Mitake Castle (Kai)

Mitakejō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Mitake Township, Kōfu Municipality. Ruins feature deformed bailey spaces and a double horikiri (trench) complex. I found the climb up instructive, with rocks, cliffs, chains and ropes to contend with; it's not a proper mountain unless it tries to k

History

Mitakejō served chiefly as a fortified signal beacon, part of a network of such sites surrounding the Kai Basin that allowed for rapid warning and communication across the province. The fort was guarded by a band of local provincial warriors called the Mitake-shū. After the fall of the Takeda Clan the Mitake-shū served Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Mitakejō was used as a fort and signal tower by Tokugawa forces during their conflict with the Hōjō in Kai.

Field Notes

Mitakejō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Mitake Township, Kōfu Municipality. Ruins feature deformed bailey spaces and a double horikiri (trench) complex. I found the climb up instructive, with rocks, cliffs, chains and ropes to contend with; it's not a proper mountain unless it tries to kill you. I had several markers to aim for as the possible site of the castle; of course, it's always the highest one up... The yaguradai (turret platform) and nijū-horikiri earthworks are found further along the ridge from the Tengu shrine with the stone walls, and the shrine's narrow bailey space is the flattened ridge behind the shrine.

Gallery

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  Horikiri (trench)
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Castle Profile
English Name	Mitake Castle (Kai)
Japanese Name	甲斐御岳城
Alternate Names	御岳の城山城
Founder	Mitake-shū
Year Founded	Sengoku Period
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Kuruwa, Horikiri, &c.
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Bus from Kōfu to Kinzakura-jinja; take the road that goes up past Meotogi-jinja; there is a path up the ridge there
Hours	24/7 free; mountain
Time Required	60 minutes
Location	Kōfu, Yamanashi Prefecture
Coordinates	35.77013, 138.56084
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2024
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed
Friends of JCastle
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