Choukokuji Fort
Chōkokuji is a temple site in Kasugai Township, Fuefuki Municipality. There is a main hall and some other buildings but the site is mostly ruins, and stone-piled retaining walls terrace the hillside on either side of the temple's causeway. The temple was converted into a fort, and dorui (earthen ram
History
In the chaos of the courtly wars of the 14th century, two temples in Kai Province, Daizenji and Chōkokuji, decided to wage war on each other. Chōkokuji was a prosperous Shingon community since the Heian period. Daizenji monks attacked Yamanashioka-jinja, a shrine alligned with Chōkokuji, and burnt its torii (Shintō gate). In revenge, Chōkokuji stole a sacred pilgrimage backpack from the yamabushi of Daizenji, and used it for kindling. Since that time Chōkokuji is thought to have been a hub for sōhei ("warrior monks", or, actually, laymen at arms who fight for a temple), and Chōkokuji was fortified and barracks built on its many terraces. Perhaps this situation endured into the Sengoku period. There is a theory that a fort on the ridge above Chōkokuji, Furushiro, was originally the upper (mountain) sanctum of Chōkokuji, and used as a mountain redoubt by the militarised monks. However, this is not certain.
Field Notes
Chōkokuji is a temple site in Kasugai Township, Fuefuki Municipality. There is a main hall and some other buildings but the site is mostly ruins, and stone-piled retaining walls terrace the hillside on either side of the temple's causeway. The temple was converted into a fort, and dorui (earthen ramparts) remain on the topmost enclosure. Beneath the impressive stone walls here there is also a long pond, which some say is 'moat-like'.
The area beneath the temple also contains many kofun (ancient burial mounds), which I visited on my way back to Isawa.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Choukokuji Fort |
| Japanese Name | 長谷寺砦 |
| Alternate Names | Chōkokuji (長谷寺) |
| Founder | Shingon Cult |
| Year Founded | 14th Century |
| Castle Type | Mountaintop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Dorui, Kuruwa, &c. |
| Features | water moats, stone walls |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Isawa-Onsen Station on the Chūō Line; 35min walk to trailhead. |
| Hours | 24/7 free; temple |
| Time Required | 30 mins |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Fuefuki, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 35.67433, 138.63075 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Kojōshi | |
