タグ: Nobunaga ODA

160.Imori Castle Part1

The first ruler, Nagayoshi Miyoshi’s castle

Location and History

Nagayoshi Miyoshi’s Home Base

Imori Castle was located on a 314m high mountain called “Imori-yama Mountain” in Kawachi Province (what is now eastern part of Osaka Prefecture). The mountain was also on the northwest branch of Ikoma Mountains which was the border between Kawachi and Yamato Province (now Nara Prefecture). Several routes ran at the foot of the mountain, and the area around the castle was accessible from Osaka Bay by ships through Fukonoike Pond near the castle in the past. It is uncertain when the castle was first built, but the Kizawa Clan developed the castle around 1530. The castle became the largest mountain castle in the province. Mountain castles were very popular at that time.

The location of Imori Castle and the range of Kawachi Province

Nagayoshi Miyoshi was a great warlord in the middle 16th Century whose power competed with the Shogun, Yoshiteru Ashikaga. He banished the shogun from Kyoto and started his own governance. That’s why he is currently regarded as the first ruler who governed the center of Japan. He did so without the authority of the shogunate. However, some people consider Nobunaga Oda as the first ruler. Nagayoshi was based at the Akutagagawa-san Castle in Settsu Province (now the northern part of Osaka Prefecture) before he defeated the Hatakeyama Clan who owned Kawachi Province and Imori Castle and moved to the castle in 1560.

The portrait of Nagayoshi Miyoshi, owned by Juko-in of Daitokuji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Stone Walls as Authority

The range of Imori Castle was about 700m from north to south and about 400m from east to west. The castle had a lot of enclosures which were divided into two groups, the northern and southern parts. The northern enclosures were on very narrow ridges and are thought to be used as defensive positions. On the other hand, the southern enclosures were relatively spacious, and it is said that they were used as residences. The slopes on the northern, eastern, and western sides were very steep. The southern slope was gentle, but the route to the castle on this side was very long.

The miniature model of Imori Castle, owned by Daito City History and Folklore Museum

Historians think that the Main Route to the castle was on the eastern side, as visitors could visit the castle through rivers and valleys on this side. There is another reason why the front of the castle faced the east. It was recently discovered that the eastern side of most of the enclosures was covered by stone walls. They were not for buildings, just for supporting the enclosures. This meant that the stone walls were probably used to show visitors the castle’s authority facing the front. It is said that Nobunaga’s Azuchi Castle was the first case for using stone walls in earnest for a castle. However, the case of Imori Castle was nearly 20 years earlier than Azuchi Castle. This may be one more reason for Nagayoshi being called the first ruler.

The remaining stone walls on the eastern side of the mountain

Nobunaga Oda abolished Castle

Nagayoshi governed the Kinki Region and often battled his enemies. He sometimes held poetry parties and even hosted missionaries while he stayed in the castle for a few years. However, he suddenly died in 1564. The Miyoshi Clan still held the castle but had internal troubles. Nobunaga Oda took advantage of the situation and went to Kyoto in 1568. As Nobunaga proceeded with his unification of Japan, he ordered the destruction of the castle in 1575 before the castle was abandoned.

The portrait of Nobunaga Oda, attributed to Soshu Kano, owned by Chokoji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Imori Castle Part2”

159.Akutagawa-san Castle Part1

An admired mountain castle during the Sengoku Period governed by the Miyoshi Clan

Location and History

Mountain Castles during Sengoku Period

In the 16th Century during the Sengoku Period, battles often happened in the Kinki Region of Japan. Warlords usually lived in their halls located in a plain area like Kyoto, and used their mountain castles for emergency. However, it got too dangerous for them then because they couldn’t predict when the next battle would happen. As a result, they started to live in their mountain castles every day. These castles had their halls on the top and strong defense systems. Akutagawa-san Castle was one of the most admired ones in the region.

The location of the castle

Nagaoyshi Miyoshi settled at Castle

The castle was first built in 1516 by Takakuni Hosokawa, a senior vassal of the Ashikaga Shogunate, but it is famous for the home base of Nagayoshi Miyoshi. Nagayoshi came from Awa Province (what is now Tokushima Prefecture) in Shikoku Island working under the Hosokawa Clan. He got power in both politics and military while other retainers of the shogunate conflicted each other. When his power competed with the Shogun, Yoshiteru Ashikaga, Yoshiteru tried to kill Nagayoshi. Nagayoshi banished the shogun from Kyoto and started his own governance in 1553. In the same year, he also settled at Akutagawa-san Castle.

The portrait of Nagayoshi Miyoshi, owned by Juko-in of Daitokuji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The portrait of Yoshiteru Ashikaga, owned by the National Museum of Japanese Histories (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Mountain with Defense and Authority

The castle was located on the top of Miyoshi-yama Mountain in Settsu province (what is nearly the northern part of Osaka Prefecture), the north of the Osaka Plain. The mountain itself was very defensive being surrounded by Settsukyo Valley in north and west directions. The castle was accessible by road from the east through the ridges and the south through the valley. Nagayoshi himself attacked the castle previously, so he would have realized how strong the castle was.

The relief map around the castle

The imaginary drawing of the castle (from the signboard at the site)

The Main Enclosure had the Main Hall on the top of the mountain. Many other enclosures were around the ridges on the east of the Main Enclosure. The route went alongside these enclosures, and it was controlled by structures such as earthen walls, earthen bridges, dry moats, and alternate entrances. The Main Route also ran on the south of the Main Enclosure. It was very steep and guarded by the Main Gate which had stone walls. The stone walls are thought to also show the authority of the castle, so regarded as one of the earliest examples of castles in Japan to use stone walls intendedly.

The imaginary drawing around the Main Enclosure (from the signboard at the site)
The imaginary drawing of the group of the enclosures on the east of the Main Enclosure (from the signboard at the site)
The imaginary drawing of the Main Route and the stone walls (from the signboard at the site)

Nobunaga Oda once stayed in Castle

Though Nagayoshi passed the castle to his son and moved to Imori Castle in 1560, Akutagawa-san Castle continued to be used by the Miyoshi Clan as their important castle. In 1568, Nobunaga Oda came to Kyoto to rule the Kinki Region. He once captured and stayed in Akutagawa-san Castle and gave it to his retainer. However, as he proceeded with his unification of Japan, there would be no need for a castle like Akutagawa-san Castle. The castle was later abandoned.

The portrait of Nobunaga Oda, attributed to Soshu Kano, owned by Chokoji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Akutagawa-san Castle Part2”

24.Takeda Clan Hall Part1

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)

To be continued in “Takeda Clan Hall Part2”