Higashi Goma Castle

The most common approach to this castle seems to be to hike from Shiogai Castle, but you could equally start from this side, and it might be easier to find the entrance. The last photo below shows it clearly. From here, you can easily hike around the horseshoe shaped mountain to [[Shiogai Castle

History

The history of this castle is somewhat unclear, especially given its proximity to Shiogai Castle along the same ridgeline. It is attributed to the Uno clan, vassals of the Hatano, and was captured by Akechi Mitsuhide in 1579 before being abandoned. The Uno also maintained a fortified manor across the valley, Noge Yakata, suggesting this site served as its mountain redoubt (tume-no-shiro). For a redoubt, the castle is notably large and well-defended, with a broad central bailey and about 30 subsidiary enclosures, including terraced baileys descending the north slope. Behind the main bailey lies a smaller enclosure, a koguchi gate, and a kirigishi cut slope, leading to a trail connecting to Shiogai Castle.

An older, frequently cited theory based on the late Edo-period chronicle Tanba-shi (丹波志)—a source often considered unreliable—claims the two castles were separate strongholds built by different Hatano-aligned local lords cooperating against Akechi Mitsuhide. A more recent interpretation (Takahashi 2020) argues instead that this was the primary castle, with Shiogai Castle functioning as a satellite fortification, offering better views of the valley obscured by the horseshoe-shaped terrain. The latter theory appears more convincing.

Field Notes

The most common approach to this castle seems to be to hike from Shiogai Castle, but you could equally start from this side, and it might be easier to find the entrance. The last photo below shows it clearly. From here, you can easily hike around the horseshoe shaped mountain to Shiogai Castle. You can also refer to my Yamap trail for more details of this course including both these castles, Noge Yakata and the Goma Nakamura Castle.

I got interested in these sites from the Mori-no-Kyoto (Woodland Kyoto) booth at the Osaka Castle Festival last summer and made it my first visit of the autumn castle season. The site is well maintained by local volunteers with many small handmade signs pointing out key features. The volunteers also do occasional tours of these sites.

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Castle Profile
English Name	Higashi Goma Castle
Japanese Name	東胡麻城
Alternate Names	Shimogoma-jo
Founder	Uno Clan
Year Founded	Muromachi Period
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Goma Sta. (San'in Main Line); 20 min walk to trail head
Hours	Mountain trails, open any time
Time Required	60 mins
Hiking Trail	View on Yamap
Location	Nantan, Kyoto
Coordinates	35.19109, 135.47806
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2025
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2024
Admin Visits	October 14, 2024
Friends of JCastle
Jokaku Horoki
Yamajiro Sanka

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