Nakataniyama Fort: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 09:30, 29 June 2025

Nakataniyama Fort is surprisingly easy to walk right past. If you’re following the trail up the mountainside, it dips into what looks like a washed out area (a common sight at castle ruins), marked by a sign pointing toward the mountaintop. But here’s the trick: that dip is actually the first moat o

History

Nakataniyama Fort was one of several mountaintop forts constructed by Shibata Katsuie's general along the Mt. Gyoichi mountain range leading up to the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583. It was commanded by Tokuyama Hideaki and Kanamori Nagachika.

The east side of the fort is protected by the aforementioned tatebori. On the west side, a gentler ridge climbs up the mountain, making it a natural vulnerability. Defensive embankments were built on this ridge with a kuichigai koguchi (zigzagging entrance) to slow attackers. These two flanks are connected by a large yokobori (horizontal trench) and earthen embankment that — crucially — only faces outward to the south, again emphasizing it's purpose as a barrier against Hideyoshi’s advance.

See Battle of Shizugatake for more details.

Field Notes

Nakataniyama Fort is surprisingly easy to walk right past. If you’re following the trail up the mountainside, it dips into what looks like a washed out area (a common sight at castle ruins), marked by a sign pointing toward the mountaintop. But here’s the trick: that dip is actually the first moat of this fortification.

If you go left from the sign, you’ll follow the tatebori (vertical trench) running down the mountainside. If you go straight, odds are you’ll miss the castle entirely. The main structure is tucked off to the left beyond this trench, so use this trench and signpost as your cue to veer off-trail. Keep going until you hit an earthen embankment or another trench.

On paper, I didn’t expect much from this site—just a few oddly angled trenches without a recognizable castle layout. But once you’re there, walking the hillside, the logic of the design starts to come into focus. Like Hayashitaniyama Fort, this was likely a southern-facing fortification, intended to guard against a possible approach by Hideyoshi’s forces up the mountain.

The name of Tochidaniyama Fort and Nakataniyama Fort are flipped in some old materials and even the maps and signposts on the site. I'm using the naming conventions from the Shiga Prefectural Castle Survey, which are followed in most modern books and materials too. Unfortunately, the local signs have not been updated to match!

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Gallery

Castle Profile
English Name	Nakataniyama Fort
Japanese Name	中谷山砦
Founder	Shibata Katsuie
Year Founded	1583
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	JR Yogo Sta., 4.5km to trailhead
Hours	Mountain trails, limited signage
Time Required	30 mins
Hiking Trail	View on Yamap
Location	Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture
Coordinates	35.56536, 136.18661
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2025
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2025
Admin Visits	April 27, 2025
Friends of JCastle
Jokaku Horoki

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@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 |City=Nagahama
 |Prefecture=Shiga Prefecture
-|Notes=Nakataniyama Toride is surprisingly easy to walk right past. If you’re following the trail up the mountainside, it dips into what looks like a washed out area (a common sight at castle ruins), marked by a sign pointing toward the mountaintop. But here’s the trick: that dip is actually the first moat of this fortification.
+|Notes=Nakataniyama Fort is surprisingly easy to walk right past. If you’re following the trail up the mountainside, it dips into what looks like a washed out area (a common sight at castle ruins), marked by a sign pointing toward the mountaintop. But here’s the trick: that dip is actually the first moat of this fortification.
-If you go left from the sign, you’ll follow a tatebori (vertical trench) running down the mountainside. If you go straight, odds are you’ll miss the castle entirely. The main structure is tucked off to the left beyond the moat, so use this trench and signpost as your cue to veer off-trail. Keep going until you hit an earthen embankment or another trench.
+If you go left from the sign, you’ll follow the tatebori (vertical trench) running down the mountainside. If you go straight, odds are you’ll miss the castle entirely. The main structure is tucked off to the left beyond this trench, so use this trench and signpost as your cue to veer off-trail. Keep going until you hit an earthen embankment or another trench.
-On paper, I didn’t expect much from this site—just a few oddly angled trenches without a recognizable castle layout. But once you’re there, walking the hillside, the logic of the design starts to come into focus. Like Hayashitaniyama Toride, this was likely a southern-facing fortification, intended to guard against a possible approach by Hideyoshi’s forces up the mountain.
+On paper, I didn’t expect much from this site—just a few oddly angled trenches without a recognizable castle layout. But once you’re there, walking the hillside, the logic of the design starts to come into focus. Like Hayashitaniyama Fort, this was likely a southern-facing fortification, intended to guard against a possible approach by Hideyoshi’s forces up the mountain.
 The name of [[Tochidaniyama Fort]] and Nakataniyama Fort are flipped in some old materials and even the maps and signposts on the site. I'm using the naming conventions from the Shiga Prefectural Castle Survey, which are followed in most modern books and materials too. Unfortunately, the local signs have not been updated to match!
 |History=Nakataniyama Fort was one of several mountaintop forts constructed by Shibata Katsuie's general along the Mt. Gyoichi mountain range leading up to the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583. It was commanded by Tokuyama Hideaki and Kanamori Nagachika.
-The east side of the fort is protected by the aforementioned tatebori. On the west side, a gentler ridge climbs up the mountain, making it a natural vulnerability. Defensive embankments were built ob this ridge with a kuichigai koguchi (zigzagging entrance) to slow attackers. These two flanks are connected by a yokobori (horizontal trench) and embankment that—crucially—only faces outward to the south, again emphasizing their purpose as a barrier against Hideyoshi’s advance.
+The east side of the fort is protected by the aforementioned tatebori. On the west side, a gentler ridge climbs up the mountain, making it a natural vulnerability. Defensive embankments were built on this ridge with a kuichigai koguchi (zigzagging entrance) to slow attackers. These two flanks are connected by a large yokobori (horizontal trench) and earthen embankment that — crucially — only faces outward to the south, again emphasizing it's purpose as a barrier against Hideyoshi’s advance.
 See [[Battle of Shizugatake]] for more details.