34 new profiles from ART for Shizuoka and Yamanashi

2025-07-08

Aika Yashiki / 秋鹿屋敷

Aika-yashiki is a fortified residence ruin in the Nakaizumi neighbourhood of Iwata Municipality. It was inhabited by the Aika Clan from the latter 16th century to the late 20th century, so it spanned several historical periods. The architecture is lost, but the estate's old garden, centred around a pond surrounded by large camphors, has been preserved and is very beautiful. On the terrace above the garden is a row of a earthen mounds that looks like dorui (earthen ramparts). Even though the garden is on the lower ground, it would make sense, especially given the remaining earthworks, for the medieval residence to have been built on the higher level. The site is now a park in a residential area.

Amagata Castle / 天方城

Amagatajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Mori Township, Shūchi County. Ruins consist of earthworks such as karabori (dry moats), dorui (earthen ramparts), and dobashi (earthen bridges). A sort of observation deck has been built somewhat in the style of a watchtower. The layout of Amagatajō is square, with an inner bailey surrounded on two sides by an outer bailey. Karabori and dorui protect each bailey. The site is maintained as a park.

Baba Noroshidai / 馬場烽火台

Baba-noroshidai is a noroshidai (fortified beacon) site in Sutama Township, Hokuto Municipality. No clearly medieval ruins remain, and the site is now an Akiba shrine, presumably built in the Edo period. Akiba shrines were often built at or near noroshidai, as they venerate a fire-related diety. So the shrine may have medieval antecedents related to the noroshidai, but the structures appear to be Edo period. This includes the glorious ishigaki (stone-piled retaining walls) which ring the hilltop. This ishigaki appears to have been handsomely piled at some point centuries ago. It's clearly also collapsed in places but repaired with a different piling method, the taniźumi method which we see in more recent times when masonry skills had declined. A long, steep stairway leads to the shrine from below. I heard the Rocky theme play in my head and began to run up, but I had to stop half way up, haha. The shrine buildings' ceramic tiles make use of the Takeda kamon.

Chouja Yashiki (Totomi) / 遠江長者屋敷

Chōja-yashiki is a Nara period yashiki (fortified residence) site in Teradani Township, Iwata Municipality. The site's earthworks are well preserved / restored despite its antiquity, with a square enclosure ringed by karabori (dry moats) and dorui (earthen ramparts).

The dorui is is 100m long east to west, and 60m long north to south, forming a rectangular enclosure. The dorui is 10m wide at its base, 3m wide on top, and 3m tall. There is an additional row of smaller dorui in front of the entrance to the compound, forming a sort of rudimentary barbican where the moat is spanned by an earthen bridge.

Something very curious about this site is that the moats are on the inside of the ramparts rather than the outside. Earth excavated for moats is usually piled toward the bailey, not away from it. However, this did remind me of some jōsaku sites, a type of fortification from the same period as the Chōja-yashiki. I think it's also quite interesting that there is a large kofun (ancient burial mound) complex nearby, and so the place was likely considered one of importance when choosing a location to govern from even after the transition from Kofun to Asuka and Nara periods.

Choukokuji Fort / 長谷寺砦

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.

Furujiro Fort / 古城砦

Furujiro-toride is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Kasugai Township, Fuefuki Municipality. This obscure site has only been reported on by one castle-blogger that I can find, though mentioned by some others. Furujiro-toride ('Old Castle Fort') is paired with Niijiro-toride ('New Castle Fort') on the same mountain. Furujiro is not at the top of the mountain, but on one of its ridges. The site is primarily a kofun (ancient burial mound) site, and the masonry and chambers of these ancient tombs is the most interesting thing to see there. Because of the twin kofun it may appear as though there is a trench here, but I'm unsure that any work was done to transform the kofun into berms. Rather, there is a wide flat area behind (when ascending) the kofun, and this seems to have been the principal site of any fortifications.

To reach this site I first descended via the ridge which climbs on beyond Daizōkyōjiyama. From that peak it takes about half an hour to march to the pass with the signpost pointing down the mountain toward Chōkokuji. Furujiro is located about half-way down that route which cuts through several old forest roads.

By the way, that part of the mountain above the fort site had been ravaged by a forest fire the month prior, which unexpectedly smouldered for about a month starting after the new year. Patches of ground, logs and the bases of trees here and there were blackened in dark and rueful patches, and even the log steps on the trail down from the pass got charred. It was fascinating to see how the slow-moving fire had crawled up and over the mountain, seemingly jumping in places, and still strongly carried the aroma of ash.

Goudo Noroshidai / 神戸烽火台

Gōdo-noroshidai is a noroshidai (fortified beacon) site in Sutama Township, Hokuto Municipality. No ruins remain, and the hilltop is now the site of a cluster of hokora (mini-shrines) with a cleared space behind which might've been a small bailey or look-out. I visited this ruin as part of a tour of noroshidai in the area. There was a very light snowfall.

Hakii Castle / 波木井城

Hakiijō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Hakii village in Minobu Township of historical Koma County. Ruins remain in the form of dorui (earthen ramparts), including a gate site, and a bailey. However, despite a large stele proclaiming the site and a profile for it on the town's website, much of the ruins are on private property, and guarded by dogs no less, so I could not see all of the remains.

Hakii Yakata / 波木井館

Hakii-yakata is a mountainside yakata (fortified manor hall) site in Umedaira village (just south of Hakii village) in Minobu Township of historical Koma County. On the mountainside there are a series of levelled areas which are the remains of the yakata. Excavations in the field where there is now a hokora (altar-shrine) revealed drainage ditches and pillar holes for buildings, and so it is thought that part of the shuden (lord's residential hall) was here, though this has yet to be confirmed. The site was also later a temple founded by the Hakii Clan, so this confounds things.

Now the site is open fields and cedar groves. I climbed past the field with the hokora up an old mountain path hemmed in on both sides. Another open field is located here with a pylon in it. Further up the mountain ridge is terraced in sweeping bands, and this area is a large cedar plantation. A large creek separates two ridges, each flattened atop and terraced. I followed the creek up and got the impression that it may have been augmented by medieval hands as a large climbing trench -- owing to the condition of the ridges and the persistent depth of the upper part of the creek as it rose -- but this may just be fancy. This area would've been readily defensible at any rate.

The religious monuments on the hillside are related to the nearby Nichiren temple of Kyōenbō. The sculpted hillside may also owe, in addition to the possibility of fortifications, to an extension of the temple, or to agricultural pursuits in later times. Ruins at this site are suggestive but ultimately mysterious.

Iida Castle (Totomi) / 遠江飯田城

Iidajō is an okajiro (hilltop castle) ruin in Iida village, Mori Township, Shūchi County. Ruins consist of earthworks such as trenches, baileys and dorui (earthen ramparts). To the east the castle-mount is cut-off from the adjacent terrain by a feature called a tanibori ('valley moat').

The main bailey and second bailey, divided by a small terrace, are surrounded by tall, wide dorui. In the northeast the dorui broadens into a sub-bailey serving as a look-out platform.

Several ridges of the hill are also protected with horikiri (trenches) and berms. Several terraced sub-baileys are also found around the hillside; I saw a fox in one (this site is decently maintained but most visitors likely don't bother with the smaller baileys, inviting wildlife).

Note: This site is Iidajō in Tôtōmi Province (Shizuoka Prefecture), not to be confused with Iidajō in Shinano Province (Nagano Prefecture).

Iidako Castle (Totomi) / 遠江飯田古城

Iidakojō is a kyokan (fortified manor hall) and yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Iida village, Mori Township, Shūchi County. Of the residential kyokan area ruins remain in the form of a line of dorui (earthen ramparts) on the western side of Sōshinji, a temple which occupies the site today. I wasn't able to check the surrounding hilltops, but there is also a Konpira shrine on a hill to the north of the kyokan site which maps show as being on a series of terraces, and flattened ridges on the hill to the west. There is a horikiri (trench) called the 'yatōmine horikiri' along the ridge. According to topographic maps, a spur of that western ridge also has a trench complex with a dobashi (earthen bridge) between baileys.

Jissouji Yakata / 実相寺館

Jissōji-yakata is a fortified manor hall site named for Jissōji, the temple which occupies the site today, in the Yamataka area of Mukawa Township, Hokuto Municipality. The temple is famous for its cherry blossom trees, though I came in the off-season, toward evening. Ruins include dorui (earthen ramparts) and the ghost of a moat, though the waterways that surround the temple have now been narrowed and modernised. The dorui can be found in two parts. The southern segment is between the lane and the temple's fields. The northwestern segment is between a waterway and the temple's main hall; it is covered in bamboo and I unfortunately couldn't get a good look at it.

Kagohana Fort / 籠鼻砦

Kagohana-toride is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Aoi Ward, Shizuoka Municipality. The fort is a satellite fortification of Shizuhatayamajō on the mountain above. Ruins include kuruwa (baileys), dorui (earthen ramparts) and a single, large horikiri (trench) bisecting the ridge. Since I descended from Shizuhatayama to reach this site, I came first across the upper bailey with its dorui; this area is terribly overgrown with bamboo grass. Next I managed to break through to the horikiri. Above is the main bailey, which one climbs to using a rope, the terrain being very fearsome. This ridge is isolated; once a path ran through here but it is now overgrown, and I think I disturbed an oinker when crashing into the main bailey.

Koteshiro Fort / 小手城砦

Koteshiro-toride is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Kasugai Township, Fuefuki Municipality. Although several bloggers have mentioned or listed the site, none that I can find have visited, so I present a dedicated profile here for what may be the site's first such airing among we amateurs and enthusiasts.

Incidentally, this site is difficult to find and dangerous to reach. My hat goes off to the gentleman(?) blogger at Kojōshi-Tanbō whose shoulders I stand on. He identified the location of the site on his blog and described how he failed to reach it from three different routes. As such, I decided my only chance was to climb up above the ridge and then descend to reach the fort site.

In the morning I first climbed to a related fort ruin on the peak of Daizōkyōjiyama, Niijiro ('New Castle'), which is the main fort site in the group of three obscure fort sites including Furujiro ('Old Castle') and Koteshiro ('Branch Castle'). This took over an hour from the trailhead along the direct route up the rocky ridge. From there it takes about an hour (I dawdled to inspect the forest fire damage along the ridge above Daizōkyōjiyama so maybe it needn't take that long) to the next major peak, Fukakusasan ('Deep Grass Mountain'). I descended along a trailless ridge from that peak to find Koteshiro.

Koteshiro contains no obvious fortification ruins but there is a single fascinating structure. A large pile of masonry is found just above a somewhat flat portion of the ridge. This pile of collapsed masonry is hollowed in the middle, forming a pit. My first thought was that it was a far flung kofun (ancient burial mound) as there are other kofun lower down the mountain. However, I could find no burial chamber nor the large stones that would be needed as vaulting for the shaft and entrance. I wondered, instead, if I wasn't looking at the shambolic remains of a furnace or pit used for sending smoke signals and light beacons -- a noroshidai (beacon platform). However, it is for me indeterminable.

I was glad to find something for my trouble. Beneath the fort site is a cedar plantation. A net fence was used to damarcate the private land, but the forest fire a month prior to my trek damaged the net in many places, causing the plastic to curl up, and old trees to collapse onto and flatten it. The winter forest fire began after new year and smouldered for about a month above Mount Daizōkyōji, so parts of the forest in this area are blackened and sooty. I would recommend this off-trial site only to the most romantically inclined.

Koumyo Castle / 光明城

Kōmyōjō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin on the border of the townships of Saku and Yokokawa in the Tenryū Ward of Hamamatsu Municipality. Ruins remain in the form of earthworks such as baileys and trenches. There is a horikiri (trench) behind a series of terraced baileys which is the most distinctive medieval fortification feature (exploring here I briefly saw a serow). The beautiful stone-piled walls seen on-site today, known as the 'ruins of Mount Kōmyō', were built for a temple in the Edo period, Kōmyōji, which burnt down in 1931. These walls were built after the fort's time, and likely much of the medieval fort's structure was lost to the temple's construction. However, curiously, the layout of the temple does appear fort-like in places, particularly the steep terraces, and the main enclosure even has an elevated mound to the rear with a platform flanking the entrance. This strikes the castle-enthusiast as turret-like, and it's easy to imagine that the temple followed the fort's existing structure here. As to what purpose this platform served the temple, perhaps a belfry was erected atop there.

Maenoyama Noroshidai / 前の山烽火台

Maenoyama-noroshidai is a noroshidai (fortified beacon) site in Sutama Township, Hokuto Municipality. The mountaintop is flattened, possibly indicating a bailey space. There are some small stone-piled walls beneath this flat area, but the piling method and religious monuments atop suggest that this masonry is not medieval. I visited this ruin as part of a tour of noroshidai in the area. Though there are no obvious medieval ruins at the peak, the climb and views were enthralling.

The forest road which begins opposite Shiokawa Shrine goes by a curious stone-piled tomb-like structure dug into the hillside, but with a tiny entrance, and so unlike a kofun (ancient burial mound). I scrambled up to have a look inside but there was no clue within the space inside, large relative to the entrance. At first I had no idea of the purpose of this stone-lined dug-out, but then it dawned on me: it looked like a charcoal kiln! This would've been necessary for sending smoke signals from the noroshidai above. These may be the chief medieval remains at this site then; very exciting.

The forest road terminates at a set of rickety scaffolding stairs leading to the mountaintop. The reason for this infrastructure is to grant access to the antenna in the bailey. Speaking of infrastructure, the mountaintop overlooks Lake Mizugaki, an artificial lake created by the Shiokawa ('Salt River') Dam which dams the Shio River. The view of the lake and the dam is excellent from the noroshidai site. The mountainside facing the dam has been intensively fortified - albeit with modern concrete retaining walls to prevent any slippage. This whole scene was quite intense, especially in the chill winter air.

Majino Castle (Kai) / 甲斐真篠城

Majinojō, also referred to as Majino-toride, is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Nanbu Township, historical Koma County. The fort ruins sit above the hamlet of Majino in the township's Fukushi area. This local site admirably has a dedicated parking spot or two at the start of the short trail which winds up to the castle ruins.

Majinojō is a principally earthworks fort with features typical of yamajiro such as kuruwa (baileys), dorui (earthen ramparts) and trenches. It is built to a sizable scale, with tall and thick ramparts, multiple baileys, and several gate complexes.

The layout of the fort is concentric with a dominant main bailey on the hilltop, surrounded by impressive dorui. The hillside is terraced below into sub-baileys. To the east is a projecting bailey with a dobashi (earthen bridge) and karabori (dry moat) complex. To the north is a tatebori (climbing moat) and nobori-dorui (climbing earthen ramparts) carved from a ridge spur. The approach to the fort is alongside a little southward, and it seems this is where the fort's kyokan (residential annex) used to be, and this area is terraced today but it's since been cultivated and is now a cedar plantation.

To the south the fort has three layers of terraced baileys, with some castle-bloggers indicating masonry remains in the corner of the second bailey - facing the third. However, I think this may be natural rock. But I made my own discovery: just below here is what appears to be a tatebori, and this wasn't shown on the map I was using (by Yogo-sensei).

Majinojō has a prominent southern spur, and this is where can be found it's most unique feature. A ten-deep row of undulating berms and trenches. Usually unejōtatebori (climbing trench array) complexes cover the mountainside, but at Majinojō one rises onto the ridge and creates a formidable array of lateral trenches. These ten rows of lateral trenches gradually rise, so defenders could presumably fire over their companions from them. This innovative configuration of trenches and ramparts is not seen anywhere else quite like this, and is very special, which may be in part why Majinojō is a prefectural-level designated historical site.

Minagawa Jin'ya (Totomi) / 遠江皆川陣屋

Minagawa-jin'ya is a jin'ya site in Hitokoto Township, Iwata Municipality. No ruins remain, but a gate relocated off-site to a temple to the north in the same township is said to have stood originally at the jin'ya. The temple, a Sōtō Zen temple, is called Chionsai, which is an unusual name for a temple. This site is Minagawa-jin'ya in Tôtōmi Province (part of modern day Shizuoka Pref.), not to be confused with Minagawa-jin'ya in Shimotsuke Province (Tochigi Pref.).

Nakaizumi Jin'ya / 中泉陣屋

Nakaizumi is a former jin'ya and goten (palace) site in downtown Iwata Municipality. 'Goten' here refers to a fortified lodging house used by the Tokugawa shoguns. No ruins remain of either facility and the site has now been developed over, though there is a small park with information boards and monuments. There are in total four relocated gates around Iwata Municipality associated with either Nakaizumi-goten or Nakaizumi-jin'ya, of which I visited three. The one I didn't know about until later is actually closest to the site itself, being the main gate of Chūsenji (Nakaizumi-dera?).

Niijiro Fort / 新城砦

Niijiro-toride ('New Castle Fort') is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in the Kasugai Township of Fuefuki Municipality. Ruins include horikiri (trenches) and dorui (earthen ramparts). The ruins are located on the peak of Mount Daizōkyōji. Starting at Daizōkyōji, a temple, the Daizōkyōjiyama hiking course is well maintained. There are two routes to the top following a fork; one is long and winding, and the other is a direct climb up the rocky ridge starting from the tengū shrine. I took the latter route, and found a kofun (ancient burial mound) along the ridge on the way up.

Niijiro-toride is paired with Furujiro-toride ('Old Castle Fort') on the same mountain. There is even a third, more obscure site called Koteshiro-toride ('Branch Fort'). By the way, I'm adding the suffix 'toride', meaning 'fort', to these names, though they are often listed without. 'Shiro' means 'castle' so it may be considered redundant to add a suffix, but these sites all have generic names which many other sites share elsewhere, even within Yamanashi. I hope the addition of 'toride' clarifies that 'shiro' is part of the reading and name of each of these sites, and not a suffix itself. Besides which, all of these sites are very minor and obscure.

Niijiro has some defnitive castle ruins, and is the main fort in its group. The peak is lopsided though parts appear to have been worked somewhat, perhaps to create a shallow terrace. Frankly, it doesn't look like a bailey. However, to the rear is a berm and trench system. This trench unmistakably indicates a fortification, and it is not a small trench either. Niijiro was likely just served as a noroshidai (beacon tower), but the rear trench is surprising at such a site.

Noji Castle / 野地城

Nojijō is a hirajiro (flatland castle) - sub-type mizujiro (water castle) - ruin in Mikkabi Township of Hamana Ward, Hamamatsu Municipality. Ruins include moats and berms, but there is little left, and the site is now a shrine and orchards.

The main bailey area is now a local park, and there is a raised plot overlooking the lakeshore where a shrine used to stand. There is a large mound with an altar on which could've served as some sort of platform. To the rear of this mound is what looks like a moat site, or pass, from which the piled earth was excavated, or so I fancied.

Most of the moats at this site, of which several segments remain, are horrendously overgrown, but a relatively clear stretch of karabori (dry moat) can be seen in a field just to the east of the park. The remnants of other dry moats cut into the fields here and there, but are mostly choked with vegetation. Particularly in the south there appears to be the remains of a ringing moat system. The second bailey moat is partially visible, having been cleared of overgrowth.

The Hamana Lake Cycle Road wraps around the western half of the site. In the eastern half of the site there is a large berm with a long pond bent at a clean angle beneath it. I estimate the length of the long portion of this pond to be about 40-50m. It really looks like a mizubori (water moat), perhaps some remnant of a larger moat system which cut the small peninsula on which the castle sits off from the mainland. It wasn't depicted on the map I was using, but would correspond to the outermost moat around the third bailey, the southern portion of which remains as a karabori.

At a nearby temple, Makayaji, my castle senses tingled when I saw the temple's sanmon (main gate), which looked like a castle gate. I checked and it turned out to be a relocated gate from Nojijō. Of course, I should've researched that beforehand instead of relying on any sixth sense, but it was a happy discovery.

Ohwatari Noroshidai / 大渡烽火台

Ôwatari-noroshidai is a noroshidai (fortified beacon) site in Sutama Township, Hokuto Municipality. It is part of a chain of such sites that I visited in Sutama that day, and is the most fortified of those I visited, being built to the scale of a typical mountain fort. Indeed, this can be considered a proper yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin.

Ôwatari-noroshidai overlooks the Torii Pass, where there is no torii, but there is a Kannon statue. The ridge above the pass starts off steep, and then gradually evens out before the castle ruins become clear in the form of the terracing of the ridge. Bands of terraced baileys march up the ridge to the fort's main bailey. The main bailey is long and narrow, surrounded on three sides by dorui (earthen ramparts). The southern side has no parapet wall. To the rear of the main bailey is a horikiri (trench). There is a row of hokora (mini-shrines) in the middle of the bailey.

The dorui was heaped up as a process of flattening the ridge to create the main bailey, but below the dorui the mountainside is incredibly steep in any case. If one goes beyond the rear horikiri the ridge is quite narrow, and it terminates in a part of the hill overlooking the steep mountainside. Below the Shiokawa bends around the castle-mount, providing a natural barrier on three sides. Whilst many noroshidai consist only of singular baileys, this single bailey fort complex is impressive owing to the rugged terrain and relative isolation.

Sakaime Castle / 境目城

Sakaimejō is a hilltop yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Kibi Township (the castle is also known as Kibijō), Kosai Municipality. The fort's layout is not so expansive but consists of three baileys; the hill is divided by a trench with the northern and southern bailey on either side (maybe the northerly bailey was the main bailey but it's unclear). There are the solid remains of dorui (earthen ramparts) banked up on the edge of the north bailey, below which the hillside falls near vertically for several metres before steeply continuing down. I found small pagoda-shaped stones in the bailey which had fallen down, so I set them aright. The southern bailey is now used as an orchard. There is a smaller, lower bailey at the end of the trench between both upper baileys, and this now hosts a shrine. For those visiting by car, you can probably park at nearby Myōryūji. Take the lane directly north of this temple (at first it looks just like someone's driveway) to find the path up the hill to the fort ruins. I also visited the temple after the castle. Apparently the temple actually once stood on castle-mount, presumably before the fort's construction. Also notable is that the Tōkaidō rail line runs north of the fort site on a large embankment. The castle-mount is degraded to the north, and earth was taken from this place to pile up the embankments for the railway. Therefore, it is possible that the footprint of Sakaimejō was once much more expansive (the positioning of the road which rings the hill is also suggestive in this regard).

Saku Castle / 佐久城

Sakujō is an okajiro (hilltop castle) ruin in Mikkabi Township of Hamana Ward, Hamamatsu Municipality. It is on a small peninsula jutting into Lake Inohana, an inlet of Lake Hamana. Ruins remain in the form of earthworks, including large dorui (earthen ramparts), deep karabori (dry moats), and baileys.

The fort is small but well constructed. There is a main bailey with a koguchi (tiger's maw gate) ruin, and an outer umadashi (barbican) connected to the honmaru (main bailey) by a dobashi (earthen bridge). There is what looks like an expanded creek facing inland between the honmaru and umadashi, and on the lake-facing side there is a complex of trenches and berms in an impressive array. These trenches slope down the hill, and so they are tatebori (climbing trenches), with dorui in between.

Because the entrance to the site, maintained as sort of park, also appears like a trench, and there is some flat terrain beyond, it is thought that the castle also had an outer bailey of some sort, but the structure of the fort is not clear in this section.

Note: This site is also sometimes called Mikkabi-Sakujō.

Sanadayama Castle / 真田山城

Sanadayamajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) in Mori Township, Shūchi County. Ruins include dorui (earthen ramparts), horikiri (trenches) and what looks like a yokobori (lateral trench) beneath the main bailey. The layout is a of a main bailey complex at the peak, with terraced ridges below and a horikiri to the rear. The main bailey hosts a circle of Buddhist statuettes in a perpetual meeting.

The path up to this ruin has moved in recent years, as has a signboard for the castle. There used to be a footbridge over the Ichinomiya River near to a tea shop with a giant teapot outside, but it was washed away in a typhoon. I found another bridge - more of a plank - by taking a riverside path to the south of the castle-mount. The trail is not long, but is fun; there are more rickety bridges over creeks. It is not clear whether the trails are still maintained, but I got up okay despite discouragement from the lady at the tea shop.

Note: Though some sources refer to this site as 'Sanadajō', there appears to be no relation to the Sanada Clan of Shinano.

Sentougamine Castle / 千頭峯城

Sentōǵaminejō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Mikkabi Township of Hamana Ward, Hamamatsu Municipality. Ruins are chiefly earthworks, including horikiri (trenches), dorui (earthen ramparts) and baileys. The layout of the fort is of a central bailey complex with terracing below. Three spokes come off from the peak along its adjoining ridges. In the south and west there are baileys surrounded by dorui. In the east there are flattened ridge portions divided by horikiri. When I visited the castle ruins there were sakura blooming of a kind that flowered at the same time as unfurling brown leaves, presenting a sort of combination of autumn and spring in one tree. There is a well in a small bailey on the mountainside. I went there last as another path from there leads back to the first horikiri along the eastern ridge. There are several outlying forts in orbit around Sentōǵaminejō, such as Nakasentō-toride and Koiyama-toride, but I did not visit these.

Shimizu Nuidonosuke Yashiki / 清水縫殿助屋敷

Shimizu-Nuidonosuke-yashiki is a medieval fortified residence site in the Shimotsugane area of Sutama Township, Hokuto Municipality. The site is now private propety but a grand old residence (Edo period?) can be seen from the roadside. The ishigaki (stone-piled walls) is handsome, though, along with the architecture, does not date to the time of the yashiki. Another Shimizu residence was located nearby; that residence, in Takane Township, belonged to Shimizu Sandayū.

Shimoyama Castle (Kai) / 甲斐下山城

Shimoyamajō is a yakata (fortified manor hall) site in Shimoyama village in Minobu Township of historical Koma County. It is now the site of a Nichiren temple, Hongokuji, which retains 18th century architecture, including the sanmon (main gate) and kuri (kitchen) buildings. There is a stele for the castle near the entrance to the temple, and what castle-bloggers have identified as a karabori (dry moat) to the east. I clambered past the temple's necropolis onto the hillside to be double sure of not finding anything, and there was an old shrine building which had been run through by a fallen tree. Beyond there was a path up the mountain. The lower portions of this path do bear a moat-like aspect. Still, the reason to visit here is mostly to appreciate the temple I think. The huge ichō (ginkgo tree) is said to have been planted by Nichiren himself. It looks old enough, surely.

Shizuhatayama Castle / 賤機山城

Shizuhatayamajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Aoi Ward, Shizuoka Municipality. Shizuhatayamajō features dorui (earthen ramparts), horikiri (ridgeline trenches), kuruwa (baileys) and such like earthworks. It has a narrow profile, following the ridge, with some spurs. The fort's three integral baileys are at least partially surrounded by dorui, with the second bailey having its bulwark formed from the ridge. There is a large horikiri at the front of the fort, and so it's easy to recognise when one has reached the castle ruins.

Shizuhatayamajō may be considered the medieval antecedent of the proto-modern Sunpujō on the plain below. Shizuhata is thought to have given its name to Shizuoka, but the kanji for 'shizu' was changed from 賤 ('sleazy') to 静 ('tranquil'), the latter being much more auspicious (when the modern city was founded in 1889, other name proposals included 'Shizu(静)' and 'Shizuki(静城)'; the original settlements had consisted of the jōkamachi (castle-town) of Sunpu (駿府) and the shukuba (inn town) of Fuchū (府中)).

The trail up Mount Shizuhata starts at the Sengen shrine at the foot of the mountain. The trail is maintained with park-like features and so is pleasant to walk. It doesn't become a serious mountain trail until the castle ruins.

Suganuma Castle (Kai) / 甲斐菅沼城

Suganumajō is a former okajiro (hilltop castle) site in Terasawa village in Minobu Township of historical Koma County. Few ruins remain, however, as a school was built atop of the hill in the 1970s. Hero castle-bloggers have identified the remains of a lower bailey complex in the wooded area below the school, but I could find no way to reach this part. Incidentally, the school itself is now closed down, and the site has become a (civilian) drone base. There is a signboard with information about the fort alongisde the road up to the former school. Kai-Suganumajō, not to be confused with Ina-Suganumajō in neighbouring Shinano Province, sits overlooking the Fuji River and the village of Kiriishi. Suganumajō is also known as Terasawajō and Kiriishi-toride. Suganumajō is designated as a local historic site.

Utsuyama Castle / 宇津山城

Utsuyamajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in the Iride Township of Kosai Municipality. The castle-mount sits on a peninsula overlooking Lake Hamana. Ruins feature kuruwa (baileys), horikiri (trenches), dorui (earthen ramparts), and ishigaki (stone-piled ramparts). The layout of the fortifications is intriguing and it is clear that Utsuyamajō was a large fortress. Generally the site can be split in two, between the lower, eastern castle-mount, and the upper, western castle-mount. It is presumed that the western castle was built after the eastern half due to the differences in construction.

The eastern portion of the castle is made up of a series of baileys separated by dry moats and embankments. I first tried to enter into one of the baileys above the road to the western castle, but it was too choked with bamboo to make progress. Next I tried to take a dirt road up past a house, itself thought to be built on a former bailey, and I made it into an outer bailey which was surrounded by dorui. The bailey itself was full of abandoned greenhouses. The second bailey was seriously overgrown and the path was blocked with fallen trees. I could barely see the otherside of the bailey due to pest plants so, having already visited the western castle at this point, I stopped my explorations here. Clearly the site was formerly cultivated and is now abandoned and heavily overgrown.

The western castle is the more interesting of the two halves. The road up to the castle is maintained because the cemetery of the temple below, Shōtaiji (presumed site of the castle's kyokan (living area)), was built on the terraced sub-baileys which climb the hillside to the castle proper. Behind the necropolis is a large dorui segment. A map displayed on-site indicated a tatebori (climbing trench) somewhere beneath here, but I think it must be lower down on the slope.

The most intriguing feature of Utsuyamajō may be the ishigaki which supports the inside of the dorui which surrounds the main bailey of the western fortress. Usually we'd expect to find ishigaki on the outside of the bailey to create steep walls, but in Utsuyamajō's case the outside of the bailey's ramparts is earthen, whilst the inside has a 1.2m high wall of stacked stones like a retaining wall. It is believed that this wall was made by the castle-builders so that they could stand behind the parapet whilst firing guns and cannon, and that there was no dobei (parapet wall) with loopholes as we'd expect to see. The ishigaki actually replaces the dobei in this case!

I tried to follow the parapet all the way around the main bailey but most of the site is horrendously overgrown with a botanical tangle of various plants. I also descended down the far side of the main bailey where there are large terraces in a tripple band. Ishigaki can be found here too. I wasn't sure if these terraces and their retaining walls were originally part of the castle or built for agriculture.

There were so many spiders at this ruin that I was constantly assailed by threads of sticky web no matter where I turned. Even recollecting my exploration here makes me feel itchy. A woman who I thought might be visiting the cemetery actually came from the direction of the main bailey covered in sticky seeds, and she warned how hopelessly overgrown the bailey was. Even though this site gets visitors attracted by the ishigaki, and it is designated as a historical site by the municipality, it's in an awful condition, and I wish it could be better maintained.

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