Shinpu Castle was located in what is now Nirasaki City, the northwest part of Yamanashi Prefecture which was called Kai Province. The province was owned by the Takeda Clan for a long time until the late 16th Century and their home base had been located in the Takeda Clan Hall in Kofu, the center of the province. Katsuyori Takeda, the last lord of the clan decided to move his home base to Shinpu Castle in 1581. He moved to the castle within the year.
The location of the castle
The Portrait of Katsuyori Takeda, ownd by Koyasan Jimyoin (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The ruins of Takeda Clan Hall
The move was done for several reasons. First, Takeda’s territory expanded to the west such as Shinano Province (now Nagano Pref.), in order to make Shinpu Castle the center of their territory. Secondly, the large territory made Takeda’s vassals so many that the Takeda Clan Hall and Kofu were too narrow and small for them. Lastly, Katsuyori was threatened by Nobunaga Oda and Ieyasu Tokugawa from the west, after several defeated battles with them such as those of Nagashino Castle and Takatenjin Castle. Katsuyori needed to prepare a stronger castle for a possible invasion from them.
The location of Shinpu Castle and the range of Shinano Provence (on the left) and Kai Province (on the right)
The ruins of Nagashino Castle
Final version of Takeda Clan’s Method for building Castles
Shinpu Castle was built on a mountain on a long cliff wall called Shichiri-Iwa, which means about 28km long rock, along the Kamanashigawa River on the westerly direction. The eastern side of the castle was also a steep cliff of the mountain. The southern part of the castle had the Main Gate with the large Umadashi which was Takeda’s characteristic defense system. The northern part had this castle’s unique defense system called Degamae with water moats. The back entrance had doubled gates with a square space inside called Masugata. The Main Enclosure, the Second Enclosure, and the Third Enclosure were placed on several tiers to protect the castle. Katsuyori’s Main Hall was built in the Main Enclosure on the top. Overall, the castle could be very defensive even though it was all made of soil.
The relief map around the castle
The imaginary drawing of Shinpu Castle (from the signboard at the site)
However, Katsuyori burned the castle by himself and escaped from it in Mar 1582 after only his three-month stay, when he had heard of Takato Castle, located in the west of Shinpu Castle, being captured by Nobunaga’s invasion. Moreover, Katsuyori was defeated by his retainer’s betrayal just after eight days from the escape. So, why did Katsuyori withdraw from the castle?
The positional relation between Shinpu Castle and Takato Castle
The ruins of Takato Castle
Why did Katsuyori throw Castle away?
The reason which had been often said was that the castle was still unfinished. For example, the Main Gate was found to have no buildings through excavation. Others point out that Katsyori had only hundreds of his troops including women and children when they escaped because most of his vassals left him. Some remaining senior vassals recommended that he should be accommodated to another castle. For example, Masayuki Sanada offered Sanada’s Iwabitsu Castle in Kozuke Province (now Gunma Pref.). Katsuyori finally took another suggestion from the retainer who would deceive him. Another historian even says Sinpu Castle maybe did not deserve a castle, but a large hall would have been more suitable. This is because it needed more moats for a castle. Only Katsuyori knew the answer.
The portlait of Masayuki Sanada, privately owned licensed under Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)The ruins of Iwabitsu Castle
After Nobunaga was also killed in the Honnoji Incident in June 1582, Ieyasu used Sinpu Castle again for his stronghold to get Kai Province. He succeeded in getting it, used Takeda Clan Hall to govern it, and built Kofu Castle as its new home base before Shinpu Castle was eventually abandoned.
The Portrait of Ieyasu Tokugawa, attributed to Tanyu Kano, ownd by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The ruins of Kofu Castle
Were the people the castle, the stone walls, or the moats?
Location and History
Nobutora Takeda built Castle as Governor’s Residence
Takeda Clan Hall, which is also called Tsutsujigasaki Hall, was located in what is now Kofu City, the Prefectural Capital of Yamanashi Prefecture. I would say the hall is the origin of Kofu City. The Governor of Kai Province (now Yamanashi Pref), Nobutora Takeda first built the hall in 1519. The hall was not only for the official residence of the governor, but also for the home base of the Takeda Clan, so it is classified as one of the castles in Japan.
The portrait of Nobutora Takeda, attributed to Nobukado Takeda, owned by Daisen-ji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Its location had mountains behind on the north, and an alluvial fan spread down on the south from around there. This meant Nobutora was able to overlook the castle town and the area around. He built his hall on a square enclosure which was nearly 200m on one side, surrounded by earthen walls and water moats. This was a typical style of the residences for governors in Japan at that time, emulating the style of Shogun’s palace in Kyoto. In addition, he built another castle on a mountain about 2km away from the hall on the north, called Yogaisan Castle, for emergency. For example, he and his family could escape from the hall to the mountain castle when a battle happened. Indeed, his son, Shingen Takeda was born at Yogaisan Castle during the battle between Nobutora and the Imagawa Clan in 1521. The network of these castle was defensive enough to maintain their safety during that time.
The location of the castle
Shingen Takeda’s saying related to Castle
Shingen, who was one of the greatest warlords in Japan, developed the hall as well, adding the West Enclosure for residences of his family and relatives on the west of the center enclosure in 1551. Apart from that, the Umadashi system, which refers to a round shaped sticking out defensive position, was built in front of the Main Gate on the east. It is also said that the hall for Shingen’s mother was built on the north. Each enclosure was surrounded by nearly 10m high earthen walls and over 5m deep water moats.
The imaginary drawing of Takeda Clan Hall (from the signboard at the site)
However, the hall seems to be misunderstood by many people. This comes from Shingen’s saying “The people are the castle, the stone walls, and the moats…” recorded in the military science book called Koyogunkan in the 17th Century of the Edo Period. The sentence means it is more important to win the people’s hearts than to build a strong castle, but many people later have been thinking it shows the reason why Shingen only had such a small castle in comparison to other castles for other warlords such as Nobunaga Oda and Kenshin Uesugi.
The portrait of Shingen Takeda, owned by Jimyo-in Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Takeda Clan Hall itself is much smaller than Nobunaga’s Azuchi Castle or Kenshin’s Kasugayama Castle, but it is because their periods or situations were different. In the case of Shingen, his hall started from the governor’s residence. It was common for governors to live in such a hall at that time. The Takeda Clan added defense systems like the network of the castles and Umadashi to deal with their situation. It was enough for them.
The ruins of Takeda Clan Hall
Katsuyori Takeda moved to another
In 1582, Shingen’s son, Katsuyori Takeda decided to move his home base to a large new castle called Shinpu Castle, because the situation changed. Katsuyori was threatened by Nobunaga, so Katsuyori needed a stronger and larger castle than the Takeda Clan Hall which was once abandoned. Katsuyori was unfortunately beaten by Nobunaga before the hall was used by the Oda Clan and the Tokugawa Clan again. It was finally abandoned in 1590, when the Tokugawa Clan built Kofu Castle near the hall.
The Portrait of Katsuyori Takeda, owned by Koyasan Jimyoin (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
この城は武田氏の最前線にありました。
This castle was on the frontlines of the Takeda clan.
立地と歴史～Location and History
信玄が作った橋頭堡～Shingen mede a bridgehold
古宮城は、現在の愛知県新城市にあたる作手高原の上にありました。この地域は、戦国時代には徳川氏が本拠としていた三河国に属していました。有力な戦国大名、武田信玄は甲斐国（現在の山梨県）から三河国を侵略しようとしました。彼はそのための橋頭堡を築いたと言われています。それが古宮城でした。 Furumiya Castle was located in Tsukurite hills in what is now Shinshiro city, Aichi Pref. This area belonged to Mikawa Province where the Tokugawa clan was based during the “Sengoku” or Warring States Period. Shingen Takeda, a strong warlord from Kai Province (now Yamanashi Pref) aimed to invade Mikawa Province. It is said that he built a bridgehead for it. That was Furumiya Castle.
城の位置と三河国の範囲～The location of the castle and the range of Mikawa Province
古宮城遠景～A distant view of Furumiya Castle（新城市Websiteより引用）
勝頼が完成させる～Katsuyori completed it
信玄の死後、彼の息子勝頼は１５７４年、再度試み、そのため古宮城を改良、完成させました。この城は比高が３０ｍしかない宮山という小山にありましたが、地域を見渡せる場所です。一般に城は戦いのためだけでなく、居住、統治、そしてシンボルとしても使われました。古宮城は戦さに特化しており、５００名くらいの兵が駐屯していたようです。この地域は武田と徳川との間で緊張状態にあり、兵士たちは常に臨戦態勢にありました。 After Shingen died, his son Katsuyori tried again in 1574, therefore he improved and completed the castle. The castle was on a small hill called Miya-yama which is just 30m relative height, but it overlooked the entire area. Castles were usually used not only for battle, but also for residence, governance, and as a symbol. Furumiya Castle was specialized for battle, with an estimated garrison of 500 soldiers. This area was under tense conflict between the Takeda and Tokugawa. The soldiers seemed under arms all the time.
城周辺の航空写真～The aerial photo of around the castle
武田勝頼肖像画、高野山持明院蔵、16世紀後半～The Portrait of Katsuyori Takeda, ownd by Koyasan Jimyoin, in the late 16th century（licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons）
勝頼の敗戦により終焉～Katsuyori’s defeat ended it
勝頼は、三河国の東、遠江国にあった高天神城を手に入れ、１５７５年５月に古宮城と同じ国あった長篠城を攻撃しました。彼は、徳川、そして同盟関係にあった織田氏に決戦を挑み、倒そうとしました。ところが、逆に完全に返り討ちにあってしまいます。勝頼は何とか本拠に逃げ帰ることができましたが、多くの家臣や兵士を失いました。彼は二度と三河国に戻ってくることはありませんでした。古宮城は、長篠の戦いの後、放棄されたか、徳川に占拠されたようです。 Katsuyori captured Takatenjin Castle in Totoumi Province the east of Mikawa Province, and attacked Nagashino Castle in the same province as Furumiya Castle in May 1575. He aimed to invite Tokugawa and their allies, the Oda clan, to a showdown, and defeat them. However, he was completely countered by them instead. Katsuyori was somehow able to escape back to his home, while a lot of retainers and soldiers were lost. He would never return to Mikawa Province, so Furumiya Castle seemed to be abandoned or taken by the Tokugawa after the Battle of Nagashino.
長篠合戦図屏風部分、徳川美術館蔵～Part of “Battle of Nagashino”folding screens, owned by Tokugawa Art Museum（licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons）
特徴～Features
城跡の概要～The overview of the ruins
城跡の航空写真にコメントとラインを付加～The aerial photo of the ruins adding my comments and lines（出典：国土地理院）
現在、古宮城跡には現存建物はなく、木々に覆われていますが、土造りの基礎が武田氏の築城法をよく残していると言われています。この城は、深い空堀により東西の部分に分かれています。 Now, the ruins of Furumiya Castle have no standing buildings and is covered with trees, but it is said that its foundation made of earth shows the Takeda clan’s method of building castles. The castle was divided into an eastern and western part by a deep dry moat.
深い空堀～The deep dry moat
主要な曲輪～Primary enclosures
東部分には、恐らくは司令部があった「主郭」がありました。その入り口は「桝形」と呼ばれ、厳重な防御のため四角く区切られていました。西部分には「二の曲輪」があり、主郭から突き出ていて、空堀を渡るただ一本の土橋によりつながっていました。この構造は、武田独特の防御システムである「馬出し」に似ています。 The eastern part had the Main Enclosure or “Shukaku” where probably the command post was. Its entrance was made in square shaped for strict defense called “Masugata”. The western part had the Second Enclosure or “Nino-Kuruwa” which sticks out from Shukaku and is just connected by one earthen bridge across the dry moat. This structure is similar to Takeda’s unique defense system called “Umadashi”.
主郭の入口「桝形」～The entrance of the Main Enclosure called “Masugata”二の曲輪～The Second Enclosure主郭と二の曲輪を結ぶ土橋～The earthen bridge connecting the Main and Second Enclosures
厳重な防御～Its strict defence system
この部分は西側にある道路に向かって大手口が開いていたようです。訪問者でも敵でも二の曲輪に達するためには曲がりくねった道を登っていく必要がありました。特に、二の曲輪の北西側には空堀が何重にも取り巻いていました。武田が、徳川がこの方角から攻めてくると思ったからかもしれません。 The part seemed to open the main entrance to a road in the western direction. Visitors or enemies would have to climb up winding routes to reach Nino-Kuruwa. In particular, there were multiple dry moats in the north-west of the enclosure, as Takeda might have thought that Tokugawa would attack this castle from the direction.
二の曲輪の土塁～The earthen walls of the Second Enclosure多重空堀の一部～One of the multiple dry moats
城跡の楽しみ方～How to enjoy the ruins
現在の城跡入り口は神社の脇にあり、元あった場所とは異なります。この入り口を通って、主郭に向けて直接登って行くことができます。城のレイアウトは、これまで述べた通り残っています。城を理解するポイントを押さえておけば、城は昔はどんな風だったのか想像する楽しみがあります。 The present entrance the ruins is set beside a shrine at a different place from the original. You can go straight up to Shukaku through the entrance. The layout of the castle remains as mentioned above. If it is possible to keep the key points of the castle in mind, you can also enjoy imagining how the castle was in the past.
現在の城跡入り口～The present entrance of the ruins主郭は入口のすぐ近くです～The Main Enclosure is close to the entrance
その後～Later History
古宮城がは廃城となってからは、１６１７年には山麓に古宮白鳥神社が設立されました。作手高原は過去においては大方湿地帯でした。そのため白鳥がよく見られたそうです。この地期の人たちは白鳥を愛し、それに関わる神社を設立したのです。城跡は、この神社のおかげで長い間維持されてきたようです。 After Furumiya Castle was abandoned, Furumiya-Shiratori Shrine was established at the foot of the hill in 1617. Tsukurite hills was mainly waterlogged in the past, so cranes could be seen at that time. People in the area loved them and established many shrines related with them (Shiratori means crane). The ruins of the castle seemed to have been kept by these shrines for a long time.
古宮白鳥神社～Furumiya-Shiratori Shrine
私の感想～My Impression
古宮城跡には、現存建物も、石垣も、案内所さえもありません。歴史家は、古宮城には元々小屋、簡単な櫓、木柵くらいしかなかっただろうと推測しています。更には外側から見れば城跡は木がこんもりした小山にしか見えないかもしれません。でも一旦中に入って城の痕跡に気づけば、武士や作業者たちががこの城を築くのにどんなに大変だったか見て取れるでしょう。城を見ることの面白さの一つは、限られた資材や資源を基に、城がいかに効率的に、しかし強力に作られたか理解することだと思うのです。 Frumiya Castle Ruins don’t have any standing buildings, stone walls, or even a guide house. Historians speculate that even the original Furumiya Castle had just huts, simple turrets, and wooden fences. In addition, you may think the ruins look like a hill with forests from the outside. But once you have realized the traces of the castle inside, you can see how hard the warriors and workers made efforts to build the castle. I think that one of the most interesting things to see castles is to understand how they are built efficiently but strongly using limited materials and resources.
主郭から二の曲輪を見下ろす～Looking down the Second Enclosure from the Main Enclosure
ここに行くには～How to get There
ここに行くには車がおすすめです。新東名高速道路の新城ＩＣから国道１５１号と３０１号を通って約４０分程です。神社の前に小さいですが、駐車スペースがあります。 公共交通機関を利用する場合には、新城駅近くの新城栄町バス停で新城市バス（作手線）に乗り、鴨ヶ谷口バス停で降りてください。バス停から徒歩約１０分で現地に着きます。 東京、名古屋または大阪から新城駅まで：東海道新幹線で豊橋駅まで行き、ＪＲ飯田線に乗り換えてください。 I recommend using a car to get there. It takes about 40 minutes from the Shinshiro IC on Shin-Tomei Expressway through Route 151 and 301. There is a small parking lot in front of the shrine. If you want to use public transportation, take the Shinshiro city bus (Tsukurite line) at the Shinshiro-Sakaemachi bus stop near Shinshiro station, and get off at the Kamogayaguchi bus stop. It takes about a 10-minutes walk from the bus stop to get there. From Tokyo, Nagoya or Osaka to Shinshiro st.: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express to Toyohashi Station, and transfer for JR Iida line.
