Moriguchi Castle
Moriguchijō is a former hirajiro (flatland castle) fortification site in Moriguchi Municipality. The fort is only known from historical records, as no remains have been unearthed owing to the area's dense residential sprawl. The fort is thought to have been located in the Hama neighbourhood (an earl
History
Moriguchijō's construction date is unknown, but it was in place by the late 14th century ('Moriguchi' as a place name first appears to history in 1373; a 'Moriguchi Camp' also appears in 1351, and this might be a reference to the castle or an early version of it), at which time the castellan was a vassal of Ôuchi Yoshihiro called Sugikurō (or Sugi Masayuki). Although Ôuchi Yoshihiro had once been a major supporter of the Ashikaga Shogunate, he instigated the Ōei Rebellion in 1399 over what he considered unreasonable demands from the shōgun. Joined by other shugo (military governors), Yoshihiro staged his rebellion in Settsu Province. Diplomatic overtures falling flat in the face of Yoshihiro's stubbornness, Ashikaga forces soon attacked, and Moriguchijō was a frontline fort during the war; the castle had a primary bailey with a secondary bailey to the north. Overwhelmed, Sugikurō fled to Sakai, and Moriguchijō was destroyed. Ôuchi Yoshihiro would soon fall on his sword.
Moriguchijō was rebuilt in the following century. By 1480, the castle was used by Hatakeyama Yoshinari in his war with Hatakeyama Masanaga. At that time, Moriguchijō was a satellite fortification of Enamijō (Jūnanakashojō). The castle fell to hostile forces. In 1493, Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshitane took up position at Moriguchijō in his war with Hatakeyama Motoie.
In the Sengoku period, Moriguchijō was used as a fort of the Ishiyama-Honganji militarised sect. It was captured in or before 1579 by Akechi Mitsuhide, and was in service until at least 1580 as he made use of it - or a rebuilt version - during the Ishiyama-Honganji campaign.
Field Notes
Moriguchijō is a former hirajiro (flatland castle) fortification site in Moriguchi Municipality. The fort is only known from historical records, as no remains have been unearthed owing to the area's dense residential sprawl. The fort is thought to have been located in the Hama neighbourhood (an earlier theory pointed to the Doi neighbourhood but this appears to have fallen out of favour - at least with castle-bloggers, though I hope that isn't just because Hama has something nice to photograph in it). The fort's main bailey is believed to now be the site of the temple Nanshūji, and its outer or secondary bailey now the site of Jōsenji, a temple just to the north.
I visited Moriguchijō - or the site of it (in Hama) - as part of a thematically driven tour of minor sites in the Ôsaka urban sprawl. The theme was temples with old drum towers built on the site of medieval forts. Nanshūji was the best example of these as its drum tower is built solidly like a yagura, or a keep at a castle. It's doubtful that anything as even as grand as this stood at the original fort, but the drum tower certainly imparts a certain castle-ish je nais sais quoi.
Even though its exact location has yet to be identified, Moriguchijō played an important role in medieval conflicts in the area, and so has an interesting history. Since the fort was built, destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries, it's perfectly possible that its exact location changed during that time.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Moriguchi Castle |
| Japanese Name | 守口城 |
| Alternate Names | 森口城 |
| Founder | Sugi Masayuki |
| Year Founded | Late 14th Century |
| Castle Type | Flatland |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Features | |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Moriguchi Station on the Osaka Metro Taniguchi Line; 3 minute walk to Nanshūji |
| Hours | 24/7 free; temple |
| Time Required | 20 minutes |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Moriguchi, Osaka |
| Coordinates | 34.73909, 135.56679 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Kojōdan | |
