Yakami Castle

The trail up the castle is very well maintained and all the key baileys are signposted. The kyokan residence area at the foot of the mountain however, deserves more attention. Off the main trail there are some interesting earthworks that you can find by going off the trail. It was quite a large kyok

History

The Hatano clan from Iwami were allied with Hosokawa Masamoto who seized power during the Onin War. They were granted this area following the Onin War and established their power base here at Yakami Castle, the highest mountain on the rich plain now known asTanba Sasayama. It was also a critical chokepoint along one of the main roads into Kyoto. This is why we see the Tokugawa Bakufu also creating one of their key Tenkabushin castles, Sasayama Castle, here too.

By the mid 1500's the Hatano consolidated power around the Tanba highlands and all the Sasayama plain. They had become one of the most powerful Sengoku period daimyo but resisted control by Nobunaga which put them squarely in his crosshairs early in the campaigns to control western Japan.

In 1575, Nobunaga ordered Akechi Mitsuhide to subjugate the Tanba region. The first campaign did not succeed in bringing Yakami and Kuroi under control due to difficult terrain and over extended supply lines.

In February 1578, Tanba region rebelled against Nobunaga so he ordered Akechi Mitsuhide to conquer the Hatano lands once and for all. Mitsuhide laid siege to Yakami Castle in March of that year and starved them out over the next year. Over 500 samurai would die of starvation until an inside traitor negotiated surrender to Mitsuhide. The Hatano brothers were promised clemency by Mitsuhide and he was ordered to take them back to Azuchi Castle. Nobunaga, possibly seeing a threat by their continued existence had them executed in Kyoto. This "betrayal" by Nobunaga is often cited as one of the reasons for Mitsuhide's eventual betrayal on Nobunaga. One local legend further expands on teh story to say that the Hatano clan captured Mitsuhide's mother who was also in the area and executed her in retaliation. There is no historical basis to this often cited legend, but it adds to the drama and perceived slights of Nobunaga against Mitsuhide.

The Kyokan area at the base of the castle was used by local governors until Sasayama Castle was built approx 4km away.

Field Notes

The trail up the castle is very well maintained and all the key baileys are signposted. The kyokan residence area at the foot of the mountain however, deserves more attention. Off the main trail there are some interesting earthworks that you can find by going off the trail. It was quite a large kyokan area so a little more effort would really increase the interest for this already valuable castle site.

At the top of the castle around the main baileys there was once a lot of stonework. Some has crumbled over time, but much is now buried in weeds. I heard from other castle explorers that before they cut all the trees around the mountaintop the stonework was much more visible. Again, a little more maintenance would go a long way to making this a significantly more impressive site. I'd be happy to volunteer some weekend!

This is a castle I had wanted to visit for many years since it was highly recommended to me by Shiro Megumi Fan on one of my trips to the area. Unfortunately, until recently, it was a bit difficult to reach. You could only cycle 7.5km from Sasayamaguchi Station or bus to the downtown Sasayama Castle and then walk the 4km to the trailhead, but who wants to spend most of their day walking to and from a trailhead if you're in such a castle rich area as Sasayama! There are some other infrequent local b busses that get you closer to the castle but poor timing means you would probably end up waiting a long time or walking back anyway. Since they started renting bicycles from the Sasayama Castle tourist information center, however, cycling the 4km to the castle entrance became the best approach instead. This also allowed me to comfortably visit nearby Okudani Castle, Hannyaji Castle, and take a quick revisit tour through Sasayama Castle too.

As of November 2024, the lower section of the eastern trail up to the castle is partly closed off near the bottom due to a landslide/washout area. After visiting all the castle related ruins I had to go back up the mountain and retrace my steps back on the same route.

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Gallery

part of an original chaya nearby

Castle Profile
English Name	Yakami Castle
Japanese Name	八上城
Alternate Names	Yakamitakashiro-jo, Takashiroyama-jo
Founder	Hatano
Year Founded	late 1400's
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	National Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Sasayamaguchi Station, bus,
Hours	Mountain trails, open any time
Time Required	150 mins
URL	Castle Website
Location	Tanba Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture
Coordinates	35.06185, 135.25614
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2025
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2024
Admin Visits	November 7, 2024
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