Ohhara Castle

Ohhara Castle Ruin is one of the many tiny fortifications that dot the countryside in the Koka Region of Shiga Prefecture. As far as I know, this castle ruin is only briefly mentioned in one locally published castle book about castles in Shiga. This castle ruin is about 10 minutes walk from JR Koka

History

This small flatland castle was built by the Ohhara Clan, one of the major clans in the Koka Region. It is a square fortification protected by earthen ramparts on four sides with two koguchi (gates) on its northern and southern sides. In modern times, a third entrance has been opened up on the eastern side for vehicular entry. The earthen ramparts were ringed by a water moat on three sides (east, west, and north). It is now just a shallow dry moat.

Field Notes

Ohhara Castle Ruin is one of the many tiny fortifications that dot the countryside in the Koka Region of Shiga Prefecture. As far as I know, this castle ruin is only briefly mentioned in one locally published castle book about castles in Shiga. This castle ruin is about 10 minutes walk from JR Koka Station. The earthen ramparts and moat which ring the main bailey are pretty much intact. However, unlike other bigger and more popular castle sites in Shiga, this castle ruin is not signposted, and the main bailey is someone’s private residence. It is not open to the public.

Gallery

• 

  Eastern Side
• 

  Former Water Moat and Earthen Rampart Eastern Side
• 

  Earthen Ramparts Eastern Side
• 

  Earthen Ramparts Southern Side
• 

  Earthen Ramparts Southern Side
• 

  2nd Bailey Foreground with Main Bailey Background and Earthen Rampart Southern Side
• 

  Yakuimon and Earthen Ramparts Southern Side
• 

  Former water moats

Castle Profile
English Name	Ohhara Castle
Japanese Name	大原城
Founder	Ohhara Clan
Year Founded	In the Muromachi Period (1338 to 1573)
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Dorui, Koguchi, Karabori
Features	trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Koka Sta (Kusatsu Line), 10 min walk
Hours	private residence
Time Required	20 minutes
Location	Koka, Shiga Prefecture
Coordinates	34.89678, 136.21618
Loading map... {"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"auto","height":"200px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"Castlemarker.png","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":6,"defzoom":14,"layers":["CartoDB.Positron"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":34.89678,"lon":136.21618,"icon":"../images/1/1e/Castlemarker.png"}],"imageoverlays":null}
Admin
Added to Jcastle	2013
Contributor	RaymondW
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

1.67

(3 votes)

Loading comments...