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 Sadowara neighborhood of the city of Miyazaki,

Miyazaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,028,215 as of 1 January 2025 and has a geographic area of 7,735 Square kilometre, km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefectur ...

, on the island of

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

, Japan. It is also called , and later . During the

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 ...

, it was the stronghold of the

Itō clan The are a Japanese clan of ''gōzoku'' that claimed descent from the Fujiwara clan through Fujiwara Korekimi (727–789) and Kudō Ietsugu. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papi ...

and later was controlled by the

Shimazu clan The were the ''daimyō'' of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan. The Shimazu were identified as one of the '' tozama'' or outsider ''daimyō'' familiesAppert, Georges ''et al.'' (1888). in contr ...

Shimazu Toyohisa or Shimazu Tadatoyo, son of Shimazu Iehisa and nephew of Shimazu Yoshihiro, was a Japanese ''samurai'' who was a member of the Shimazu clan. He was also the castle lord in command of Sadowara Castle. He served in the Battle of Kyushu (1587) ...

was command of the castle. During 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 ...

, the castle was headquarters of

Sadowara Domain 270px, Shimazu Tadahiro, final ''daimyō'' of Sadowara Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now central Miyazaki Prefecture. It was centered around Sadowara Castle in what is now the city of ...

, which ruled portions of

Hyūga Province was a province of Japan in the area of southeastern Kyūshū, corresponding to modern Miyazaki Prefecture Hyūga bordered on Ōsumi to the south, Higo to the west, and Bungo to the north. Its abbreviated form name was , although it was als ...

(modern-day Miyazaki) from 1603 to 1871. The castle site has been a National Historic Site since 2004.

History

Sadowara Castle is located on Mount Kakusho, a 100-meter hill in the center of Sadowara town, 15 kilometer north from the urban center of Miyazaki city. The plateau area between the Hitotsuse River and

Ōyodo River The is a river which runs through Kagoshima Prefecture and Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan and ultimately drains into the Pacific Ocean. River communities The river passes through or forms the boundary of the following communities: ;Kagoshima P ...

north of Miyazaki city was historically the stronghold of the

from 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 ...

. Sadowara Castle is in the middle of north line of plateau, at entrance of small valley controlling access to the top of plateau. It is thought Sadowara Castle is used as a residence and administrative base to manage commercial town and river port, and

Tonokōri Castle was a Sengoku period ''yamajiro''-style Japanese castle located in the Tonokōri neighborhood of the city of Saito, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. It was also known as . Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 2000. Overv ...

about five kilometers to the east was the main military base. The Itō clan claimed descent from

Kudō Suketsune Kudō Suketsune (Japanese: 工藤祐経; 1147 – June 28, 1193) was a Japanese samurai and ''gokenin'' in the late Heian and early Kamakura period. He was assassinated during the Revenge of the Soga Brothers incident. Life Suketsune was born ...

, who had been famously assassinated as per the events recounted in the

Soga Monogatari ''Soga Monogatari'' () is a Japanese military chronicle-tale based on the vengeance incident, Revenge of Soga Brothers. The story is often known as ''The (illustrated) Tale of the Soga Brothers'' or ''The Revenge of the Soga Brothers''. It is ...

. His son, Itō Suketoki, had been awarded estates in

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako ...

and these were managed by a cadet branch of the clan who took the surname of "Tajima", who constructed the castle as "Tajima Castle" in the mid-14th century. However, it was not until the Nanboku-chō period in which the main line of the Itō clan relocated to Hyūga by order of

Ashikaga Takauji also known as Minamoto no Takauji was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate."Ashikaga Takauji" in ''Encyclopædia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. ...

, and renamed the castle "Sadowara Castle" as their stronghold. After a major fire in 1537, Itō Yoshitsuke significantly expanded Sadowara Castle to encompass the whole mountain and renamed it "Tsurumatsu Castle". As was common with mountain castles of the period, Sadowara Castle consisted of numerous

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 ...

, protected by earthen ramparts and dry moats, extending along the ridge of the mountain and making use of the natural terrain as part of its defenses. An old illustration of castle shows there was three-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 ...

'', and an

archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

based on this picture found the ruins of its foundation in the

inner bailey The inner bailey or inner ward of a castle is the strongly fortified enclosure at the heart of a medieval castle.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 22. It is protected by the outer ...

, along with that of a ''masugata''-style compound gate. The remains of 14th century ceramics, and a ''

shachihoko A – or simply – is a sea monster in Japanese folklore with the head of a dragon or tiger or lion and the body of a carp covered entirely in black or grey scales.Joya. ''Japan and Things Japanese.'' Taylor and Francis, 2017;2016;, Accordi ...

roof tile Roof tiles are overlapping tiles designed mainly to keep out precipitation such as rain or snow, and are traditionally made from locally available materials such as clay or slate. Later tiles have been made from materials such as concrete, glass ...

with gold-leaf have also been found. In the early

, the Itō clan expanded to rule most of Hyūga conquering areas to the north to the border of

Bungo Province was a province of Japan in the area of eastern Kyūshū, corresponding to most of modern Ōita Prefecture, except what is now the cities of Nakatsu and Usa. Bungo bordered on Hyūga to the south, Higo and Chikugo to the west, and Chikuze ...

, and (after a protracted campaign), wresting

Obi Castle Obi Castle is a Japanese castle originally completed in 1588. It was the center of the old Obi Domain, now a part of Miyazaki Prefecture. History Obi Castle was founded by the Tsuchimochi clan in the Nanboku-chō period, but most of its structu ...

to the south from the

in 1569. However, Itō Yoshitsuke's successor, Itō Yoshimasu, was not the military leader his father had been, and in 1572 was decisively defeated by the Shimazu, who captured Sadowara Castle, forcing the Itō clan into exile. After the fall of Itō clan, the Shimazu clan placed

Shimazu Iehisa was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, who was a member of the Shimazu clan of Satsuma Province. He was the fourth son of Shimazu Takahisa. He served in a command capacity during his family's campaign to conquer Kyūshū. His sons were ...

(1547-1587), younger brother of the warlord

Shimazu Yoshihisa was a powerful ''daimyō'' and the 16th Chief of Shimazu clan of Satsuma Province, the eldest son of Shimazu Takahisa. He was renowned as a great general, who managed to subjugate Kyushu through the deft maneuvering of his three brothers. Eventu ...

(1533-1611) as castellan of Sadowara. Shimazu Iehisa was excellent commander, defeating the numerically superior army of Ryuzoji clan with a small force at the

Battle of Okitanawate The , also known as the Battle of Shimabara, was fought on May 3 of 1584 between the combined forces of the Shimazu and Arima clans, and the Ryūzōji army. Ryūzōji Takanobu was attacking a number of independent clans close to his territories. ...

in 1584, and serving in the vanguard at the

Battle of Hetsugigawa The was the last battle before the Toyotomi main army's arrival on Kyūshū during Japan's Sengoku period. In 1586 at Hetsugigawa (present Ōnogawa) in Bungo province Toyotomi's vanguard divisions under Chōsokabe Motochika and Sengoku Hidehis ...

. However, just after the surrender of Shimazu clan 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: ...

in 1587, Iehisa suddenly died at Sadowara Castle, and it was rumored that he had been poisoned by order of Hideyoshi. Yoshihisa's younger brother,

Shimazu Yoshihiro was the second son of Shimazu Takahisa and the younger brother of Shimazu Yoshihisa. Traditionally believed to be the 17th head of the Shimazu clan, he was a skilled general during the Sengoku period who greatly contributed to the unificatio ...

, who was also an accomplished and experienced general, served in the Western Army loyal to

Toyotomi Hidetsugu was a during the Sengoku period of Japan. He was the nephew and retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the unifier and ruler of Japan from 1590 to 1598. Despite being Hideyoshi's closest adult, male relative, Hidetsugu was accused of atrocities and at ...

at the 1600

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, ...

. When the defeat of the pro-Toyotomi Western Army became evident, he led his forces in a breakthrough of the Eastern Army advance guard, which enabled the Shimazu forces to escape from the conflict and return to Kyushu. After the battle, the victorious

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 ...

ordered that Sadowara Castle be surrendered; however, the Tokugawa turned it over to Shimazu Mochihisa from a cadet branch of the Shimazu clan, and created

. It is a matter of debate as to whether this was to make favor to the Shimazu clan, or to create an alternative Shimazu house with loyalty directly to the

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 ...

is a matter of debate, but the Sadowara branch of the Shimazu clan would continue to rule Sadowara Domain to 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 ...

. Sadowara Castle was rebuilt in 1611 with stone walls, a ''tenshu'', and ''yagura'' turrets. The ''tenshu'' at Sadowara is the southernmost in Japan, as it was the policy of the Shimazu clan not to construct such structures, even at

Kagoshima Castle was an Edo period flatland-style Japanese castle located in the city of Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 2023. Kagoshima Castle was listed as one of Japan's Top 100 Castles ...

. The ''tenshu'' was lost only 14 years after its completion, mainly due to fiscal issues. The entire hilltop area of the castle was abolished in 1625 under Shimazu Tadaoki, as there was no longer possibility of external conflict and maintaining the hilltop fortifications was expensive. The official name of the castle was changed to "Shokaku Castle", although the castle continued to be popularly referred to as Sadowara Castle. In the late

Bakumatsu period were the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. Between 1853 and 1867, under foreign diplomatic and military pressure, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a feudal Tokugawa shogunat ...

and in the first years of the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

, Sadowara Domain planned to relocate its seat to a newly-built Hirose Castle, but the

abolition of the han system The in the Empire of Japan and its replacement by a system of prefectures in 1871 was the culmination of the Meiji Restoration begun in 1868, the starting year of the Meiji period. Under the reform, all daimyos (, ''daimyō'', feudal lords) ...

occurred in 1870, before the move could be made.

Current

At present, there are no structures on the hilltop, but the general shape of hilltop area still remains, with remnants of low walls and earthworks. In the secondary area, the ''daimyō'' residence was partially reconstructed in 1993, based on the results of archaeological excavations. Sadohara Castle historical museum is on site. 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

* *

External links

Miyazaki Cultural Heritage

References

{{Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles Castles in Miyazaki Prefecture Historic Sites of Japan Ruined castles in Japan Shimazu clan Hyūga Province Buildings and structures in Miyazaki (city)

History

Current

Literature

External links

See also

References