Kamaha Castle

This was possibly my highlight for 2022 castle visits. It combined a great hike, great views, outstanding weather, fall colors, lots to explore, stone walls and just a little bit of danger. First, the castle is somewhat difficult to get to since it is a 1 hr walk just to the hiking entrance from whi

History

The castle was built by the Hori clan, who found themselves sandwiched between several powerful neighbors of the time, including the Rokkaku, Kyōgoku, and Azai (浅井) clans. While Kamaha may seem like an out-of-the-way location today, the landscape was quite different in earlier centuries. Lake Biwa extended further inland, with inlets and swampy lowlands nearby. As a result, the Nakasendō route passed through this valley. The castle overlooked Banba-juku, a key post town at the mountain’s base, and commanded sweeping views toward Lake Biwa and surrounding strategic territories, making it a vital borderland fortress on the edge of Azai territory.

The Hori originally allied with the Azai but were forced to submit to Rokkaku Sadayori in 1538, after the Rokkaku seized Kamaha Castle and Azai Sukemasa died. However, when Sadayori passed away in 1560, Azai Nagamasa launched a counterattack against the Rokkaku and retook Kamaha Castle, restoring it to Azai control.

Later, when Oda Nobunaga turned his campaign toward the Asakura clan, the Azai honored their alliance with the Asakura. In contrast, the Hori clan defected to Nobunaga’s side. During the ensuing conflict between Nobunaga and the Azai, Kamaha Castle came under attack by Azai forces—but successfully withstood the siege with the support of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (then known as Kinoshita Tōkichirō).

After the defeat of the Azai, the Hori were made subordinate to Hideyoshi, but the relationship was strained. In 1574, just a year later, the clan was demoted, and Kamaha Castle was dismantled.

One might wonder how Japanese history would have changed if the Hori had not defected to Nobunaga—potentially cutting off his routes back to Gifu and altering the course of the conflict.

Field Notes

This was possibly my highlight for 2022 castle visits. It combined a great hike, great views, outstanding weather, fall colors, lots to explore, stone walls and just a little bit of danger. First, the castle is somewhat difficult to get to since it is a 1 hr walk just to the hiking entrance from which it's another hour hike to the start of the castle. There are infrequent buses from Maibara Station to the Banba-juku. You could also rent a bicycle at the station or take a taxi. Plan accordingly.

Kamaha Castle runs across three ridges with fantastic views of the surrounding domains including up to Lake Biwa, Sawayama Castle, Odani Castle, Yokoyama Castle and the Mt. Ibuki area. Kamaha Castle was once famous for its white limestone stone walls that could be seen shining from far away. Most of those walls have since crumbled but there are four main places where ishigaki stone walls can be seen today: main bailey walls, two gates and one "great stone wall" (a section of stonework 4 meters high and about 30m long). Scattered throughout the castle you will also find small bits of stonework along the sides of walls and under your foot buried in leaves. Significantly more stonework has been discovered through several studies but it was all reburied. You can see some photos of what was uncovered at the Kamaha Information Center near the trailhead.

The south ridge is a very narrow ridge with seven horikiri cut into the bedrock. This course is labelled for "advanced hikers". It was not so difficult but good shoes and caution are recommended. The stones were quite slippery in the autumn morning covered with moss and leaves and you may need to navigate some fallen trees along the narrow ridge. The central area is comprised of a main bailey and 2 sub baileys, also labelled as the south baileys. More interestingly however is the north ridge of the castle with 7 stepped baileys. The furthest bailey has a commanding view and is where a large, main keep sized, yagura once stood.

The western ridge is a treacherous downslope also recommended for advanced hikers. I would not dare it without good shoes and a trekking pole to help keep balance and prevent sliding down the slopes. This is another set of 8 small baileys in steps down the ridge with a few large horikiri in between. The most fascinating feature here is a set of about five successive tatebori (畝状竪堀) around the fifth and sixth bailey. They are signposted but they are a bit tricky to find because they are farther down the slope than the map would have you believe. According to the guide at the little museum/information center this type of successive tatebori is rare in the Kansai area and was probably an influence from when the Hori and Asai were allied with the Asakura who did employ such tatebori more often. See the history above for details.

Hiking Map: https://www.city.maibara.lg.jp/material/files/group/47/k-mp.pdf

You can find the ruins of the "lord's palace" just behind the information center too. It's not known for sure what this was but the structure was larger and more elaborate than most commoner homes so it may have been a palace for the lord or other high retainers, or given the proximity to the post town it may have been an inn for higher class travelers.

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Gallery

Site of the large yagura
Large stone wall
Large stone wall
end of a complex water system to carry water into the castle

Castle Profile
English Name	Kamaha Castle
Japanese Name	鎌刃城
Alternate Names	Kamagawa-jo
Founder	Hori clan
Year Founded	1400's (possibly earlier)
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Next 100 Castles, Top 100 Mountaintop Castles, National Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Maibara Sta (Tokaido Line), 20 min bus (infrequent, plan accordingly)
Hours	mountain, open any time
Time Required	300 minutes (round trip hiking from the trailhead)
URL	Castle Website
Location	Maibara, Shiga Prefecture
Coordinates	35.29703, 136.31539
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2023
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2022
Admin Visits	November 19, 2022
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