is a
Sengoku period
The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...
''yamashiro''-style
Japanese castle
are fortresses constructed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries and came into their best-known form in the 16th century. Castles in Japan were built to guard important or strategic sites, such a ...
located in the Nakayashiki neighborhood of the city of
Jōetsu,
Niigata prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,131,009 (1 July 2023) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...
. It was the primary fortress of the warlord
Uesugi Kenshin
, later known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (magnate). He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period ...
, and was originally built and ruled by the
Nagao clan. It is listed as one of
Japan's Top 100 Castles and the ruins have been protected as a
National Historic Site since 1935.
The castle and its history were mentioned by
Takizawa Bakin, and Yamazaki Yoshishige in ''Tanki manroku''.
Kasugayama Castle is regarded as among Japan's Five Greatest Mountain Castles, along with
Nanao Castle
was a Muromachi period ''yamajiro''-style Japanese castle located in what is now the city of Nanao, Ishikawa, Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a Historic Sites of Japan, National Histori ...
,
Odani Castle,
Kannonji Castle and
Gassantoda Castle. The castle is unofficially called .
Background
Kasugayama Castle extended over two ridges on the summit of 180-meter Mount Kasuga. The castle had no stone walls but consisted of many enclosures (''
kuruwa'') with earthen or clay ramparts and dry moats built on terraces at various levels on the mountain. The core of the castle (or
inner bailey) was just below the peak, and contained a
watch tower, Buddhist temple (and Uesugi Kenshin's residence) and garden. On the south ridge was the fortified residence of
Uesugi Kagekatsu, the adopted son of Kenshin, below which was the residence of
Kakizaki Kageie, one of Kenshin's most important retainers. On the north ridge was the residence of
Naoe Kagetsuna, another important retainer. Immediately below the central area was the residence of
Uesugi Kagetora, another adopted son of Kenshin. In addition to these major enclosures were many smaller enclosures for retainers and barracks for soldiers, as well as warehouses. The castle is the centre of a defensive network consisting of many smaller forts in a two to six km, radius.
History
There was an older castle on this site that dates to the 14th century, but there's no certain information about it. The Kasugayama Castle was probably built by
Nagao Tamekage, and then was inherited by
Nagao Harukage.
Uesugi Kenshin
, later known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (magnate). He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period ...
, his younger brother who was originally named
Nagao Kagetora, became the lord of the castle in 1548. This castle was Uesugi Kenshin's departure point in his engagement with
Takeda Shingen
was daimyō, daimyo of Kai Province during the Sengoku period of Japan. Known as "the Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyo of the late Sengoku period, and credited with exceptional military prestige. Shingen was based in a p ...
in the 1561
Battle of Kawanakajima
The were a series of battles fought in the Sengoku period of Japan between Takeda Shingen of Kai Province and Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo Province from 1553 to 1564.
Shingen and Kenshin contested each other for control of the plain of Kawanakaj ...
.
After his death in 1578, Uesugi Kagekatsu gained control of Kasugayama, after a brief series of battles with Uesugi Kagetora over the inheritance. Although Uesugi Kagekatsu was able to reunite the Uesugi clan, his forces were severely weakened by the ongoing struggle against
Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...
and the
Odawara Hōjō clan. The Uesugi eventually submitted to
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
, otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...
, and in 1598 the clan was transferred by Hideyoshi to
Aizu. Kasugayama Castle was turned over to
Hori Hideharu, the son of
Hori Hidemasa. Hideharu built a large water moat to surround the ''
jōkamachi
The were centres of the domains of the feudal lords in medieval Japan. The ''jōkamachi'' represented the new, concentrated military power of the daimyo in which the formerly decentralized defence resources were concentrated around a single, cent ...
'' of Kasugayama as the local populace was highly upset over the departure of the Uesugi, and in 1600 he relocated his seat to Fukushima Castle near the coast and port of Naoetsu. By 1607, Kasugayama was deserted.
A
Shinto shrine
A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion.
The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...
, Kasugayama Shrine was founded in 1901 at the base of the mountain. The ruins of the inner bailey are located 180
m.a.s.l., with view at the city of Jōetsu, Kubiki Plain, and the
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...
, approximately 20 minutes on foot from the shrine.
No structures survive within the castle grounds, but one gate has been preserved nearby at the temple of Rinsen-ji Temple, which also has a small museum. Also Jōetsu-shi Maizō Bunkazai Center (Historical museum) is near the castle.
Gallery
File:Honmaru of Kasugayama Castle.jpg, Honmaru compound of Kasugayama castle
File:Well of Kasugayama Castle.jpg, Well of Kasugayama castle
File:Horikiri style moat of Kasugayama Castle.jpg, Horikiri style moat of Kasugayama castle
File:KasugayamaCastle-print.jpg, An old print showing Kasugayama Castle
File:Kasugayamaj03.jpg, New print of the old map
See also
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Niigata)
References
*
External links
Kasaguyama Castleat
JNTO
Kasaguyama Castleat Jcastle Guide
Kasaguyama Castle at A Collection of Photographs of Japanese Castles
{{Authority control
Castles in Niigata Prefecture
Ruined castles in Japan
History of Niigata Prefecture
16th-century establishments in Japan
Jōetsu, Niigata
Historic Sites of Japan
Echigo Province
Uesugi clan