Ichiba Castle (Ise)
Ichibajō is a gakejiro (plateau or clifftop fort) type hirayamajiro (elevation and flat land castle) ruin in Ichiba Township, Yokkaichi Municipality. The layout is of a squarish single bailey complex surrounded by earthworks and dry moats. Additionally, the remnants of outer fortifications which con
History
Ichibajō ('Market Castle') was built, it is thought, by the Ise-Asakura Clan from 1456. The Asakura in Ise Province served as magistrates under the Ashikaga Shogunate. The retainers of the Ise-Asakura lived in fortified plots around the castle, forming the beginnings of a castle-town. To the north Ichibajō had a satellite or twin castle called Hobonishijō, which was built to a similar scale and also was surrounded by a "samurai village". It's tempting to imagine that there was also market here near Ichibajō ('Market Castle'). This medieval town was gutted from 1568 when Oda Nobunaga subjugated northern Ise.
Note: sources differ on where the Ise-Asakura Clan fell, including in 1568 at Asakurajō, in 1571 at Nagashimajō, and in 1574. The issue seems to be when exactly Takigawa Kazumasu, the general of Oda Nobunaga who subjugated northern Ise, entered Nagashimajō. The Asakura patriarch was supposedly lured there by false promises of forging a peace, only to be assassinated. Guys, remember: it's important to negotiate peace treaties in neutral territory. The principal invasions of Ise under Takigawa Kazumasu took place in 1567 and 1568, but there may have been further expansions, repraisals, rebellions, massacres and assassinations which took place in the subsequent decade as the Oda factions tightened their grip on the province, culminating in the destruction of the Kitabatake manor hall in 1576.
Field Notes
Ichibajō is a gakejiro (plateau or clifftop fort) type hirayamajiro (elevation and flat land castle) ruin in Ichiba Township, Yokkaichi Municipality. The layout is of a squarish single bailey complex surrounded by earthworks and dry moats. Additionally, the remnants of outer fortifications which constituted a medieval castle-town can be found dotting the village of Ichiba.
The ruins can be divided into the castle proper and the surrounding medieval fortified townscape. On three sides Ichibajō's central bailey is surrounded by tall, thick dorui (earthen ramparts), with deep, wide karabori (dry moats) beneath the ramparts. The scale of these earthworks is mightily impressive. To the south the fort overlooks the cliffside, but here too are some smaller berms and terracing.
The main bailey has two gate complexes. One in the north, a pseudo-masugata (crank-shape) complex, and one in the southeastern corner, which, due to an intervening terrace, also functions as a masugata. Here, just beneath the southern point of the huge western berm, there is a well. It has a thin bit of rope strung across it, barely taught, to stop a man stumbling into the abyssal chute from which escape would be but a vain hope.
It would be death to fall in that well I thought, squinting to see the bottom of the cylindrical pit; the fall might be survivable, yet no one would come or hear you. Indeed, this fantastic ruin, a testament to the military engineering of medieval hands, is unloved, neglected, and terribly overgrown with bamboo and pest plants. No one comes here! It's a secret treasure of the dedicated castle maniac.
To underscore this bamboo-choked, rampant abandon, there was, in the castle's ruined umadash (barbican) no less, an abandoned car, ran through with bamboo like a corpse on a pike in a castle siege. In the blinding gloom of that foetid copse, I looked inside the old car. And the fabric of the driver's seat... moved. Something was trying to get out. I braced myself for rabid racoon-dog attack, but what emerged was a very flustered bird, and it soon flew off.
Yes, what adventures we get ourselves into. I mounted the ramparts, and followed them around. This part wasn't so difficult on the largest berms, and it gave me a good look over the moats from above, but descending into the main bailey meant swimming through colonies of dead bamboo. I thrashed and kicked my way out.
As mentioned, the remnants of outer baileys and enclosed residences of the castellan's retainers are found on the plateau around the castle, and significant remains of dorui can be found around and in the bamboo groves to the east of the castle proper. Old maps show many more segments than appear to survive today, including around a temple to the north. Over the centuries, however, particularly in recent decades, the remains of the castle-town have been chipped away at, regrettably obscurring its layout.
Ichibajō is twinned with another site of similar design and scale to the north about 2km away, Hobonishijō, and the two sites together are also referred to as Asakurajō after their overlords, the Ise-Asakura Clan.
Gallery
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Ichiba Castle (Ise) |
| Japanese Name | 伊勢市場城 |
| Alternate Names | Ise-Asakurajō (伊勢朝倉城) |
| Founder | Ise-Asakura Clan |
| Year Founded | 1456 |
| Castle Type | Hilltop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Dorui, Karabori, Dobashi, &c. |
| Features | trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Hokuseichūōkōenguchi Station on the Sangi Line; 15 minute walk |
| Hours | Access Limited; CAUTION ADVISED |
| Time Required | 60 mins |
| Location | Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 35.05699, 136.56073 |
|
|
|
| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Hōrōki | |
| Oshiro Tabi Nikki | |
| Yogo | |
