is a late
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle betwee ...
Japanese castle located in the village of
Chihayaakasaka,
Osaka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture ...
, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a
National Historic Site since 1934.
It is also referred to as simply .
History
Shimo-Akasaka Castle is located on Mount Kabutori, a ridge extending from
Mount Kongō on the border of
Kawachi Province
was a province of Japan in the eastern part of modern Osaka Prefecture. It originally held the southwestern area that was split off into Izumi Province. It was also known as .
Geography
The area was radically different in the past, with Kawachi ...
with the
Yoshino region of
Yamato Province at an elevation of 185.7 meters above sea level and 61.4 meters above its surroundings. It was part of a defensive position which included many smaller fortifications on surrounding hills, and later,
Kami-Akasaka Castle
is a late Kamakura period Japanese castle located in the village of Chihayaakasaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan."Osaka Info �"The ruins of Kamiakasaka castle"/ref> Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1934. It is also ...
on the hillside opposite a small river. The Honmaru (Main Enclosure) of Shimo-Akasaka Castle is now the site of the Chihayaakasaka Village Hall, and a monument indicating the location of the castle is within the grounds of the neighboring Chihayaakasaka Junior High School. In 1331, when
Emperor Go-Daigo attempted to overthrow the
Kamakura shogunate in the
Genkō War, he relied on
Prince Moriyoshi
(1308 – August 12, 1335) was a Japanese prince and monk.
He was the son of Emperor Go-Daigo and his consort Minamoto no Chikako.
Moriyoshi was named by his father as the head abbot of the Enryaku-ji temple on Mount Hiei.
Go-Daigo attempted t ...
and a local lord from the Chihaya-Akasaka area,
Kusunoki Masashige, to raise an army. However, this first attempt failed, and Emperor Go-Daigo was captured and exiled to the
Oki Islands. Shogunal armies attacked Kusunoki Masashige at in the
Siege of Akasaka and, when the castle fell, he faked his death and escaped into the deep mountains of his own territory where he constructed Kami-Akasaka Castle and
Chihaya Castle. In early 1333, Kusunoki Masashige joined forces with Prince Moriyoshi and recovered Shimo-Akasaka Castle and resumed his offense against the shogunate.
After the
Kenmu restoration, Shimo-Akasaka Castle continued to be used as a base for the
Southern Court
The were a set of four emperors (Emperor Go-Daigo and his line) whose claims to sovereignty during the Nanboku-chō period spanning from 1336 through 1392 were usurped by the Northern Court. This period ended with the Southern Court definitively ...
during the wars of the
Nanboku-chō period, but fell to
Northern Court forces in 1360.
It is now largely ruins with little remaining evidence of the original structure.
Akasaka-jo1.jpg, Rice Terraces near Shimo-Akasaka Castle
See also
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Osaka)
References
Further reading
*
*Frederic, Louis (2002). "Chihaya-jō."
Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
*Sansom, George (1961). "A History of Japan: 1334-1615." Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. pp123–4
*Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co.
*
External links
*{{commonscatinline, Shimo Akasaka Castle
1330s establishments in Japan
Castles in Osaka Prefecture
Historic Sites of Japan
Kawachi Province
Chihayaakasaka