Mizotani Fort: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 06:37, 14 July 2025

There are no signs or maintained trails to this site. On the logging road trail to Tohnoyama Fort, you need to figure out from the maps roughly where it looks to be and scramble up the steep hillside to the ridge From the trailhead. Going directly into the main bailey area proved to be too steep

History

Mizotani Fort is located on a small spur of the mountain south of Shobudani Fort. It consists of one horikiri trench and three small baileys. Due to its size and position overlooking the road below, it likely served as a lookout point or helped to guard the more gentle slope leading up toward Tohnoyama Fort.

See the Battle of Shizugatake for more details.

Field Notes

There are no signs or maintained trails to this site. On the logging road trail to Tohnoyama Fort, you need to figure out from the maps roughly where it looks to be and scramble up the steep hillside to the ridge From the trailhead. Going directly into the main bailey area proved to be too steep and difficult, but backtracking a bit on the trail and scrambling up a point further back on the ridgeline and then descending into the castle seemed to work better. The site is small with not a lot to see but can be reached without too much difficulty if you are taking this road to Tohnoyama Fort anyway and you know what you’re looking for.

Loading map...

Gallery

Castle Profile
English Name	Mizotani Fort
Japanese Name	溝谷砦
Founder	Hashiba Hideyoshi
Year Founded	1583
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	JR Yogo Station, 3.5 km to the trailhead
Hours	No clear trails or signage
Time Required	10 mins on site
Location	Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture
Coordinates	35.54935, 136.20612
Loading map... {"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"auto","height":"200px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"Castlemarker.png","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":6,"defzoom":14,"layers":["CartoDB.Positron"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":35.54935,"lon":136.20612,"icon":"../images/1/1e/Castlemarker.png"}],"imageoverlays":null}
Admin
Added to Jcastle	2025
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2023
Admin Visits	April 28, 2023
Friends of JCastle
Jokaku Horoki

1.00

(one vote)

Loading comments...

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 |Features=trenches
 |Access=JR Yogo Station, 3.5 km to the trailhead
-|Visitor Information=No clear trails nor signs
+|Visitor Information=No clear trails or signage
 |Time Required=10 mins on site
 |City=Nagahama
 |Prefecture=Shiga Prefecture
-|Notes=There are no clear signs or trails to the fort. Follow the logging road past the barrier to the right (opposite of [[Shobudani Fort]]. When you reach the point below the fort, find a place to scramble up the hillside.
+|Notes=There are no signs or maintained trails to this site. On the logging road trail to [[Tohnoyama Fort]], you need to figure out from the maps roughly where it looks to be and scramble up the steep hillside to the ridge From the trailhead. Going directly into the main bailey area proved to be too steep and difficult, but backtracking a bit on the trail and scrambling up a point further back on the ridgeline and then descending into the castle seemed to work better. The site is small with not a lot to see but can be reached without too much difficulty if you are taking this road to [[Tohnoyama Fort]] anyway and you know what you’re looking for.
-|History=Mizotani Fort is located on a spur of the mountain south of [[Shobudani Fort]]. It is quite small and even today a road curves around the spur before continuing up the mountainside. I suspect this more gentle slope may have had a road during Hideyoshi's time too or it was just deemed a vulnerable point so they put a sentry here to guard this approach to [[Tohnoyama Fort]].
+|History=Mizotani Fort is located on a small spur of the mountain south of [[Shobudani Fort]]. It consists of one horikiri trench and three small baileys. Due to its size and position overlooking the road below, it likely served as a lookout point or helped to guard the more gentle slope leading up toward [[Tohnoyama Fort]].
+See the [[Battle of Shizugatake]] for more details.
 |Year Visited=2023
 |AddedJcastle=2025