Imaichikami Fort: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 11:08, 22 June 2025

The ruins of the embankments are slight and a bit difficult to identify especially the first square Bailey which is easy to miss. The highlight of this castle is surely the large horikiri. Once you've reached the top here, it is actually a fairly easy walk around the ridge line to [[Tonoyama Fort]

History

Imaichikami Fort was founded just across the valley from Tenjinyama Fort as part of Hideyoshi's original forward defensive line. it is a much higher elevation and provides clearer views up the valley towards Genbao Castle than Tenjinyama Fort. It is not clear if this was abandoned when Hideyoshi pulled back from Tenjinyama Fort or if it was still maintained as a satellite of Tonoyama Fort. It was not clearly threatened by other Shibata fortifications, had easy access to Tonoyama Fort and could have continued to provide intelligence from up the valley. I would like to think that it was in continued use as a satellite of Tonoyama Fort rather than potentially being used against it.

Refer to the Battle of Shizugatkae for more details.

Field Notes

The ruins of the embankments are slight and a bit difficult to identify especially the first square Bailey which is easy to miss. The highlight of this castle is surely the large horikiri. Once you've reached the top here, it is actually a fairly easy walk around the ridge line to Tonoyama Fort, one o the true highlights of all the castles and forts of the Battle of Shizugatake.

Just to the side of the Hachiman Shrine is a slightly elevated and flattened area with a grave for the Higashino Clan, local landholders. Some say this was the site of their fortified home, others say it was the nearby Jurakuji Temple. This flattened area also marks where to start climbing for Imaichikami Castle. Go straight up the ridge from here. There is a kind of worn path or trail looking thing you can follow partyway up. Along the way there is an area with what looks like a dorui embankment on the left side with good views up the valley. It is also somewhat more spacious around this part. I really think this must have been fortified or used as a lookout. At some point shortly after this area you will need cut up the ridge to your right. It would probably be best to follow my Yamap trail or find something similar because there is no clear cut trail around here.

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Castle Profile
English Name	Imaichi Fort
Japanese Name	今市上砦
Founder	Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Year Founded	1583
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	JR Yogo Station, 3.5km walk to Hachiman Shrine
Hours	Mountain trails, not signposted
Time Required	20 mins
Location	Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture
Coordinates	35.56176, 136.20525
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2025
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2025
Admin Visits	April 20, 2025
Friends of JCastle
Jokaku Horoki

1.00

(one vote)

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@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 |Historical Period=Pre Edo Period
 |Features=trenches
-|Access=JR Yogo Station, 4km walk
+|Access=JR Yogo Station, 3.5km walk to Hachiman Shrine
-|Visitor Information=No trails and not signposted, appears to be private property
+|Visitor Information=Mountain trails, not signposted
 |Time Required=20 mins
 |City=Nagahama
 |Prefecture=Shiga Prefecture
-|Notes=The mountain behind the castle has been cut through for a road. The fort seems to have a central bailey on top and a couple side baileys, but it is hard to tell how much of the fort may have been damaged by the road or other development. The castle site could be on private property. It is not signposted but the area directly around it is being used and I had someone following and watching me from a distance the whole time.
+|Notes=The ruins of the embankments are slight and a bit difficult to identify especially the first square Bailey which is easy to miss.  The highlight of this castle is surely the large horikiri.  Once you've reached the top here, it is actually a fairly easy walk around the ridge line to [[Tonoyama Fort]], one o the true highlights of all the castles and forts of the [[Battle of Shizugatake]].
-|History=Chausuyama Fort was built as a satellite fort to [[Tenjinyama Fort]]. See [[Tenjinyama Fort]] or the [[Battle of Shizugatake]] for more details.
+Just to the side of the Hachiman Shrine is a slightly elevated and flattened area with a grave for the Higashino Clan, local landholders.  Some say this was the site of their fortified home, others say it was the nearby Jurakuji Temple.  This flattened area also marks where to start climbing for Imaichikami Castle. Go straight up the ridge from here. There is a kind of worn path or trail looking thing you can follow partyway up.  Along the way there is an area with what looks like a dorui embankment on the left side with good views up the valley. It is also somewhat more spacious around this part. I really think this must have been fortified or used as a lookout. At some point shortly after this area you will need cut up the ridge to your right. It would probably be best to follow my Yamap trail or find something similar because there is no clear cut trail around here.
+|History=Imaichikami Fort was founded just across the valley from [[Tenjinyama Fort]] as part of Hideyoshi's original forward defensive line. it is  a much higher elevation and provides clearer views up the valley towards [[Genbao Castle]] than [[Tenjinyama Fort]].  It is not clear if this was abandoned when Hideyoshi pulled back from [[Tenjinyama Fort]] or if it was still maintained as a satellite of [[Tonoyama Fort]].  It was not clearly threatened by other Shibata fortifications, had easy access to [[Tonoyama Fort]] and could have continued to provide intelligence from up the valley. I would like to think that it was in continued use as a satellite of [[Tonoyama Fort]] rather than potentially being used against it.
+Refer to the [[Battle of Shizugatkae]] for more details.
 |Year Visited=2025
 |AddedJcastle=2025
 |Visits=April 20, 2025
-|GPSLocation=35.55708, 136.1919
+|GPSLocation=35.56176, 136.20525
 |Contributor=Eric
 |FriendsLinks={{FriendsLinks