Kururi Castle

The castle was built roughly 500m from the original Kokururi Castle, but may have included some structures or built over some structures from Kokururi Castle too. Refer to the Kokururi Castle page for more information. The castle is an interesting combination of mountaintop castle and lowlan

History

The original Kururi Castle was built by the Mariyatsu Clan, a descendent line of the Takeda, so you will see the Takeda Kamon (family crest) at the Shinshoji Temple at the foot of the mountain (photos below). When Satomi Yoshitaka absorbed these territories as the Takeda weakened, he established a new base at Kururi Castle. The Satomi were constantly in conflict with the expansion of the Hojo based in Odawara. After several unsuccessful attempts to attack Kururi Castle, it was eventually taken over by the Hojo (1564) but was then recaptured by Satomi in 1567. After Yoshitaka died in 1577, the remaining Satomi came to a peace treaty with the Hojo in 1577. They ceded significant territory, including Kururi Castle, and retreated to the nearby Okamoto Castle.

In the Edo Period, the castle was assigned to the Tokugawa allied Matsudaira Tadamasa. Tadamasa, did much of the work to renovate the castle. The Sannomaru Bailey was moved from the top of the mountain to the bottom, the daimyo moved his residence here and a castle town was established. The domain was abandoned from 1679-1742, when it was asssigned to Kuroda Naozumi whose descendents ruled this small domain until the Meiji Period.

Field Notes

The castle was built roughly 500m from the original Kokururi Castle, but may have included some structures or built over some structures from Kokururi Castle too. Refer to the Kokururi Castle page for more information. The castle is an interesting combination of mountaintop castle and lowland castle. The Third Bailey (Sannomaru) is on the lowlands where the town is today and the Main Bailey (Honmaru) and Second Bailey (Ninomaru) are at the top. There are a few other small baileys and horikiri trenches at the top that are indicative of the original Sengoku Period mountaintop castle before it was built into an Edo Period castle. The castle's nickname, U-jo (rain castle), comes from the story that it rained at least once every three days during it construction for a total of 21 times.

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Gallery

you have to love their illustrations
Elevation 3 baileys
Kururi shopping area sign
Shinshoji Temple
Takeda family crest

Castle Profile
English Name	Kururi Castle
Japanese Name	久留里城
Alternate Names	U-jo
Founder	Mariyatsu Takeda
Year Founded	1540
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Reconstructed main keep
Designations	Top 100 Mountaintop Castles
Historical Period	Edo Period
Year Reconstructed	1977 (concrete)
Features	main keep, trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Kururi Sta. (Kururi Tetsudo); approx. 30 minute walk
Hours	Museum open 9:00-16:30; closed Mondays (unless a National Holiday); closed Dec. 28 - Jan. 4
Time Required	45 mins
URL	Castle Website
Location	Kimitsu City, Chiba Prefecture
Coordinates	35.28755, 140.08993
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2005
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2005, 2021
Admin Visits	May 28, 2005; May 3, 2021
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