Hotta no Saku

See also Taga Castle, Shiwa Castle, and Akita Castle for similar fortifications.

History

Hotta no Saku is one of a series of the josaku fortifications built in the Tohoku region by the Yamato Court to help bring the northeast region under their control. The outer fence was made of cut logs 30cm in width and over 3m tall. It extended a total of 3.6 km to enclose 87.8 hectares of land. There was also an outer wall between the outer wooden fence and the inner compound. The outer wall was a tuijibei of compacted sand and clay. Hotta no Saku was located roughly in the middle between Shiwa Castle and Akita Castle. Despite its vast size and strategic location there are no historical records that name a castle on this site. It obviously existed from archeological excavations but is somewhat of a mystery in the historical records.

Field Notes

See also Taga Castle, Shiwa Castle, and Akita Castle for similar fortifications.

Gallery

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  Reconstructed South Gate and outer fence
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  Reconstructed South Gate and outer fence
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  Reconstructed South Gate and outer fence
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  Remains of the outer wall and south gate.
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  Looking from the outer wall towards the outer fence
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  Inner compound remains
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  Map of the grounds

Castle Profile
English Name	Hotta no Saku
Japanese Name	払田柵
Founder	Yamato Court
Year Founded	c. 801
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Designations	National Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	gates, turrets, walls
Visitor Information
Access	Omagari (Akita Shinkansen), taxi 10 mins
Hours	Museum is open by apppointment form Dec to March. Open every day from April to November from 9am to 4pm
Time Required	45 mins
URL	Castle Website
Location	Daisen, Akita Prefecture
Coordinates	39.46532, 140.54775
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2012
Contributor	Frank T.
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

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