Kitagata Castle (Motosu)
Kitagatajō is a medieval fortification site in Kitagata Township, Motosu County, of which no ruins remain. The site is now a residential area but there is a small gravel park with stone markers and explanatory boards for the castle. To the rear of this park is a row of hokora (mini-shrines) on a so
History
Kitagatajō was built by Kitagata Mitsunari as his residence in 1468. Kitagatajō was a roughly elongated parallelogram-shaped fort measuring about 160m east-west and 340m north-south. The castle was surrounded by a moat and is thought to have contained a number of residences for the lord and his retainers. Waterways within this perimeter divided the castle into baileys and served to further its defence. The main bailey measured 72m by 54m. Vassal residences and stables were located to the castle's east where Kitagata-jin'ya was later built in the Edo period.
Mitsunari's great-grandson, Andō Morinari, served Oda Nobunaga in the siege of Inabayamajō in 1567, and the Battle of Anegawa in 1570, as well as participating in the suppression of the Nagashima Ikkō-Ikki uprising of 1571. However, in 1580 the estate was confiscated from Morinari when Lord Nobunaga suspected Morinari's designated heir, Andō Naomori, as conspiring with the Takeda Katsuyori.
Nobunaga gave Kitagatajō to Inaba Ittetsu, who had been a member of the 'West Mino Triumvirate' along with Morinari, and who would rule until the downfall of the Oda in 1582 when Morinari took back the fort by force; however, this proved to be a mere interregnum, as Ittetsu was able to take the castle back, though it was abandoned soon after, maybe due to being ruined in the conflict.
Field Notes
Kitagatajō is a medieval fortification site in Kitagata Township, Motosu County, of which no ruins remain. The site is now a residential area but there is a small gravel park with stone markers and explanatory boards for the castle. To the rear of this park is a row of hokora (mini-shrines) on a sort of large dias.
The homes in this area actually look quite new, so this is a sign that there may have been actual ruins of fortifications up until recently. Sure enough, some old pictures I found online show a monument surrounded by a bamboo grove. One webpage, curiously linked to the official site of Sukomo Municipality in Kōchi Prefecture, describes the trepid explorers to this site finding 50cm tall earthen mounds and a 1m wide ditch in the bamboo grove; I wonder if these were castle ruins... The picture attached is black and white, and looks decades old; here: https://www.city.sukumo.kochi.jp/sisi/026301.html
Note: This is Kitagatajō in Motosu County, not to be confused with Kitagatajō in Ibi County, both in Mino Province / Gifu Pref..
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Kitagata Castle (Motosu) |
| Japanese Name | 本巣北方城 |
| Alternate Names | 芝原北方七間城 |
| Founder | Kitagata Mitsunari |
| Year Founded | 1468 |
| Castle Type | Flatland |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Designations | Prefectural Historic Site |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Features | |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Kitagatamakuwa Station on the Tarumi Railway; 30 min walk |
| Hours | 24/7 free; park |
| Time Required | 10 minutes |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Kitagata, Gifu Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 35.43709, 136.69165 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Hōrōki | |
| Kojōdan | |
