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 ...

located in what is now the Tani neighborhood of the city of Hachiōji, Tokyo,

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 ...

. Its ruins have protected as a National Historic Site since 2007.

Situation

Takiyama Castle is located on a long ridge south of the

Tama River The is a major river in Yamanashi Prefecture, Yamanashi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa and Tokyo Prefectures on Honshū, Japan. It is officially classified as a Class 1 river by the Government of Japan, Japanese government. It is long, an ...

, next to the confluence of the Tama River coming from the Ome area with the

Aki River The Aki River (also, the Akigawa River)Akigawa Valley / Official Tokyo Travel Guide GO TOKYO accessdate: April 13, 2017 is a river in Japan. The Aki River flows west of Tokyo Metropolitan Area. It is a major tributary of the Tama River,Japan ...

from the

Okutama is a town located in the western portion of Tokyo Prefecture, Japan, at a distance of roughly west-northwest of Tokyo Imperial Palace. , the town had an estimated population of 4,949, and a population density of 22 persons per km2. The total a ...

areas of

Musashi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Kawasaki and Yokohama. ...

. The castle site and surrounding area are within the borders of the Takiyama Prefectural Natural Park.

History

During 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 ...

, this portion of Musashi Province was ruled by the Ōishi clan, vassals of the Ogigayatsu-branch of the

Uesugi clan The is a Japanese samurai clan which was at its peak one of the most powerful during the Muromachi period, Muromachi and Sengoku periods (14th to 17th centuries).Georges Appert, Appert, Georges. (1888) ''Ancien Japon,'' p. 79./ref> At its heigh ...

and ''

shugodai were officials during feudal Japan. Shugodai were representatives of provincial shugo when the shugo could not virtually exercise his power, being often away from his province. Unlike shugo, who were appointed from the central power of the sa ...

'' of Musashi Province. They were one of the major military powers in the

Kantō region The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...

. Ōishi Sadashige constructed Takiyama Castle in 1521 to replace an earlier stronghold at Takatsuki, approximately one kilometer away. However, the Uesugi clan was soon eclipsed by the rising power of the

Late Hōjō clan Late or LATE may refer to: Everyday usage * Tardy, or late, not being on time * Late (or the late) may refer to a person who is dead Music * ''Late'' (The 77s album), 2000 * Late (Alvin Batiste album), 1993 * Late!, a pseudonym used by Dave Groh ...

based at

Odawara is a Cities of Japan, city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in ...

, who had conquered all of neighboring

Sagami Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan located in what is today the central and western Kanagawa Prefecture.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kanagawa''" at . Sagami Province bordered the provinces of Izu Province, Izu ...

by around 1530. The Hōjō then set their sights north, decisively defeating the Uesugi at the 1546 Siege of Kawagoe Castle. The Ōishi clan was forced to submit to

Hōjō Ujiteru (1540? – August 10, 1590) was a Japanese samurai, who was the son of Hōjō Ujiyasu and lord of Hachiōji Castle in what is now Tokyo. He fought in the Siege of Odawara (1561) and Battle of Konodai (1564). In 1568, Ujiteru defended Takiyama ...

, who made Takiyama Castle his field headquarters for the conquest of Musashi. Ujiteru expanded and improved the defences of the castle. Prior to Hōjō Ujiteru, Takiyama Castle was a simple structure with two

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 ...

, the Honmaru (central bailey) or Nakanomaru (intermediate bailey) with rudimentary defenses. Ujiteru added a Ninomaru (second bailey), Sannomaru (third bailey) and Komiya Kuruwa (Komiya enclosure), each surrounded by dry moats and earthen ramparts. Each gate was fortified with a ''yagura'' tower and with an ''umadashi'' buffer area in front of the gate to make a direct front assault impossible. In 1569,

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 ...

, the warlord of Kai Province attempted to seize the castle during the Siege of Todoriko. The Takeda army had 20,000 men led by

Takeda Katsuyori was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (military lord) of the Sengoku period, who was famed as the head of the Takeda clan and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was son-in-law of Hojo Ujiyasu, ''daimyō'' of Hojo clan. Early life H ...

and seized the opposite bank of the Tama River. However, the true purpose of the attack was feint in an attempt to draw off Hōjō forces from Shingen's real target, which was Odawara Castle. Although Shingen managed to encircle and threaten Odawara for a week, he eventually gave up and returned to Kai Province, and the forces at Takiyama Castle were also withdrawn. One result of the battle was that it revealed to Hōjō Ujiteru critical weaknesses of Takiyama Castle. Not only were the defenses of the castle obsolete due to advances in military technology (such as the introduction of gunpowder), but the site was limited geographically and the castle area could not be expanded to allow for more defense in depth. Furthermore, the location of the castle proved that it was not an obstruction for Takeda army to attack the Hōjō home territory at Odawara. Therefore, a few years after the battle, Hōjō Ujiteru relocated to

Hachiōji Castle was a Sengoku period Japanese castle, located in what is now the city of Hachiōji, Tokyo, in the Kantō region of Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1951, with the area under protection extended in 2005 ...

, and by 1584 Takiyama Castle was abandoned.

Current

The castle is now only ruins, just some remnants of moats and earthworks. A bridge between Honmaru base and Nakanomaru base was reconstructed. 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. It is located approximately ten minutes from "Takiyama Jyoshi Shita" bus stop of Nishi-Tokyo bus from the

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

Hachiōji Station.

Gallery

滝山城の空堀.jpg, Dry Moat of Takiyama Castle View from Nakanomaru Compound.jpg, View from Nakanomaru Compound Gate of Honmaru.jpg, Masugata gate of Honmaru Compound Honmaru Compound of Takiyama Castle.jpg, Honmaru Compound of Takiyama Castle Moat of Takiyama Castle.jpg, Dry moat of Komiya Compound

Literature

* *

References