Kurita Castle

Since I had time to spare in downtown Nagano I went on a little castle walk, going from site to site. Kuritajō was the best and last, possessing the most substantial ruins, although only a portion of the original castle remains. Kuritajō's layout was square-like; in fact, almost a parallelogram. It

History

Kurita Castle was a medieval flatland earthworks castle built by the Kurita Clan as their residence. Around 1500 the Kurita Clan became vassals of the Murakami Clan, and after that vassals of the Takeda Clan. In 1581 Kurita Tsuruhisa was killed at the siege of Takatenjinjō.

Field Notes

Since I had time to spare in downtown Nagano I went on a little castle walk, going from site to site. Kuritajō was the best and last, possessing the most substantial ruins, although only a portion of the original castle remains. Kuritajō's layout was square-like; in fact, almost a parallelogram. It had tall earthen ramparts and mizubori (water moats) around the main bailey. An outer enclosure also existed, surrounded by the moat system. Now only the northwestern corner segment of dorui (earth-piled ramparts) survives, but it is still very tall. There is now a shrine built atop, and the remaining ruins are part of the shrine's grounds. The shrine is called the Minochi-sōja Hiyoshi-jinja. The flat ground at the foot of the dorui which is now parkspace is the moat which has been filled in. The stone platform shown here is a modern one built for the shrine's kami house. (ART)

Although it is not related to the castle, a Kosatsu stood here in Kurita village that listed announcements from the Bakufu (national) government. For a relatively small site, there is a great 8 page color pamphlet with detailed history, photos and maps of the castle and Kurita Village available on site or through this link (as of Jan2025). (Eric)

Profile by ART, photos and additional notes updated by Eric in 2025.

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Gallery

Castle Profile
English Name	Kurita Castle
Japanese Name	栗田城
Alternate Names	堀之内城
Founder	Kurita Clan
Year Founded	Before 1500
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Nagano Station; 12 minute walk
Hours	24/7 free; shrine
Time Required	15 minutes
URL	Castle Website
Location	Nagano, Nagano Prefecture
Coordinates	36.63792, 138.1943
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2020
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed, 2023
Admin Visits	December 23, 2023

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