Saimyoji Castle

I came to this site because I was visiting Saimyōji and happen to see it marked on my map. I climbed the mountain behind the temple and found only a single board (in Japanese only) about the castle, from which I gleaned its history. There are no sign posts indicating where the castle is and no marke

History

Originally called Takadateyamajō, the castle was the base of the Mashiko clan, originally called the Ki clan. The Mashiko went to war with the Utsunomiya clan during the Sengoku Period and were defeated, whereupon their mountaintop castle was abandoned.

Field Notes

I came to this site because I was visiting Saimyōji and happen to see it marked on my map. I climbed the mountain behind the temple and found only a single board (in Japanese only) about the castle, from which I gleaned its history. There are no sign posts indicating where the castle is and no markers indicating castle features at the site itself. Walking around I found the “shiroato hiroba” which I took for the honmaru. The honmaru atop the hill has a ring of deformed dorui (earthen embankments) surrounding it. There is at least one sub-bailey between the honmaru and the largest visibly remaining gate ruin. At the base of the hill is a trench, looks like a horikiri. Unfortunately it was a futile effort trying to photograph these details because young bamboo blanketed everything. Crossing the horikiri to climb to the main bailey we passed through a bamboo thicket. Luckily the honmaru is cleared except for a few trees and boulders. Only see this site if you visit Saimyōji. There is actually some old looking ishigaki beneath the pagoda (1536) at the temple.

Profile and photos contributed by ART

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Castle Profile
English Name	Saimyoji Castle
Japanese Name	西明寺城
Alternate Names	Takadateyama-jo
Founder	Mashiko Clan
Year Founded	1058-1065
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Local Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Mashiko Station on the Moka Line; Taxi (I went by personal transportation)
Hours	24/7 free
Time Required	35 mins
Location	Mashiko Town, Tochigi Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture
Coordinates	36.45439, 140.12053
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2017
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

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