Shingu Castle
It is a little far and there is not much else around but it is worth the trip out to it. There are still a lot of stonewalls left and the site is well kept up. Updated notes by ART (2025): Shingūjō is a hirayamajiro (mount and flatland castle) ruin in Shingū Municipality. It is an imp
History
After the battle of Sekigahara, Asano Tadayoshi was appointed governor of Kii country (Wakayama Pref.). Kumano area was far from their main castle Wakayama-jo (Wakayama City), Tadayoshi started to build his branch castle in Shingu in 1601. Construction of the castle was cancelled based on Ikkoku Ichijyo Rei (one castle per country rule) published in 1615, but later was resumed. In 1619, Asano Clan moved to Aki country then Tokugawa Yorihobu, the 10th son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, became the lord of Kii country and established Kishu domain. Kishu domain was one of the three special relative domain of Edo Shogunate along with Owari domain and Mito domain, then chief retainers were directly appointed by Edo Shogunate and they were approved to have their own castle. Mizuno Clan were given Shingu-jo. Mizuno Clan further continued the construction of the castle and finally completed in 1633. Mizuno Clan kept Shingu area along with Kishu domain, and due to the Meiji revolution Shingu-jo was abolished.
Field Notes
It is a little far and there is not much else around but it is worth the trip out to it. There are still a lot of stonewalls left and the site is well kept up.
Updated notes by ART (2025):
Shingūjō is a hirayamajiro (mount and flatland castle) ruin in Shingū Municipality. It is an important Edo period castle ruin, and is designated as a national historic site. It is, or ought to be, a major ishigaki (stone-piled ramparts) destination for castle fans, as most of the tall, finely stacked ishigaki on the castle-mount has been preserved, and the site is well maintained as a park. Ishigaki can also be found at the foot of the castle mount to the west between old houses and a temple, and to the north facing the Kumano River, the latter being a boat-landing, preserved as part of the park.
No castle buildings remain on-site, but there are some buildings that don't look too out of place. During my visit, the path around the rear side of the main bailey, and the castle's small but photogenic demaru (outer bailey) were off-limits, with the later being visible from the main bailey above but the path to it roped-off. There are several baileys on the castle-mount in addition to the main bailey, but the castle's ninomaru (second bailey) was situated on the plain below, discontiguous to the main bailey, and this has now been developed over for the most part, but in the Edo period the domain was mostly governed from here.
Shingūjō had a tenshu (donjon) which apparently survived up until the Meiji period, though there is disagreement about its structure, and even how many tiers it had (most say three). I was surprised to read that the city has ambitions to reconstruct this tower. Even if by some miracle they can gather enough data to accurately rebuild it to any degree, the tenshudai (donjon platform) ishigaki collapsed back in 1945, and has not been restored. This area now serves as a stairway and entry point into the main bailey, and is rather jarring as the only major break in the marvellous ishigaki cladding the mount.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Shingu Castle |
| Japanese Name | 新宮城 |
| Alternate Names | Tankaku-jo, Okimi-jo |
| Founder | Asano Tadayoshi |
| Year Founded | 1618 |
| Castle Type | Hilltop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Designations | Next 100 Castles, National Historic Site |
| Historical Period | Edo Period |
| Features | trenches, stone walls |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Shingū Station on the Kisei Line; 8 min walk. |
| Hours | Free, open any time |
| Time Required | 90 mins |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 33.72987, 135.99263 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2020 |
| Contributor | Andrew A |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Hōrōki | |
| Yogo | |
