Hyogo Castle: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:59, 29 October 2025

Not much to see here but the canal is on the list of sightseeing for Kobe. Most of the castle area is under an Aeon Mall.

History

Hyogo Castle once stood at the heart of Hyōgo-tsu, the port town that flourished from medieval times through the Edo period. This area had long been strategic — it was even the site of Fukuhara-kyō, the brief capital established by Taira no Kiyomori (1118–1181). With the Sanyōdō Road running just north, Hyōgo served as a vital junction linking sea and land traffic across western Japan.

In 1578, during the Battle of Arioka (Itami), Araki Murashige rebelled against Oda Nobunaga. After Itami fell, Murashige fled to Hanakuma Castle, but Nobunaga’s general Ikeda Tsuneoki and his son Terumasa captured it the following year. Nobunaga rewarded Tsuneoki with Settsu Province, and in 1580, he built Hyōgo Castle near the harbor instead of occupying Hanakuma. The Settsu Meishō Zue records, “Tsuneoki demolished Hanakuma Castle, moved its stones, and built here.”

Tsuneoki governed briefly before being transferred to Ōgaki Castle in 1583. Hyōgo Castle then came under Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s control, with Katagiri Katsumoto stationed here. During this time it was known as Katagiri Jin’ya, and traces of a moat and a triple gate have been found in excavations.

In the Edo period, Hyōgo remained an important diplomatic and trade port — eleven of twelve Korean embassies to Japan landed here. Later, the site became the Hyōgo Jin’ya, first under the Amagasaki Domain (1617) and then directly under the shogunate from 1769.

After the Meiji Restoration, the former jin’ya served as the first Hyōgo Prefectural Office, but the remains were cleared by 1874 during port redevelopment and construction of the Shinkawa Canal.

Field Notes

Not much to see here but the canal is on the list of sightseeing for Kobe. Most of the castle area is under an Aeon Mall.

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Gallery

Jin'ya illustration

More Galleries and Feature Pages

[[|120px|link=Hyogo Castle - First Prefectural Office]]

Hyogo Castle - First Prefectural Office

(28 photos)

Castle Profile
English Name	Hyogo Castle
Japanese Name	兵庫城
Alternate Names	Katagiri Jinya, Hyogo Jinya
Founder	Ikeda Tsuneoki
Year Founded	1580
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Historical Period	Edo Period
Features	gates
Visitor Information
Access	Hyogo Station (JR Kobe Line), walk 15 minutes.
Hours	Park, open any time
Time Required	15 mins
URL	Castle Website
Location	Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture
Coordinates	34.66533, 135.17269
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2020
Contributor	Andrew A
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed, 2025
Admin Visits	October 11, 2025

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@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 |Prefecture=Hyogo Prefecture
 |Notes=Not much to see here but the canal is on the list of sightseeing for Kobe. Most of the castle area is under an Aeon Mall.
-|History=In the west part of Kobe Port is Hyogo Port. This port was the site of Hyogo Tsu, which was a prosperous port until the Edo period and it also was Fukuhara-kyo the capital for Tairano Kiyomori (1118-1181). In the Nanboku-cho Era it became the center of the fighting, with Sanyo Road passing through on the north side, it was a strategic point for land and sea and was also a key hub for traffic. Hyogo Castle was functioning as a castle for just a short period of time, after the Meiji Period the remains were lost due to the large-scale renovation of Hyogo Port and the urbanization of the modern era.
+|History=Hyogo Castle once stood at the heart of Hyōgo-tsu, the port town that flourished from medieval times through the Edo period. This area had long been strategic — it was even the site of Fukuhara-kyō, the brief capital established by Taira no Kiyomori (1118–1181). With the Sanyōdō Road running just north, Hyōgo served as a vital junction linking sea and land traffic across western Japan.
-In November 1578 at the battle of Arioka Castle (first called [[Itami Castle]], Hyogo Pref.), Araki Murashige suddenly rebelled against Oda Nobunaga. Arioka Castle fell and Araki Murashige escaped to [[Hanakuma Castle]] (Hyogo Pref.), but there was also a battle at Hanakuma Castle where Oda Nobunaga's warrior Ikeda Tsuneoki and his son Terumasa took the castle. As a result, Oda Nobunaga gave him the land of Hyogo. Ikeda Tsuneoki became the governor of Settsu Country and in 1580 built a castle in Hyogo Tsu without entering Hanakuma Castle.  In Settsu Meisho Zue it says about the situation at that time, “Ikeda Tsuneoki the time of Kotatsu Moriryo, demolished Hanakuma Castle, moved the stone and built here”.
+In 1578, during the Battle of Arioka (Itami), Araki Murashige rebelled against Oda Nobunaga. After Itami fell, Murashige fled to Hanakuma Castle, but Nobunaga’s general Ikeda Tsuneoki and his son Terumasa captured it the following year. Nobunaga rewarded Tsuneoki with Settsu Province, and in 1580, he built Hyōgo Castle near the harbor instead of occupying Hanakuma. The Settsu Meishō Zue records, “Tsuneoki demolished Hanakuma Castle, moved its stones, and built here.”
-However, in 1583 Ikeda Tsuneoki was transferred to Ogaki Castle in Mino Country (Gifu Pref.) in just two years, Hyogo Castle became the direct jurisdiction of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Katagiri Katsumoto was transferred there. Hyogo Castle was renamed to “Katagiri Jinya”.
+Tsuneoki governed briefly before being transferred to Ōgaki Castle in 1583. Hyōgo Castle then came under Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s control, with Katagiri Katsumoto stationed here. During this time it was known as Katagiri Jin’ya, and traces of a moat and a triple gate have been found in excavations.
-There is evidence that a moat was around the palace, and also it was discovered that there was a triple gate. Until the Edo period, the Korean delegate was invited 12 times in total, 11 which were to Hyogo Tsu. The Amagasaki Clan was ordered to take care of the Korea delegate, preparations began about two years before, and maintenance of the harbor and arranging accommodation were done.
-In 1617 it becomes the Amagasaki Clan territory and they build a Jinya in the ruins of Hyogo Castle. A magistrate is placed and renamed "Hyogo Jinya". Becomes the territory under the control of the Shogunate in 1769. At this time, the moat is filled and the Jinya was abandoned.
+In the Edo period, Hyōgo remained an important diplomatic and trade port — eleven of twelve Korean embassies to Japan landed here. Later, the site became the Hyōgo Jin’ya, first under the Amagasaki Domain (1617) and then directly under the shogunate from 1769.
-In the Meiji era (1868), the first generation of the Hyogo Prefectural government used the Jinya. The ground which had been an outline until 1873 remained, but it was removed for the development of the city area, the Hyogo Port was remodeled drastically in the following year 1874, the Hyogo Shinkawa canal was built and Hyogo Castle ruins were destroyed.
+After the Meiji Restoration, the former jin’ya served as the first Hyōgo Prefectural Office, but the remains were cleared by 1874 during port redevelopment and construction of the Shinkawa Canal.
 |Year Visited=Viewer Contributed, 2025
 |AddedJcastle=2020