Kizu Castle

Due to poor bus timings, I ended up walking from Kaseyama Castle back to Kizu Station, but I was able to turn this into an advantage and drop by Kizu Castle along the way. I did not expect anything to be here but the central bailey was surprisingly well preserved. There is really just the one ma

History

Being in a pivotal location near the capital and along the roads into Nara, this castle saw its share of action over the years and was the target of many warlords.

The castle was founded by the Kizu Clan in the early Muromachi Period. The Kizu clan themselves burned the castle after an attack by Hatakeyama Yoshinari in 1457. It was invaded during the Onin Wars in 1470 and was often caught up in power struggles throughout this time until Miyoshi Yoshitsugu took control in 1571. They used it until Nobunaga started to push back on the Miyoshi and exert his power over Kyoto when it was abandoned for good.

Field Notes

Due to poor bus timings, I ended up walking from Kaseyama Castle back to Kizu Station, but I was able to turn this into an advantage and drop by Kizu Castle along the way. I did not expect anything to be here but the central bailey was surprisingly well preserved. There is really just the one main bailey with earthen embankments around it. Along each ridge radiating out from here there is a small lookout which is further protected by trenches and embankments. These are mostly overgrown or eroded away. Judging by the history below you can see why they would have needed lookouts in every direction!

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Gallery

Castle Profile
English Name	Kizu Castle
Japanese Name	木津城
Founder	Shinohara Jiton
Year Founded	early 1400s
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Local Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Kizu Station (Nara Line), 30 min walk
Hours	mountain park, open anytime
Time Required	30 mins
Location	Kizugawa, Kyoto
Coordinates	34.73197, 135.83009
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2024
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2023
Admin Visits	December 27, 2023
Friends of JCastle
Jokaku Horoki
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