mountain castle – ページ 2 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

49.Odani Castle Part1

A large mountain castle the Azai Clan built

Location and History

Azai Clan built Castle as their Home Base

Odani Castle was a large mountain castle located in the northern part of Omi Province, which is now Shiga Prefecture. A local warlord of the Azai Clan, built the castle around 1520’s during the Sengoku Period. However, the clan was unfortunately defeated at this castle in 1573. As a result, the castle has been known to many people for Azai’s tragedy.

The range of Omi Province and the location of the castle

Omi Provence had been a very important location connecting western and eastern Japan. The Shoguns and rulers wanted to own or take control over this province. That’s why Nobunaga Oda made an alliance with Nagamasa Azai who was the lord of the clan by getting his sister Oichi married with Nagamasa before he went to Kyoto in 1568. However, Nagamasa rebelled against Nobunaga in 1570 when Nobunaga attacked the Asakura Clan which was another ally of the Azai Clan. The long battle between Nobunaga and Nagamasa had started.

The 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 portrait of Nagamasa Azai, owned by Jimyo-in Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Castle is improved to fight against Nobunaga Oda

Odani Castle was built on a ridge of Odaniyama-Mountain (at 495m). It had many enclosures with halls which were surrounded by stone walls. It is thought that they were for living and showing authority to people rather than for battles at its first stage. This was because the lord of the castle sometimes escaped from the castle when it was attacked. However, in order to fight against Nobunaga, the castle was improved as a strong fortress with the help of the Asakura Clan. The castle also had many branch castles such as Ozuku Castle on the top of the mountain to protect the back side of Odani Castle.

The relief map around the castle

Nagamasa and the Asakura Clan fought against Nobunaga on a field in the Battle of Anegawa in 1570 but were beaten. Then, he decided to stay in Odani Castle waiting for his allies, the anti-Nobunaga Network beating Nobunaga. Nobunaga gave up making an aggressive attack on the castle, instead, he took actions to make it isolated bit by bit. His retainer such as Hideyoshi Hashiba persuaded some of Nagamasa’s retainers to support Nobunaga. That resulted in some branch castles of Odani Castle belonging to Nobunaga’s side without battles.

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

Castle is isolated after long battle, then falls

Nobunaga also built a new battle castle called Toragoze-yama Castle as his stronghold in front of Odani Castle. This made Nobunaga get supplies easier, while making it much more difficult for Nagamasa. In 1573, Nobunaga drove the Asakura Clan away from the most important branch, Ozuku Castle which they had held and captured it. Moreover, Nobunaga chased the clan down to their home base, Ichijodani Castle, and defeated them. As a result, Odani Castle was completely isolated.

The relief map around the castle

In the castle on the ridge, Nagamasa was at the Main Enclosure in the lower part and his father, Hisamasa was at the Komaru Enclosure in the upper part. Nobunaga’s retainer, Hideyoshi Hashiba rushed up from the foot to the Kyogoku-maru Enclosure in the middle part and captured it on Aug 27th. That meant the castle and the Azai Family were divided. Hisamasa fell into crisis and killed himself performing Hara-kiri on the same day. Nagamasa held on for a few more days, but finally killed himself in the same way as his father, and the castle fell on Sep 1st.

The portrait of Hisamasa Azai, owned by Jimyo-in Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The restored map of the enclosures on the ridge, from the signboard at the site, adding the red letters for some enclosures’ names

Fates of Namasa Azai’s wife and children

Oichi, who was Nobunaga’s sister, but also Nagamasa’s wife, had still been at the castle and was saved by Nobunaga. She and Nagamasa had three daughters and at least one son. These daughters were also saved and later known as Azai’s Three Sisters including the oldest Chacha being Hideyoshi’s wife after he became the ruler of Japan. The son called Manpuku-maru was unfortunately killed as a common rule at that time not to be revenged by him. The heads of Nagamasa and Hisamasa’s were on public display in Kyoto also as another common rule. Nobunada made skull cups using their heads to share them with his retainers in a party. There were many different common practices at that times from us.

The portrait of Oichi, owned by Jimyo-in Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The statues of the three sisters, at the site of Kitanosho Castle Ruins

To be continued in “Odani Castle Part2”

38.Iwamura Castle Part1

A great mountain castle with a sad episode

Location and History

One of Three Great Mountain Castles

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

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 Circle

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 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)

The Main Enclosure part of the illustration above

The former castle town of Iwamura (taken by rupann7777777 from photoAC)

To be continued in “Iwamura Castle Part2”

147.Takatenjin Castle Part1

The critical point between the Takeda and Tokugawa Clans

Location and History

Mountain being meant for Castles

Takatenjin Castle was located in Totomi Province which is the modern day the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture. It was a simple mountain castle made of soil, but it had a very good location for controlling the province. Many warlords wanted to capture this castle, as a result, what happened in the castle ultimately decided the destinies of both the Takeda Clan and Tokugawa Clan. The mountain where the castle was built on is only 132m high, about 100m from the foot. However, the ridges of it are complicatedly curved and its slopes are quite steep. Moreover, the top of it is not so large, and the view from the top is very clear. That means small defenders could easily protect this castle from attacks of large troops. This mountain was meant for castles.

The range of Totomi Province and the location of the castle

The relief map around the castle

The imaginary drawing of Takatenjin Castle, from the signboard at the site

Battles between Imagawa, Takeda and Tokugawa Clans

It is uncertain when the castle was first built, but the Imagawa Clan was the latest owner of the castle in the first 16th Century. After the Imagawa Clan’s power weakened, Ieyasu Tokugawa managed to capture the castle. Shingen Takeda, who was one of the greatest warlords, also wanted this castle, therefore attacked the castle in 1571. however, he failed to do so before his death in 1572. Singen’s son, Katsuyori Takeda tried to achieve this by building Suwahara Castle in 1573, the north region of Takatenjin Castle, as a foothold. Katsuyori assaulted Takatenjin Castle in 1574, then he managed to capture the castle because the defenders surrendered. He was probably at peak of his power having the largest territory and the highest reputation for the clan at that point.

The Portrait of Ieyasu Tokugawa, attributed to Tanyu Kano, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The Portrait of Katsuyori Takeda, owned by Koyasan Jimyoin, in the late 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

However, the trend quickly changed after Katsuyori was completely defeated in the Battle of Nagashino near Nagashino Castle by the allies of Nobunaga Oda and Ieyasu in 1575. Ieyasu then started to counterattack in order to get the territory in Totomi Province which included Takatenjin Castle one by one. He first took Suwahara Castle away from Katsuyori in 1576. The castle had been the foundation of capturing Takatenjin Castle once for Katsuyori, but became the one for Ieyasu later on. Ieyasu next built a new castle called it Yokosuka Castle, in the west of Takatenjin Castle, in 1578 to supply his troops and avoid Takeda’s effort to supply to Takatenjin. On the other hand, Takeda improved Takatenjin Castle by building earthen walls, dry moats and ditches between enclosures in the western part of the castle. This was the only the part connected to other mountains. As a result, the castle became much stronger. The final battle was on the horizon.

Part of “Battle of Nagashino”folding screens, owned by Tokugawa Art Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Ieyasu’s careful attack

Unlike Katsuyori, Ieyasu didn’t assault the castle. He probably understood he couldn’t get the castle so easily. He took a long time building many other fortresses around the castle to besiege it. The Six Takatenjin Forts (Fort Ogasayama, Nogasaka, Higamine, Shishigahana, Nakamura, and Mitsuiyama) are well known, but in fact, there were as many as 20 fortresses built. Each fortress had a distinct role, such as supplying like Fort Nakamura or preventing from Takeda’s attack like Fort Higamine, and containing the castle like Fort Sannosan. Therefore, Takatenjin Castle was completely isolated.

The location of Takatenjin Castle, Six Takatenjin Forts and Yokosuka Castle

Ieyasu’s long-awaited attack of Takatenjin Castle started in 1580, while Katuyori had problems sending his reinforcement to the castle. This was because Katsuyori’s strength decreased and had to prepare for many other enemies. The starving defenders of the castle urged Ieyasu to surrender. However, the leader of the allies, Nobunaga couldn’t accept it, which was a rare case even during the Sengoku Period when many battles happened. In 1581, the defenders made one last desperate attack from the castle and but were eventually defeated before the castle fell in the end.

Turning point of destinies of Ieyasu and Katsuyori

It was said that Nobunaga aimed to ruin Katsuyori’s reputation by showing that Katsuyori couldn’t protect the castle until the last moment. As a matter of fact, when Nobunaga invaded Katsuyori’s territory the next year, almost all retainers of Katsuyori surrendered or escaped from their master without fighting any battles. The battle of Takatenjin Castle would eventually lead to the destruction of the Takeda Clan which may have been a trigger for Ieyasu to be the final ruler of Japan later on.

A distant view of the ruins of Takatenjin Castle

To be continued in “Takatenjin Castle Part2”