Obara Castle

Obarajō is a single bailey fortification which was surrounded by tall dorui (earthen embankments), of which the northern corner remains prominent. There are traces of dorui in the countryside surrounding the castle and so at some point the castle may have had up to two outer baileys. Formerly mizubo

History

Obarajō was built by Satomi Yoshitoshi in 1337. The Satomi Clan were enfeoffed with the surrounding area in 1429. In 1501 the current layout of the castle was built-up to enclose the lord's manor. The castle was abandoned in 1591 following the fall of the Hōjō at Odawarajō.

Field Notes

Obarajō is a single bailey fortification which was surrounded by tall dorui (earthen embankments), of which the northern corner remains prominent. There are traces of dorui in the countryside surrounding the castle and so at some point the castle may have had up to two outer baileys. Formerly mizubori (water moats) also surrounded the castle but they were filled in in 1991, despite the castle being a historically designated site from 1982. The reason for this was apparently "environmental maintenance", according to a sign. Possibly it was due water levels in nearby rice paddies. The bailey is now the site of a shrine to the fox-god Inari, called aptly O'Shiro-Inari-jinja.

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Gallery

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  Embankment
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  Embankment

Castle Profile
English Name	Obara Castle
Japanese Name	小原城
Founder	Satomi Yoshitoshi
Year Founded	1337
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Local Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Dorui, Kuruwa, Mizubori-ato
Features
Visitor Information
Access	Tomobe Station on the Mito Line; 30 minute walk
Hours	Free, 24/7
Time Required	15 minutes
Location	Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture
Coordinates	36.36193, 140.32292
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2018
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

1.50

(2 votes)

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