Oka Castle | |
---|---|
岡城 | |
Saiki, Ōita Japan | |
![]() Walls of Oka Castle | |
Coordinates | 32°58′9.18″N131°24′29.05″E / 32.9692167°N 131.4080694°E |
Type | yamajiro-style Japanese castle |
Site information | |
Controlled by | Nakagawa clan |
Open to the public | yes |
Condition | Archaeological and designated national historical site; castle ruins |
Website | Official website |
Site history | |
Built | c.1185 |
Built by | Ogata Koreyoshi |
In use | Edo period |
![]() |
Oka Castle (岡城, Oka-jō) was a Sengoku to Edo period yamajiro-style Japanese castle located in the city of Taketa, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 2023. [1]
Oka Castle is located on the top of Tenjinyama, a long hill to the east of the urban center of Taketa, which is situated in a small basin in the southwestern part of Bungo Province. It is at a crossroads of various roads crisscrossing the island of Kyushu and because of its geographical position, occupies an important strategic point controlling western Bungo Province. The site is flanked by two rivers, the Inaba River and the Tamaki River, tributaries of the Ōno River, which merge just to the east of the castle. The fortifications spread at the narrow east part of the hill, which has an elevation of 325 meters above sea level, and 95 meters above its surroundings. The castle extended 2500 meters from east-to-west and 362 meters from north-to-south. [2]
It is uncertain when this location was fortified. According legend, it was constructed by Ogata Koreyoshi in 1185, and was gifted to Minamoto no Yoshitsune to be a stronghold against his brother, Minamoto no Yoritomo. After the death of Yoshitsune, the Ogata clan was exiled and their territories given to the Ōtomo clan, who has been sent as shugo of the province by the Kamakura shogunate. Shiga Sadatomo, from one of the three major cadet branches of the Ōtomo clan, expanded the fortifications in 1334 and renamed it "Oka Castle". On the other hand, the Bungo no Kunishi states that the Shiga clan entered this area only after 1364 and make Kimure Castle their stronghold, with no mention of Oka Castle, so this history remains uncertain. [2]
Under the Shiga clan, Oka Castle served to protect Bungo against the Kikuchi clan in Higo Province. By the Sengoku period, the Ōtomo came to rule most of northern Kyushu. but under Ōtomo Sōrin were defeated by the Shimazu clan at the Battle of Mimikawa and other locations in Hyuga Province in 1578. By 1585, the Shimazu had burned the Ōtomo capital at Funai (modern Oita city) and a large army led by Shimazu Yoshihiro marched towards Oka Castle. Although many of the Ōtomo retainers defected to the Shimazu banner, Shiga Chikatsugu decided to resist and his 2000 men held Oka Castle successfully against a Shimazu army numbering over 30,000 men until the arrival of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Ōtomo were restored to control of Bungo Province; however, Ōtomo Yoshimune was subsequently accused of cowardice during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) and was dispossessed. As retainers of the Ōtomo, the Shiga clan suffered the same fate, eventually becoming retainers of the Hosokawa clan. Hideyoshi appointed Nakagawa Hidenari, the son of Nakagawa Kiyohide,who had served Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and who had been awarded a 40,000 koku estate centered at Miki Castle in Harima Province. In 1594 Toyotomi Hideyoshi reassigned him to a new estate in centered on Oka Castle with an increase to 66,000 koku. Subsequent surveys reassessed the official kokudaka to 70,000 koku. During the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, he remained loyal to the Eastern Army from the start of the campaign, and after the war, Tokugawa Ieyasu reconfirmed him in his existing holdings.Throughout the Edo period, the Nakagawa clan continued to rule Oka for 13 generations, without any transfer or reduction of territory. [2]
The castle continued to be expanded over the years, until it eventually extended for over one kilometer along the crest of the hill, winding along its continues like an inverted letter "J". The castle consisted of three main portions: inner part, middle part and western part, separated by bottlenecks. The Y-shaped middle part consisted of the central enclosure, secondary enclosure and third enclosure, with the central enclosure 100 by 50 meters, and a containing a three-story yagura which was a substitute for the tenshu and additional yagura watchtowers on both sides. Each area was protected by curved tall stone walls are directly built on the body of the hill, topped by sheer stone walls, and securely protected by masugata-style combination gates at each bottleneck. The western portion consists of several large flat terraces, which were used as the residential area of the castle. It was also protected by yagura turrets, stone walls and combination gates, and in case of emergency could function as an independent castle. The main gate of the castle was located on the southern side of this area. [2] The tenshu collapsed in an earthquake in 1769. [3] Many of the buildings in the castle were destroyed by fire in 1771, which had originated in the castle town.
Following the Meiji restoration, the castle structures were all destroyed by 1873 and the site was abandoned. The composer Rentarō Taki was inspired by the ruins to write the song Kōjō no Tsuki , which became famous by being included in the required curriculum for junior high school students in 1901 (although the lyrics were actually referring to Aizuwakamatsu Castle instead of Oka Castle]]. The castle ruins are now a historic park. It is located a 25-minute walk from Bungo-Taketa Station on the JR Kyushu Hōhi Main Line. [2] Oka Castle was listed as one of Japan's Top 100 Castles by the Japan Castle Foundation in 2006. [4]
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 Chikuzen and Buzen to the north. Its abbreviated form was Hōshū (豊州), although it was also called Nihō (二豊). In terms of the Gokishichidō system, Bungo was one of the provinces of the Saikaidō circuit. Under the Engishiki classification system, Hyūga was ranked as one of the "superior countries" (上国) in terms of importance, and one of the "far countries" (遠国) in terms of distance from the capital.
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. Eventually in 1585, Yoshihisa succeeded controlled the entire Kyushu region.
Ōtomo Sōrin, also known as Fujiwara no Yoshishige or Ōtomo Yoshishige, was a Japanese feudal lord (daimyō) of the Ōtomo clan, one of the few to have converted to Roman Catholicism (Christianity). The eldest son of Ōtomo Yoshiaki, he inherited the Funai Domain, on Kyūshū, Japan's southernmost main island, from his father. He is perhaps most significant for having appealed to Toyotomi Hideyoshi to intervene in Kyūshū against the Shimazu clan, thus spurring Hideyoshi's Kyūshū Campaign of 1587.
The Tachibana clan (立花氏) was a Japanese clan of daimyō during Japan's Sengoku and Edo periods. Originally based in Tachibana castle in Kyūshū, the family's holdings were moved to the Yanagawa Domain in the far north-east of Honshū in the Edo period.
The Kyūshū campaign of 1586–1587 was part of the campaigns of Toyotomi Hideyoshi who sought to dominate Japan at the end of the Sengoku period. Having subjugated much of Honshū and Shikoku, Hideyoshi turned his attention to the southernmost of the main Japanese islands, Kyūshū.
Kitsuki Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now northern Ōita Prefecture. It was centered around Kitsuki Castle in what is now the city of Kitsuki and was ruled by the fudai daimyō Nomi-Matsudaira clan for most of its history.
Funai Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now southern Ōita Prefecture. It was centered around Funai Castle in what is now the city of Ōita and was ruled by the fudai daimyō Ogyū-Matsudaira clan for most of its history.
Matsusaka Castle was a Japanese castle located in the city of Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Throughout most of the Edo period, Matsusaka Castle was a secondary administrative center for the Kishu-Tokugawa clan, daimyō of Kishū Domain. It has been protected as a National Historic Site since 2011.
Takaoka Castle was a flatland-style Japanese castle in what is now the city of Takaoka, Toyama Japan. It was originally constructed in 1609, and was only used for a few years before being dismantled. The site of its ruins are now a park. The castle is designated one of Japan's Top 100 Castles by the Japanese Castle Foundation. The ruins are protected as a National Historic Site.
Kitsuki Castle was an Edo period yamajiro-style Japanese castle located in the city of Kitsuki, Ōita Prefecture, Japan.. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 2020.
Myōrin (妙林) or YoshiokaMyorin-ni (吉岡妙林尼) was a late-Sengoku period female warlord onna-musha. She was the wife of Yoshioka Akioki a samurai warlord, and served Otomo clan in Bungo. She was the heroic woman who defended the Otomo clan in the Kyūshū campaign against Shimazu's army. Her contributions to the Kyushu campaign were so significant that they completely changed the course of history and she was highly praised by Japan's most powerful man at the time, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Later, she was named Guardian of Tsurusaki, an honorary title due to her heroic acts.
Saiki Castle was an Edo period yamajiro-style Japanese castle located in the city of Saiki, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 2023. It is No.194 on the list "Continued 100 Fine Castles of Japan".
Tsunomure Castle was a yamajiro-style Japanese castle located in the town of Kusu, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 2005. It is on the list "Continued 100 Fine Castles of Japan".
Kagomori Castle was a Sengoku period Japanese castle located in the Matsumaru neighborhood of the town of Matsuno, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1997.
Sadowara Castle is a Japanese castle located in the Sadowara neighborhood of the city of Miyazaki, Miyazaki Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu, Japan. It is also called Tsurumatsu Castle, and later Shōkaku Castle. During the Sengoku period, it was the stronghold of the Itō clan and later was controlled by the Shimazu clan. Shimazu Toyohisa was command of the castle. During the Edo period, the castle was headquarters of Sadowara Domain, which ruled portions of Hyūga Province from 1603 to 1871. The castle site has been a National Historic Site since 2004.
Shiga Chikatsugu, Chikayoshi (親善) or Kozaemon no Jō (小左衛門尉), was a samurai who lived in Japan during the Sengoku period and the beginning of the Edo period. He was the son of Shiga Chikamori and the brother of Shigashi and Shiga Chikanori. He and his family served the Otomo clan, a major samurai clan who ruled a large part of the Bungo Province.
Minakuchi Okayama Castle was a Sengoku period Japanese castle located in what is now the city of Kōka, Shiga Prefecture, in the Kansai region of Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 2017.
Usuki Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now eastern Ōita Prefecture. It was centered around Usuki Castle in what is now the city of Usuki, Ōita and was ruled by the tozama daimyō Inaba clan for all of its history.
Saiki Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now southern Ōita Prefecture. It was centered around Saiki Castle in what is now the city of Saiki, Ōita and was ruled by the tozama daimyō Mōri clan for all of its history.
Oka Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now central Ōita Prefecture. It was centered around Oka Castle in what is now the city of Taketa, Ōita and was ruled by the tozama daimyō Nakagawa clan for all of its history.It had the largest kokudaka of any domain in former Bungo Province. It was also sometimes referred to as Takata Domain
Media related to Bungo Oka Castle at Wikimedia Commons