タグ: Sengoku period

143.Mino-Kaneyama Castle Part1

The home base of the brave Mori Clan

Location and History

Mori Clan’s Severe History

Mino-Kaneyama Castle was located in the eastern part of Mino Province, what is now modern day Gifu Prefecture. The castle was built on a mountain which was sandwiched between Kiso-gawa River in the north and Nakasendo Road in the south. That meant it was an important point for controlling transportation during the Sengoku Period when many battles occurred. It was said that it was first built by the Saito Clan in the first 16th Century, and called Uho Castle in its first stage. After that, it was featured since the Mori Clan owned the castle in 1565 and renamed it Kaneyama Castle. The Mori Clan worked under the three rulers; Nobunaga Oda, Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Ieyasu Tokugawa from the Sengoku to the first Edo Periods. If you look into the history of the clan, you will see how severe their lives were and what they did to survive.

The location of the castle

The relief map around the castle

Lords and Brothers are killed in battles one after another

Yoshinari Mori was the lord of the clan in the late 16th Century, who served Nobunaga Oda since Nobunaga did not own many territories. That’s why he was promoted to be the lord of Mino-Kaneyama Castle during Nobunaga’s reign of Mino Province. However, Yoshinari had to join many battles in other provinces through Nobunaga’s instructions. Yoshinari was killed in a battle against the Azai and Asakura Clans in Omi Province (now modern day Shiga Pref.) in 1570. Yoshinari’s son, Nagayoshi followed his father’s position and was also active under Nobunaga.

Yoshinari Mori drawn in the Ukiyo-e painting “Mori Sanzaemon Yoshinari”, attributed to Yoshiiku Ochiai, in 1867  (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The illustration of Nagayoshi Mori, owned by Joshoji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

He was often referred to Daredevil Musashi (it is part of his official title as the governor of Musashi Province). His three young brothers became Nobunaga’s pages, one of whom was Ranmaru, a famous historical person in Japan. This is because the cast for him is always performed with that for Nobunaga in modern plays showing the Honnoji Incident in 1582 where Nobunaga was killed. Nobunaga actually showed favor to Ranmaru who became the 3rd lord of Mino-Kaneyama Castle after Yoshinari was promoted to be another lord. However, the truth is that all the three brothers were killed in the incident.

The picture of the Honnoji Incident, attributed to Nobukazu Yousai, in 1896 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Ranmaru Mori drawn in the Ukiyo-e painting “Mori Ranmaru Nagayasu”, attributed to Yoshiiku Ochiai, in 1867 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Only One Brother is left as Next Lord

After the Honnoji Incident, Nagayoshi went back to Mino-Kaneyama Castle and followed Hideyoshi Toyotomi who was Nobunaga’s successor. In 1584 when the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute between Hideyoshi and Ieyasu Tokugawa happened, Nagayoshi joined a feint attack. However, Ieyasu noticed this plan, so he then ambushed and suddenly attacked it. Unfortunately Nagayoshi was instantly killed by a gun shot. As a result, Only Tadamasa, the youngest brother would be left to became the next lord of the Mori Clan. Nagayoshi actually left a will before his death, stating that Tadamasa shouldn’t be the lord of Mino-Kaneyama Castle. His intention is uncertain, but it might have been because he did not want Tadamasa to join battles and risked being killed.

The folding screens of the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute, owned by Toyota City Museum of Local History (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Tadamasa followed Nagayoshi’s position which included the lord of Mino-Kaneyama Castle through Hideyoshi’s instructions. He worked under Hideyoshi, but changed his master to Ieyasu Tokugawa who killed his brother, but would be the next ruler after Hideyoshi died. There might have been other reasons for him to do this, but the main reason was to make a cool-headed decision in order to survive. He was finally promoted as the lord of Mimasaka Province which was a larger territory than before in 1603. He was transferred from Mino-Kaneyama Castle to another in 1600.

The statue of Tadamasa Mori at the ruins of Tsuyama Castle in Mimasaka Province

One of Shokuho Style Castles

As for Mino-Kaneyama Castle itself, it was improved as the Mori Clan was becoming more powerful. The castle had several enclosures on many tiers on the mountain. There were the Main Enclosure on the top, the Barbican Enclosure on the mid slope, and the Second and Third Enclosures between them. It was one of the typical Shokuho style castles which Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and their retainers built around Japan at that time. The style had three major features; building stone walls, stone foundations for buildings and roof tiles. These items were originally used for temples, high-class government houses and Imperial Palaces before that time. Nobunaga started to use them on his and his retainers’ castles to show his authority and power similar to his Azuchi Castle. The enclosures of Mino-Kaneyama Castle were surrounded by stone walls. At least, some buildings on the Main Enclosure were built on stone foundations using roof tiles. However, the castle was abandoned after Tadamasa moved to another castle in 1600.

The imaginary drawing of Azuchi Castle, exhibited by Gifu Castle Museum
The imaginary drawing of Mino-Kaneyama Castle, exhibited by Sengoku Yamashiro Museum

To be continued in “Mino-Kaneyama Castle Part2”

16.Minowa Castle Part1

The castle of Narimasa Nagano, the strongest general

Location and History

Nagano Clan builds Castle in Sengoku Period

Minowa Castle was located on a hill at the foot of Mt, Haruna in Kozuke Province which is now Gunma Prefecture. The Nagano Clan first built this castle at the start of the 16th Century during the Sengoku Period. The clan was thought to originally be an official family of the local government in the ancient times, and eventually became a powerful local lord in the Middle Ages. They had lived near the Provincial Office on a plain land in the center of the province. However, it got dangerous to continue to do so, because many battles happened all over the Kanto Region since the late 15th Century. That’s why the clan built the castle beside the mountain area near western part of the province.

The location of the castle

Narimasa Nagano fights alone

The Nagano Clan worked under the Uesugi Clan, the governor of Kozuke Province. Norimasa Uesugi, the lord of the clan at that time, was defeated by the Hojo Clan from the south in the Battle of Kawagoe Castle in 1546. After that, he escaped from Kozuke Province to Echigo Provence in the north of the Kozuke Province. As a result, most of the local lords supported the Hojo Clan. However, Narimasa Nagano who was the lord of the clan, didn’t do so, showing his loyalty to the Uesugi Clan. He was considered as one of the strongest generals at that time, against large warlords such as the Hojo and Takeda Clans. He organized a group of local lords in the region, called the Minowa Group, to maintain their territories. He even accommodated some other generals who lost their territories due to defeats of battles, such as Yukitaka Sanada.

The wooden statue of Narimasa Nagano, owned by Chojunji Temple, quoted from the website of Takasaki City
The portrait of Yukitaka Sanada, owned by Chokokuji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

After some years of his binding time, Kenshin Uesugi, the successor of Norimasa, invaded the Kanto Region including Kozuke Province from Echigo Province in 1560. Narimasa became one of senior vassals of the Uesugi Clan again and succeeded to be the lord of the western Kozuke Province. However, when Kenshin returned to his home base, Kasugayama Castle in Echigo Province, the Hojo Clan started to get the territories back. In addition, Narimasa tried to subject the Obata Clan in Kunimine Castle to the southwest of Narimasa’s territory, but failed. This was because Nobuzane Obata, the lord of the clan, asked Shingen Takeda, one of the greatest warlords, for help and became his retainer. Yukitaka Sanada, who was saved by Narimasa, also became a senior vassal of Shingen after leaving Narimasa. Shingen was a lifetime competitor of Kenshin, so he started to invade the western Kozuke in 1561.

The portrait of Kenshin Uesugi, owned by the Uesugi Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The imaginary drawing of Kunimine Castle, exhibited by Kanra Town Museum of History and Folklore
Norizane Obata drawn in the “Battle of Nagashino” folding screens, exhibited by Kanra Town Museum of History and Folklore
The portrait of Shingen Takeda, owned by Jimyo-in Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Castle falls with Destruction of Nagano Clan

Narimasa could somehow maintain Minowa Castle and the area around in his life, but died of illness in 1561. His son, Narimori Nagano followed his father’s way not to surrendering to their enemies. However, Shingen did a full-scale attack on Minowa Castle in 1566 before the castle fell. Narimori and his relatives fought to the end and finally killed themselves in the Gozen Enclosure of the castle. It is said that they threw the memorial tablets of their ancestors into the well in the enclosure before their deaths.

The family crest of the Nagano Clan, called Hiogi or A fan made of wood
The ruins of well in the Gozen Enclosure of Minowa Castle

After that, Nobuzane Obata changed their master to the Oda and Hojo Clans to maintain their territory after the destruction of the Takeda Clan. In 1590, when the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi invaded Hojo’s Kanto Region, Obata’s own castle fell, then the clan loss their territory as well. On the other hand, the Sanada Clan struggled to be independently based in Ueda, Numata and Iwabitsu Castles. They finally succeeded to achieve this, however it was very hard to climb.

Ueda Castle
The ruins of Numata Castle
The miniature model of Iwabitsu Castle at the information center at the site

Naomasa Ii modernizes and abandons Castle

After Minowa Castle fell, the Takeda Clan owned the castle, followed by the Oda, Hojo and Tokugawa Clans. Naomasa Ii, the head of senior vassals of the Tokugawa Clan, was the last lord of the caste. He entered the castle when the Tokugawa Clan was moved to the Kanto Region in 1590. Minowa Castle was large, but originally had enclosures mainly made of soil, surrounded by dry moats. Naomasa improved and modernized the castle as much as he could. For example, he developed new enclosures such as the Inari Enclosure with a water moat to be more defensive. Stone walls were built alongside the Main Route to show the castle lord’s authority. Some turret gates were also built in the important positions of the castle, such as the Kaku-umadashi Western Entrance Gate. However, Naomasa finally moved to his new home base called Takasaki Castle on a plain land in 1598 before Minowa Castle was abandoned.

The portrait of Naomasa Ii, owned by Hikone Castle Museum  (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The Inari Enclosure
The restored Kaku-umadashi Western Entrance Gate
The stone walls of the Third Enclosure Gate Ruins

To be continued in “Minowa Castle Part2”

141.Gujo-Hachiman Castle Part1

The castle in a small town had a hard history.

Location and History

Endo Clan first builds it as Stronghold for battle

Gujo-Hachiman town is well known for its attractions such as an old street atmosphere, the beauties of nature, and the Gujo Odori Dance Festival in the summer. It was originally the castle town of Gujo-Hachiman Castle which was first built on Ushikubi-yama Mountain back in 1559. At that time during the Sengoku Period, almost all the people in Japan had to protect themselves and govern their communities all by themselves. In a small region called Gujo District in the northern mountain part of Mino Province, which is now the modern day Gujo City in Gifu Prefecture, the Endo and Tou Clans battled each other over the district. Eventually, the Endo Clan would win and their stronghold for the battle directly became Gujo-Hchiman Castle. The name “Hachiman” originates from a shrine’s name which the clan established at the foot of the mountain. The castle was said to be a simple mountain castle made of soil.

Gujo-Hachiman town with the beauties of nature

The location of Gujo-Hachiman Castle

Yoshitaka Endo, the lord of the castle in the late 16th Century, had to work under other greater warlords in the Chubu Region, such as the Saito Clan and the Oda Clan. This was because lords of small regions did not power, therefore, needed to be guaranteed by great warlords in order to maintain their territories. On the other hand, they also needed to find out the next leader whom they would be working under. In the case of Yoshitaka, he supported Nobutaka Oda in Gifu Castle, who fought against Hideyoshi Toyotomi and was defeated in 1583. Unfortunately, he made a bad choice and surrendered to Hideyoshi. He was once overlooked, however he was eventually transferred from the lord of Gujo-Hachiman Castle to a much smaller territory by Hideyoshi in 1588.

The family crest of the Endo Clan, called Kikko ni Hanabishi or A diamond shaped flower in a tortoise shell  (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Inaba Clan’s Modernization and Endo Clan’s revenge

After that, Sadamichi Inaba became the lord of the Gujo-Hachiman Castle and started to renovate and modernize the castle by building stone walls around the Main Enclosure on the top of the mountain. The enclosure had the stone wall base for a Main Tower on it, but it was uncertain weather or not the Main Tower was built. It was also surrounded by the Belt Enclosures with tripled stone walls. Moreover, the back of the Main Enclosure which was the part connecting to other mountains was separated by doubled deep ditches. Gujo-Hachiman Castle became a strong castle protected not only by natural terrain but also by the advanced structures.

The portrait of Sadamichi Inaba, owned by Gekkeiji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

On the other hand, Yoshitaka Endo was waiting to recover. The chance to recover came in 1600 when the battle of Sekigahara would take place. He found out that Sadamichi Inaba supported the Western squad, therfore, he decided to join the Eastern squad led by Ieyasu Tokugawa. He began attacking Gujo-Hachiman Castle after Ieyasu’s approval in advance of Sekigahara. Both troops by Yoshitaka and Sadamichi fought a hard battle, especially in the back of the Main Enclosure. The castle survived most lilely because it got much stronger than Yoshitaka underestimated the strength of the castle. However, Yoshitaka eventually got the castle back in the end as the Eastern squad was victorious in the Battle of Sekigahara. Yoshitaka became the founder of the Gujo Domain under the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The picture of the battle at Gujo-Hachiman Castle in 1600, exhibited in the Main Tower of the castle

Gujo uprising before Government by Aoyama Clan

A big incident happened in the Gujo Domain, which was called the Gujo uprising, in 1758 when the Kanamori Clan governed following the Endo and Inoue Clans. Yorikane Kanamori was the lord of the domain and had an important role for the shogunate which cost a lot of money. Unfortunatelly, his domain was relatively small and had lower income than what he needed. Therefore, he decided to raise the tax rate by changing how to estimate the amount of harvested rice with the cooperation from some high class officers of the shogunate. This made farmers in the domain very angry, together in the rice warehouse at the foot of the mountain. They submitted a petition asking not to raise the tax. However, the domain refused this petition. So then the farmers brought this action in the lord in Edo, a member of shogun’s council of elders, and finally the shogun itself. This incident resulted in many farmers being executed, some shogunate officers were also displaced, and the Kanamori Clan were fired from the lord of the Gujo Domain.

The family crest of the Kanamori Clan, called Ura Umebachi or Back of a plum flower inside pots (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The monument of the Gujo uprising (licensed by のりまき via Wikimedia Commons)

The Aoyama Clan followed the lord of the domain caring for farmers so that another incident would not happen. The clan also allowed people to dance in the town freely, which was said to be the origin of the Gujo Odori Dance Festival. As for the Gujo-Hachiman Castle, the clan moved the center of the castle from the top of the mountain to the Second Enclosure at the foot, where the Main Hall was. This was a typical way for the lords in the Edo Period to govern their domain in the peaceful time. As a result, the Second Enclosure was turned into the Main Enclosure. The former Main Enclosure was then divided into the Cherry Enclosure and the Pine Enclosure.

The family crest of the Aoyama Clan, called Aoyama Zeni or The Aoyama coin (licensed by Mukai via Wikimedia Commons)
The statues of the Gujo Odori Dance Festival in the town
The miniature model of Gujo-Hachiman Castle and its castle town in the Edo Period, exhibited in the Main Tower of the castle

To be continued in “Gujo-Hachiman Castle Part2”