesser lords until the end of the Edo Period, except for a short period when the Ito Clan prospered in the late 17th Century. These lesser lords lived in castles mainly built using soil from the natural terrain, such as Sadowara and Obi Castles. However, Nobeoka Castle was the only castle which was completely built using stone walls in the province by Mototane Takahashi.

The range of Hyuga Province and the location of the castle

Talented Mototane Takahashi

Mototane originally came from the Akizuki Clan, which governed part of Chikuzen Province, north of Hyuga, and he was adopted by the Takahashi Clan. When the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, invaded the Kyushu Region in 1587 for his unification of Japan, Mototane and his parents’ clan quickly surrendered and supported Hideyoshi. Mototane was loved by Hideyoshi, which resulted in him becoming the lord of the Nobeoka area after Hideyoshi’s conquest of the region. Motonane must have made an good impression on his boss.

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

In 1600, after Hideyoshi died, the East Squad, led by Ieyasu Tokugawa and the West Squad, led by Mitsunari Ishida, supporting the Toyotomi Clan, fought a decisive battle in the Sekigahara field. Mototane joined the West Squad and stayed in Ogaki Castle near the field. Once he heard that his side had been beaten, he quickly changed his sides, killed some of the lords of the West Squad, and surrendered to Ieyasu. That also resulted in his territory being maintained by the Tokugawa Shogunate, established by Ieyasu. Mototane must have had great tact.

Very Defensive Castle built in Sandbank

After that, he started to build his new home base in 1601, which would be called Nobeoka Castle, on a hill in a sandbank which was sandwiched by the Gokasegawa and Osegawa rivers. The Main Tower, Main, Second and Third Enclosures were built on the hill from the top in a tiered form and they are all surrounded by stone walls. However, the Main Tower Enclosure actually did not have the Main Tower building. The sandbank was divided into warriors’ residences, including the castle, and townsmen area, by a moat which can be crossed over by only one bridge. Moreover, the rivers around the sandbank had no bridges at that time, which would be very defensible. If enemies somehow arrived at the Main Gate of the castle at the foot, they would need to pass 5 gates and turn 11 times to reach the top.

The greatest stone walls of the castle are the ones called “The one thousand murder stone walls” which is about 19m high. They are the third highest stone walls in the Kyushu Region, following Kumamoto and Kokura Castles. The top two castles were built by great lords under Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Ieyasu Tokugawa, such as Kiyomasa Kato and Tadaoki Hosokawa, who also had much larger territories than Mototane who was just a local lord. In addition, the stone walls were piled using natural stones which would have been impossible to pile to such height, unless an excellent stone wall guild had been invited. Mototae must have had more power and a better connection than we expect. The nickname originates from the scale of the stone walls which would collapse and kill 1,000 soldiers below the walls if the corner base stone was pulled out.

“The one thousand murder stone walls” of Nobeoka Castle

Mototane is suddenly Fired

Mototane was suddenly fired by the shogunate in 1613. He had accommodated his wife’s relative who caused a trouble in the Tsuwano Domain and escaped from it. The domain’s lord, Naomori Sakazaki was monomaniac and sued Mototane in the Shogunate Court. Though it is still uncertain if that really caused such a serious outcome, the fact is that Mototane emerged and left in a short time. His work should be studied more. Nobeoka Castle and the area around it called the Nobeoka Domain were followed by the Arima Clan, which completed the castle building some turrets in 1656. During the peaceful Edo Period, bridges were built over the rivers around the castle and the Drum Tower in the Main Tower Enclosure which announced the time to people. Luckily, no battles happened to the castle until the end of the Edo Period when the Naito Clan took over.

The portrait of Naomori Sakazaki, private owned (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Nobeoka Castle Part2”