was 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 ...

controlled by the

Nanbu clan The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan who ruled most of northeastern Honshū in the Tōhoku region of Japan for over 700 years, from the Kamakura period through the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Nanbu claimed descent from the Seiwa Ge ...

located in what is now the city of

Ninohe is a city located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 26,344, and a population density of 63 persons per km2 in 11,803 households. The total area of the city is . Geography Ninohe is located in far north-center ...

Iwate Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture (behind Hokkaido) at , with a population of 1,165,886 (as of July 1, 2023). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Pre ...

, in the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, , or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku retains ...

of far northern

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 ...

. It was also referred to as or .

Description

Kunohe Castle was a ''hirayama''-style castle built on a

river terrace Fluvial terraces are elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and fluvial valleys all over the world. They consist of a relatively level strip of land, called a "tread", separated from either an adjacent floodplain, other fluvial t ...

overlooking a junction between the

Mabechi River 270px, Ogami Rock overlooking the Basenkyō ravine in Iwate The is a river located in northern Iwate Prefecture and eastern Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshū in Japan. Overview The Mabechi River is long and has a wat ...

, Shiratori River and a small branch of the Shiratori River, which formed part of its natural defences to the north, west and east. The site covers an area of 340,000 square meters, making it one of the largest castle ruins in the Tōhoku region. As with similar contemporary castles (such as

Ne Castle is a Muromachi period Motte-and-bailey-style Japanese castle located in what is now the city of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of far northern Japan. It has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site ...

), the fortifications at Kunohe consisted of a number of dry moats, creating a number of

enclosures Enclosure or inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or "common land", enclosing it, and by doing so depriving commoners of their traditional rights of access and usage. Agreements to enc ...

, each with its own earthen

rampart Rampart may refer to: * Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement Rampart may also refer to: * LAPD Rampart Division, a division of the Los Angeles Police Department ** Rampart scandal, a blanket ter ...

s: the main bailey, second bailey, and there smaller baileys (Matsunomaru, Ishizawadate, and Wakasadate). The entrance to the south was protected by a wide dry moat, and the area of the enclosures was over 500 square meters.

History

The date of the castle's foundation is unknown. The Nanbu clan was originally a branch of the

Takeda clan The was a Japanese samurai clan active from the late Heian period until the late 16th century. The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present-day Yamanashi Prefecture. The clan reached its greatest influence under the rule of Taked ...

from Kai Province and was awarded estates in the far northern Tōhoku region during the

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

, but actively began controlling the area after the start of the

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

. The Kunohe clan was a branch of the main Nanbu clan, and extensively rebuilt pre-existing fortifications around 1492-1501 AD. Following a succession dispute in 1590, Kunohe Masazane rose in rebellion against the Nanbu Nobunao, chieftain of the main Nanbu clan, who had the backing of

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: ...

. In the

Kunohe Rebellion The was an insurrection of the Sengoku period of Japan that occurred in Mutsu Province from 13 March to 4 September 1591. The Kunohe Rebellion was the final battle in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's campaigns during the Sengoku period and completed the ...

of 1591, the greatly outnumbered defenders of the castle surrendered to an army led by

Gamō Ujisato was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku and Azuchi–Momoyama periods. He was heir and son of Gamō Katahide, lord of Hino Castle in Ōmi Province, and next managed Ise Province as lord of Matsusaka Castle and finally 920,000 koku in ...

; however, the peace terms were a ruse, and after surrendering the defenders were all massacred in the second bailey of the castle. The castle was initially rebuilt by Gamō Ujizane; however, Nanbu Naonobu chose to make

Sannohe Castle was a Muromachi period Japanese castle located in the center of what is now the town of Sannohe, in Sannohe District of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of far northern Japan. It was located on a river terrace of the Mabechi River, wh ...

his seat in 1597 and by 1636 the castle was allowed to fall into ruins. On June 7, 1935, the ruins were proclaimed a National Historic Site by the Japanese government. The castle was listed as one of the

Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles The is a list of 100 Japanese castle, castles, intended as a sequel of 100 Fine Castles of Japan. The castles were chosen for their significance in culture, history, and in their regions by the in 2017. Hokkaidō region Tōhoku region Kant ...

in 2017.

Literature

* * * *

References

External links

Profile of Kunohe Castle

City of Ninohe site with map
{{Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles Castles in Iwate Prefecture Ruined castles in Japan Historic Sites of Japan Ninohe, Iwate Nanbu clan Mutsu Province

Description

History

See also

Literature

References

External links