Chifuruya Castle (Sanada)

I called the site "dubious" in my initial report, and for a while I thought this might be a phantom castle, but I eventually found some information on it (in this case the shirotabi site came to my rescue). No tangible remains of the castle are said to be present. I found some indication of moved ea

History

Chifuruyajō, also called Kumaojō together Negoyajō, was first built in 1533 by Murakami Yoshikiyo. The Sanada captured the castle in 1551 with the fall of Toishijō. Thereafter Ôguma Asahide was installed as the new castellan. He was under the command of Yamagata Masakage of the Takeda Clan, so Asahide's command of Chifuruyajō, so close to Sanada territory, may suggest some degree of apprehension on the Takeda Shingen's part toward Sanada Yukitaka. It seems to be a strategic decision with future politics in mind at least. Chifuruyajō was twinned with the larger Sanada Negoya Castle on the taller hill to the immediate north.

Field Notes

I called the site "dubious" in my initial report, and for a while I thought this might be a phantom castle, but I eventually found some information on it (in this case the shirotabi site came to my rescue). No tangible remains of the castle are said to be present. I found some indication of moved earth at the site, but it didn't look castle-shaped. There was a "moat" but it looked too wide and shallow. Other depressions looked natural. There was a large, sacred boulder, and the scenery was quite interesting at least.

Gallery

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Castle Profile
English Name	Chifuruya Castle (Sanada)
Japanese Name	真田千古屋城
Alternate Names	Kumaojō
Founder	Murakami Yoshikiyo
Year Founded	1533
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features
Visitor Information
Access	Ueda Station on the Shinano Railway; Sugadaira Bus from Ueda Station No.3 Bus Stop
Hours	Free; 24/7; Mountain
Time Required	30 minutes
Location	Ueda, Nagano Prefecture
Coordinates	36.44808, 138.29245
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2020
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

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