Sannohe Castle
Sannohejō is a Sengoku period mountaintop castle. The site has some remaining ishigaki (stone ramparts) and impressive dorui (earthen embankments) surrounding the ruins of a gate. The donjon is a 1967 historically inaccurate reconstruction and does not represent any structure that used to exist. In
History
Exactly when Sannohejō was first built is unknown but the Nanbu Clan under Nanbu Harumasa made it their headquarters in 1539 after Shōjojidatejō was destroyed in an uprising. After Harumasa's death the clan fell to infighting. The Nanbu at Sannohe pledged allegiance to Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the siege of Odawara and so he officially recognised their line as the legitimate one. Regardless, there was a rebellion at Kunohejō which the Sannohe coalition had to quell. At this time ishigaki were used to reinforce parts of Sannohejō which can still be seen today. In 1634 the Nanbu relocated to Moriokajō and Sannohejō was abandoned.
Field Notes
Sannohejō is a Sengoku period mountaintop castle. The site has some remaining ishigaki (stone ramparts) and impressive dorui (earthen embankments) surrounding the ruins of a gate. The donjon is a 1967 historically inaccurate reconstruction and does not represent any structure that used to exist. In 1989 one of the castle's gatehouses was reconstructed from wood, which has a more authentic feel to it. An original historic structure exists today, a small gate relocated offsite at nearby Ryōsenji in the Meiji period after having been used as part of the jin'ya (fortified administrative center for lords or bureaucrats without a castle) which was built on the old castle site in 1684. This former omotemon (front gate) is a local-level cultural property. There is yet another gate relocated elsehwere (Hōsenji) but I didn't visit that one.
Profile and gallery update by ART (2024; visited 2017).
Gallery
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Sannohe Castle |
| Japanese Name | 三戸城 |
| Founder | Nanbu Harumasa |
| Year Founded | 1558 |
| Castle Type | Mountaintop |
| Castle Condition | Reconstructed main keep |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Main Keep Structure | 3 tiers, 3 floors |
| Year Reconstructed | 1967 |
| Features | main keep, gates, stone walls, walls |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Sannohe Sta (Aomori Tetsudo), bus |
| Hours | 9am-4pm; 200y. Closed Mondays or the day following a holiday and from Dec1 to Mar31 |
| Time Required | |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Sannohe, Aomori Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 40.38136, 141.26409 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2012 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
