Tokiwa Castle

I walked to and from Iwaki-Tokiwa station, taking about 50 minutes each way, but there are buses from Funehiki station, though they are infrequent. Profile and photos contributed by AdamT

History

Tokiwajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop) castle site, founded in 1274 by Kumagai Tadanori. In 1589, Sōma Yoshitane attacked the castle and although the castle eventually fell, he lost a hundred mounted warriors trying to assault the fort’s steep natural defences. At this time the castellan was likely a vassal of the Date-shi (clan). Yoshitane was defeated by Date Masamune that year, and if accounts are accurate then I suspect the losses he sustained taking Tokiwajō would’ve contributed to his losing the war. The castle site is now a park. The sentry turret you see is a mock reconstruction. This means that it does not resemble any building which formerly stood at the site. Rather, thatched roof structures were built in the honmaru (main bailey), as shown in the picture of the map of the site. The baileys of Tokiwajō are also referred to as “kuruwa,” meaning they were enclosed by earthen ramparts rather than walls. The ruins of the castle today consist of dorui (earthen defences), cleared kuruwa, and horikiri (trenches dug into the earth). One particularly impressive horikiri climbs all the way up the mountain and has incredibly steep sides. It would not surprised me if this is where those 100 mounted soldiers were slaughtered.

Field Notes

I walked to and from Iwaki-Tokiwa station, taking about 50 minutes each way, but there are buses from Funehiki station, though they are infrequent.

Profile and photos contributed by AdamT

Gallery

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  Folly and main bailey
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  Horikiri (trench)
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  Fifth Bailey

Castle Profile
English Name	Tokiwa Castle
Japanese Name	常葉城
Founder	Kumagai Tadanori
Year Founded	1274
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Main Keep Structure	Dorui, Horikiri, Kuruwa, Mogi Yagura
Features	turrets, trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Funehiki Station (Yuuyuu-Abukuma Line), bus to Tokiwa
Hours	Free, 24/7
Time Required	1 hour - 1 hour 30 mins
Location	Tamura, Fukushima Prefecture
Coordinates	37.44209, 140.65107
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2016
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

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