You will finally arrive at the Main Enclosure on the top. From there, you can enjoy great views of Wakasa Bay in the east and the Sgaki town in the west. There are two entrance ruins called Koguchi. There is also a mud mound which might have had a turret or Main Tower. If you have more time, you can explore the enclosure lines on the ridge over the ditch in front of the Main Enclosure.
The map around the Main Enclosure
Looking up the Main Enclosure form the ditchThe Northwestern Entrance of the Main Enclosure, the one from the ditchThe partially remaining stone walls of the Main EnclosureThe inside of the Main EnclosureWakasa Bay seen from the Main EnclosureThe Sagaki town seen from the Main EnclosureThe base for the Southern Corner Turret of the Main Enclosure (for a turret or Main Tower)The Eastern Entrance of the Main Enclosure, the one on the opposite side of the ditchthe enclosures over the ditch
Later History
In the beginning of the Edo Period, a monk, who joined the battle in the castle against the Asakura Clan, wrote his experience known as “The record of besiege of Kuniyoshi Castle” which spread throughout the period. That’s why the name Kuniyoshi became popular. The ruins were first scientifically researched in 1916. Mihama Town, which owns the ruins, has been excavating and developing the ruins as a historical site since 2000.
Some copies of “The record of besiege of Kuniyoshi Castle”, exhibited by the Wakasa Kuniyoshi Castle Historical MuseumThe mountain foot part of the ruins
My Impression
Castles have had many functions such as being a lord’s home base, a base for offense, a strong point for defense, or even a government office. I think Sagaki-Kuniyoshi Castle was definitely specialized for defense, otherwise, the rebel army led by Katsuhisa Awaya would not have been able to repel the troops from the Asakura Clan as many as 5 times. When visiting the ruins, I was able to see and experience this with my own eyes.
The steep slope to the topThe mountain top part of the ruins
How to get There
I recommend using a car when you visit. It is about a 10-minute drive away from Wakasa-Mihama IC on the Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway. There is a parking lot for visitors in front of the ruins. If you want to use public transportation, it takes about 30 minutes on foot from JR Mihama Station to get there. To get to Mihama Station from Tokyo: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express, transfer to the Hokuriku Line at Maibara Station and transfer to the Obama Line at Tsuruga Station.
Today, the ruins of Sagaki-Kuniyoshi Castle are very easy to access for visitors. If you drive to the ruins from the former Echizen Province, you can access them just by going through the tunnel in the mountain where the castle was built. It may be difficult for us to imagine how tough it was to attack from the province in the past. The ruins have also been well developed for visitors. There are no castle buildings, but the foundations, some excavated stone walls, and some relics remain at the site.
The route coming to the ruins, seen from the top of the mountainThe miniature model of the castle ruins, exhibited by the Wakasa Kuniyoshi Castle Historical Museum
You will first see the Wakasa Kuniyoshi Castle Historical Museum at the foot of the mountain. This is where the Sagaki magistrate’s office was built in the past. You can learn a lot about the history of the castle including the reason for why the castle was so strong. You can next go to the valley below the mountain where the Main Hall was built when the castle was active. There are tiered foundations where some advanced stone walls were discovered, which shows they were used until the final stages of the castle.
The aerial photo around the castle
The Wakasa Kuniyoshi Castle Historical MuseumThe ruins of the Main Hall
Climbing steep slope to Top of Mountain
The next, will be the trail to the top, where you can experience the strength of the castle. This trail is not original, but good enough for us to imagine what it was like. The top is about 140m from the foot, but you may feel too high for the actual height. You have to climb the very steep zigzagged trail for a very long time.
The entrance of the trailYou need to pass a wire netting gate in order to shut animalsClimbing the steep zigzagging trailLooking down the steep slope
From Second Enclosure to Ditch
You will eventually reach the area beside the ruins of the Second Enclosure, at around half of the trail. You can take a rest and see the ruins. The enclosure is still surrounded by the thick earthen walls forming a gate of the castle. The original trail came to the gate and went to the top. Historians speculate not using stone walls at the enclosure means it was abandoned earlier.
Around the Second EnclosureThe ruins of the Second Enclosure GateThe inside of the Second Enclosure
Going back to the trail, you have to try to climb it again. If you were an enemy, the defenders could shoot guns and arrows, and throw the stones and wood, so you would not stand a chance. However, you will eventually reach the ditch in front of the top, seeing some remaining stone walls covering it. These stone walls were destroyed in the upper part when the castle was abandoned, were buried naturally, and excavated recently. You can also see many Stone Buddha Statues gathered which may have been left for throwing when enemies actually attacked.
Going back to the trailArriving at the ditch in front of the top of the mountainThe stone walls were partially excavatedStone Buddha Statues gathered in one place
An impregnable castle on the border of Wakasa Province
Location and History
Katsuhisa Awaya reclaims Castle
What is now Fukui Prefecture was divided into Echizen Province in the Northeast and Wakasa Province in the Southwest. In the 16th Century during the Sengoku Period, the Asakura Clan governed Echizen while the Takeda Clan owned Wakasa. Sagaki-Kuniyoshi Castle was in Wakasa Province near the border between both provinces. Sagaki comes from the name of the area around the castle and Kuniyoshi originates from the name of the person who first built the castle sometime before the Sengoku Period. People at that time usually called it “Sagaki Castle” and the other name “Kuniyoshi Castle” became popular later. As a result, historians and history buffs often call it Sagaki-Kuniyoshi Castle, using both names.
The location of the castle
Comparing the Asakura and Takeda Clans, Asakura were much stronger than Takeda. Asakura tried to extend their power to Wakasa Province, in response, Takeda wanted to rely on Asakura. However, Takeda’s retainers, such as one of the senior vassals, Katsuhisa Awaya, rebelled against them. Katsuhisa reclaimed an abandoned castle to prevent the Asakura Clan from invading Wakasa Province, called Sagaki-Kuniyoshi Castle. The castle was built on a steep mountain with a height at 197m near the border of Echizen Provence. People who went in or out of Wakasa Province had to pass a ridge beside the mountain, so the castle was the pivot of defense for the province. The lord of the castle usually lived in the Main Hall on the valley below the mountain, but used the mountain part when a battle broke out.
Asakura Clan′s troops are repelled 5 times
The relief map around the castle
The Asakura Clan attacked Sagaki-Kuniyoshi Castle 5 times between 1563 and 1567 to crush the rebellion. However, all the attacks failed because the rebel army and the castle were so strong. The battles between them occurred as follows. The warriors, their families, and other people around the castle gathered on the mountain carrying ammunition, stones, and wood. Meanwhile, some defenders hid in ambush beside the route to the castle. When the attackers got close to the castle on the route, the defenders made a surprise attack on them. After that, when the attackers climbed up to the mid slope on the mountain, the defenders shot guns and arrows, and threw the stones and wood all together. Many of the attackers were hit and fell into the valley, forcing the rest to withdraw. In addition, when the attackers looted property and crops away from the town and fields near the castle, the defenders made a night attack on Asakura’s positions. As a result, the castle was considered to be impregnable.
The imaginary drawing of Sagaki-Kuniyoshi Castle, exhibited by the Wakasa Kuniyoshi Castle Historical Museum
Castle is involved with Battle over Country
A fortunate opportunity for Katsuhisa came in 1570 when the great warlord, Nobunaga Oda attacked the Asakura Clan. Nobunaga visited Sagaki-Kuniyoshi Castle during his invasion of Echizen and praised Katsuhisa’s military achievement. The battle between Oda and the Asakura lasted until 1573 when the Asakura Clan was defeated. Nobunaga gave Wakasa Province to one of his senior vassals, Nagahide Niwa whom Katsuhisa served. Times rapidly changed after Nobunaga was killed in the Honnoji Incident in 1582. Nobunaga’s former retainers, Hideyoshi Hashiba and Katsuie Shibata were against each other for the initiative. Katsuie was in Echizen Province while Nagahide supported Hideyoshi. That meant Sagaki-Kuniyoshi Castle became a castle at the tense border between two provinces again.
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 Nagahide Niwa, owned by Historiographical Institute the University of Tokyo (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Katsuhisa’s boss, Nagahide was responsible for constructing Azuchi Castle, famously built by Nobunaga Oda. That meant Nagahide had advanced techniques for improving castles. Sagaki-Kuniyoshi Castle had basically been made of soil, but was fortified using stone walls. In the end, the battle between Hideyoshi and Katsuie happened in another place before Hideyoshi won. During the unification of Japan by Hideyoshi followed by the Tokugawa Shogunate, the castle changed hands several times. The castle still continued to be improved using stone walls, but the mountain part was eventually abandoned. Instead, only the Main Hall part in the valley was used because it was convenient for the government. In 1634 when the Sakai Clan, the lords of the Obama Domain including Wakasa Province, built the Sagaki magistrate’s office, the castle was entirely abandoned.
The imaginary drawing of Azuchi Castle, exhibited by Gifu Castle MuseumThe ruins of the Sagaki magistrate’s office
