Shimo Akasaka Castle

There are no structures or walls remaining from the castle. Chihaya Shrine was built on the former castle grounds. On weekends, there are frequent buses (2 or 3 per hour) from Kawachinagano Station. There are also buses from Tondabayashi Station. Buses take about 20-30 minutes. Get off at Kongosan

History

Chihaya Castle was built in 1332 by Kusunoki Masashige, a loyalist to Emperor Go-Daigo. After the fall of nearby Akasaka Castle, Kusunoki built up Chihaya Castle to defend against the Hojo. When they attacked in 1333, he successfully forced them out. The tactics used by Kusunoki to defend the castle, such as creating dummy warriors with straw and extra armor, knocking down trees and pushing boulders onto enemies as they tried to ascend, etc. have made the Siege of Chihaya Castle one of Japan's stand-out military battle tales. Chihaya Castle remained under the emperor's domain until the Ashikaga overtook it in 1390. The castle was then abandoned.

Field Notes

There are no structures or walls remaining from the castle. Chihaya Shrine was built on the former castle grounds.

On weekends, there are frequent buses (2 or 3 per hour) from Kawachinagano Station. There are also buses from Tondabayashi Station. Buses take about 20-30 minutes. Get off at Kongosanguchi.

The Castle Stamp is located inside Matsumasa Restaurant. They also have a paper with information about the castle.

Profile and photos by Jcastle contributor Phibbyfan.

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Castle Profile
English Name	Shimo Akasaka Castle
Japanese Name	下赤坂城
Founder	Kusunoki Masashige
Year Founded	1332
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Top 100 Castles, Top 100 Mountaintop Castles, National Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Main Keep Structure	None
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Bus from Kawachinagano Station or Tondabayashi Station
Hours	Always open/free
Time Required	1.5 hours
URL	Castle Website
Location	Osaka, Osaka
Coordinates	34.4162, 135.65294
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2014
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed, 2025
Admin Visits	Feb 14, 2025

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