Sakaime Castle
Sakaimejō is a hilltop yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Kibi Township (the castle is also known as Kibijō), Kosai Municipality. The fort's layout is not so expansive but consists of three baileys; the hill is divided by a trench with the northern and southern bailey on either side (maybe the no
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History
Sakaimejō (lit. 'border sight castle') was built alongside the expansion of Utusyamajō to the north in anticipation of the invasion of Matsudaira / Tokugawa forces from the west following the Imagawa's loss of neighbouring Mikawa Province. Construction apparently dates to 1567 when the nearby temple Myōryūji was relocated from the castle-mount. Under orders from Imagawa Ujimasa, a Masuda clansmen and Mizuno Sōhē oversaw the fort's construction. Upon completion in 1567, Kakiźuka Uemon was made castellan of Sakaimejō.
In 1568, Sakai Tadatsugu, a general of Tokugawa Ieyasu, conquered Sakaimejō and Utsuyamajō. It is thought that Sakaimejō was captured first, falling quickly when the garrison commander retreated to seek reinforcements from Hikumajō to the east, and then used as a base from which to reinforce the siege of Utsuyamajō.
Field Notes
Sakaimejō is a hilltop yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Kibi Township (the castle is also known as Kibijō), Kosai Municipality. The fort's layout is not so expansive but consists of three baileys; the hill is divided by a trench with the northern and southern bailey on either side (maybe the northerly bailey was the main bailey but it's unclear). There are the solid remains of dorui (earthen ramparts) banked up on the edge of the north bailey, below which the hillside falls near vertically for several metres before steeply continuing down. I found small pagoda-shaped stones in the bailey which had fallen down, so I set them aright. The southern bailey is now used as an orchard. There is a smaller, lower bailey at the end of the trench between both upper baileys, and this now hosts a shrine.
For those visiting by car, you can probably park at nearby Myōryūji. Take the lane directly north of this temple (at first it looks just like someone's driveway) to find the path up the hill to the fort ruins. I also visited the temple after the castle. Apparently the temple actually once stood on castle-mount, presumably before the fort's construction. Also notable is that the Tōkaidō rail line runs north of the fort site on a large embankment. The castle-mount is degraded to the north, and earth was taken from this place to pile up the embankments for the railway. Therefore, it is possible that the footprint of Sakaimejō was once much more expansive (the positioning of the road which rings the hill is also suggestive in this regard).
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| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Sakaime Castle |
| Japanese Name | 境目城 |
| Alternate Names | Kibijō / Nobukaneyamajō (吉美城・延兼山城) |
| Founder | Mizuno Sōhē; Kakiźuka Uemon |
| Year Founded | 1567 |
| Castle Type | Mountaintop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Dorui, Kuruwa, Hori, &c. |
| Features | trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Washiźu Station on the Tōkaidō Main Line; 30 minute walk |
| Hours | 24/7 free; hill |
| Time Required | 30 minutes |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Kosai, Shizuoka Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 34.72023, 137.52612 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2023 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Shiseki Yawa | |
| Yogo | |
