Naegi Castle

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Naegi Castle
苗木城
Nakatsugawa, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Naegi Castle and Mount Ena.jpg
Naegi Castle and Mount Ena
Gifu geolocalisation relief.svg
Red pog.svg
Naegi Castle
Japan natural location map with side map of the Ryukyu Islands.jpg
Red pog.svg
Naegi Castle
Coordinates 35°30′47.1″N137°29′6.94″E / 35.513083°N 137.4852611°E / 35.513083; 137.4852611
TypeYamajiro-style Japanese castle
Site information
Open to
the public
yes
Conditionruins
Site history
Built1532-1555
In use Edo period
Demolished1871

Naegi Castle (苗木城, Naegi-jō) was a Japanese castle that formed the administrative center of Naegi Domain, a feudal domain of the Tōyama clan, located in what is now part of the city of Nakatsugawa in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It also referred to as the Misty Castle (霞ケ城, Kasumi-ga-jō), Naegi Castle was also known as "Akakabe Castle", as its walls were not white like many Japanese castles, but made with a reddish colored clay. The ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1981. [1]

Contents

History

The Tōyama clan were rulers of southeastern Mino Province since at least the Kamakura period. Naegi Castle was constructed in 1532 by Tōyama Naokado, the second son of Tōyama Kagetomo, the lord of Iwamura Castle and husband of Oda Nobunaga’s sister, Otsuya no Kata. His daughter was adopted by Nobunaga, and married to Takeda Katsuyori in an effort to stave off Takeda designs on Mino. After Iwamura Castle fell to the Takeda, Nobunaga considered Naegi Castle to be the most important defense against the Takeda clan. [2]

However, following the assassination of Nobunaga in 1583 at the Honnō-ji Incident, the castle fell into the hands of Mori Nagayoshi, one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's generals. The Mori assigned Kawajiri Hidenaga as castellan and the Tōyama clan fled to Hamamatsu, where they went into the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu.[ citation needed ]

At the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Kawajiri sided with the pro-Toyotomi Western Army under Ishida Mitsunari, and was killed in battle. Ieyasu sent Tōyama Tomomasa, the son of its former castellan to retake Naegi Castle. Afterwards, he was confirmed as a daimyō over his clan's ancestral holdings, which marked the start of Naegi Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The Tōyama clan remained at the castle through 12 generations until the Meiji Restoration. [2]

Naegi Castle was abandoned and dismantled in 1871, with its furnishing and most of the buildings’ timbers being auctioned off to help pay off the domain's massive debt. Today, a restoration of the main keep strut-work now serves as a lookout over Nakatsugawa and the Kiso River. There is a museum below the castle site with a diorama showing what the castle looked like before its destruction.[ citation needed ]

Description

Naegi Castle occupies a very unusual layout on a bluff called "Mount Takamori" (432 meters) overlooking the Kiso River and the Nakasendō highway. This was a very strategic location, as it controlled both land and river routes between Owari Province and Mino Province.[ citation needed ]

The castle's layout utilizes the Kiso River as a natural moat to one side. The main gate of the castle was located at the foot of the mountain on the right bank of the Kiso River, and a steep road led to the top of the mountain with 48 sharp turns. The top of the hill was stripped of vegetation and soil; however the exposed massive boulders were left intact and were incorporated into the defensive walls. On top of the hill, an elaborate framework of timber formed a platform, on which the tenshu was constructed. The tenshu itself was nine meters wide by eleven meters long, and stood three floors high. The summit was surrounded by the Ni-no-maru enclosure in a spiral shape, with the palace located slightly lower on the mountain on the west side. Some of the outer stone walls of the castle were renovated in the Edo period, but the walls in the southwestern portion of the main bailey date from the Sengoku period. [2]

The castle was listed as one of the Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles in 2017. [3] The castle site is located about 17 minutes by car from Nakatsugawa Station on the JR East Chūō Main Line. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akiyama Nobutomo</span>

Akiyama Nobutomo was a samurai during the Sengoku period in Japan. He is known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". Nobutomo also served under Shingen's son, Takeda Katsuyori.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matsumoto Castle</span> Castle in the Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Matsumoto Castle, originally known as Fukashi Castle, is one of Japan's premier historic castles, along with Himeji and Kumamoto. It was the seat of Matsumoto Domain under the Edo Period Tokugawa shogunate. It is located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iwamura Castle</span>

Iwamura Castle was located in the southeastern area of Mino Province in Japan. Its ruins can be found in the modern-day municipal subdivision of Iwamura, in Ena, Gifu Prefecture. Along with Takatori Castle in Nara and Bitchu-Matsuyama Castle in Okayama, it is regarded as one of the three best mountain castles, and at an elevation of 721 meters above sea level, it is one of the highest in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gifu Castle</span> Historic castle in Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan

Gifu Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Along with Mount Kinka and the Nagara River, it is one of the main symbols of the city. The castle is also known as Inabayama Castle. It was designated a National Historic Site in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ueda Castle</span>

Ueda Castle is a Japanese castle located in Ueda, northern Nagano Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Ueda Castle was home to a cadet branch of the Matsudaira clan, daimyō of Ueda Domain, but the castle is better known for its association with the Sengoku period Sanada clan. It was also called Amagafuji-jō or Matsuo-jō. The castle was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1934.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inuyama Castle</span> Japanese castle

Inuyama Castle is a yamajiro-style Japanese castle located in the city of Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The castle overlooks the Kiso River, which serves as the border between Aichi and Gifu Prefectures. The tenshu of Inuyama Castle, one of only 12 pre-modern tenshu remaining in existence, has been determined to be the oldest remaining tenshu, dating from the late 1580s. The castle has been a National Historic Site since 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maizuru Castle Park</span>

Kōfu Castle was a Japanese castle located in the city of Kōfu, Yamanashi Prefecture, in the Chubu region of Japan. The site has been protected as a National Historic Site since 2019. The castle is also known as Maizuru Castle, and the present-day surroundings are called Maizuru Castle Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Komaki</span>

Mount Komaki is an 86 m-high (282 ft) mountain located in the city of Komaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. At one point, the mountain was topped with the original Komakiyama Castle, built by Oda Nobunaga. Its base stretches for nearly 600 m (1,969 ft) from east to west, and 400 m (1,312 ft) from north to south, covering an area of approximately 21 ha. The mountain is now a historical park, containing various castle ruins, including water wells and stone walls, in addition to artifacts dating further back. Though known for the sakura trees, the northern part of the mountain is home to many Machilus thunbergii trees. This is the only spot in the surrounding area where these trees occur naturally. The reproduction of Komakiyama Castle was built in 1967 and houses the Komaki City Historical Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gujō Hachiman Castle</span>

Gujō Hachiman Castle is a yamashiro, or "mountain castle", located on Hachiman Mountain in the city of Gujō, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins were designated a Gifu Prefecture Historic Site in 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ōgaki Castle</span>

Ōgaki Castle is a flatlands-style Japanese castle located in the city of Ōgaki, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. During the Sengoku period, Ōgaki Castle was home to several of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's most trusted generals and relatives; during the Edo period, it was home to the Toda clan, daimyō of Ōgaki Domain, who dominated parts of the province of Mino under the Tokugawa shogunate. Other names for the castle include Bi Castle and Kyoroku Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyama Castle</span> Building in Toyama Prefecture, Japan

Toyama Castle is a flatland-style Japanese castle located in the city of Toyama, Toyama Prefecture, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. It is also called Azumi Castle. Built in 1543, the castle and its surrounding land is maintained by the government of Japan as a public park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Numazu Castle</span>

Numazu Castle was a Japanese castle located in the city of Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was a hirayama-jō, a castle built on a plains rather than a hill or mountain. During the Edo period, Numazu castle was home to the Mizuno clan, daimyō of Numazu Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toba Castle</span>

Toba Castle was a Japanese castle located in the city of Toba, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Throughout the Edo period, Toba Castle was the administrative center for Toba Domain, a feudal domain of Shima Province under the Tokugawa shogunate. Toba Castle was also known as the Floating Castle of Toba or the Two-color Castle. The castle site received protection as a Mie Prefectural Historic Site in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kuwana Castle</span>

Kuwana Castle is a Japanese castle located in Kuwana, northern Mie Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Kuwana Castle was home to a branch the Matsudaira clan, daimyō of Kuwana Domain. The castle was also known as "Ōgi-jō" (扇城) or "Asahi-jō" (旭城).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maebashi Castle</span> Castle in Gunma prefecture, Japan

Maebashi Castle is a castle located in Maebashi, central Gunma Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Maebashi Castle was home to a branch of the Matsudaira clan, daimyō of Maebashi domain, although the castle was ruled by a large number of different clans over its history. The castle was also known as "Mayabashi-jō" (厩橋城), after the former name of Maebashi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takatō Castle</span>

Takatō Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Ina, southern Nagano Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Takatō Castle was home to a cadet branch of the Naitō clan, daimyō of Takatō Domain. The castle was also known as Kabuto Castle. Built sometime in the 16th century, it is now largely ruins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shinpu Castle</span> Sengoku period Hirayama-style castle

Shinpu Castle was a Sengoku period hirayama-style Japanese castle located in what is now part of the city of Nirasaki, Yamanashi prefecture. It was the primary fortress of the warlord Takeda Katsuyori. The ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naegi Domain</span> Feudal domain of Edo period Japan

Naegi Domain was a feudal domain of Edo period Japan It was located in Mino Province, in central Honshū. The domain was centered at Naegi Castle, located in what is now the city of Nakatsugawa in Gifu Prefecture. It is the smallest domain within the Tokugawa shogunate which was styled as a “castle holding domain”.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaneyama Castle</span> Castle ruins in Gifu, Japan

Mino Kaneyama Castle was a Sengoku period Japanese castle located in Kani, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. In 1981, the ruins were designated as a National Historic Site. It was also known as Karasumine Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Futamata Castle</span>

Futamata Castle was a Japanese castle located in Toyoda county of Tōtōmi Province, in what is now part of Tenryū-ku in the city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the Sengoku period and is noted as the site of the death of Tokugawa Ieyasu's son Matsudaira Nobuyasu in 1579. In 2018, the ruins were recognized as a National Historic Site together with adjacent Tobayama Castle.

References

  1. "苗木城跡" (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Isomura, Yukio; Sakai, Hideya (2012). (国指定史跡事典) National Historic Site Encyclopedia. 学生社. ISBN   978-4311750403.(in Japanese)
  3. "続日本100名城" (in Japanese). 日本城郭協会. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2019.

Literature

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Naegi Castle at Wikimedia Commons