Iden Castle: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:35, 7 May 2025

The structural layout (nawabarizu) of Iden Castle in the Kyoto Prefectural Castle Survey immediately caught my attention, and since it’s on the way to Obata Castle, I figured it would make for a worthwhile bonus stop. The site features numerous unejō tatebori, a series of pa

History

The early history of Iden Castle is unknown, but it was likely founded by the Iden clan during the Nanbokuchō period. During the Iden Rebellion (1489–1492), the Ogino and Ōtsuki clans holed up in Iden Castle for nearly two years (1489–1490) against the forces of Uehara Motohide. In 1490, Uehara assembled a massive force from thirteen provinces to lay siege to the castle. In November of that year, the Ogino and Ōtsuki clans set the castle on fire and fled. However, their resistance continued until 1492.

There are no records detailing the fate of the castle after this time. Iden Castle was a vast mountaintop fortress, featuring multiple baileys spread across two peaks and many distinctive unejō tatebori (parallel vertical moats). The scale and defensive sophistication suggest the site may have been renovated after the Iden Rebellion, but no further documentation survives. The area was eventually pacified by Akechi Mitsuhide during his campaign in 1572, and it is likely that Iden Castle fell into his control at that time.

Field Notes

The structural layout (nawabarizu) of Iden Castle in the Kyoto Prefectural Castle Survey immediately caught my attention, and since it’s on the way to Obata Castle, I figured it would make for a worthwhile bonus stop. The site features numerous unejō tatebori, a series of parallel vertical moats carved, and spreads across both a higher and a lower peak, forming the “upper” (高城) and “lower” (低城) castles of Iden.

I’ve climbed some tough castle ruins before, but this one nearly broke me. The trail starts out well enough, but it quickly fades into a steep, overgrown mess from the "Jin'ya" bailey. It seems the path may have been maintained at some point, but that effort has long since lapsed. When trees are cleared and the shade disappears, weeds tend to take over the forest floor—obscuring not only the castle remains but also the trail itself. I could find no unejo tatebori and only 2 horikiri lower on the slope.

After "jin'ya" which is quite near the base, the trail ascends nearly 200 meters in elevation—and becomes almost impossible to follow. In the steeper sections, old ropes tied between trees were the only indication of where the path might be. I spent much of the climb clutching a rope with one hand (sometimes both) just to know where I was going through the weeds and and also using my trekking pole for balance on the slippery, steep slope.

By the time I reached the upper enclosure, I was exhausted and covered in dirt and spider webs wet from the morning dew clinging to the nearly shoulder high weeds that I had essentially “swum” through. I quickly gave up on reaching the lower peak, there were no ropes or clear trail in that direction, just another steep descent into an overgrown slope. On my way back down, I encountered another castle explorer who had turned back long before reaching the summit.

Despite the struggle, it wasn’t a total loss. At the peak, I was rewarded with a fading sea of clouds stretching across the valley below.

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Gallery

Jin'ya bailey
trail starts nicely
Can you see the rope on the left there?
Straight down to the lower castle
This sign has seen better days

Castle Profile
English Name	Iden Castle
Japanese Name	位田城
Founder	Iden Clan
Year Founded	Nanbokucho Period
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Ayabe Station (Sanin Line), 10 min bus or 3km walk.
Hours	Mountain trails, open any time
Time Required	100 mins
Location	Ayabe, Kyoto
Coordinates	35.31792, 135.24751
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2025
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2024
Admin Visits	November 4, 2024
Friends of JCastle
Jokaku Horoki
Yamajiro Sanka

1.00

(one vote)

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 |City=Ayabe
 |Prefecture=Kyoto
-|Notes=The castle structure map of this site really attracted me to it at first and since it's on the way to [[Obata Castle|Obata Castle (Tanba)]] I thought it would be a great bonus. There are numerous unejo tatebori (multiple vertical trenches in a row) and the castle is spread out over a higher peak and a lower peak making the "upper castle" and "lower castle" of Iden Castle. I've been to some tough castles to climb but this one nearly broke me. The trail starts out very nicely, but it quick fades into a steep weedy mess.  I think it may have been maintained at one point but that maintenance lapsed long ago which might have made conditions worse.  When you cut down a lot of trees that provide shade below, weeds tend to fill the ground cover which not only obscures the castle remains but engulfs the trail too. After the first small lookout bailey near the bottom of the castle the trail steeply climbs about 200m elevation but the trail is nearly impossible to find. In some steep areas old ropes were tied between trees to help you climb, but on this day these ropes were the only clue as to where the trail actually was! Most of this climb was spent holding on to the rope with one hand (sometimes both) while slowly making my way up using the trekking pole for support to prevent from slipping on the damp ground. By the time I reached the top I was not only quite tired but also covered in dirt and spider webs which further clung to me from the damp morning dew of the weeds I "swam" through. I quickly gave up trying to reach the other lower peak. From the top there were no guide ropes that I could see in that direction and it decended quite quickly through the same murky shoulder high weeds. On the way back down the trail I took to the top, I ran into another castle trekker who had already gave up long before reaching the top.
+|Notes=The structural layout (nawabarizu) of Iden Castle in the Kyoto Prefectural Castle Survey immediately caught my attention, and since it’s on the way to [[Obata Castle (Tanba)|Obata Castle]], I figured it would make for a worthwhile bonus stop. The site features numerous unejō tatebori, a series of parallel vertical moats carved, and spreads across both a higher and a lower peak, forming the “upper” (高城) and “lower” (低城) castles of Iden.
-It was not a total bust, I was rewarded with the fading remnants of a "sea of clouds" looking out over the valley from the top central enclosure.
+I’ve climbed some tough castle ruins before, but this one nearly broke me. The trail starts out well enough, but it quickly fades into a steep, overgrown mess from the "Jin'ya" bailey. It seems the path may have been maintained at some point, but that effort has long since lapsed. When trees are cleared and the shade disappears, weeds tend to take over the forest floor—obscuring not only the castle remains but also the trail itself. I could find no unejo tatebori and only 2 horikiri lower on the slope.
+After "jin'ya" which is quite near the base, the trail ascends nearly 200 meters in elevation—and becomes almost impossible to follow. In the steeper sections, old ropes tied between trees were the only indication of where the path might be. I spent much of the climb clutching a rope with one hand (sometimes both) just to know where I was going through the weeds and and also using my trekking pole for balance on the slippery, steep slope.
+By the time I reached the upper enclosure, I was exhausted and covered in dirt and spider webs wet from the morning dew clinging to the nearly shoulder high weeds that I had essentially “swum” through. I quickly gave up on reaching the lower peak, there were no ropes or clear trail in that direction, just another steep descent into an overgrown slope. On my way back down, I encountered another castle explorer who had turned back long before reaching the summit.
+Despite the struggle, it wasn’t a total loss. At the peak, I was rewarded with a fading sea of clouds stretching across the valley below.
 |History=The early history of Iden Castle is unknown, but it was likely founded by the Iden clan during the Nanbokuchō period. During the Iden Rebellion (1489–1492), the Ogino and Ōtsuki clans holed up in Iden Castle for nearly two years (1489–1490) against the forces of Uehara Motohide. In 1490, Uehara assembled a massive force from thirteen provinces to lay siege to the castle. In November of that year, the Ogino and Ōtsuki clans set the castle on fire and fled. However, their resistance continued until 1492.