Anshouko Castle
Anshōkojō, a fortified manor hall site, is historically connected to the slightly better known Anshōjō, the latter of which is now a large park, temple and museum, as well as the namesake for the municipality of Anjō. Of Anshōkojō, the 'old castle', not much remains. There is a tall segment of dorui
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History
Anshōkojō oversaw the Shiki Manor, a shōen (estate), belonging to Fujiwara Yorimichi from 1032. In 1169 Shiki-sō, a large holding consisting of 47 villages in the east of Hekikai County, was granted to Taira Kiyomori. Anshōkojō was built in 1032 by Fujiwara Yorimich at the earliest and 1169 by Taira Kiyomori at the latest. During the Kamakura period, the Andō Clan governed from the castle. In the 14th century, Hatakeyama Munemoto was assigned as deputy governor of the fief by the Ashikaga-bakufu. He founded the Wada Clan, and the Wada used Anshōkojō as their fortified manor hall. The castle is the antecedent of Anshōjō to the east. Anshōkojō was abandoned when Anshōjō was constructed by Wada Chikahira in 1440.
Field Notes
Anshōkojō, a fortified manor hall site, is historically connected to the slightly better known Anshōjō, the latter of which is now a large park, temple and museum, as well as the namesake for the municipality of Anjō. Of Anshōkojō, the 'old castle', not much remains. There is a tall segment of dorui (earthen ramparts) with a small shrine atop, and a signboard explaining about the history of the site. There is a small field here and a bamboo grove. It seemed that there might be a trench in the bamboo grove, but it was completely choked and impenetrable. If the mound with the shrine dates all the way back to 15th or 14th century, or even the Heian period, then that's pretty impressive.
Anshōkojō, together with Ansho Castle and Anjou Jin'ya, forms a trinity of fortification sites spanning three major epochs in Japanese history, from the classical era to the proto-modern.
Note: The fort sites today are oftened rendered as 安城 (Anjō) as per the modern municipality name, but historically it was also written 安祥 and pronounced 'Anshō'. 安祥 seems to be preferred by castle buffs, though various ways have been used to transcribe the name over the centuries (including 安静). The reading is a separate contention, and both readings are used; 安祥 is read 'Anshō', and 'Anjō' can be used with any kanji. 安祥城 is rendered 'Anshōjō' on jcastle.info, so I'm going with that.
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| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Anshouko Castle |
| Japanese Name | 安祥古城 |
| Alternate Names | Anjōkojō / Anjōmurakojō |
| Founder | Fujiwara Yorimichi; Taira Kiyomori; Hatakeyama Munemoto |
| Year Founded | 1032; 1169; 14th Century |
| Castle Type | Fortified Manor |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Dorui |
| Features | |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Minami-Anjō Station on the Meitetsu-Nishio Line; 8 minute walk |
| Hours | 24/7 free; park |
| Time Required | 15 minutes |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Anjō, Aichi Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 34.94765, 137.09107 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2023 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Shashin Kiroku | |
| Umoreta Kojō | |
| Kojōdan | |
| Jōkaku Hōrōki | |
| Jōkakuzukan | |
