is a late

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 ...

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 village of Chihayaakasaka,

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. 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 Provinces of Japan, 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 th ...

with the Yoshino region of

Yamato Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in . It was also called . Yamato consists of two characters, 大 "great", and 和 " Wa". At first, th ...

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 The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yori ...

in the Genkō War, he relied on Prince Moriyoshi 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 The is an archipelago in the Sea of Japan, the islands of which are administratively part of Oki District, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. The islands have a total area of . Only four of the around 180 islands are permanently inhabited. Much of the ...

. 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 The was a three-year period of Imperial rule in Japanese history between the Kamakura period and the Muromachi period from 1333 to 1336. The Kenmu Restoration was an effort made by Emperor Go-Daigo to overthrow the ruling Kamakura Shogunate ...

, Shimo-Akasaka Castle continued to be used as a base for the Southern Court during the wars of 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 ...

, but fell to

Northern Court The , also known as the Ashikaga Pretenders or Northern Pretenders, were a set of six pretenders to the throne of Japan during the Nanboku-chō period from 1336 through 1392. Even though the present Imperial House of Japan is descended from the ...

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

References

External links

*{{commonscatinline, Shimo Akasaka Castle 1330s establishments in Japan Castles in Osaka Prefecture Historic Sites of Japan Kawachi Province Chihayaakasaka

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links