Niwase Castle

This castle ruin is about 5 minutes walk from JR Niwase Station. There isn’t much to see here except for some of the moats and the site of the former castle keep, which has been converted and is used as a site for a shrine.

History

This castle was originally considered to be part of the Natsukawa Castle, located only 300 metres away. Another name for Niwase Castle was Kouge Castle. It was constructed in a marshy area, so it was a difficult castle to build. Ukita’s retainer Togawa Michiyasu expanded the old castle and improved the surrounding castle town. From 1699 until the beginning of the Meiji Period, this castle was ruled by the Itakura Clan. Niwase Castle is a typical example of a Numajiro (沼城), a marshland castle. In 1793, Itakura Katsuyasu built Sugayama Shrine on the castle grounds. Some of the original ishigaki and moats can still be seen at this castle ruin. In the Okayama Prefectural Museum, there is a painting of the castle design.

Photos and profile by RaymondW.

Field Notes

This castle ruin is about 5 minutes walk from JR Niwase Station. There isn’t much to see here except for some of the moats and the site of the former castle keep, which has been converted and is used as a site for a shrine.

Gallery

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Castle Profile
English Name	Niwase Castle
Japanese Name	庭瀬城
Alternate Names	Kouge-jo
Founder	Togawa Michiyasu
Year Founded	After 1600
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Edo Period
Features	stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Niwase Sta. (San'yo Line, Hakubi Line); 5 min walk
Hours	Open year round
Time Required	20 minutes
URL	Castle Website
Location	Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture
Coordinates	34.64299, 133.84913
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2013
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

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