Kizu Sta. (Nara Line); bus, 20 min. walk
This may not be the biggest yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in the Kansai Region, but it is one with many typical defensive features found in a late Sengoku Period yamashiro. To get to Kaseyama Castle take the local mini-bus from JR Kizu Station to Kaseyama, the last stop. If you want to do the castle ruin quickly, you can follow the signs for the main course in about 1.5 hours from the trailhead. If you want to see everything listed on the detailed black and white map (Japanese only) and follow all the "sub courses" you should factor in around 2.5 hours, depending on how often you stop for photos. (RaymondW) At the end of 2023 I had an extra vacation day to burn or I'd lose it so without much planning I finally decided to make a quick trip down to Kaseyama Castle which had been on my radar for some time. This castle vastly exceeded expectations and I spent most of the day wandering the trails and trying to get to every bailey, horikiri and tatebori on site. I wish I had gone sooner. This was the perfect way to round out 2023 castling. It's a bit hard to see in the photos and map but for a small footprint at the top of the mountain the stepped baileys going down each ridge are really brilliant. The relatively unknown unejo tatebori (multiple vertical trenches in a row) are spectacular and should be more recognized by castle fans. The castle is extremely well signposted for a mountaintop castle and trails even to the more remote parts of the castle are well maintained. (Eric)
Kaseyama Castle
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