Sakata Castle (Chikuzen)

Sakatajō proved much more challenging than I first anticipated. First I climbed to the shrine to Hachiman. Up and down the hill I noticed terracing on the slopes which formerly, I must suppose, constituted small enclosures. At the bottom of the hill was a large and fetid tarn which, I knew from a ma

History

Sakatajō, a yamajiro (mountain castle), was one of 24 castles controlled by the Akizuki Clan during the Sengoku Period. Remains include earthworks such as ample terracing on the slopes of the mountainside, yokobori (lateral moats), dorui (embankments) and a large horikiri (trench built into the mountain's ridgeline). The ruin is now the site of the Akizuki-Hachimangū, a shrine to the God of War.

Field Notes

Sakatajō proved much more challenging than I first anticipated. First I climbed to the shrine to Hachiman. Up and down the hill I noticed terracing on the slopes which formerly, I must suppose, constituted small enclosures. At the bottom of the hill was a large and fetid tarn which, I knew from a map, separated me from a large trench. I tried to descend from the shrine and came across several kuruwa this way, but the wildlife was something like a jungle and rain had made the embankments slippery, causing me to slip and slide about. After crashing through the undergrowth and managing to claw my way out of the jungle, I descended the mount and made my way around it via paved roads. Eventually I came to a path which led to a tea plantation built on the hillside. Beyond this was the large trench I had been seeking spanned by the "tea moon" bridge. Nothing was signposted and everything was guesswork and exhausting dead ends on my part, so when I finally came upon the trench, the site's most obvious ruin, I was quite chuffed.

Gallery

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  Horikiri (trench)
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  Horikiri (trench)
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  Horikiri (trench)
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  Shrine
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  Dorui and terracing
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  Dorui
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  Dorui (earthen ramparts)
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  Bailey space
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  Bailey
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  Bailey
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  Terracing
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  Terraced hillside
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  Koshikuruwa
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  Tea plantation in former bailey
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  'Tea Moon Bridge'
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  Berm
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  Horikiri (trench)
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  Earthworks
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Castle Profile
English Name	Sakata Castle (Chikuzen)
Japanese Name	筑前坂田城
Founder	Akizuki Clan
Year Founded	Sengoku Period
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Baileys, Sub-baileys, Karabori
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Amagi Station on the Amagin Line; Bus to Akizuki
Hours	24/7 free
Time Required	One Hour
Location	Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture
Coordinates	33.46361, 130.69267
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2020
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed
Friends of JCastle
Jōkaku Hōrōki

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