From the Eastern Enclosure, you can enter the Main Enclosure by passing through two gate ruins and the Nagatsubone Enclosure between them.
The past Eastern Enclosure (front) and Nagatsubone Enclosure (back), drawn in the signboard at the siteThe present Eastern EnclosureThe Nagatsubone-uzumi-mon Gate Ruins, the entrance of the Nagatsubone EnclosureThe long and narrow Nagatsubone EnclosureThe Front Gate Ruins of the Main Enclosure, the exit of the Nagatsubone EnclosureThe Front Gate Ruins seen from the inside of the Main Enclosure
The inside of the Main Enclosure is a square now. You can see from there views of the city area far away and the castle area around such as the Demaru Enclosure which also protected the Main Enclosure, but it is now used as a parking lot.
The past Main Enclosure, drawn in the signboard at the siteThe inside of the Main EnclosureA view from the Main EnclosureThe past Demaru Enclosure, drawn in the signboard at the siteA view of the Demaru Enclosure seen from the Main EnclosureA side view of the Demaru Enclosure
You can also see the Uzumi-mon Gate Ruins which is the entrance from the Second Enclosure. It is interesting to see the stones on the steps are all cut in the shape of a triangle.
The past Uzumi-mon Gate, drawn in the signboard at the siteThe Uzumi-mon Gate RuinsThe stones on the steps cut in the shape of a triangle
Later History
After the Meiji Restoration, Iwamura Castle was abandoned and all the buildings of the castle excluding the Main Hall at the foot were demolished. The hall was also burned by a fire in 1881. Iwamura History Museum opened in 1972 at the site of the former hall and part of the hall was also restored in 1990. On the mountain side, Ena City, which owns the ruins, recently excavated and researched them to develop and preserve them. The city aims to someday make the ruins designated as a National Historic Site.
Iwamura History MuseumThe partly restored Main Hall (taken by HiC from photoAC)
My Impression
When I visited the ruins of Iwamura Castle, I made a mistake choosing my parking spot. I wanted to walk around the ruins from the foot to the top. However, my car navigation system led me to the parking lot near the top automatically. Therefore, I had to climb down to the foot first, then I returned back to the top. For visitors who want to see the entire ruins should park at the foot. If you want to see only the great stone walls on the top, you can park at the Demaru Enclosure, which is few minutes on foot from the Main Enclosure on the top.
The parking lot in the Demaru EnclosureThe Six Tier Stone Walls near the top
How to get There
I recommend using a car when you visit the castle ruins. It is about a 20-minute drive away from Ena IC on the Chuo Expressway. There are two parking lots near the top and at the foot of the ruins If you want to use public transportation, It takes about 30 minutes on foot from Iwamura Station on the Akechi Railway to arrive at the foot. To get to Iwamura Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express, transfer to the Chuo Line at Nagoya Station and transfer to the Akechi Railway at Ena Station.
Today, the ruins of Iwamura Castle have been well developed for visitors. If you climb up from the foot to the top of the mountain, you can understand how strong the castle was. There is the partly restored Main Hall for the lord with the Drum Turret on the foot. From the foot, you will need to climb to the top for about 800 m long and about 170 meters high. Only stone walls and foundations of the castle remain on the mountain. However, if you have a smartphone, you can see the re-produced image using CG and hear the explanation (however only available in Japanese) at each signboard by scanning the QR code on it.
The starting point to the castle ruins
The map around the castle
An example of the re-produced images (around the Main Gate)
Lots of Gateway to protect Castle
The first part of your climb may be very tough because the trail is steep and it’s on a winding road which is as long as 500m, which is called Fijisaka. You will pass three defense points called Hatsu-mon Gate, Ichi-no-mon Gate and Toki-mon Gate before reaching the Main Gate Ruins. Enemies in the past must have also found it tough when they attacked the castle through the same route.
The long Fujisaka roadThe past Hatsu-mon Gate drawn in the signboard at the siteThe present Hatsu-mon Gate Ruins seen from aboveThe past Ichi-no-mon Gate drawn in the signboard at the siteThe present Ichi-no-mon Gate RuinsThe past Toki-mon Gate drawn in the signboard at the siteThe present Toki-mon Gate RuinsThe Toki-mon Gate Ruins seen from above
Main Gate, Pivot for Defense
The Main Gate was the pivot for the defense, which had a complex system protecting the castle. The Three-level Turret was built beside the gate, which was also the symbol of the castle. The current trail goes around to the left, but visitors in the past had to go across a bridge called the Tatami-bashi which went straight to the gate. The floor boards of the bridge could be removed like tatami mats (traditional mats in Japanese homes) if enemies were to attack. Moreover, visitors had to turn left on the bridge when they entered the gate. If visitors were enemies, they would have been stuck and counterattacked from the turret and gate.
The past around the Main Gate drawn in the signboard at the siteThe present around the Main Gate RuinsThe current trail goes around to the leftThe Tatami-bashi Bridge was built here
After passing the Main Gate Ruins, the trail becomes easier, and the area around it is relatively spacious. There used to be some warriors’ houses in the past. You will go though the area seeing the Hachiman Shrine Ruins on the left and the Kirigai Well which was said to never run out of water on the right. There were two routes in the past to reach the Main Enclosure on the top, the one from the Second Enclosure and the other from the Eastern Enclosure. However, the Second Enclosure is not well developed for visitors now, so most visitors usually go towards the Eastern Enclosure instead.
The ruins of the warriors’ housesThe Hachiman Shrine RuinsThe Kirigai WellThe Second Enclosure on the right
Six Tier Stone Walls, Highlight of Castle
One of the highlights of the castle is the Six Tier Stone Walls of the Main Enclosure beside the Eastern Enclosure. They look so great. In fact, these stone walls had originally been a single high stone walls, but the other tiers were added later to prevent them from collapsing. Other than that, the Main Enclosure is all surrounded by great stone walls, especially, the high stone walls on the western side are also so nice.
A front view of the Six Tier Stone WallsA view of the Six Tier Stone Walls from the right sideA view from the top of the Six Tier Stone WallsThe high stone walls on the western side of the Main Enclosure
Iwamura Castle was a large mountain castle which was located in the eastern part of Mino Province (now Gifu Prefecture). The castle has been considered as one of the Three Great Mountain Castles followed by Bicchu-Matsuyama and Takatori Castles. Basically, mountain castles were built during the Sengoku Period when many battles happened. However, during the peaceful Edo Period, most castles were moved or rebuilt on plain land for the governor. The Three Great Mountain Castles were rare examples which remained until the end of the Edo Period. In particular, Iwamura Castle had the highest altitude of 717 meters high among the active castles during that time.
The location of the castle
The relief map around the castle
Bicchu-Matsuyama CastleThe ruins of Takatori Castle
Female Lord, Otsuya and her Tragedy
It was said that the Toyama Clan first built the castle in the 13th Century, but it is quite uncertain. Records show the clan used the castle as their home base in the first 16th Century during the Sengoku Period. The Toyama Clan was one of the local warlord families residing in the area, which became the head of the local lord group called the Iwamura Group. However, the clan was affected by other larger warlords such as the Takeda and Oda Clans. For example, the clan often worked for the Takeda Clan. They often married their wife who belonged to the Oda Clan. This was to ensure balance between the two clans. In 1571, when a lord of the castle died, Nobunaga Oda sent one of his sons as the next lord of the Toyama Clan. The ex-lord’s wife named Otsuya, who came from Oda and Nobunaga’s aunt, actually governed the castle because the new lord was still very young. She has been known as one of the few female lords in Japan.
The family crest of the Iwamura Clan, called Maru-ni-Futatsubiki or Two horizonal lines inside a CircleThe portrait of Nobunaga Oda, attributed to Soshu Kano, owned by Chokoji Temple, in the late 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The situation became very serious for Otsuya when Shingen Takeda decided to fight against Nobunaga. This was because her territory was the buffer zone between Shingen and Nobunaga, which both clans wanted to own. Shingen sent his retainer, Torashige Akiyama with troops to capture Iwamura Castle in 1572. The castle was surrounded by the troops, but it survived for a while because it had very good defensive structures. Torashige negotiated an arranged marriage with Otsuya in order to be a part of the Takeda Clan. Otsuya accepted it.
The portrait of Shingen Takeda, owned by Jimyo-in Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The portrait of Torashige Akiyama, attributed to Fuko Matsumoto, owned by Erinji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
However, Nobunaga was very angry to hear about this. Nobunaga decided to send his troops to Iwamura Castle in 1575 after Shingen had died and the power of the Takeda Clan began to decline especially by the defeat in the battle of Nagashino Castle. The castle was besieged again but survived for 5 months because of its own strength. The attackers negotiated that the defenders could be saved if they surrendered. Torashige and Otsuya accepted this, however, the promise was a lie, so they were executed, which became a big tragedy during the Sengoku Period.
The ruins of Nagashino CastleThe illustration of Iwamura Castle, one of the Shoho Castle Illustrations, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan
Matsudaira Clan modernizes Castle
After that, several different lords governed the castle. In 1601 after the Tokugawa Shogunate was established, Ienori Matsudaira became the lord of the castle and the founder of the Iwamura Domain. Before his entry, the castle was probably a large and simple mountain castle with its buildings like the Main Hall at a high place. However, Ienori moved the Main Hall to the foot of the mountain to make it more convenient for him. He also modernized the mountain part by building stone walls which surrounded the enclosures. For example, the Main Enclosure on the top had two two-level turrets on the stone walls and two gates, but was empty inside during the late Edo Period. It might have been designed for emergencies like battles. In addition, Ienori also developed the castle town, which still has a good atmosphere to visit now.
The restored gate and turret of the Main Hall at the foot (taken by HiC from photoAC)Stone walls of Iwamura CastleThe Main Enclosure part of the illustration aboveThe former castle town of Iwamura (taken by rupann7777777 from photoAC)
