Okami Castle

I biked here from Ushiku Station. It appears that there is a bus that stops nearby but you still have to walk some distance to get to the castle. The road into the castle site itself is not well marked either. I found it useful to check Google street view before going. There are some other minor rel

History

This was a castle of the Okami Clan who had their home castle at nearby Osaka Castle before moving to Ushiku Castle. Very little is known about the history of this castle, but it was likely abandoned after the Siege of Odawara in 1590.

Like Osaka Castle (Ibaraki) is a textbook example of the more complex Sengoku Era Kanto earthworks castles, Okami Castle is a fairly textbook case of the single bailey fortifications you would also see many of in the Sengoku Period. Whether they were fortified homes or lookout points along the border of one'e territory there were many such castles and this one is very well preserved even though it looks like there is little to see and only one bailey.

Field Notes

I biked here from Ushiku Station. It appears that there is a bus that stops nearby but you still have to walk some distance to get to the castle. The road into the castle site itself is not well marked either. I found it useful to check Google street view before going. There are some other minor related ruins (West Palace and South Palace) nearby but I was not aware of them for this visit. After Okami Castle, I also biked to the nearby Osaka Castle and then back to the station for Ushiku Castle and Torinji Castle.

Loading map...

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Gallery

• 

  Castle form the distance
• 

  Stone monument
• 

  Embankment and bailey
• 

  Earthen embankment and bailey
• 

  Embankment
• 

  Embankment
• 

  Entrance
• 

  Main Bailey
• 

  Main Bailey
• 

  Koshiguruwa Bailey
• 

  Outer rim of the castle
• 

  Trench and embankment
• 

  Trench and embankment
• 

  Trench and embankment

Castle Profile
English Name	Okami Castle
Japanese Name	岡見城
Founder	Okami clan
Year Founded	Nanboku-cho Period
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Ushiku Sta. (Joban Line), 45 min walk or bus(?)
Hours	Private property, be respectful
Time Required	20 mins
Location	Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture
Coordinates	35.97489, 140.17295
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2017
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2017
Admin Visits	May 3, 2017

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