Ushibuse Castle (Murakami Clan Fort Network)

Ushibusejō consists of a large singular main bailey with a wide and long double moat system to the rear. Apparently there are the remains of stone walls around the main bailey but I found nearly the whole perimetre blanketed in felled logs. It seems the centre of the bailey has been cleared at the e

History

Uchibusejō is twinned with Arajō above on the same mountain ridge. Ushibuse means “reclining cow” and may be used refer to both castles. In that case Arajō was the cow’s buttocks and Ushibusejō was called Ushikubijō, “Cow’s Neck Castle”. Both castles were part of the Murakami Renji Toride-gun. See my profile on Murakami-Kokuzōsanjō for more information.

Field Notes

Ushibusejō consists of a large singular main bailey with a wide and long double moat system to the rear. Apparently there are the remains of stone walls around the main bailey but I found nearly the whole perimetre blanketed in felled logs. It seems the centre of the bailey has been cleared at the expense of the sides! Along the ridge at the bottom of the main bailey there was what looked to me like more ruins, including dorui (earthen ramparts) around what I took to be a sub-bailey. There is also another small enclosure within a conglomeration of rocky outcroppings. It seems the path which goes between here and the dorui may have been a trench.

Ushibusejō is accessed via a trail which begins at a small temple in the Tokiwagi neighbourhood of Ueda town. The trail forks immediately into the Mount Tarō Trail and the White Snake Trail, and it is the former which goes to the castle ruins.

Gallery

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Castle Profile
English Name	Murakami Ushibuse Castle
Japanese Name	村上牛伏城
Alternate Names	Ushikubijō
Founder	Murakami Yoshikiyo
Year Founded	Sengoku Period
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Karabori, Dorui, Horikiri
Features
Visitor Information
Access	Ueda Station on the Shinano Railway; 40 minute walk to trail head from temple. Or descend from Ara Castle.
Hours	24/7 free; mountain
Time Required	50 minutes
Location	Ueda, Nagano Prefecture
Coordinates	36.42122, 138.24987
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2021
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed
Friends of JCastle
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