Iwatsuki Castle

From Jcastle.info

A nice little park for a walk (except for the dozen or so mosquito bites I got). The 2 original gates are well preserved. They could have put more effort into signage around the grounds.

Iwatsuki1.jpg

History

Ohta Doshin, a retainer of Ougiya Uesugi Mochitomo, built Iwatsuki castle. It was built around the same time as Kawagoe Castle and Edo Castle as an important fortification for the Ougiya Uesugi clan. The castle made good use of natural defenses with the Arakawa River to the North and East and a swampy area to the South and West.

The castle was taken over by the Hojo in 1525. Iwatsuki Castle fell to Hideyoshi's allies during his Odawara campaigns. It is said that a force of 20,000 was sent against the 2000 defenders. After Tokugawa moved to Edo, many different lords were stationed here. In 1775 a great fire burned down most of the castle buildings. The castle was dismantled in 1870 and most of it has been settled as a residential area. The remaining Shinkuruwa and Kajikurawa were external courtyards outside the main Honmaru, Ninomaru, etc.


Field Notes

A nice little park for a walk (except for the dozen or so mosquito bites I got). The 2 original gates are well preserved. They could have put more effort into signage around the grounds.


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Gallery
  • kuromon
  • yakuimon gate
  • shoji bori moat
  • shinkuruwa moat
  • shinkuruwa dry moat
  • shinkuruwa moat
  • kajikuruwa
  • pond
  • map


Castle Profile
English Name Iwatsuki Castle
Japanese Name 岩槻城
Alternate Names 白鶴城
Founder Ohta Doshin
Year Founded 1457
Castle Type Flatland
Castle Condition No main keep but other buildings
Designations Prefectural Historic Site, Local Historic Site
Historical Period Edo Period
Features gates
Visitor Information
Access Iwatsuki Sta. (Noda Line), 20 min walk
Hours 24/7 free; park
Time Required 120 minutes
URL Castle Website
Location Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture
Coordinates 35.95107, 139.71153
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Admin
Added to Jcastle 2009
Contributor Eric
Admin Year Visited 2009
Admin Visits August 29, 2009


2.33
(3 votes)
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