Iden Castle: Difference between revisions
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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. | 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. | ||
For a sizable castle, it's actually difficult to find much good information about this castle. I've relied on the Kyoto Prefecture Castle Survey and [https://amzn.to/44Mce7F 近畿の名城 I] and some history of the Iden area to put this together. Many other blogs and posts have somewhat incomplete or conflicting stories and there is a common error among them that says it was conquered by Akechi Mitsuhide in 1572, which is very unlikely. I would like to know the original source of that one! Tanba campaigns did not start until 1575, after Oda had solidified some control over Kyoto by defeating the Asakura/Azai and expelling Ashikaga Yoshiaki from Kyoto in 1573. Until then Oda was more occupied with Kyoto and Mitsuhide was still a rising star who was yet to take any other castles between Kyoto and Iden Castle. | |||
[[File:Kyotosurveyiden.jpg|center|350px|border|caption|Map courtesy of Kyoto Pref, not to be used without permission|https://www.kyoto-be.ne.jp/bunkazai/cms/?page_id=1521]]<small>Map Courtesy of [https://www.kyoto-be.ne.jp/bunkazai/cms/?page_id=1521 Kyoto Pref. Board of Education].<br>Not to be used without permission.</small> | |||
|History=The early history of Iden Castle is unknown, but it was likely founded by the Iden clan during the Nanbokuchō period. After Uehara Motohide became military governor of the region, local lords the Ogino and Ōtsuki clans rebelled in what came to be called the Iden Rebellion (1489–1492). The Ogino and Ōtsuki clans holed up in Iden Castle for nearly two years (1489–1490) against Uehara Motohide and a massive force from thirteen provinces to lay siege to the castle. In November of that year, the Ogino and Ōtsuki set the castle on fire and fled after inflicting much damage to the allied forces. They also had several allies and satellite castles in the area to flee to but details of what happened after they fled the castle are not known. Their resistance continued until 1492. | |History=The early history of Iden Castle is unknown, but it was likely founded by the Iden clan during the Nanbokuchō period. After Uehara Motohide became military governor of the region, local lords the Ogino and Ōtsuki clans rebelled in what came to be called the Iden Rebellion (1489–1492). The Ogino and Ōtsuki clans holed up in Iden Castle for nearly two years (1489–1490) against Uehara Motohide and a massive force from thirteen provinces to lay siege to the castle. In November of that year, the Ogino and Ōtsuki set the castle on fire and fled after inflicting much damage to the allied forces. They also had several allies and satellite castles in the area to flee to but details of what happened after they fled the castle are not known. Their resistance continued until 1492. | ||
There are no records detailing the fate of the castle after this time. The castle features numerous unejō tatebori, a series of parallel vertical moats, and spreads across both a higher and a lower peak, forming the “upper” (高城) and “lower” (低城) castles. The scale and defensive sophistication suggest the site was renovated in the 1500s in the ''shokuhoo'' style (Oda-Toyotomi style), but no further documentation survives. The area was eventually pacified by Akechi Mitsuhide during | There are no records detailing the fate of the castle after this time. The castle features numerous unejō tatebori, a series of parallel vertical moats, and spreads across both a higher and a lower peak, forming the “upper” (高城) and “lower” (低城) castles. The scale and defensive sophistication suggest the site was renovated in the 1500s in the ''shokuhoo'' style (Oda-Toyotomi style), but no further documentation survives. The area was eventually pacified by Akechi Mitsuhide during the Tanba Campaigns so it is likely that Iden Castle fell into Mitsuhide's control at that time. | ||
|Year Visited=2024 | |Year Visited=2024 | ||
|AddedJcastle=2025 | |AddedJcastle=2025 | ||
Latest revision as of 22:17, 8 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. I’ve climbed some tough castle ruins before, but this o
History
The early history of Iden Castle is unknown, but it was likely founded by the Iden clan during the Nanbokuchō period. After Uehara Motohide became military governor of the region, local lords the Ogino and Ōtsuki clans rebelled in what came to be called the Iden Rebellion (1489–1492). The Ogino and Ōtsuki clans holed up in Iden Castle for nearly two years (1489–1490) against Uehara Motohide and a massive force from thirteen provinces to lay siege to the castle. In November of that year, the Ogino and Ōtsuki set the castle on fire and fled after inflicting much damage to the allied forces. They also had several allies and satellite castles in the area to flee to but details of what happened after they fled the castle are not known. Their resistance continued until 1492.
There are no records detailing the fate of the castle after this time. The castle features numerous unejō tatebori, a series of parallel vertical moats, and spreads across both a higher and a lower peak, forming the “upper” (高城) and “lower” (低城) castles. The scale and defensive sophistication suggest the site was renovated in the 1500s in the shokuhoo style (Oda-Toyotomi style), but no further documentation survives. The area was eventually pacified by Akechi Mitsuhide during the Tanba Campaigns so it is likely that Iden Castle fell into Mitsuhide's 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.
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.
For a sizable castle, it's actually difficult to find much good information about this castle. I've relied on the Kyoto Prefecture Castle Survey and 近畿の名城 I and some history of the Iden area to put this together. Many other blogs and posts have somewhat incomplete or conflicting stories and there is a common error among them that says it was conquered by Akechi Mitsuhide in 1572, which is very unlikely. I would like to know the original source of that one! Tanba campaigns did not start until 1575, after Oda had solidified some control over Kyoto by defeating the Asakura/Azai and expelling Ashikaga Yoshiaki from Kyoto in 1573. Until then Oda was more occupied with Kyoto and Mitsuhide was still a rising star who was yet to take any other castles between Kyoto and Iden Castle.
Not to be used without permission.
Gallery
| 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 | |
