Minagawa Castle: Difference between revisions

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{{Castle
{{Castle
|English Name=
|English Name=Minagawa Castle
 
|Japanese Name=皆川城
 
|Romaji Name=Minagawa-jo
 
|Alternate Names=Horagai-jo
 
|Founder=Minagawa clan
Minagawa Castle
|Year Founded=1438~1450
|Japanese Name=
|Castle Type=Mountaintop
皆川城
|Castle Condition=Ruins only
|Romaji Name=
|Designations=Local Historic Site
Minagawa-jo
|Historical Period=Pre Edo Period
|Alternate Names=
|Features=trenches
Horagai-jo
|Access=Tochigi Sta. (JR Ryomo Line or Tobu Nikko Line), 5km walk or 1900 yen taxi.
|Founder=
|Visitor Information=Open anytime.
Minagawa clan
|Time Required=90 mins
|Year Founded=
|Website=http://www.kuranomachi.jp/spot/minagawa/joshi/
1438~1450
|City=Tochigi
|Castle Type=
|Prefecture=Tochigi Prefecture
Mountaintop
|Notes=Be sure to take the small trail from the honmaru back into the woods, or from the West Gate around into the woods to see the less developed part of the castle. It's not well signposted or labelled but the area occupied by the community center was the former palace grounds. If you look down from the honmaru area you can see that it is a rectangle nicely marked out by a moat. <p>This is a fascinating and unique design for a castle. It has concentric baileys built up the mountainside and gates offset to force any attackers to zigzag back and forth but there are also large vertical trenches cutting off their ease of movement. It seems like it would be easy to defend and provides limitless good angles to shot down at attackers. </p>
|Castle Condition=
|History=If you look around the internet and books and you'll find different dates for the original establishment of this castle dating from the 1200s to the 1400's. Earlier dates seem to be referring to a history written in the latter Edo Period about the Shimotsuke region which is actually referring to a smaller fortified home type castle of the Naganuma (forefathers of the Minagawa) at a nearby location and not actually this Minagawa Castle. The castle we know of today was likely founded by the the Minagawa in 1438-1439 in the Eikyo Rebellion.  
Ruins only
|Designations=
Local Historic Site
|Historical Period=
Pre Edo Period
|Main Keep Structure=
 
|Year Reconstructed=
 
|Artifacts=
 
 
|Features=
 
|Access=
 
 
Tochigi Sta. (JR Ryomo Line or Tobu Nikko Line), 5km walk or 1900 yen taxi.
 
 
|Visitor Information=
 
Open anytime.  
 
|Time Required=
90 mins
|City=
Tochigi, Tochigi Pref.
|Prefecture=
Tochigi Prefecture
|Notes=
 
 
Be sure to take the small trail from the honmaru back into the woods, or from the West Gate around into the woods to see the less developed part of the castle. It's not well signposted or labelled but the area occupied by the community center was the former palace grounds. If you look down from the honmaru area you can see that it is a rectangle nicely marked out by a moat. <p>This is a fascinating and unique design for a castle. It has concentric baileys built up the mountainside and gates offset to force any attackers to zigzag back and forth but there are also large vertical trenches cutting off their ease of movement. It seems like it would be easy to defend and provides limitless good angles to shot down at attackers. </p>
 
 
|History=
 
 
If you look around the internet and books and you'll find different dates for the original establishment of this castle dating from the 1200s to the 1400's. Earlier dates seem to be referring to a history written in the latter Edo Period about the Shimotsuke region which is actually referring to a smaller fortified home type castle of the Naganuma (forefathers of the Minagawa) at a nearby location and not actually this Minagawa Castle. The castle we know of today was likely founded by the the Minagawa in 1438-1439 in the Eikyo Rebellion.  
  <p>
  <p>
  In 1523, the Minagawa were attacked by Utsunomiya Tadatsuna. The lord of the castle, Munenari, and his brother Noriaki were mortally injured. The clan was saved by their allies the Oyama and the Yuki. As the Hojo extended their influence into the Kanto plain, the Minagawa fought them off until Munenari's grandson Toshimune acceded to the Hojo. After Munenari's death, his son Hiroteru joined forces with the Satake against the Hojo in 1578. They could not stand up to the Hojo and Hiroteru yielded in 1586. In 1590, while Hiroteru was besieged with the Hojo at Odawara, Minagawa Castle fell to the Hideyoshi forces. Before the Hojo yielded to Hideyoshi, Hiroteru managed to escape the castle and joined up with Tokugawa Ieyasu. Owing to this bit of luck, Hiroteru would become a retainer of Ieyasu's son, Matsudaira Tadateru. In 1591, he built Tochigi Castle and abandoned Minagawa Castle.  
  In 1523, the Minagawa were attacked by Utsunomiya Tadatsuna. The lord of the castle, Munenari, and his brother Noriaki were mortally injured. The clan was saved by their allies the Oyama and the Yuki. As the Hojo extended their influence into the Kanto plain, the Minagawa fought them off until Munenari's grandson Toshimune acceded to the Hojo. After Munenari's death, his son Hiroteru joined forces with the Satake against the Hojo in 1578. They could not stand up to the Hojo and Hiroteru yielded in 1586. In 1590, while Hiroteru was besieged with the Hojo at Odawara, Minagawa Castle fell to the Hideyoshi forces. Before the Hojo yielded to Hideyoshi, Hiroteru managed to escape the castle and joined up with Tokugawa Ieyasu. Owing to this bit of luck, Hiroteru would become a retainer of Ieyasu's son, Matsudaira Tadateru. In 1591, he built Tochigi Castle and abandoned Minagawa Castle.  
  </p>
  </p>
 
|Year Visited=2015
 
|AddedJcastle=2015
|Visits=
|Japanese Notes=本丸や西虎口から裏への道も大変お勧めです。あまり整備されていない林の中の遺構も一般の山城気分で味わえます。本丸から見下ろす時に居館と侍屋敷があった場所も地形に寄ってよくみられます。現在は公民館です。<p>この城の縄張りが独特で面白いです。山全体が帯曲輪や腰曲輪で段々になって囲まれています。竪堀が更に敵の移動を妨げるので防備に有効的な縄張りに見えます。
April 4, 2015
|Visits=April 4, 2015
|Japanese Notes=
|GPSLocation=36.39707, 139.6832
 
|rating_average=1.0
 
|castleElev=121
本丸や西虎口から裏への道も大変お勧めです。あまり整備されていない林の中の遺構も一般の山城気分で味わえます。本丸から見下ろす時に居館と侍屋敷があった場所も地形に寄ってよくみられます。現在は公民館です。<p>この城の縄張りが独特で面白いです。山全体が帯曲輪や腰曲輪で段々になって囲まれています。竪堀が更に敵の移動を妨げるので防備に有効的な縄張りに見えます。
|ekiLatLng=36.371935,139.731016
</p>
|ekiElev=47
 
|elevChange=74
 
|kamon=minagawa.jpg
|Year Visited=
|kamonFam=Minagawa
2015
|adminRating=1
|Website=
|oldID=448
 
http://www.kuranomachi.jp/spot/minagawa/joshi/
 
|rating_average=
1.0
|castleElev=
121
|ekiLatLng=
36.371935,139.731016
|ekiElev=
47
|elevChange=
74
|kamon=
minagawa.jpg
|kamonFam=
Minagawa
|adminRating=
1
|oldID=
448
|GPSLocation=
36.39707007579098,139.6831999719143
}}
}}

Revision as of 23:48, 6 October 2017

Be sure to take the small trail from the honmaru back into the woods, or from the West Gate around into the woods to see the less developed part of the castle. It's not well signposted or labelled but the area occupied by the community center was the former palace grounds. If you look down from the

Minagawa9.jpg

History

If you look around the internet and books and you'll find different dates for the original establishment of this castle dating from the 1200s to the 1400's. Earlier dates seem to be referring to a history written in the latter Edo Period about the Shimotsuke region which is actually referring to a smaller fortified home type castle of the Naganuma (forefathers of the Minagawa) at a nearby location and not actually this Minagawa Castle. The castle we know of today was likely founded by the the Minagawa in 1438-1439 in the Eikyo Rebellion.

In 1523, the Minagawa were attacked by Utsunomiya Tadatsuna. The lord of the castle, Munenari, and his brother Noriaki were mortally injured. The clan was saved by their allies the Oyama and the Yuki. As the Hojo extended their influence into the Kanto plain, the Minagawa fought them off until Munenari's grandson Toshimune acceded to the Hojo. After Munenari's death, his son Hiroteru joined forces with the Satake against the Hojo in 1578. They could not stand up to the Hojo and Hiroteru yielded in 1586. In 1590, while Hiroteru was besieged with the Hojo at Odawara, Minagawa Castle fell to the Hideyoshi forces. Before the Hojo yielded to Hideyoshi, Hiroteru managed to escape the castle and joined up with Tokugawa Ieyasu. Owing to this bit of luck, Hiroteru would become a retainer of Ieyasu's son, Matsudaira Tadateru. In 1591, he built Tochigi Castle and abandoned Minagawa Castle.


Field Notes
Be sure to take the small trail from the honmaru back into the woods, or from the West Gate around into the woods to see the less developed part of the castle. It's not well signposted or labelled but the area occupied by the community center was the former palace grounds. If you look down from the honmaru area you can see that it is a rectangle nicely marked out by a moat.

This is a fascinating and unique design for a castle. It has concentric baileys built up the mountainside and gates offset to force any attackers to zigzag back and forth but there are also large vertical trenches cutting off their ease of movement. It seems like it would be easy to defend and provides limitless good angles to shot down at attackers.


Loading map...


Gallery
  • Obikuruwa, looking toward honmaru
  • vertical trench
  • Looking to the honmaru bailey
  • baileys
  • ringed baileys
  • Ringed baileys and vertical trench
  • Large vertical trench or moat
  • Inside a ringed bailey
  • Ringed baileys
  • Large vertical trench
  • large trench
  • Trench, bailey and earthen embankment
  • West Entrance
  • West entramnce
  • Ringed baileys
  • Ringed baileys
  • Baileys
  • Ringed baileys
  • Bailey entrance
  • Bailey
  • Ninokuruwa Bailey
  • Entrance around the back side of the castle.
  • Entrance
  • Entrance
  • Large trench
  • Honmaru Bailey
  • Honmaru bailey
  • View form the honmaru tower
  • Palace and samurai residence location
  • Moat and earthen embankment
  • Minagawa10.jpg
  • Map


Castle Profile
English Name Minagawa Castle
Japanese Name 皆川城
Alternate Names Horagai-jo
Founder Minagawa clan
Year Founded 1438~1450
Castle Type Mountaintop
Castle Condition Ruins only
Designations Local Historic Site
Historical Period Pre Edo Period
Features trenches
Visitor Information
Access Tochigi Sta. (JR Ryomo Line or Tobu Nikko Line), 5km walk or 1900 yen taxi.
Hours Open anytime.
Time Required 90 mins
URL Castle Website
Location Tochigi, Tochigi Prefecture
Coordinates 36.39707, 139.6832
Loading map...
Admin
Added to Jcastle 2015
Admin Year Visited 2015
Admin Visits April 4, 2015


1.50
(2 votes)
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