Kinzan Castle

The mountain is one of the highest in teh range between the east and west Tanba regions. The hike is a fairly steep 300m of elevation change but the trail is very clean and well marked. Despite being a weekday, there were a few other hikers around and criss crossing the mountains. This is a somewh

History

In the Tanba Campaigns of Nobunaga, led by Akechi Mitsuhide against two holdout clans; the Akai at Kuroi Castle and the Hatano at Yakami castle, prevented the completion of these Tanba Campaigns in the first attempt at subjugation in 1575-1576. After regrouping and coming back with a more solid foundation and strategy Akechi Mitsuhide completed the subjugation of Tanba in the second campaign of 1578-1579. Part of this strategy was the classic divide and conquer. A high mountain range between these two key nemeses aided their downfalls as Akechi built Kinzan Castle in the middle of the corridor between the two, splitting teh resistance and allowing Mitsuhide to isolate and defeat each one by one. From the top of Kinzan Castle you can actually see both Kuroi Castle and Yakami Castle, essentially looking down upon them. Construction of Kinzan Castle was begun soon after the siege of Yakami Castle had begun. After the fall of Yakami CAstle, Kuroi Castle soon fell too.

After the fall of both the Hatano and Akai strongholds Kinzan Castle lost its military value and was likely abandoned.

Field Notes

The mountain is one of the highest in teh range between the east and west Tanba regions. The hike is a fairly steep 300m of elevation change but the trail is very clean and well marked. Despite being a weekday, there were a few other hikers around and criss crossing the mountains.

This is a somewhat challenging castle to get to and I spent the night in Sasayama specifically so I could do so. there are only 4 busses per day that pass by the trailhead as they shuttle a few locals between Sasayamaguchi and Kaibara.

Today, remnants of stonework, earthworks, and bailey formations remain on the mountain, though overgrowth and limited access make exploration somewhat difficult. The site offers sweeping views over the valleys to both east and west, making its tactical importance immediately apparent to those who reach the summit.

A famous temple called Eirinji was built in the lower baileys of the castle ruins. The stonework you see here is not original to the castle. It was part of the temple complex. Around the side of this temple complex you can also find the well for the castle and a tatebori that goes up to another lookout type detached bailey or dejiro.

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Gallery

Enrinji

Castle Profile
English Name	Kinzan Castle
Japanese Name	金山城
Founder	Akechi Mitsuhide
Year Founded	1579
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Sasayamaguchi Station or Kaibara Station, bus
Hours	Mountain trails, open any time
Time Required	150 mins
Location	Tanba Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture
Coordinates	35.11228, 135.11385
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2025
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2024
Admin Visits	November 8, 2024

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