Tanaka Castle (Kumamoto)
The site has several baileys. Some of them were well overgrown in October. Not far from the castle site is the Tanaka Minimuseum. It's in a classroom of the fromer local school. It's free to enter from 10:00 to 16:00,; closed on Tuesdays. I highly recommend a visit to this little museum. There are s
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History
The first reference to the castle is in a text from about 1200, when the daughter of a member of the Kurogi family is said to be married tot the lord of Wani castle. The castle is best remembered for its role during the 1587 Higo rebellion. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion of Kyushu, and the submission of Shimazu clan, several lower lords rebelled against the newly appointed daimyo, Sasa Narimasa. They withstood a siege during 2 months with 900 men against 10000. The castle was destroyed after the siege. The siege is well documented and a battle map of it has been discovered. It's the oldest surviving battle map of Japan.
Field Notes
The site has several baileys. Some of them were well overgrown in October. Not far from the castle site is the Tanaka Minimuseum. It's in a classroom of the fromer local school. It's free to enter from 10:00 to 16:00,; closed on Tuesdays. I highly recommend a visit to this little museum. There are some small artifacts, but the animated 3D model of the siege of the castle is outstanding. The attendant called a taxi for me. She was a lovely older lady.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Tanaka Castle |
| Japanese Name | 田中城 |
| Alternate Names | Wani Castle |
| Founder | Wani family |
| Year Founded | unknown |
| Castle Type | Hilltop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Designations | National Historic Site |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Features | |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | 20 min taxi ride from Shin-Omuta station |
| Hours | Grounds are open year round |
| Time Required | 1h30min |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Nagomi, Kumamoto Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 33.07862, 130.59546 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | Furinkazan |
| Admin Year Visited | 2025 |

