Sasayama Castle

This is a fascinating castle. It's a simple stout stronghold with tall thick stone walls and an ominous presence that dominates the whole plain. The main keep was never built but it just shows how the main keep is really just for show, not military purposes. Sasayama Castle's purpose was to control

History

From the top of Mt. Takashiro to the Southeast of Sasayama Castle the Hatano ruled over the Tanba area from Yagami Castle. Yagami Castle fell to attacks by Akechi Mitsuhide in 1579. In 1608 Tokugawa Ieyasu's son Matsudaira Yasushige became lord of Yagami Castle. The following year, Ieyasu started the construction of Sasayama Castle while dismantling Yagami Castle as part of his plan to better control the western lords and fortify Osaka Castle. The castle was designed by Todo Takatora and completed in only six months.

Field Notes

This is a fascinating castle. It's a simple stout stronghold with tall thick stone walls and an ominous presence that dominates the whole plain. The main keep was never built but it just shows how the main keep is really just for show, not military purposes. Sasayama Castle's purpose was to control the Western lords and fortify the roads to Osaka.

The castle is also well preserved. The palace unfortunately burned down in 1944, but it was rebuilt (1996-2000) using original photos and with reference to the Ninomaru Palace at Nijo Castle . Although they may often be overlooked, Sasayama Castle should also be noted for the 2 umadashi style gates that fortify the main compounds of the castle to the northeast and southwest.

Besides the castle, Sasayama is an interesting little town that retains some of the charm of a rustic castle town including a samurai quarter with some former samurai homes (only the Ama Residence is open to the public) and a variety of local shops and specialties.

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Gallery

NE Umadashi Gate
NE Umadashi Gate
NE Umadashi Gate
SW Umadashi Gate
SW Umadashi Gate

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Castle Profile
English Name	Sasayama Castle
Japanese Name	篠山城
Alternate Names	Kirigajo
Founder	Tokugawa Ieyasu
Year Founded	1609
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Designations	Top 100 Castles, National Historic Site
Historical Period	Edo Period
Year Reconstructed	2000 (Osyoin Palace)
Features	palace, samurai homes, water moats, trenches, stone walls, walls
Visitor Information
Access	Sasayama-guchi Station (Fukuchiyama Line), bus
Hours
Time Required
URL	Castle Website
Location	Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture
Coordinates	35.07341, 135.21757
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2004
Admin Year Visited	2018
Admin Visits	December 20, 2018

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Sasayama Castle

History

Field Notes

Gallery

More Galleries and Feature Pages

Nearby Samurai Homes