Higashi Sakabe Castle
Higashi-Sakabejō is a gakejiro (clifftop fort) type hirayamajiro (hill-and-plains castle) ruin in Higashi-Sakabe Township, Yokkaichi Municipality. There is little information about this site online, so I wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised with the extent of remains of earthworks her
History
None. That said, there are enough remains with which to speculate, and I might guess this is a late medieval period fortification, constructed some time after Nishi-Sakabejō on the other side of the Kaizō River, and therefore unrelated to that fort. It is unknown which clan controlled the fort or when it was built.
Field Notes
Higashi-Sakabejō is a gakejiro (clifftop fort) type hirayamajiro (hill-and-plains castle) ruin in Higashi-Sakabe Township, Yokkaichi Municipality. There is little information about this site online, so I wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised with the extent of remains of earthworks here. Ruins include dorui (earthen ramparts), some quite large, and karabori (dry moats).
The main bailey is surrounded, at least in part, by a berm and moat complex. This can still be seen clearly in the east and north; the western side is presumed to have also had a moat but there is a road there now. The southern face of the fort is elevation without berms.
To the north is an outer bailey, which I was happy to have found since I didn't have a map and it would've been easy to miss; it is now vegetable patches and a bamboo grove surrounded by dorui, again to the north and east, with indications of trenches beneath the ramparts.
The fort sits atop a small cliff with a temple below. I wondered if the temple had eaten into the hillside as there is a spur of lumpy earth extending southward as if to embrace the temple. The ruins are easy to navigate because they appear to be maintained as part of the temple grounds, and used in part as a garden.
Gallery
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Higashi Sakabe Castle |
| Japanese Name | 東坂部城 |
| Founder | Unknown |
| Year Founded | Unknown (Sengoku Period?) |
| Castle Type | Hilltop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Karabori, Dorui, Kuruwa |
| Features | trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Bicycles can be rented at JR Yokkaichi Station |
| Hours | 24/7 free; temple |
| Time Required | 20 mins |
| Location | Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 34.99816, 136.59489 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Umoreta Kojō | |
| Nihon Shiro Meguri | |
