mountain castle – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

194.Saiki Castle Part1

Many lords built their castles on a plain or a low hill after the Battle of Sekigahara. However, Takamasa’s choice was to build his strongest castle on a mountain, which was rare then.

Location and History

Takamasa Mori builds Castle

Saiki City is located in the southeastern part of Oita Prefecture, Kyushu Region. It is known for its agriculture, forestry and fishing, in particular, Saiki Port is the largest landing port in the prefecture. The city actually originates from the castle town of Saiki Castle which Takamasa Mori first built. He was also the founder of the Saiki Domain which governed the castle and town all through the Edo Period between the 17th and the 19th Centuries.

The range of Saiki City and the location of the castle

Takamasa originally came from Owari Province, which is now the western part of Aichi Prefecture, and worked under Hideyoshi Hashiba who would be the ruler of Japan, Hideyoshi Toyotomi. After the unification of Japan, Takamasa was sent by Hideyoshi to Korea in 1592 and became active in the invasion of it. Hideyoshi gave Hita and Kusu Districts in Bungo Province (which is now Oita Prefecture) in 1595 to Takamasa in response to his contribution, following the former lord, the Otomo Clan which was fired by Hideyoshi. He improved some castles including Tsunomure Castle while he was in the territory.

The wooden statue of Takamasa Mori, from the signboard at Saiki City Historical Museum

After Hideyoshi died in 1598, a decisive battle over the county between the East Quad led by Ieyasu Tokugawa and the West Quad led by Mitsunari Ishida supporting the Toyotomi Clan took place in 1600, called the Battle of Sekigahara. Takamasa joined the West Quad which was defeated by the East Quad. He immediately surrendered to the East Quad. Considering other cases of the lords who supported the West Quad, Takamasa might have been fired or killed by the Tokugawa Shogunate which Ieyasu founded. However, he survived as the lord of another territory in Bungo Province, called Saiki. One of the reasons for his survival is said that his friend, Takatora Todo who was a powerful lord of the East Quad saved him. Another reason is probably Takamasa had the capacity to build great castles and improve civil government. He was also a specialist of guns.

*The folding screens of the Sekigahara Battle, owned by Sekigahara Town History and Folklore Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

*The portrait of Takatora Todo, private owned (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Some of the demi-cannons Takamasa used, exhibited by Saiki City Historical Museum

New Mountain Castle, rare case after Battle of Sekigahara

The Saeki area already had a great mountain castle called, Togamure Castle, however, Takamasa built a new mountain castle as his new home base in 1601, which would be Saiki Castle. The reasons why he took the trouble to build another mountain castle are said to be as follows. First, the new castle was near the port and the expected castle town, so it was convenient for the government. Second, the mountain the castle was built on had had the Hachiman Shrine, that’s why it was called Hachiman Mountain and considered as a holy place, which could give the castle builder authority. Finally, the situation was still unstable because the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Toyotomi Clan were against each other at that time. Lords in Japan needed to prepare for the next battle. Though some other lords built their castles on a plain or a low hill, Takamasa’s answer was to build his strongest castle on a mountain, which was rare then.

The imaginary illustration of Togamure Castle, exhibited by Saiki City Historical Museum

*The miniature model of* Saiki Castle, exhibited by Saiki City Historical Museum

Saiki Castle was completed in 1605. The mountain is 145m high and has long and narrow ridges in the north and the southwest from the top. The top and ridges were all covered with stone walls. The top had the Main Enclosure and the Main Tower in it. The Second Enclosure was next to the Main Enclosure, which were connected by the Corridor Bridge, the only path to the Main Enclosure. The Second Enclosure had the Main Hall for the lord. It was not so large, but the lord and his family usually had to live on the mountain preparing for an emergency or a battle. The castle also had two reservoirs, called Men-ike or the Female Pond and On-ike or the Male Pond on a valley between the ridges. They were built for a long siege and also surrounded by stone walls.

The Main Enclosure on the right and the Second Enclosure on the left in the miniature model, the Corridor Bridge in inside the red circle

The Male Pond, still surrounded by the stone walls

Main Hall is built at foot of mountains in peaceful period

After the shogunate defeated the Toyotomi Clan in 1615, the situation changed. The government of the shogunate became stable. That meant lords in Japan didn’t need to live in an inconvenient hall on the mountain. In the case of the Saiki Domain, the third lord of the domain, Takanao Mori built the Third Enclosure and his new Main Hall at the foot of the mountain in 1637. As for the Main Tower in the Main Enclosure on the top, it is said to have had three-levels, but its details are quite uncertain. This is because it was unfortunately lost at the very first stage of the castle for some reasons.

The Main Hall at the foot of the mountain in the miniature model

To be continued in “Saiki Castle Part2”

163.Kuroi Castle Part1

Kuroi Castle was the home base of Naomasa Ogino who was a strong warlord, called “the Red Devil in Tanba”. When Mitsuhide Akechi attacked the castle, its fall was at hand but…

Location and History

Tanba, Important Province to protect Kyoto

Kuroi Castle was located in the western part of Tanba Province which is now part of Hyogo Prefecture. Tanba Province is not popular for the present generation because the province was small and finally merged with Kyoto and Hyogo Prefectures. However, it was very important in the past because of its location just northwest of Kyoto, the capital of Japan. Especially, in unquiet times like the Sengoku Period, it was critical area for protecting or attacking Kyoto. In 1467 when the Onin War occurred in Kyoto, Sozen Yamana, the head of the West Squad went to Kyoto through the province. Since then, local lords in the province were involved in politics and battles over the central government.

The range of Tanba Province and the location of the castle

*A scene of the Onin War, from a picture scroll of the Origin of Shinnyo-do Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Home Base of Naomasa Ogino, called “Red Devil in Tanba”

The Akai Clan was one of them, which served great warlords in Kyoto, like the Hosokawa Clan, and improved its power and territory in Tanba Province. Naomasa Akai was born in 1529 and was adopted to the Ogino Clan during his childhood because the Akai wanted to take in the Ogino’s power to get their lager presence. Since then, Naomasa was renamed his family name to Akai, however, he united with his parents’ home during all his life. Kuroi Castle was originally the home base of the Ogino Clan and eventually belonged to Naomasa. In 1554, Naomasa killed his foster father, Akikiyo. It is said this was because Akikiyo tried to follow the rule of Nagayoshi Miyoshi, the ruler at that time, which Naomasa never allowed. After that, Naomasa called himself Aku-emon as his nickname (Aku means evil but strong). However, he built a temple for worshiping Akikiyo, which may have meant his action didn’t come from his desire for revenge.

The illustration of Naomasa, from the signboard at the site

Naomasa was not a political person, but an excellent general, who just wanted to maintain his clan’s independence by the alliance with other local lords, even though they sometimes needed to serve greater warlords outside their province. For example, he defeated Munekatsu Naito in 1565, who was the deputy military governor of Tanba Province and supported the Miyoshi Clan. In 1571, Suketoyo Yamana in Tajima Province, next to Tanba in the northwest, invaded Tanba. Naomasa repelled the invasion, counterattacked Tajima, and even captured Takeda Castle in the province instead in 1575. People often called him the Red Devil in Tanba, for his strength.

Group of small Forts

Kuroi Castle was built on Inokuchi Mountain (357m above the sea level). It was very large (around 8km perimeter) as the home base of the Ogino Clan, but was also one of mountain castles made of soil using natural terrain, which were usually seen throughout the whole country for warriors to live and protect themselves under the severe Sengoku Period. To cover its large range, Kuroi Castle worked as a group of small forts. The main portion of the castle including the Main Enclosure was on the top of the mountain to monitor the area around and all the branch forts so that the lord of the castle was able to instruct the defenders. Each fort had a distinct role, for example, the Sekito Tier and the Three-tiered Enclosure were built on the Main Route to protect the main portion, the Eastern Barbican Enclosure for defense of the eastern ridge, and the Western Enclosure for living on the mountain. That way, the defenders could prevent enemies from attacking the castle efficiently. The only weak point of the castle was that it didn’t have a good well because of the rocky terrain of the mountain.

The 3-D miniature model of Kuroi Castle Ruins, exhibited by the Kasuga Community Center

The relief map around the castle

Mitsuhide Akechi captures Castle after Naomasa’s Death

Naomasa’s strength may have actually also caused his crisis. Suketoyo Yamana, who was invaded by Naomasa, asked Nobunaga Oda who was the ruler then for help. Naomasa had once served but was against Nobunaga at that time. Nobunaga thought he would like to govern the important Tanba Province directly as well. Nobunaga sent his senior vassal, Mitsuhide Akechi to invade Tanba Province in 1575. At first, everything was going well for Mitsuhide, when Hideharu Hatano, another dominant local lord turned into Mitsuhide’s supporter. Mitsuhide next besieged Naomasa’s Kuroi Castle, waiting for the supplies and water to run out. However, after two months of the siege when the castle’s fall was at hand, Hideharu betrayed him. Mitsuhide was defeated instead and had to withdraw. This result was called the tactics of Akai’s attracting, which built Naomasa’s reputation much higher.

*The Portrait of Mitsuhide Akechi, owned by Hontokuji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons*)

*The portrait of Hideharu Hatano, from the database of Historiographical Institute, the University of Tokyo (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The castle was finally captured by Mitsuhide in 1579, just after Naomasa’s death by illness. Mitsuhide improved the castle by building great stone walls on the top. That fortified the castle and showed the authority of the new ruler to the people, which was one of the ways Nobunaga and his retainers often did that. Mitsuhide made his senior vassal, Toshimitsu Saito govern the castle. That’s why his daughter, who would later be Kasuga-no-tsubone or Lady Kasuga, the leader of the shogun’s inner palace, came from there. Mitsuhide and Toshimitsu rebelled and killed Nobunaga in the Honnoji Incident in 1582, but were soon defeated by Hideyoshi Hashiba, the next ruler. Kuroi Castle was followed by several of Hideyoshi’s retainers. However, the castle was eventually abandoned in the process of unification of Japan by Hideyoshi. Lords and warriors did not always need mountain castles to deal with the new periods.

The stone walls, built on the top of Kuroi Castle

The portrait of Lady Kasuga, owned by Rinshoin Temple *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

To be continued in “Kuroi Castle Part2”

155.Akagi Castle Part1

The starting point of Takatora Todo as a castle construction master

Location and History

Takatora was seeking his Ideal Master

Akagi Castle was located in the mountain part of Kii Province what is now Wakayama Prefecture. The castle was built around 1589 by Takatora Todo who would be a well-known master of castle construction later. The castle was one of his earliest castles, so it can be seen as the starting point of his castle construction. Takatora came from Omi Province near Kyoto during the Sengoku Period when so many warlords divided the country and often battled with each other. He was well built and distinguished himself in many wars, however, his masters didn’t always survive. As a result, he changed his masters as many as seven times like an excellent business person changes one’s job several times now. In 1576, he found his fourth master, Hidenaga Toyotomi, the little brother of Hideyoshi Toyotomi who would become the ruler of Japan later.

The range of Kii Province and the location of the castle

Hedenaga was a nicely balanced leader joining his brother’s unification of Japan. Takatora was promoted by Hidenaga to one of his senior vassals and also learned many elements of the enterprise, one of which was how to build castles. He must have experienced it through many battles under Hidenaga. In 1585, Hideyoshi had conquered Kii Provence which was given to Hidenaga. Hidenaga also gave part of the province to be governed to Takatora. However, it was not easy because many local lords still didn’t want to be ruled by others, who also had guns which were popular weapons in the province at that time. One of Takatora’s answers to the question was to build his new castle called Akagi Castle.

The portrait of Hidenaga Toyotomi, owned by Shungakuin Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Matchlock guns which were popular weapons at that time

Mountain Castle with Advanced System

Akagi Castle was a simple mountain castle with its Main Enclosure on a hill and its other enclosures on the three ridges in the north, east, and west. They are similar to many other castles built at that time so far. Takatora added advanced systems with his own ideas and experiences using the current technology. First, the Main Enclosure was basically square shaped and surrounded by high stone walls. The line of the walls was also bended elaborately to make a side attack to enemies. Its entrance was guarded by a small square space called Masugata. These features can be seen in other castles Takatora built later such as Imabari and Tsu Castles. Other enclosures were also surrounded by stone walls and placed wisely. For example, if visitors or enemies wanted to go the Main Enclosure by passing the enclosures on the eastern ridge, they had to go through three alternated entrances called Koguchi.

The layout of Akagi Castle, from the signboard at the site, adding the red letters for the Enclosures’ names

The stone walls of the Main Enclosure at Akagi Castle Ruins

Takatora succeeded in governing the area around the castle. The castle probably provided relief from dangerous battles and Takatora’s authority to the local people. However, his stable governance was not done by only the castle, but also by his strict policy. He executed 160 rebels including local warriors and farmers, called Kitayama Uprising, at Tabirako Mountain Pass near the castle just after the completion of the castle. The reason for the uprising is said that they were against Hideyoshi’s nationwide land survey because the government before Hideyoshi did not recognize how much field people had. People had to pay more tax after the government survey. That was one of the realities in the Sengoku Period.

The relief map around the castle

Castle is followed by Asano Clan before abandoned by One Castle per Province Law

In the first 17th Century, the Asano Clan governed Kii Province. They were based in Wakayama Castle, but also used Akagi Castle as the Kitayama Uprising people rebelled again. The clan executed more people than Takatora. Akagi Castle was finally abandoned due to the Law of One Castle per Province by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1615.

To be continued in “Akagi Castle Part2”