Hachioji Castle

There is a bus from Takao Station to the castle every hour on weekends and holidays. I recommend visiting when you can use this bus. Even though there are no buildings, the walls, bridge and entrance to the lord's palace are enough to stimulate visitors to imagine what the original castle was like.

History

Hojo Ujiteru was one of the powerful lords of the Hojo family. He built this castle to strengthen the Hojo position in the area and help defend Odawara Castle from attack. After Odawara Castle was surrounded by Hideyoshi forces, Hojo Ujiteru, Hojo Ujimasa and Hojo Ujinao left to fight in Odawara leaving Hachioji Castle nearly defenseless. Soon after, the castle came under attack from Hideyoshi forces on June 23, 1590 and fell in one day. Hideyoshi later went on to defeat the Hojo at Odawara and complete the unification of Japan. It is said that Hideyoshi feared Ujiteru for his intelligence and prowess and that is a large part of why he demanded Ujiteru to commit suicide (seppuku) after he was captured.

Hachioji-jo was a great sprawling castle across the mountaintop with barricades built in strategic places to stall would be attackers or spies. The picture above of the entrance to what was originally the lord's palace. It is at the base of the mountain while the castle was actually at the top. There are a few small pieces of stone walls around the mountain but that is all that remains. The palace stood at the top of the hill across the bridge and was heavily fortified.

Field Notes

There is a bus from Takao Station to the castle every hour on weekends and holidays. I recommend visiting when you can use this bus.

Even though there are no buildings, the walls, bridge and entrance to the lord's palace are enough to stimulate visitors to imagine what the original castle was like. This is one of the top castles to visit in the Tokyo area. Please be sure to walk out to the huge horikiri (大堀切) and pay attention to the former stone embankment along the way. Most people turn back at the Honmaru. The volunteer guides are also very knowledgeable. If you can speak even a little Japanese why not take a tour.

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Gallery

bridge, stone walls
Ashida Bailey
Otemichi road
Stone walls of the palace
Stone walls of the palace entrance
stonework palace entrance
road to the palace
gate to the palace grounds
entrance to the palace
entranceway to the palace
view of the entrance from the palace grounds
palace grounds
Palace grounds
Stone walls in the woods
stone walls in the woods.
Stone walls
Stone walls in the woods
Honmaru bailey
Komabiyashi horikiri
Stone covered earthen embankment
stone covered embankment
stone embankment
Great Horikiri
Great Horikiri
Tsume-no-shiro, yagura foundation
view towards Tokyo
terraced baileys
Map

Castle Profile
English Name	Hachioji Castle
Japanese Name	八王子城
Founder	Hojo Ujiteru
Year Founded	1570
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Top 100 Castles, Top 100 Mountaintop Castles, National Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Takao Station (Chuo Line), bus for Reienmae (get off at Reienmae), 10 minute walk
Hours	Free; the Visitor Center (Guidance Center) is open 830am-5pm. Closed 12/29-1/3
Time Required	200 mins
URL	Castle Website
Location	Hachioji, Tokyo
Coordinates	35.65314, 139.25304
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2002
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2002, 2013, 2015
Admin Visits	January 26, 2002; June 29, 2013; May 2, 2015

3.00

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