Tamon Castle

Unfortunately, there is very little to see on the castle site itself today beyond an information sign and a large horikiri cutting across the ridge. Most of Tamon Castle lies beneath Nara Wakakusa Junior High School and the imperial tumuli of Empress Ninshō and Emperor Shōmu. That said, the area be

History

In 1559, Matsunaga Hisahide, trusted advisor and lieutenant of Miyoshi Nagayoshi, became the daimyo of Yamato Province. His first base was the renovated mountaintop fortress of Shigisan Castle, but he soon began constructing of Tamon Castle too.

Yamato had long lacked a strong, centralized ruler. Powerful temples dominated the plains, while smaller lords held the surrounding mountains and valleys. Hisahide, who had extensive dealings with Nara’s religious institutions during his service under the Miyoshi, directly confronted the religious powers.

He located his new seat just north of Nara, overlooking Tōdaiji and Kōfukuji. Temple lands, including Myōken-ji and Saion-ji, were removed to make way for the castle, and the mountain itself was renamed Tamonyama, after Tamonten (Bishamonten), the Buddhist guardian of the north and a deity of military authority favored by the samurai. The location and Bishamonten associated provided a clear message.

From Tamon Castle, Hisahide could survey much of the Yamato Basin and control the Kyō-kaidō, the vital route linking Kyoto and Nara. Tamon Castle served as the hub of Hisahide’s castle network. It functioned as a diplomatic and cultural stage, while Shigisan Castle served as the military stronghold. Other castles, including Kaseyama Castle in the north and Sawa Castle in the south, secured the frontiers. A noted tea practitioner, Hisahide hosted monks, nobles, and foreign visitors at Tamon drawing, on cultural and political skills he had cultivated since his early years at Takiyama Castle. In 1565, the Portuguese Jesuit Luís de Almeida visited and wrote back to Europe in astonishment, praising the castle’s gleaming white walls and tiled roofs as “not to be found in all of Christendom.”

In 1573, after siding against Oda Nobunaga, Tamon Castle was surrendered. Akechi Mitsuhide, Shibata Katsuie and Hosokawa Fujitaka each served briefly as castellans. Nobunaga visited in 1574 to cut the sacred Ranjatai incense log, which had been brought from Tōdaiji. Many scholars believe Nobunaga drew inspiration from Tamon Castle: the artisans responsible for roof tiles, painted interiors, and metal fittings were requisitioned for work on Azuchi itself. His chronicler recorded the visit in the Shinchō Kōki:

There are no words for it—its magnificence was beyond the reach of language and even sight. （言語に絶え、目も及ばぬ程の結構なり）

Despite this admiration (because of it?) Nobunaga ordered the castle dismantled in 1576. He allowed no rival to his own masterpiece, Azuchi Castle. The four-story yagura was transferred to Azuchi Castle, its palatial halls moved to the Nijō Palace, and its stone was reused by Tsutsui Junkei, but its influence on castle evolution was undeniable.

Tamon Castle and the Transition to Early Modern Castle Design

Tamon Castle represented a major leap in castle architecture. Muromachi-period castles tended toward military fortification and relatively impermanent construction. Tamon may be considered the first true early modern castle (近世城郭).

The First Tenshu: A four-story takayagura (high turret) that served as the architectural ancestor to the iconic castle keeps that followed.
The Tamon-yagura: Long, defensive row-houses built directly atop stone ramparts. This style was so revolutionary that the term "Tamon-yagura" outlived the castle itself and became a standard of later castle architecture.
Gleaming White Plaster: Thick earthen walls finished with shikkui (plaster) provided both a stunning visual aesthetic, vital fireproofing against incendiary arrows and longevity from weathering.
Purpose-Built Roof Tiles: Unprecedented for castles of the period. Drawing on Nara’s long tradition of temple construction, Hisahide employed local craftsmen to produce tiles specifically for Tamon Castle. Excavated examples differ from contemporary temple tiles, showing deliberate adaptation rather than simple reuse. Hisahide’s correspondence from Kyoto indicates close attention to tile production during construction.
Extensive stone walls, stone foundations for building pillars, and stone-lined drainage channels, reinforced the castle’s intent as a durable, long-term seat of power.
Lavish palatial halls that established Tamon as more than a military fortification and enabled its role as a center of political and cultural authority.

These architectural elements existed individually in earlier castles, palaces and temples, but Tamon Castle was the first to bring them together deliberately within a single, coherent castle design, thereby influencing the form and purpose of castles that followed.

Field Notes

Unfortunately, there is very little to see on the castle site itself today beyond an information sign and a large horikiri cutting across the ridge. Most of Tamon Castle lies beneath Nara Wakakusa Junior High School and the imperial tumuli of Empress Ninshō and Emperor Shōmu.

That said, the area below the eastern side of the former castle between the castle and river is quietly interesting. This district may correspond to the residential quarters noted by the Portuguese missionary Luís de Almeida, who described organized living spaces associated with the castle. This neighborhood preserves a number of older houses and Edo-period stone walls (see map photo below). While individual buildings have changed over time, the street layout remains largely intact.

The photos included here also show views from the western hilltop.

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Gallery

Display at Yamato Castle Festival (2025)
Viewed from the neighborhood
River in front of the castle

Castle Profile
English Name	Tamon Castle
Japanese Name	多聞城
Founder	Matsunaga Hisahide
Year Founded	1562
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Kintetsu Nara
Hours
Time Required	30 mins
Location	Nara, Nara Prefecture
Coordinates	34.69437, 135.83143
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2026
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2025
Admin Visits	October 5, 2025

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