Noguchi Castle (Mikawa)
Noguchijō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Noguchi Township, Toyokawa Municipality. Ruins consist of earthworks, including trenches and baileys. Dorui (earthen ramparts) feature quite prominently. The structure of the fort is of a twin bailey complex with terraced hillsides below to the so
History
The history of Noguchijō is largely unclear. It is said to have been first built in 1440 by Hosokawa Mochitsune to exert control over Hoi County. The Hosokawa, Itakura and Ingu clans are all credited with controlling the castle as they all held positions in the provincial government. However, since the ruins appear to date to the Sengoku period, it has been suggested that the castle, at least in its later form, was constructed by Imagawa Ujimasa as a border castle to halt the progress of Matsudaira Motoyasu (Tokugawa Ieyasu) into eastern Mikawa following the death of Imagawa Yoshimoto at the battle of Okehazama in 1560.
Field Notes
Noguchijō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Noguchi Township, Toyokawa Municipality. Ruins consist of earthworks, including trenches and baileys. Dorui (earthen ramparts) feature quite prominently. The structure of the fort is of a twin bailey complex with terraced hillsides below to the south. The lower bailey is spacious and has forward-facing dorui. The upper bailey is narrow with dorui both around and within. To the rear of the main bailey is a deep, wide trench. To the south of the main bailey is a lateral sloping trench and berm.
The upper bailey further features several trench-like troughs which eat into the bailey but do not cut the whole way through. These curious excavations are something of a mystery. Did the castle's builders consider turning the upper bailey into an array of trenches? It has been suggested that the lower bailey was in fact the main bailey.
A huge tree has collapsed onto its side in the upper bailey but is still growing. I climbed a little along it to see the rear dorui from above. There is a satellite fortification of Noguchijō called Kaminoyama on the peak above to the south.
Note: This site is Noguchijō in Mikawa Province (Aichi Prefecture), not to be confused with other sites with the same name elsewhere; neighbouring Gifu Prefecture has several fortification sites called 'Noguchi'.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Noguchi Castle (Mikawa) Jump to:navigation, search |
| Japanese Name | 三河野口城 |
| Founder | Hosokawa Mochitsune; Imagawa Ujimasa (theorised) |
| Year Founded | 1440; c.1560 |
| Castle Type | Mountaintop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Dorui, Horikiri, Yokobori, Kuruwa, &c. |
| Features | trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Yawata Station on the Meitetsu-Toyokawa Line; 30 min walk; or, Kō Station on the Meitetsu-Nagoya Line; 40 min walk. Climb from the reservoir to the southeast. |
| Hours | 24/7 free; mountain |
| Time Required | 30 mins |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 34.84552, 137.35125 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Hōrōki | |
| Umoreta Kojō | |
| Jōshi Meguri Bibōroku | |
| Shiseki Tanbōki | |
| Oshiro Tabi Nikki | |
| Yogo | |
