Senowaki Castle
Senowakijō, written multiple ways and also called 'Shiroyamajō', is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Nirei Village, Suzaka Municipality. Its structure is made up of a series of baileys and trenches carved into a steep ridge. Features include dorui (earthen ramparts), kuruwa (baileys), and hor
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History
Senowakijō was one of the bases, along with neighbouring Gentairijō, of the Nirei-shū, a group of fifty local samurai who were granted 500 kanbun worth of land in the valley by Suda Sunaisuke. Takeda Shingen would soon conquer the territory. When the Takeda were destroyed in 1582, the Uesugi reclaimed northern Shinano, and Naoe Kanetsugu, a vassal of Uesugi Kagekatsu, took over the area, allowing a small group of samurai called the 'Seventeen Knights of Shinshū' who had resisted the interregnum of Mori Nagayoshi, to settle the area. Of which, the Ôba Clan established themselves at Gentairijō and neighbouring Senowakijō. At this time the castellan of Senowakijō was Ôba Kakubē. Senowakijō's kyokan (residential area) is thought to have been to the north where the temple is today.
Field Notes
Senowakijō, written multiple ways and also called 'Shiroyamajō', is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Nirei Village, Suzaka Municipality. Its structure is made up of a series of baileys and trenches carved into a steep ridge. Features include dorui (earthen ramparts), kuruwa (baileys), and horikiri (trenches). The terraces toward the ridge terminus are quite steep and appear as giant stairs leading to the castle proper. The highlights are the deep horikiri.
The rear bailey is flattened beneath the climbing ridge as a terrace without any trench behind it, which is quite unusual as any attacker coming from the above ridge would be able to drop down into the final bailey. Maybe the castle was unfinished, or it was intended only as a place to withdraw to when defending the plain to below, and the fort was not expected to survive a prolonged siege in which it was surrounded. Though small, Senowakijō was sturdily built.
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| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Senowaki Castle |
| Japanese Name | 背之脇城 |
| Alternate Names | 瀬之脇城・城山城 |
| Founder | Nirei-shū; Ôba Clan |
| Year Founded | 16th Century |
| Castle Type | Mountaintop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Dorui, Horikiri, Kuruwa |
| Features | trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Suzaka Station on Nagano Line; rental bicyle |
| Hours | 24/7 free; mountain |
| Time Required | 40 minutes |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Suzaka, Nagano Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 36.60304, 138.33527 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2023 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Ranmaru | |
| Yogo | |
