Property:Notes
From Jcastle.info
It is a property of type Text.
A
The site of Aburakawa-Nobue-yashiki is now that of a small temple called Ryūsenji in the Isawa area of Fuefuki Municipality. The remains of dorui (earthen ramparts) can be seen forming an angular segment adjacent to the temple's cemetery. Furthermore a waterway in the north appears to be the successor of a moat. The ruins have been damaged by flooding of the Fuefuki River in the past and submerged so it's miraculous that any earthworks survive, but luckily the area is otherwise very quiet and rural. +
Ahoyama Castle is on the opposite side of [[Tsubokasayama Castle]] from [[Mikoshiyama Castle]] and is what you would reach first if you were taking the main trail up from the town. There is a large cleft in the mountainside that splits the mountaintop Ahoyama Castle from Tsubokasayama Castle. I have read other accounts that say there are no discernible ruins at Ahoyama Castle, but from my perspective I really think some of the largish stones strewn about may be from some stonework remains and are similar in size and shape to those found at Tsubokasayama and Mikoshiyama. There also seems to be a couple small baileys on either side and possibly an obikuruwa Bailey too. I have seen one photo of an illustration of this castle from a seminar in Otsu (?) so I think I need to make a trip to the Otsu City Musuem at some point to see if they have any more materials on both these sites.
There is no actual trail up to Ahoyama Castle. Some don't recommend trying it but I managed. Just find a place to scramble up the side and once you hit the ridge it's not so bad. Regarding the name ''Ahoyama Castle'', old records say「あほ山」without kanji so it was likely originally ''ahoyama''. It seems that at some point it was given the kanji 青山 which would be read ''Aoyama'' but I really did not dig into the history of the name any more. +
Aida-yakata was the fortified residence of the Aida Clan. The site is now fields and no obvious ruins remain of the resdience. There is a signboard explaining about the site and showing pictures of excavations which unearthed stone walls and evidence of residential buildings. The site hosted an elementary school in modern times but this too is now gone, leaving only the gymnasium which is now used as a gateball court. The site is shown on Google Maps as 'Tonomura Iseki (殿村遺跡)'. In the small valley beneath the site is Aida-juku, an inn town developed in the Edo period (likely formerly the yakata's jōkamura (a settlement attached to a castle)), and some old shops and residences remain here.
I visited Aida-yakata ahead of my planned large scale assault on the castle ruins of the Aida Clan in the mountains above. This is planned for the autumn, and so I figured I'd save time by exploring the sites in the Aida Basin now in summer. I cycled from Matsumoto in a round trip of about 50km. In the Aida area, formerly Shiga Village Municipality, I also visited Toride-toride, Iwabuchijō, and got as close as possible to Bizenhara-yakata, before re-visiting some minor sites in the basin's northwestern arm which I had only seen in the dark before, and exiting the basin toward Akashina, returning to Matsumoto via the area of the River Sai in Aźumino (though on the old Chikuma side), thereby completing a large circuit.
At Aida-yakata I actually made an amazing discovery, albeit nothing to do with castles -- I found a giant mushroom! It was slightly smaller than a football with a dimpled dome, and the cap was so bulbous I couldn't see the stem, though the fruity body wobbled on it sure enough. It was white and, though I am not an aficionado, of an edible variety I believe. There was what looked like a triangular cutting made from the top of the cap, but there was also here four grooves which looked like some animal had pawed at it. Since this was the largest mushroom I had ever discovered, I photographed it next to a bottle of tea.
Aika-yashiki is a fortified residence ruin in the Nakaizumi neighbourhood of Iwata Municipality. It was inhabited by the Aika Clan from the latter 16th century to the late 20th century, so it spanned several historical periods. The architecture is lost, but the estate's old garden, centred around a pond surrounded by large camphors, has been preserved and is very beautiful. On the terrace above the garden is a row of a earthen mounds that looks like dorui (earthen ramparts). Even though the garden is on the lower ground, it would make sense, especially given the remaining earthworks, for the medieval residence to have been built on the higher level. The site is now a park in a residential area. +
The earthly remains of Aikijō / Ainokijō consist of lonely clump of piled earth in the corner of a girls' school. Probably this was part of a segment of dorui (earth-piled ramparts). There is a small shrine and a marker for the castle on top. I came here because I had some time to kill in Nagano City.
*Note on reading: if "Ainoki" then the "no" is unwritten or rendered ノ, the possessive particle. +
Aimiyamamonomi-toride is a fortified watch-tower or look-out site but I could find no ruins due to the whole area being too overgrown. And probably no ruins remain anyway. The site is adjacent to the Ushikubi Pass linking Kiso and Ina (via Ono), and Tamagaike, a storied pond, is located about 1km in the opposite direction – unfortunately the trail out to it was too overgrown to follow. The ridge immediately above the pass is flattened, and there is a torii on the opposite side from the fort site. +
Ainuta-rui is a fortified residence site in Fujii Township, Nirasaki Municipality. The ruins of Ainuta-rui consists of a segment of dorui (earthen ramparts) which are thought to have once ensconced a medieval residence, though who built it is unknown. The site is now fields and the embankment, which is quite wide and sloping, hosts an orchard and a bamboo patch. +
The gray roofing tiles were all replaced in 2010-2011 with reddish tiles to match the original construction. The castle has many great moats and stone walls so I recommend taking the time to walk the grounds. +
Akagi-kitajō was for me the more interesting of the twin Akagi castles, although they're about the same size. Akagi-kitajō has a large, deep karabori (dry moat) running around it on three sides, about 12m wide. To the north is a small river and a reservoir. A dobashi (earthen bridge) grants access to the main enclosure. The site is largely overgrown today, adjacent to a temple and surrounded by fields. Some of these fields have been taken over by creeping ivy which has climbed things and created strange shapes. One spectral figure has its arms stretched out, crucified, with a stump of a neck. Crows were gathering and a mad peasant was raving in an orchard. Despite my deep attraction to the site, I could not ignore a growing sense of foreboding. The main bailey was choked with ivy, bamboo and chestnut burrs which made progress impossible. +
The remains of Akagi-minamijō, twinned with Akagi-kitajō to the north, consist of at least one kuruwa (bailey), some dorui (embankment) remnants, and a series of horikiri (trenches). The site is now a wooded promontory above a small alcove used for rice farming. To the north is a large Epson factory and workers' dormitories are located next to the castle ruin. +
Practically no ruins remain of Akagi-yakata; it is now the site of fields and some homes. To the south, perhaps fittingly, is the community hall for the village of Akagi, as well as the site of Takami-yakata. I took one picture showing where a moat may have ran.
Related sites: Takami-yakata ([[Takami Yakata]]), Akagi-minamijō ([[Akagi Minami Castle]]), Akagi-kitajō ([[Akagi Kita Castle]]). I also took the opportunity to revisit Akagi-kitajō but it is now impossibly overgrown and inaccessible. +
Akahorijō is a former fortification site in the Akahori neighbourhood of downtown Yokkaichi. I came across this site, which appears to have been a fortified residence but is now wholly developed over, purely by chance and didn't know about it beforehand. I dropped off my luggage at my hotel in Yokkaichi before getting the train to visit Unemejō. There is a signboard with information about the fort at Akahori Station on the Yokkaichi Asunarō line. Akahorijō was just a little north of the station. This simple fortified compound had a square-like configuration; the central and only bailey was surrounded by earthen ramparts and a moat. +
Akaiwajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in the Tame area of Toyohashi Municipality. I think it is the closest yamajiro of note to Yoshida Castle on the plain below, and so perhaps may be visited by yamajiro fans visiting there. I went to Yoshidajō afterwards - my third or fourth visit. Akaiwajō can be accessed by taking the Toyohashi streetcar to Akaiwaguchi Station (I had to transfer at Ihara Station; the streetcar line splits at the end in two different directions). From there it is a twenty minute walk to Sekiganji (赤岩寺), and the trail to the castle ruins is accessed from the temple. It doesn't take long to reach the castle ruins even though they are a little high up, because of the old and steep stone stairway going straight up the mountain. The trail to the castle goes by some large boulders and cliffs, one with a shrine atop. This terrain provided natural defence for the mountaintop fort.
Akaiwajō is a ridgetop fort with dorui (earthe ramparts), kuruwa (baileys) and a large horikiri (trench). The main bailey is small, but the dorui on the mountain-facing side is thick and tall. The trench below is wide, and has been cut through the mountain bedrock. This trench complex is a sight to behold.
There are some stepped baileys above the trench on the ridge, and then the natural ridge sweeps up without any fortification. Beneath the main bailey is a large terraced bailey. A segment of dorui climbs up from it to the main bailey. Some earthworks can be seen beneath the lower bailey, looking to me like a trench or a gate site. Maybe the castle's original entrance was here.
The maple leaves above the dorui were delightful. I even started climbing a tree for a better look at the effulgent foliage. These pictures also show Sekiganji and an altar building purched atop a rocky pinnacle en route to the castle site. +
Akasaka-jin’ya is a jin’ya site in Akasaka Township, Toyokawa Municipality. The site is now a nursery and no ruins remain on-site. Although I did also check out a gate which is said to be a structure relocated from the jin’ya; it is the sanmon (main gate) of Hōunji, a temple located some distance to the southwest. The sanmon’s structure does indeed look quite old.
Asakaka-juku is an old post town on the Tōkaidō. The most notable surviving structure from the Edo period is (unfortunately not the jin’ya but) an inn called the Ohhashi Inn. It appears to be open to the public but it was already past closing time when I came by. A large signboard opposite the honjin (main inn) site shows a map of the shukuba as it existed in the Edo period, and the jin’ya and its layout is shown on it. +
Currently the 2 yagura are open during different times of the year, the Tatsumi Yagura from March Through May and Hitsujisaru Yagura from September to November. They are only open on weekends and holidays and will cancel for light rain. In the past each was open during alternating months during the same seasons so if you wish to go be sure to check the website (and weather!) and plan accordingly. When I visited the Tatsumi Yagura, I was there when it first opened at 10am but it had started raining and by the time I left they were taking down the signs and packing up. Supposedly this is to protect the interior of the yagura or they will have to close the windows. Only the first floor is open. The guide said someone was once injured falling from these steep steps so they stopped showing the second floor. The guide also said there is a special tour of both including the second floor if you buy a tour through the Furusato Nozei system but I was unable to any such thing today. (May 2024)
https://www.yokoso-akashi.jp/facility/2684
Most of the original stone walls of the castle are well preserved but the weeds and trees growing out and around them are horrible. They really need to do some more work to keep them free of plants or the walls will be damaged. They cut some trees around the "front" side of the castle to make the walls and yagura more clearly visible but the growth from the walls needs to be maintained better. Around the back side is especially atrocious. Reviewing my 2009 photos it was much better back then. One of the paths is so choked with vegetation it's now blocked off. It seems the huge castle park in front of the castle is constantly having events, lightups, project mapping, etc so one would think they could collect some fees or at least do a better job collecting donations to help pay for the maintenance before it's too late.
For your visit to Akashi Castle, don't forget to take some photos from the train station platform. The Piole Akashi Shopping Center on the other side of the train station also provides spectacular views of the castle, including the highlight photo above.
Akashibujō was a fortified residence site in the Akashibu neighbourhood which is now on the outskirts of urban Okazaki. The site is now suburban in nature, with Shōrinji ('Pine Forest Temple') said to be the centre of the old fort, and no ruins remain. +
Akasujō was the first site on a castle walk which ended up encompassing sixteen different castle ruins. I had already visited two castle sites in Ina City early that morning, and I would visit two more in Ina City later that evening, all in all visiting twenty castle ruins that day! I was pretty chuffed at the end of the day, and, getting back to my (dirt cheap) hotel, thinking back to visiting Akasujō seemed like so long ago!
The castle consists of several kuruwa (baileys) divided by karabori (dry moats) situated along a cliff top overlooking an alluvial plain. The shukuruwa (main bailey) is in the middle, between the ninokuruwa (second bailey) and outer bailey. The shukuruwa and ninokuruwa are easy to identify because they are perforated by karabori either side of the road which runs through them. To the north of the promintory were two more baileys, the deguruwa and soguruwa (添郭). Along the cliffline spreading outward from the fort were minor fortifications (minor baileys and trenches) and samurai homes. I came via the top of the cliff and descended into the river plain by taking the karabori beneath the ninokuruwa, and from here the scale of the earthworks was evident. +
The castle ruins are on a hilltop in the Akatsuka Municipal Park.
There are three main baileys that can be seen today. There are also some slight trenches and cliff sides you can barely make out in some areas.
The website listed is not technically for the castle but is for the Itabashi Historical Museum on the same site. If you are going to visit the castle, you might as well visit when the museum is open. The museum is nice and has some information about the castle but the old farmhouse, firehose wagon and other Edo Period artifacts are worth viewing. +
The castle site is much bigger than expected and the moats are beautifully preserved and maintained. This is also one of the most extensively signposted castle ruins I've been too. The photos here only show a small representation of the informational signs on the site that talk about not only the castle but the Ina Clan and their contributions to waterways management. The site is mostly a park today but parts of it are occupied by various plant, flower and bonsai nurseries. Even on the site, the signs mix castle and jin'ya regularly. It seems that the books I have and websites tend to call it jin'ya more often so that is what I've gone with. +
The site is just terraced fields. I was expecting more proto-modern ishigaki of former mulberry fields but these were just regular ploughed fields with earthen embankments. It was nice to find a marker for the site and and explanatory board, however, on the curving roadside above the site. +
