Kishiwada Castle
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is a
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 city of
Kishiwada is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 190,853 in 88,598 households and a population density of 2,600 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . The city is well known for its Danjiri Mat ...
,
Osaka Prefecture is a 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 to the north, Nara ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. At the end of the
Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
, Kishiwada Castle was home to the Okabe clan, ''
daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...
'' of
Kishiwada Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Izumi Province in what is now the southern portion of modern-day Osaka Prefecture. It was centered around Kishiwada Castle and was controlled by the ''fudai dai ...
. The Honmaru Garden of the castle is designated as a National Place of Scenic Beauty. The castle is also known as .


Background

Kishiwada Castle is located in the center of the city of Kishiwada, facing
Osaka Bay Osaka Bay (大阪湾 ''Ōsaka-wan'' ) is a bay in western Japan. As an eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea, it is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Kii Channel and from the neighbor western part of the Inland Sea by the Akashi Strait. I ...
. The site is a very strategic location, approximately half way in-between the cities of
Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
and
Wakayama Wakayama may refer to: * Wakayama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan * Wakayama (city), the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture, Japan * Wakayama Station, a train station in Wakayama, Wakayama * Wakayama University, a national university in Wakayama, ...
and just south of the port of
Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its '' kofun'', keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. The ''kofun ...
. It is located on the Kishū Kaidō, the main route connecting the capital area of Japan with
Kii Province , or , was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today Wakayama Prefecture, as well as the southern part of Mie Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kii''" in . Kii bordered Ise, Izumi, Kawachi, Shima, and Yamato Pro ...
, and its coastal location was important for transportation from the eastern
Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...
to
Settsu Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises the southeastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It was also referred to as or . Osaka and Osaka Castle were the main center of the province. Most of Settsu's ...
and
Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
. It is unknown when this location was first fortified. During the
Nanboku-chō period The , also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period, was a period in Japanese history between 1336-1392 CE, during the formative years of the Ashikaga shogunate, Muromachi (Ashikaga) shogunate. Ideologically, the two courts fought for 50 ...
, a local warlord named Kishiwada Osamu was subordinate to
Kusunoki Masashige , or , was a Japanese military commander and samurai of the Kamakura period remembered as the ideal loyal samurai. Kusunoki fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in the Genkō War to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate and restore power in Japan to the ...
at the
Battle of Minatogawa The Battle of Minatogawa (), also known as the Battle of Minato River, was part of the Nanboku-chō Wars fought near the Minato River in Settsu Province (present day Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture) on 5 July 1336. The Imperial forces loyal to Empe ...
in 1336 and is believed to have built a fortified residence approximately 500 meters southeast of the current castle. It later fell to the
Ashikaga clan The was a Japanese samurai Japanese clans, clan and dynasty which established the Ashikaga shogunate and ruled History of Japan, Japan from roughly 1333 to 1573. The Ashikaga were descended from a branch of the Minamoto clan, deriving originall ...
who appointed the
Hosokawa clan The is a Japanese samurai kin group or Japanese clan, clan. The clan descends from the Seiwa Genji, a branch of the Minamoto clan, and ultimately from Emperor Seiwa, through the Ashikaga clan. It produced many prominent officials in the Ashikaga ...
as ''
shugo , commonly translated as ' ilitarygovernor', 'protector', or 'constable', was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The position gave way to th ...
'' of
Izumi Province :''The characters ''泉州'' are also used for the name of the Chinese city of Quanzhou''. was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area of southern Osaka Prefecture. It bordered on Kii Province, Kii to the south, Yamato Province, Ya ...
, and the Hosokawa appointed the
Matsura clan The Matsura clan, also spelled Matsuura, was a medieval and early modern Japanese samurai family who ruled Hirado Domain in Hizen Province on the island of Kyushu. They started as a group of military families under the name Matsura-to. They were ...
as their deputies. At some unknown point, the castle was relocated to its present site on a small hill at the coastal terrace of Osaka Bay, protected to the north and south by rivers.


History

In the early 15th century, the
Miyoshi clan is a Japanese family descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and the Minamoto clan (Seiwa-Genji). They are a cadet branch of the Ogasawara clan and the Takeda clan. At the beginning of the 14th century AD, settled in Shikoku. His eighth ge ...
(from Awa Province) invaded and defeated the Hosokawa clan and their proxies, and became rulers over a large portion of the
Kansai region The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropol ...
.
Miyoshi Yoshikata , other name Miyoshi Yukiyasu (三好 之康) or Miyoshi Jikkyu (三好 実休), second son of Miyoshi Motonaga, was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, who served the Miyoshi clan. His other brothers were Miyoshi Nagayoshi (first child), ...
(1527-1562), the younger brother of
Miyoshi Nagayoshi , or Miyoshi Choukei, the eldest son of Miyoshi Motonaga, was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' who ruled seven provinces in Kansai. He was considered the most powerful figure during the Sengoku period before the rise of Oda Nobunaga, as Nagayosh ...
made Kishiwada Castle as his base and extensively rebuilt its fortifications. The Miyoshi also developed Sakai into an international port and profited greatly from trade. Miyoshi rule proved to be short-lived and by the 1560s the clan was in eclipse and Izumi Province had collapsed into a patchwork of local strongmen. It became a battleground between the forces of
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 followers of the
Saiga Ikki The , based in Ōta in the Kii Province (now part of Wakayama Prefecture) of Honshū, were one of many ''ikkō-ikki'' mercenary groups in feudal Japan. Those in Ōta, led by Suzuki Magoichi, were better known as Saika Magoichi. Saika-ikki was forme ...
, local followers of the ''
Ikkō-ikki were armed military leagues that formed in several regions of Japan in the 15th-16th centuries, composed entirely of members of the Jōdo Shinshū sect of Buddhism. In the early phases, these ''ikki'' leagues opposed the rule of local Shugo, go ...
'' movement, who sought to overthrow the feudal system and establish a theocratic republic, and who had allied with his arch-enemy,
Ishiyama Hongan-ji The was the primary fortress of the Ikkō-ikki, leagues of warrior priests and commoners who opposed samurai rule during the Sengoku period. It was established in 1496, at the mouth of the Yodo River, on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea. At the ...
temple. Nobunaga seized Kishiwada Castle and placed
Oda Nobuharu was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, who served the Oda clan. Nobuharu was the younger brother of Oda Nobunaga. Nobunaga granted him Nobu Castle and its surroundings as a private fief. While fighting the Asakura and Asai, Nobuharu was ...
as castellan to protect against any attempt by the Saiga Ikki and the Ishiyama Hongan-ji armies from linking together. Nobunaga's fears were realized after his assassination in 1582. In 1584,
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: ...
left the defenses of Osaka undermanned when he marched against
Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...
to consolidate his position as Nobunaga's successor. In 1585 the Saiga Ikki armies took advantage of this vacuum to invade Izumi Province, but they were stopped by Hideyoshi's generals Matsuura Munekiyo with Nakamura Kazuuji with 8,000 men at the Battle of Kishiwada. Kishiwada Castle withstood the two-month siege, and was made the base of Hideyoshi's conquest of Kii Province. In order to secure the countryside and to continue to protect Sakai port and his rear flank towards Osaka, Hideyoshi placed his uncle, Koide Hidemasa as castellan and had Kishiwada's defenses strengthened. Koide constructed a five-story ''
tenshu is an architectural typology found in Japanese castle, Japanese castle complexes. They are easily identifiable as the highest tower within the castle. Common translations of ''tenshu'' include keep, main keep, or ''donjon''. ''Tenshu'' are cha ...
'' in the central, or "Honmaru" bailey. This enclosure was roughly rectangular, 100 by 50 meters and was protected by stone walls and water moats. The secondary, or "Ni-no-maru" bailey extended in the direction of Osaka Bay, and also had tall stone walls protecting against attack from sea. Smaller enclosures surrounded by water moats protected these two main enclosures, which were connected by a narrow path, such that the castle had an "H" configuration, The total area of the castle was roughly 500 square meters, which was relatively small in relation to the size of its ''tenshu'' and its strategic importance. In the
Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...
, Koide Hidemasa and his eldest son Koida Yoshimasa were with the defeated Western Army. However, Koide hedged his bets by having his second son, Koide Hideie, side with the Eastern Army, and as a result, Koide Hideie inherited the Kishiwada Domain under the newly established
Tokugawa Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...
. He was transferred to
Izushi Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Tajima Province in what is now the northern portion of modern-day Hyōgo Prefecture. It was centered initially around Izushi Castle in what is now the Izushi n ...
in
Tajima Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area of northern Hyōgo Prefecture. Tajima bordered on Tango Province, Tango and Tanba Province, Tanba to the east, Harima Province, Harima to the south, and Inaba Province, Inaba to the west. ...
in 1619 and replaced by Matsudaira Yasushige, making Kishiwada a ''Fudai'' fiefdom. He was transferred in 1640 and the castle was given to the Okabe clan, who would rule Kishiwada until the
Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...
. In 1623, a ''yagura'' tower was relocated to Ninomaru Bailey from
Fushimi Castle , also known as or Fushimi-Momoyama Castle, is a Japanese castle located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto. Fushimi Castle was constructed from 1592 to 1594 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the end of the Sengoku period as his retirement residen ...
. In 1827, the ''tenshu'' was burnt down by lightning and not replaced, Following the Meiji restoration, all remaining buildings at Kishiwada Castle were destroyed. The Honmaru and Ninomaru baileys were preserved as a park, and in 1954, a three-story faux-''tenshu'' was constructed for use as a local museum. A gate and a few yagura were also reconstructed in 1969. The stone walls and moats of the castle remain in relatively good condition. The castle is a ten-minute walk from Nankai Honsen line Takojizo Station on the
Nankai Main Line The is one of the two main railway lines of Japanese private railway company Nankai Electric Railway, together with Nankai Kōya Line, Kōya Line. The route is from Namba Station in south downtown of Osaka to Wakayamashi Station in Wakayama, Wa ...
or a 15-minute walk from
Kishiwada Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Kishiwada, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Nankai Electric Railway. It has the station number "NK24". Lines Kishiwada Station is served by the Nankai Main L ...
. Kishiwada Castle was listed as one of the Continued 100 Fine Castles of Japan in 2017.


In media

It was one of the filming locations of ''
Snake Eyes (2021 film) ''Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins'' (or simply ''Snake Eyes'') is a 2021 American superhero film loosely based on Hasbro's ''G.I. Joe'' toy line character Snake Eyes. It is the third installment in the ''G.I. Joe'' film series. The film is direc ...
''.


See also

* List of Places of Scenic Beauty of Japan (Osaka)


Literature

* * * * *


External links


Kishiwada Castle official websiteOsaka Prefecture Tourist Information


References

{{Authority control Castles in Osaka Prefecture Military history of Osaka Prefecture Kishiwada, Osaka Izumi Province Fujii-Matsudaira clan History museums in Japan Izumi-Hosokawa clan Matsudaira clan Matsura clan Miyoshi clan Museums in Osaka Prefecture Designated historic sites of Osaka Prefecture