Mikazuki Jin'ya

The Monomi Yagura, the large slightly darker colored yagura on the left side of this section of castle, is original. It was used as part of the Civic Center (kominkan) following the Edo Period until it was dismantled and move back to it's original location in 199X. The inside has been restored and y

History

history

Field Notes

The Monomi Yagura, the large slightly darker colored yagura on the left side of this section of castle, is original. It was used as part of the Civic Center (kominkan) following the Edo Period until it was dismantled and move back to it's original location in 199X. The inside has been restored and you can go inside today.

The Omotemon Gate is also original. It was moved from the castle to Saihoji Temple, about 6km away, in the Meiji Period but was moved back to its original location in the castle town in 2018. You will still see many castle websites that still show it at the Saihoji Temple, but it is here now.

The Kogyokan building is from the Hanko, or Domain School. It was built in the 1700s and was relocated to the nearby XX temple grounds just a short walk from the restored castle.

The restored and reconstructed fortification is a truly imposing structure. The long wall of tamon yagura connecting a couple gates and the big Monomi Yagura is one of a kind. I imagine this is what some complete defensive walls at other big castles like Osaka Castle or Edo Castle might have looked like. For this small jin'ya though, all it had was the one major defensive structure, but it is still a fabulous reconstruction and I'm glad we have it today. The jin'ya is nestled right at the edge of the Vally and effectively closes off a corner behind it which results in something a bigger castle than it is. From the castle spreading out downhill to the river was a well developed castle town. It still holds many signs of the castle town from the end of the Edo Period in the layout of streets and plots of land.

There is a grouping of 4 extant Samurai Residences near to the castle in the area that was zoned for middle class samurai. I say "extant" but one has been heavily modified into a more modern home, two seem to have been condemned and a fourth is hidden in trees. The modified one, called the Takeuchi Residence, is not lived in today but the small house has a collection of artifacts from the Edo Period and tours are occasionally held during an autumn festival. The 2023 festival held a tour and was gathering donations to restore the house. I planned my visit to Mikazuki Jin'ya precisely for this tour and event only to come down with COVID. Even so, I visited as soon as I recovered anyway, even if I could not go inside. Perhaps they will do it again. I'm watching and waiting, but Mikazuki is not an easy place to get to!

There are few trains running from Himeji all the way out here. Mikazuki Station also does not take IC cards, you'll need to buy a ticket from Himeji. The train conductor was kind enough to ask if I was going to the castle and would be going back to Himeji or not. He told me to keep my ticket and pay a round trip fare back at Himeji.

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Gallery

Original Monomi Yagura
Inside Monami Yagura
View out the back of the yagura
stone garden

Castle Profile
English Name	Mikazuki Jin'ya
Japanese Name	三日月陣屋
Founder
Year Founded
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Historical Period	Edo Period
Features	gates, turrets, bridges, samurai homes, water moats, stone walls, walls, castle town
Visitor Information
Access	Mikazuki, 20 min walk
Hours	Open 10am-4pm weekends and holidays; free admission
Time Required	45 mins for restored area
URL	Castle Website
Location	Sayo, Hyogo Prefecture
Coordinates	34.99084, 134.43125
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2024
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2023
Admin Visits	Nov 4, 2023

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