31 new profiles from ART for Gifu Prefecture

This update brings another 31 castles to Gifu Prefecture castles added by ART over the past few months. It's great to see the Akechi Castle and Akechi Jin'ya added to the Akechi lore of this area as well as some others like Bodaiyama Castle and Tama Castle (Mino) that had been o

31 new profiles from ART for Gifu Prefecture

2025-07-29

This update brings another 31 castles to Gifu Prefecture castles added by ART over the past few months. It's great to see the Akechi Castle and Akechi Jin'ya added to the Akechi lore of this area as well as some others like Bodaiyama Castle and Tama Castle (Mino) that had been on my "to do" list for a long time.

Akechi Castle / 明智城

Akechijō is a yamajiro (mounaintop castle) ruin in Akechi Township, Ena Municipality. Ruins are earthworks such as baileys, dorui (earthen ramparts) and trenches, including unejōtatebori, rows of climbing trenches arrayed along the hillside. The general layout of the main area of the castle is of a main bailey area atop, with a ringing moat beneath, and from this ring many tatebori (climbing trenches) radiating out like spokes. These tatebori are well defined and large, making for a highlight of the site. The alternating tatebori besides dorui gives the effect of gigantic crenellations ringing the castle core.

The castle further has many lower baileys and a large demaru (outer bailey). There is dorui around some of these baileys too, such as the 'north main bailey annex'. I entered the castle by attempting to follow a terraced ridge from the southwest. However, the trail that used to be there had been swallowed by overgrowth, and consequently I had to infiltrate the castle by navigating a large, deep trench complex. In descending I took the trail to the northwest which is beside a long, climbing segment of dorui which flanks the castle's original main approach.

The Akechi-Tôyama Clan cenotaphs are found to the north at Ryūgoji where there is also, at the neighbouring Hachiōji-jinja, a gate which is said to have been originally built at the castle. The gate is a prefectural cultural property.

Akechijō is sometimes called Shiratakajō ('White Falcon Castle'), a sort of nickname. It may see common use due to there being several castle sites called 'Akechi', including Toki-Akechijō (also in Akechi Township, Ena Municipality) and Akechi-Osayamajō (also near an Akechi Station, but along the Meitetsu-Hiromi Line in Kani Municipality). Akechijō in historic Ena County is not to be confused with Akechi-Osayamajō in historic Kani County, both in Mino Province (Gifu Prefecture).

Akechi Jin'ya / 明智陣屋

Akechi-jin'ya is a jin'ya site in Akechi Township, Ena Municipality. Ruins remain in the form of a mizubori (moat) spanned by a dobashi (earthen bridge), and ishigaki (stone walls). The site is now private property, but can be seen from below. Akechi Township bills itself as 'Taishō Village' owing to the old townscape. The 'Taishō Rōmankan' is located next-door to the jin'ya site, and there is also a thatched roof cottage from the Edo period (presumably relocated). Just north of the jin'ya is Ryūgoji, a temple containing the mausoleum of Akechi Mitsuhide and the cenotaphs of the Akechi-Tôyama Clan.

Bodaiyama Castle / 菩提山城

Bodaiyamajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Tarui Township, Fuwa County. It is primarily an earthworks castle but has diverse features such as earthen ramparts, trenches and baileys. Of trenches alone there are several kinds: horikiri (ridge-bisecting trenches), tatebori (trenches climbing the mountainside) and yokobori (lateral trenches).

The trench on the main approach to the castle is spanned by a dobashi (earthen bridge). Karabori (dry moats) form an umadashi (barbican) approach into the main bailey. There is a deep horikiri between the third and outer baileys. Tatebori are found throughout this site, and they are nauseatingly steep and long.

The castle's deguruwa (projecting bailey) has unejōtatebori, a row of tatebori in close configuration, beneath it. These tatebori, of which there are three smaller trenches flanked by a large outer trench on each side of the ridge, begin from a terrace and connect just below with a large horikiri. This stalwart, array of trenches like spokes is one of several highlights of this site in my estimation.

The main bailey has a koshikuruwa (terraced bailey) beneath it in the west. A yokobori runs between the bottom of the earthen walls of the main bailey and the koshikuruwa. The use of yokobori is seen rarely at yamajiro, so it's always nice to see. Two tatebori hem in a series of small pocket baileys climbing like stairs down the mountainside to the west of the koshikuruwa. This is called the 'horse-slipping slope', and was intended to be a major impediment to cavalry charges up the slope. There is a tarmac / asphalt road at the bottom of here; this would definitely be a shortcut up to the castle for those averse to hiking (300m up), but I'm not sure if there's anywhere to park.

Bodaiyamajō has many features and is a top yamajiro in the Tōkai region. I had wanted to visit for several years after first visiting Takenaka-jin'ya, which is the former kyokan (residential compound) paired with the castle, in 2020; despite all that waiting I was not disappointed! By the way, Bodaiji means 'funerary temple' or 'clan temple'. The temple Bodaiji at the foot of the castle-mount was (re-)built by the Takenaka Clan at the start of the Edo period. Some of the buildings are cultural properties. The hike to the castle starts from here and takes up to an hour depending on one's pace.

Dota Castle (Mino) / 美濃土田城

Dotajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Dota Township, Kani Municipality. The layout of the fort consists of three disconnected fortified peaks, with a demaru (outer bailey) to the south, the honmaru (main bailey) to the north, and a small middle bailey in between. Only the honmaru has any obvious fortification features, most prominently a horikiri (trench) along the approach. The terraces of the main bailey complex are also structurally significant. As a castle-visit this site may be underwhelming, but as a casual hike I had a pleasant time (albeit finding the demaru required squeezing through a choked bamboo copse). Initially I missed the start of the trail. It is located underneath the Nijiǵaoka Bridge south of Kanigawa Station. One stoops and side-steps beneath the bridge and between the Kani River. Then the path goes by a waterfall and becomes a pleasant strolling path through the forest along the riverside which goes by interesting octopodal trees and large boulders. There is a climbing trail to the castle site at the end of this path. I wanted to see every bailey so I ascended at a steep halfway point, however. The hillside is terraced in parts and some old stonewalls are piled here and there. These features likely date to after the fort and were used for some sort of hillside agriculture.

Fukigabora Castle / 吹ヶ洞城

Fukiǵaborajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Ômori Township, Kani Municipality. Ruins include dorui (earthen ramparts), horikiri (trenches through the ridge), kuruwa (baileys) and yokobori (lateral trenches along the hillside). I sort of got tricked into visiting this overgrown, perplexing ruin. Official materials for neighbouring Ômorijō, including the signpost at said castle where I went first, mention this site and even provide maps, so I thought it would be easier to navigate. However, after an inviting trail with cut-back bamboo grass, the mount suddenly becomes very densely thicketed and uninviting. It seems the site was once better maintained. Although difficult to see through the vegetation, there is a bailey with dorui around and a horikiri to the rear. On the north side is a yokobori. However, beyond this where the hilltop broadens out across a creek (where a family had fires going as part of some camp, so I scurried past unseen on the ridge above like some kind of disreputable Bigfoot), the earthworks are scattered and do not form clear enclosures. The topmost bailey has some prominent dorui, but without trenches below and instead just a bumpy mountain ridge beyond. Was this fort never completed?

Gongen'yama Castle (Mino) / 美濃権現山城

Gongen'yamajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Mitake Township, Kani County. Ruins are chiefly earthwork structures such as baileys, dorui (earthen ramparts) and trenches. The layout of the fort is of a 'C'-shape enclosing a small, flat area like a basin (a residence hall was here perhaps), with bailey complexes clustered in the north and south, a trench-like depression cut into the ridge between them.

The south bailey group could be considered the lower castle, as it is somewhat smaller and lower down. It retains a nice section of dorui. The south bailey is also referred to as the demaru (projecting / outer bailey). Below it are indications of trenches.

The north bailey group has the honmaru (main bailey) where there is now a shrine building, Kinpu-jinja, and there are terraced baileys below it except in the north. The south terrace has dorui, including a dorui partition between the terraced baileys, which may have been a gate site. There are falling chute-like trenches in the east. The map I was using (Yogo's) didn't show it, but there was an eastern terrace and tatebori (climbing trench). The hill here is really steep, vertiginous in places, and the earth seems like it wants to collapse, so it's not a safe area.

The ishigaki (stone-pilings) seen on-site appears to be mostly related to the shrine and park, though some bits I found may be quite old. Now the site is maintained mostly as a park attached to the suburban housing estate to the south. Entering from this side the 50m tall castle-mount may not seem as impressive, but this area was probably mountainous in the past, and the castle facing the river below would've been intimidating from the north. The shrine's causeway is accessed from the northwest alongside the Kani River, and I came up this way after walking from Mitake Station. After visiting Gongen'yamajō I continued via the suburban development to the related site of Honjin'yamajō. These twin forts are known together as Mitakejō.

Goudo Castle / 顔戸城

Gōdojō is a hirajiro (flatland castle) ruin located in Gōdo village of Mitake Township, Kani County. I was quite impressed with this site. A mostly intact moat and berm system survives to the north, west and east, and partially to the south, surrounding a spacious bailey, with the area to the southwest and south-south sloping off (I assumed it had been effaced by housing construction, but apparently lignite was mined here at some point).

Although the site is a hirajiro in its layout and design, it does sit on a sort of plateau, and this difference in elevation to the south has determined the composition of its defences. The lower side of the fort, particularly the surviving portion of the southern perimeter to the southeast which has an outer array of dorui (earthen ramparts), has only very shallow dorui on the inside of the moat atop of the bailey parapet. In contrast, in the north of the ruin there is no outside dorui, but a mizubori (water moat) or numabori (swamp moat) with very tall and thick dorui on the inside. The inner dorui continues in the east and west, but it's very overgrown so I didn't walk the whole length.

I started my exploration by jumping into the southeastern portion of the karabori (dry moat), and climbing, because the moat slopes with the terrain, up to the northeast. Beyond that the moat becomes water-filled. I got out and followed the numabori along to where there were gaps in the northern embankments. I think one of these was probably a modern road built by removing the dorui, but there is a narrower one, too narrow for a car, which may have been a dobashi (earthen bridge) and castle's main entrance in the past. I got as close as I dared to the moat here, and my shiny new hiking boots got a baptism of fire - or mud, as it were. The northwestern portion of moat was so overgrown and coagulated that I couldn't even see inside it and daylight didn't penetrate. The interior of the bailey is now farmsteads, houses and fields.

Honjin'yama Castle (Mino) / 美濃本陣山城・美濃御嵩城

Honjin'yamajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Mitake Township, Kani County. It is twinned with Gongen'yamajō on the hill to the east, and the two sites together are called Mitakejō. The name 'Honjin', meaning 'main camp', would suggest that Honjin'yamajō was the main fort of the two, though there is now less to see there than at Gongen'yamajō in terms of castle ruins. Both sites are maintained as parks, and Honjin'yamajō has an observation platform atop.

Maps suggest that Honjin'yamajō was made up of several baileys, with the peak bailey being the main bailey, but narrow, perhaps serving as a look-out. There are terraced baileys below along the vestigal ridges, and on the slope to the east. Beneath the uppermost bailey was a trench system with a dobashi (earthen bridge). These chutes are very overgrown now but can just be made out on the hillside. If the trench cut across the whole hilltop then it has now been filled in for the park. The large lower bailey may have served as the de facto main bailey, although it looks like it has also been altered and enlarged for the park. It has a cloister of wisteria pergolas surrounding it.

The castle-mount has been converted into a park, and parkland further expands below. If the castle's kyokan (residential annex) was here, then it would've been quite a large area, deserving of the designation 'Honjin'. However, it's impossible to know now just by looking what the original structure of the entire fort complex looked like. The suburban housing estates of Nanzandai West and Nanzandai East are divided by the castle-mount. I came to Honjin'yamajō via Nanzandai-higashi from Gongen-yamajō. This meant I didn't have to climb from the very bottom of the hill, but the stairway up from Nanzandai-higashi were nonetheless a lot to do at a dash! I descended via Nanzandai-nishi and went back to Mitake Station, completing my walking circuit of the two sites.

Hourinji Castle / 法林寺城

Hōrinjijō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin between the townships of Hōrinji and Yamaguchi in Motosu Municipality. Ruins consist of earthworks such as baileys and trenches. This single bailey complex has terraced sub-baileys along each ridge leading to the flattened peak. The main bailey has slight terracing to the fore and aft. To the rear are the remains of a horikiri (trench) hidden in the ferns. Along the main hiking route, en route to Yamaguchijō, the ridge has been terraced into at least three platforms, and these terraces further feature horikiri spanned by dobashi (earthen bridges). The highlight for me was seeing these horikiri with dobashi between the terraces in the lower castle area.

Ibi Castle / 揖斐城

Ibijō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Ibigawa Township, Ibi County. Ibijō was an earth-and-timber castle, and its ruins feature earthworks such as baileys, trenches and earthen ramparts. The castle layout is a rough 'V'-shape with various terraced fronds trailing off it. To the rear of the final bailey along the ridge is a complicated trench system with a dobashi (earthen bridge) spanning a horikiri (trench). The horikiri quickly descend and become tatebori (climbing moats). Conveniently one does not have to retrace one's steps from this final bastion, as there is a lower path which takes one along the side of the castle-mount where there is a well bore into rock. This path brings one back out just above the small shrine altar which can be found in one of the castle's forward terraces (the torii of which appears to be made from plastic pipes). The hiking trail to Ibijō begins at Miwa-jinja, a comely shrine. It is possible to park at the Jōdaisan Park on the ridge above, but that would cut out the steep climb onto the ridge which is ideal for stretching one's legs. 'Jōdaisan' means 'Castle Platform Mount' and it probably got its name from Ibijō - almost certainly. Just before the final climb to the lower terraces of Ibijō there is a temple called Isshinji. The temple and trail up to the castle had lots of lovely autumn foliage. It was a lovely walk in the forest, indeed; one of those times one wants to take a deep breath and sigh how fine it is to be alive, but I didn't do so so as not to tempt fate as there were signs around warning of bears.

Ikoyama Castle / 祐向城

Ikoyamajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin on the border of Motosu (via Hōrinji) and Gifu (via Oku) municipalities. Ruins consist of earthworks such as dorui (earthen ramparts), baileys and trenches. The highlight is the unebori (ridge moat) configuration to the rear of the fort. There are two main bailey areas, with the upper bailey being on a steep peak above the fort's approach. There are some pocket terraces and climbing trenches along this steep approach. Separating the upper and lower baileys is a trench complex with dorui and a dobashi (earthen bridge).

Along the ridge between Ikoyamajō and neighbouring Kakeborajō, I found a very steep creek with mounding on one side, which made me think it may have been a tatebori (climbing trench) or an augmented and fortified natural feature. It was hard to imagine the creek being formed naturally, but I am not an expert on how geological forces stitch mountains together; anyway, it was not a feature depicted on any of the maps I had.

Ikoyamajō sits between Kakeborajō and Hōrinjijō in the Monjuyama fort group (the peak of Monjuyama is the site of Yamaguchijō). I approached Ikoyamajō from Kakeborajō before proceeding onto Hōrinjijō since the fort group forms a circuit upon the mountains around the valley where Hōrinji village is. I completed an unclosed loop, starting at Motosu Station and finishing at Oribe Station, the next station along on the Tarumi Railway.

Imasu Castle (Mino) / 美濃今須城

Imasujō is a former hirajiro (flatland castle) site in Imasu village, which is in Sekiǵahara Township of Fuwa County. No ruins remain, and the site is now that of the temple Myōganji and its necropolis. The cemetery contains cenotaphs for the Nagae Clan who were Imasujō's castellans. Myōganji is a fetching temple, and I think it goes without saying that the stonewalls there were built for the temple rather than any prior fortifications.

Kakebora Castle / 掛洞城

Kakeborajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Motosu Municipality (Monju Township) - on the border with Gifu Municipality (via Oku Township). 'Kakebora' means 'Hanging Cave(s)', but I didn't see any caves. Ruins feature earthworks such as horikiri (trenches), dorui (earthen ramparts), tatebori (climbing trenches) and baileys.

My favourite feature was the ladder of terraced baileys beneath the main bailey, bordered by a very prominent tatebori and climbing berm. The castle features many terraces (so that I am quite sure I missed some), and the topmost bailey groups along the ridge are divided by horikiri. The western bailey has prominent dorui embanked facing southward.

Kakeborajō was my first and main target in a hiking circuit covering fortification sites on Mount Monju and associated peaks. I started from Motosu Station and climbed the trail from Monju Park hidden behind the Hachiman shrine. This trail was quite long, but it allowed me to hike in a loop without doubling back. Eventually that trail reaches the mountaintop where Kakeborajō is located. Thereafter a series of ups-and-downs took me through the sites of Ikoyamajō, Hōrinjijō, Yamaguchijō (the peak of Mount Monju) and Nakanojō. Together, these sites are referred to as the 'Monjuyama Jōsaigun (Fortress Complex of Mount Monju)'.

There are also the sites of Monjujō and Monju-jin'ya in Monju, but I couldn't find much info' on them and they weren't along my route so I skipped them. I'm not sure if Monjujō is part of the Monjuyama Jōsaigun or not; probably it is, but, despite the name, it appears to be very minor, and the centre of the group is surely Kakeborajō as the largest fort, or Yamaguchijō on the namesake peak.

I descended from the mountain into Hōrinji and reached my end goal at Oribe Station (both Motosu and Oribe stations are on the Tarumi Railway, but Motosu acts as a pseudo-terminus, requiring a change of trains). Before my train came, I was able to quickly have a look at the site of Yamaguchi-yakata. By the way, I don't know yet if it's related to the yakata next door, but Oribe Roadside Station features a folly in the shape of an Edo period castle yaguramon (gatehouse).

Kamigare Castle / 上狩宇城

Kamigarejō is a yakta (fortified manor hall) site in Ibigawa Township, Ibi County. My visit here was incidental as I had come to see the 'Tenku no Chabatake ("Tea Fields in the Sky")' - itself incidental to my main quarry of conquering Mino-Ojimajō, which Kamigarejō is related to. There are no ruins left of Kamigarejō that I could find, and the site is now a shrine and tea plantation. There is a small stone pillar commemorating the site's history found on-site.

Visitors to the village pay a small fee for up-keep before ascending a hillside trail to an observation area - a cleared space on the hill. The views of the tea fields below, surrounded by montains, are said to resemble those of Peru's Machu Picchu, and it has been called "Machu in Picchu in Gifu", or "Kachu-Picchu", which I like a bit more, after the area, Kasuga. Properly the site is called the 'Kamigare Tea Plantation'.

Kamigare is the name of the terraced plateau and village - and the former castele or manor hall which was the centre of the Ojima Manor. Kamigarejō later became the kyokan (residence) paired with Ojimajō on the mountain to the northest. Ojimajō is therefore sometimes also called Kamigarejō, but the latter's origins are older, Ojimajō being a Sengoku period yamajiro (mounaintop castle).

Kamigare is the village on the rise, the tea fields here having been cultivated for a long time (sources vary on for how long, and mulberry was also an important resource here until relatively recently), deep in the mountains at an elevation above 300m. The commune of Rokugō, which Kamigare is in, further includes another settlement, Shimogare - I think, in the valley beside the Kasu River. A few hamlets are scattered along the riverside and hillside. Rokugō is part of the former Kasuga Township which was merged with Ibigawa Township (see the 'Great Heisei Municipal Mergers'). Some sources refer to Kamigare as Kasuga, but Kasuga is the quite expansive mostly mountainous area containing Kamigare village.

The tea grown in Kamigare is organic, not treated with pesticides or fertilisers. The patterns formed by uneven rows are lovely, but the tea bushes are grown close together and are sheered to the same height in order to prevent weed growth and ensure adequate sunlight. Tea plantations like that of the Chaboboen farm have been cultivated in Kasuga, it is said, for seven centuries.

I'm not sure Kamigare is quite Machu Picchu, but the views of the tea fields shown here are indeed beautiful. The tea bushes themselves form interesting patterns. It's hard to believe that centuries ago this serene and bucolic setting was the stage for a complex of fortifications centred around Kamigare. In addition to Kamigarejō and Ojimajō (then known as Kidojō) on the mountain to the east, there were at least three forts on the ridges on the north side of the Kasugawa; Shimogarejō was located on a hill to the south (it is now also a tea plantation).

Note: Kamigare is now usually written as 上ヶ流, but previously it was written 上狩宇, and this is the proper name for the castle, often misread as 'Kamiǵaryū (the kanji 上狩宇 looks like "Kamigariu")'.

Kitagata Castle (Motosu) / 本巣北方城

Kitagatajō is a medieval fortification site in Kitagata Township, Motosu County, of which no ruins remain. The site is now a residential area but there is a small gravel park with stone markers and explanatory boards for the castle. To the rear of this park is a row of hokora (mini-shrines) on a sort of large dias.

The homes in this area actually look quite new, so this is a sign that there may have been actual ruins of fortifications up until recently. Sure enough, some old pictures I found online show a monument surrounded by a bamboo grove. One webpage, curiously linked to the official site of Sukomo Municipality in Kōchi Prefecture, describes the trepid explorers to this site finding 50cm tall earthen mounds and a 1m wide ditch in the bamboo grove; I wonder if these were castle ruins... The picture attached is black and white, and looks decades old; here: https://www.city.sukumo.kochi.jp/sisi/026301.html

Note: This is Kitagatajō in Motosu County, not to be confused with Kitagatajō in Ibi County, both in Mino Province / Gifu Pref..

Kitagata Jin'ya / 北方陣屋・本巣北方城

Kitagata-jin'ya is a proto-modern daikan jin'ya and medieval fortification site in Kitagata Township, Motosu County. Daikan jin'ya were ruled by appointed deputies of the Edo Shogunate or daimyō related to the Tokugawa (Matsudaira). There are some signposts and explanatory boards for both the jin'ya and the castle site. The main bailey of Kitagatajō is to the immediate east of the jin'ya site, and the jin'ya covered a part of that medieval fort.

Whilst no ruins of Kitagata-jin'ya remain on-site, four gates, out of a total of thirteen which originally stood at the jin'ya, have been relocated to the surrounding area, and I was able to visit three of these. Albeit, by the time I reached one of those, it was already dark.

Three of the gates are located on private residences, but they can be seen from the roadside. Of these I visited two: one to the south of the jin'ya site known as the Ishimachi-kidomon ('stone town gate'), and one to the north of the jin'ya site, actually in the Nishikaiden Township of neighbouring Gifu Municipality, known as the Honmachi-kidomon ('downtown gate'). A kidomon refers to a more humble type of gate chiefly used for samurai residences; they are not designed to withstand a siege.

The third and final relocated gate from the jin'ya I visited is at the Nishi-Honganji Gifu-betsuin temple in downtown Gifu, serving now as the temple's rear gate. My apologies; it was already dark by the time I located the relocated gate. This gate, which seemed the most impressive of the jin'ya's gates to me, was known as the Shinmachi-kidomon ('new town gate'). The fourth surviving gate, which I didn't visit, is located in Itonuki Township, Motosu Municipality; I actually wasted valuable time searching for it before realising I had no idea where I was going. The gate in Itonuki was known as the Masuyamachi-kidomon.

Kodera Castle (Mino) / 美濃小寺城

Koderajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) site in Ikeda Township, Ibi County. The locale is called Kodera. Ruins consist of, at most, flattened areas on the castle mount which were once used as baileys. This castle site does not appear to be readily accessible.

Nagamatsu Castle (Mino) / 美濃長松城

Nagamatsujō is a former hirajiro (flatland castle) site in Nagamatsu Township, Ôgaki Municipality. No ruins remain, and the site is now a school. I came across this site, proclaimed by a large stele, by complete chance on the way to the neighbouring site of Hirabayashi-sō which has a relocated gate from Ôgakjō. I suppose this castle visit lasted about five seconds. It is a municipally designated history site.

Nakano Castle (Motosu) / 本巣中ノ城

Nakanojō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin between the townships of Yamaguchi and Hōrinji in Motosu Municipality. Nakanojō is a satellite fort of Yamaguchijō on the peak above. The site consists of a single bailey complex with a terace. The flattened spaces and the terrace between them are the earthworks of the fort, but besides that not much remains. There is some sort of observation deck on the site today,and I get the feeling that it's supposed to be like a watchtower for the fort. Nakanojō is part of the Monjuyama Jōsaigun (Fortress Group on Mount Monju). Yamaguchijō is on the peak of Monjuyama. Beneath Nakanojō the trail descends past several kofun (ancient burial mounds), several in very good condition. I was about to crawl inside of one before noticing a large bat was already occupying it.

Nakanomiyama Castle / 中深山城

Nakanomiyamajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Akechi Township, Ena Municipality. Ruins are earthworks such as dorui (earthen ramparts), baileys and trenches. The layout of the fort is of twin bailey complexes. These are divided by a horikiri (trench), which slopes off into a tatebori (climbing trench). To the rear of the eastern bailey is a nijū-horikiri (double layer trench). The eastern bailey is also protected by unejōtatebori (an array of climbing trenches) on its northeastern face. Both bailey complexes are surrounded by terraced sub-baileys. I climbed from the Inari shrine up a ridge which was terraced, and divided by horikiri, to the western bailey. The northwestern face of the western bailey has renzoku-tatebori, which is a climbing trench array like unejōtatebori but less compact. There is also a southerly unejōtatebori group on the hillside between the two baileys, but I wasn't able to get a good look at these on the steep hillside.

Nomura Jin'ya (Mino) / 美濃野村陣屋

Nomura-jin'ya, located in Ôno Township, Ibi County (the locale is called No), was a short-lived jin'ya of the early Meiji period (and before that the early Edo period). A gatehouse survives from that time, presumably dating to 1869 when Nomura Domain was established. The nagayamon-style gate served as the jin'ya's main gate, and was relocated at some point after Nomura Domain's abolition in 1871. Now the nagayamon is found about 100m south of a marker and signboard for the jin'ya itself. Of course, I came to see the gate. It serves as the entrance to a private residence now, and has clearly been modified in modern times. Given its relatively recent construction, there may be other surviving structures from the jin'ya remaining.

Ochiai Fort / 落合砦

Ochiai-toride is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Akechi Township, Ena Municipality. This site has far too many names, but 'Ochiai-toride', 'toride' meaning 'fort', appears to be the most common among castle-bloggers (but Yogo preferances 'Senjōjiki-toride'). Other names include Senjōjiki-toride, Tara-toride, and Toki-Akechijō. 'Senjōjiki' could mean 'thousand tatami hall' so I quite liked that one. Meanwhile, 'Ochiai' does not seem like an auspicious name for a fort. 'Tara-toride' was one of the names used on-site, along with 'Toki-Akechijō', the latter a construction I didn't favour. In any case, 'Tara-toride' and 'Toki-Akechijō' are names used to link this site with Akechi Mitsuhide's birthplace, which is dubious. The fort ruins are maintained as part of Senjōjiki Park.

Ruins of Ochiai-toride include terraces, baileys, trenches and berms. The park's main attraction for more casual visitors might well be a deep, stone-lined well said in local lore to be the place where the water was drawn for Akechi Mitsuhide's first bath after his birth. So, we must suppose Akechi Mitsuhide was born here.

That said, an important disclaimer here would be that there are multiple locations claimed as the birthplace of Akechi Mitsuhide throughout Mino. Wikipedia says he was born at 'Tara Castle' and thus Ochiai-toride is also called Tara-toride, but the article specifies that 'Tara Castle' is in Kani, so it's probably talking about Akechi-Osayamjō. It's disputed as to whether that site was even a fort (though I think it was, having been there). So, it's stated somewhere that Akechi Mitsuhide was born at 'Tara Castle' but does anybody know for sure where that was? It's a mystery where Akechi Mitsuhide was born. And so we should remain sceptical and require evidence. Historians dispute the theory of Akechi Mitsuhide descending from the Toki branch of the Akechi Clan, so it's all up in the air.

The layout of the fort is of two twin baileys on dual peaks with a flattened 'saddle'-like area between them. Akechi Mitsuhide's well is in the saddle. The northern bailey is more simplistic in structure, and is referred to as the kita-demaru, or 'north outer bailey'. Today it is a look-out area with commanding views of Akechi. The main bailey is surrounded by many terraces and there are some traces of mounds and a tatebori (climbing trench).

Ochiai-toride's simplistic structure compared to that of Akechijō's may lend credence to the theory that Ochiai-toride was the old Akechijō (add 'Akechikojō' to the list of names?), and that the Akechi Clan's original residence was here (or, more accurately, in the valley below the castle-mount). Otherwise or additionally, Ochiai-toride was later a satellite fort of Akechijō.

Because the site has been developed as a park, some of its original structure may have been effaced. I was curious as to the extent of the flattened area on the inside of the peaks, and whether this could've contained a manor hall, as per the name 'Senjōjiki'. The path down from the park to the village may have also been a fortified ridge at some point, but now it's hard to tell. Curiously there is a tree here growing very deliberately and obstructively, horizontally across the path.

Ojima Castle (Mino) / 美濃小島城

Ojimajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Ibigawa Township, Ibi County. Maybe the descriptor 'mountainside' rather than 'mountaintop' works better for Ojimajō since the castle's most prevalent structural feature is the seemingly endless bands of terracing stretching all the way up to the topmost bailey.

Features of Ojimajō include horikiri (trenches), tatebori (climbing trenches), ishigaki (stone-piled ramparts), dorui (earthen ramparts) and terraced baileys. Because of the extensive terracing throughout the castle's footprint the only none-terraced bailey is the topmost. This is called the first bailey, but probably didn't function as the main bailey, and was more like a look-out space. To the rear of here is the site's only horikiri, which bisects the ridge, and is wide, deep and sloping, quickly becoming tatebori like the rest of the hori (moats) found at the castle. Further, the castle's only dobashi (earthen bridge) spans this large moat, and is one of the longest dobashi I've seen at a yamajiro.

The lower baileys of Ojimajō now host a shrine to Kwannon. When I visited, the autumn colours at this altitude were effulgent. Naturally, the terraces narrow as they climb, though the second or penultimate bailey is quite spacious and appears to contain a stone-lined well. The upper castle is now mostly used as a cedar plantation. These terraces are bounded in the west by a huge tatebori stretching all the way down the mountainside.

I found three decent sized blobs of ishigaki throughout the ruins. The most impressive segment is squeezed between two short tatebori on the side of the upper bailey cluster. It looks like it must collapse totally one day, and already has in parts, but it is beautiful. It's hard to find so I'm glad I didn't miss it.

Saitou Toshiyasu Yakata / 斎藤利安館

Saitō-Toshiyasu-yakata is a former yakata (fortified manor hall) site which is now the site of Sōfukuji, a temple notable for its "blood ceilings" recycled from Gifujō after its destruction in 1600. No clear ruins remain of fortifications, but I found what looked like it could've been an embankment in the temple's garden. There are also cenotaphs behind the temple's hondō (main hall) for the Saitō Clan. Sōfukuji was also an Oda Clan bodaiji (funerary temple), so there is a stele cenotaph for Oda Nobunaga and Oda Nobutada on a small earthen mound.

In the temple hall's genkan (entrance parlour) there is an old monochrome aerial photograph showing the temple from above. Maybe it dates to the 1930s or 40s. The temple is surrounded by a dense thicket in a square formation. Surely, thinks I, inside those thickets were moats and ramparts which surrounded the old manor hall. But, alas, they're long gone now, as are the surrounding fields and huge prison complex shown in the photo, all now swallowed up by residential sprawl.

I should add that the temple hall also contains an old shachihoko roof finial said to have been originally erected at Kiyosu Castle (but I don't have a picture, I think because it came out blurry).

Sarubami Castle / 猿啄城

Sarubamijō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Sakahogi Township, Kamo County (Gifu Prefecture). Ruins consist of single bailey complex with two terraced baileys beneath the small main bailey, and a trench to the rear. The climb is steep but it doesn't take too long. The trail is well maintained as a popular hiking trail, and I saw many people when I visited. This may have something to do with the mogi miyagura (faux-reconstructed watchtower) built at the top of the castle-mount.

The views from the mogi miyagura are excellent. The tallest snow-capped mountains visible are in Nagano, ranging from Mount Kenǵamine and the Kiso Mountains to the Southern "Japanese Alps". Mount Hakusan to the west is also apparent. Nearer by, the township of Sakahogi is spread below. A school in the middle of a hilly forest can be seen and it looked scary and outré to me surrounded by trees, but it's just the town's middle school. To the southwest neighbouring Kakamiǵahara Municipality can be seen. In the distance the skyline of downtown Nagoya is visible. Indeed, the view is commanding.

After climbing up to the tower I stayed for a while enjoying the warm sun, the view, and a large amanatsu I had brought. As I ate I amassed a pile of peelings from the astringent fruit and wondered if I was the monkey of Sarubamijō, picking at my citrus. Unfortunately in my rapture I forgot to check the rear of the main bailey for any trenches. Not many sources mention it, but according to Jōkaku Hōrōki there is a trench system spanned by a dobashi (earthen bridge). I did remember half way back down the mountain, and took a side path wondering if it would swing around and up, but it just took me further away, and by then time was getting on. Ah, well.

Suishouzan Encampment / 水晶山陣

Suishōzan-jin is a mountaintop jinsho (encampment) ruin in Iwamura Township of Ena Municipality. Ruins are earthworks such as horikiri (trenches) and dorui (earthen ramparts). The fort has upper and lower sections. The upper section is on the peak of Mount Suishō, and the lower is on the ridge, close to Iwamurajō. The lower jinsho has a some flattened areas and a prominent rear trench. An old mountain path ascends from below and it has berms either side, giving the impression of a gate site where it terminates in the jinsho's bailey. There are some indications of terracing and earthen bulwarks between the lower and upper jinsho sections. The upper jinsho contains the flattened peak with a long but shallow trench and earthen parapet below. It seems to have been used chiefly as a look-out.

Taishou Encampment (Ena) / 大将陣

Taishō-jin ('General's Encampment') is a hilltop jinsho (encampment) site in Iwamura Township of Ena Municipality. The site is maintained as a local park with various monuments, and it is designated as a local historical site. There are few signs of fortifications but the hillside has been terraced in places and there are flattened bailey spaces which presumably hosted the tents of the besieging army. The small hill gave a direct view of Iwamura Castle (now there are too many trees).

There is a small shrine and a war memorial, as well as some signboards about the jinsho site. One signboard was for a marker commemorating Iwamura Castle and the siege to which it succumbed.

Note: 'Taishō-jin' is a fairly generic name, and there are other famous encampment sites with this name. This site is in the historical Ena County. Although perhaps more properly called the Oda-Nobutada-honjin, Oda Nobutada had many such encampments in his career.

Tama Castle (Mino) / 美濃玉城

Tamajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin overlooking Tama village in Sekiǵahara Township, Fuwa County. Ruins include earthworks such as dorui (earthen ramparts), baileys, and trenches, including a rear "ribbed box" trench, as well as many tatebori (hillside climbing trenches). The fort's layout is of an expanded main bailey above with sub-baileys and defensive structures ringing it below.

The rear trench complex is this site's highlight - for me. The array of tatebori, one after the other, on the fort's western slope, are also impressive. Piles of stones arond here suggest either some masonry was used, or a large amount of stones were kept around to be used as projectiles. Some features I found did not appear on the map I was using, including a well site.

To reach Tamajō I rented a bicycle from the souvenir shop across from Sekiǵahara Station. I got an electric one so as to cycle on the forest road which leads to the trail to Tamajō. Afterward I went to the Sekiǵahara Limestone Cave, which was full of bats - and even a type of trout (masu) that lives in subterrene streams there.

Yamaguchi Castle (Mino) / 美濃山口城

Yamaguchijō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin between the townships of Yamaguchi and Hōrinji in Motosu Municipality. Ruins feature earthworks. Yamaguchijō is treated as the principal fort of the Monjuyama fortress group, the peak of Monjuyama being the site of Yamaguchijō. There are signboards about the castle here, and this part of the mountain seems to have been developed a little as a park rather than simply a hiking trail.

Yamaguchijō is also distinguished from the other forts in the group by its obikuruwa (ring bailey) surrounding the main bailey. The obikuruwa has some indications of having different levels or slight terracing. There is a gate ruin to the side of the modern entrance to the main bailey.

I had hiked in a big circuit starting from Motosu Station and climbing to Kakeborajō (which for me is the most impressive fortress in the Monjuyama group). I then walked the ridge to Ikoyamajō, continued on to Hōrinjijō, and descended thence before sweeping back up to reach Yamaguchijō. For the first time that day I encountered other people, as an elderly couple came up along the steep stairway along the ridge between the sites of Yamaguchijō and Nakanojō. I said to the old man "Steep, isn't it?" and he said "Not at all!". Oh!

This site is Yamaguchijō in Mino Province, not to be confused with Yamaguchijō in Suo Province (Yamaguchi Prefecture).

Yamaguchi Yakata (Mino) / 美濃山口館

Yamaguchi-yakata is a yakata (fortified manor hall) site in Yamaguchi Township, Motosu Municipality. There are apparently ruins in the form of earthworks such as berms and dry moats, but the site is densely overgrown and private property, so I could not confirm this. Also, my train was due very soon so I had little time to look around.

The yakata site is located right beside the Tarumi Railway and Oribe Station. There is a marker for the yakata at the edge of the property, and a signboard about it on the station platform. On the opposite side of the tracks from Yamaguchi-yakata is the Oribe Roadside Station ('michi-no-eki'). I'd actually visited this place before because of the large castle folly it has. Rather than a tower, there is an Edo period-style yaguramon (gatehouse). Sometimes it's possible to enter, but when I first visited there was some kind of alternative medicine workshop / scam going on inside, and this time I didn't have time to check. The yaguramon, called "sanmon", likely dates to 2001.

The rest-stop is also called 'Oribe-no-sato', so the yaguramon is like a ceremonial entrance for this "village". Additionally there is an exhibition hall, and the displays introduce Furuta Shigenari who was born at the yakata, so the yaguramon and village appear to be purposeful in their relation to the yakata. Maybe they wanted to build the yaguramon on the yakata site but the landowner wouldn't sell, or cooler heads deterred them from doing anything so silly. Of course, an Edo period yaguramon would not have been built at a Sengoku period yakata! The yakata does not seem to have featured any ishigaki (stone walls) either. For me, there is really no relation between the yakata and the folly, but for more casual history fans maybe the connection is more intuitive. Basically, I think we should treat the yaguramon as an ahistorical faux-reconstruction of the yakata. Anyway, it's a fun bonus for Sengoku history enthusiasts (as for castle-bloggers, Kyūtarō (no Sengoku shiro meguri) rejoices in the folly, whilst Jōkaku Hōrōki coldly ignores it).

Loading map...