Today, if you are close to the ruins of Odani Castle, you will see Odaniyama-Mountain the castle was built is still standing out. You will also see another mountain called Toragozeyama Nobunaga used as his battle castle in front of Odaniyama-Mountain. Many people gather at the foot of Odaniyama-Mountain for visiting the ruins or hiking. If you drive to the ruins, you can choose your parking spot at the foot or the mid slope. In the case of parking at the mid slope, you can access the main portion of the castle near the parking lot. However, this portion is large, steep and rough on the mountain, so it is recommended to wear trekking boots.
Odaniyama-Mountain on the right and Toragozeyama-Mountain on the leftThe road to the main portion from the parking lot at the mid slope
Imagine how it looked by reading signboard
There are no castle buildings and few remaining stone walls on the foundations made of soil. This is because these items were taken as waste materials for other castles’ constructions, and it took a long time after the castle was abandoned. However, you can still see many enclosures on the ridge of the mountain as you climb up. Some signboards explain what each enclosure was called, used for, and looked like.
The Guardhouse RuinsThe imaginary of the Guardhouse Ruins, from the signboard at the siteToragozeyama Mountain from the view spot at the mid slopeThe Teahouse RuinsThe imaginary of the Teahouse Ruins, from the signboard at the siteThe Stable RuinsThe imaginary of the Stable Ruins, from the signboard at the siteThe Cherry Riding Ground RuinsThe imaginary of the Cherry Riding Ground Ruins, from the signboard at the site
Large Hall Nagamasa where lived and Main Enclosure where he fought
Ohiroma or the Large Hall Enclosure is the largest one in the castle. Its entrance is Korogane-mon Gate Ruins which have some stone steps and stone walls. There were the Main Halls for the lord and relatives. A lot of household items, such as earthen cups, silver cups, coins, and mirrors were unearthed by the excavation. You can also enjoy a good view from there, so Nagamawa and his family might usually have lived in the enclosure.
The map around the castle
Korogane-mon Gate RuinsThe Large Hall RuinsA view from the Cherry Riding Ground Ruins nearby
The next is the Main Enclosure where Nagamasa fought against Nobunaga. It has two tiers with some remaining stone walls. It is speculated that it had a building like the Main Tower. Nagamasa sallied out from there but died in the Akao Residence Ruins nearby.
The Main EnclosureThe remaining stone walls of the Main EnclosureThe imaginary of the Main Enclosure, from the signboard at the site
You will see the Large Ditch behind the Main Enclosure to divide the castle into the front and back part. This ditch might have protected the enclosure from Nobunaga’s attack from the back part for a while.
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
Border Castle between Northern and Southern Omi Province
Kamaha Castle was a mountain castle during the Sengoku Period, which was located in Omi Provence (currently the modern day location of Shiga Prefecture). Its position was in the central area of the province, which at the time was divided into two parts, the northern part and the southern part. As a result, the two warlords from the Rokkaku Clan in the south and the warlord from the Azai Clan in the north were constantly gaining and loosing castles each other. Kamaha Castle was built on one of the ridges, which was 384 meters high, of Mt. Ryozen,. The name “Kamaha” which means “Sickle Blade” got its name from the shape of the ridge with its steep sides. The castle was located near a major road called “Nakasendo”, which was conveniently located for battle making it easier for transportation as well.
The range of Omi Province and the location of the castle
城周辺の起伏地図
In the middle of the 16th Century, during the Sengoku Period, the Hori Clan was the ruler of the castle. The clan frequently changed their masters depending on the situation. In one instance, back in 1553, the Rokkaku Clan attacked Kamaha Castle, forcing the Hori Clan to escape, eventually surrendering the castle completely. However, the Hori Clan would eventually form an allegiance with the Azai Clan, most likely because the Azai Clan was gaining a lot of power at that time. Back in 1570, The Azai Clan fought Nobunaga Oda, where Hidemura Hori sided with Nobunaga who was easily persuaded by Hideyoshi Hashiba, the eventual ruler of Japan. This was the destiny of lord of the border castle.
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 Hideyoshi Toyotomi, attributed to Mitsunobu Kano, owned by Kodaiji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Harsh Fate of Hidemura Hiri, Lord of Castle
Since Hidemura formed an allegiance with Hideyoshi, the Azai Clan were eventually beaten. Furthermore, Hideyoshi assisted Hidemura defend Kamaha Castle from an Azai Clan attack in 1571. This resulted in Nobunaga, Hidemura and Hideyoshi capturing Odani Castle (the home base of the Azai Clan) in 1573. A year later (in 1574) shortly after the succession, Hidemura was fired by Nobunaga due to Hidemura’s senior vassal’s failures. The primary reason for this is still unknown, but perhaps we can assume that this was purely the cruelty of Nobunaga’s character. Some historians speculate that there was a power imbalance since Hidemura was getting more powerful through his allegiance with Nobunaga. It was well-known that Hidemura accumulated more territory than Hideyoshi, who at the time was Nobunaga’s important retainer. Nobunaga might have the rebellion by Hidemura, or perhaps he wanted to take the territory for him. As the famous Chinese proverb goes “When the nimble rabbit dies, the hunting dog will be cooked”, so too was the fate of Hidemura. Finally, there is a strong belief by historians that Hidemura was hired by Hideyoshi and his brother Hidenaga in the end.
The ruins of Odani CastleThe portrait of Hidenaga Toyotomi, owned by Shungakuin Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Systems of Castle improved uniquely
Kamaha Castle was finally abandoned in 1575. Some historians assumed that because the castle was made of soil, and that it was inferior to other castles, that it was abandoned sooner than other castles. However, according to a more recent excavation, it was revealed that Kamaha Castle actually had an advance system compared to other mountain castles. Kamaha Castle had at least a 3-level large turret, like a Main Tower, in the northern enclosures of the castle. This turret was thought to be used by defenders who shot arrows against attackers, as well as a large ditch located in front of it. If attackers had the misfortune of getting stuck in the ditch, it would give a clear and perfect sight for the defenders. Many enclosures were surrounded by stone walls. Moreover, the main enclosure at the center of the castle had its entrance with a square space surrounded by stone walls and steps called “Koguchi”. These types of systems were seldom seen in castles that were built after Azuchi Castle which Nobunaba built back in 1579. Based on these findings, Kamaha Castle was truly more advance than Azuchi Castle.
The imaginary drawing of the large turret of Kamaha Castle, quoted from the Kamaha Castle Official SiteThe imaginary drawing of Azuchi Castle, exhibited by Gifu Castle Museum
On the other hand, there were some differences between Kamaha Castle and Azuchi Castle as well. The large turret in Kamaha Castle was placed on earthen walls, and not on stone walls. These stone walls supported the earthen walls which prevented them from collapsing. In the case of Azuchi Castle, its main tower was built on stone walls directly. The Koguchi entrance of Kamaha Castle was designed for the gate of the main hall, and not for defense. Koguchi entrances built after Azuchi Castle exhibited more defensive capabilities, combined with complex routes. Historian often speculate that the systems used in Kamaha Castle had been improved uniquely, but was eventually replaced with other systems which were first seen in Azuchi Castle. However, the design of Kamaha Castle ‘s large turret might have been used for the main towers of other castles. This is because Hideoyoshi who would eventually build Osaka Castle included its main tower, must have seen the large turret when he worked with Hidemura at Kamaha Castle.
The stone walls of Kamaha CastleThe stone wall base for the Main Tower of Azuchi CastleKoguchi entrance ruins of Kamaha CastleThe Kocuchi entrance of the Kurogane-mon Gate of Azuchi Castle
