Seiryuin

Seiryuin is best visited in a trip to Iwabitsu Castle. Start from Gobara Station and walk to Seiryuin and then walk the "Sanada Road" to Iwabitsu Castle. Gunma Haramachi is often given as the closest train station to Iwabitsu Castle but it is a long boring uphill walk. This route is much better and

History

In 1582, as Takeda Katsuyori was feeling the pressure from Tokugawa and Oda forces invading his lands, Sanada Masayuki invited him to move to one of his strongest fortresses, Iwabitsu Castle. Sanada laid the foundation for a fortified home at the Karamete Entrance to Iwabitsu Castle. If you visit the site, you'll see that it's tucked away in a somewhat hidden valley and would have been a defensible and well fortified place for Katsuyori. Unfortunately, Katsuyori fell into a trap by one of his vassals, Oyamada Nobushige who was in league with the Oda. Oyamada convinced Katsuyori to come to Iwadono Castle in the Takeda homeland of Kai rather than fleeing Kai completely and moving into the Sanada lands in Kozuke. When Katsuyori arrived, the castle was barred and he was not allowed in. He fled Iwadono and eventually committed suicide at Mt. Tenmoku while being pursued by Takigawa Kazumasa, an Oda vassal. Even though Oyamada had joined with the Oda, Oda had him executed for his dirty betrayal of Katsuyori.

Field Notes

Seiryuin is best visited in a trip to Iwabitsu Castle. Start from Gobara Station and walk to Seiryuin and then walk the "Sanada Road" to Iwabitsu Castle. Gunma Haramachi is often given as the closest train station to Iwabitsu Castle but it is a long boring uphill walk. This route is much better and mostly wooded. After Iwabitsu Castle you can walk downhill all the way to Gunma Haramachi for the return trip.

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Gallery

Foundation of Katsuyori's palace
Gobara Station and Mt. Iwabitsu
Palace foundation
Palace foundation
Palace foundation and Mt. Iwabitsu
Palace foundation
Palace foundation
Palace grounds
Distant view of the mountain
Old building and wall
Map
Map

Castle Profile
English Name	Seiryuin
Japanese Name	潜龍院
Founder	Sanada Masayuki
Year Founded	1582
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Gobara Sta. (Agatsuma Line), 25 min walk
Hours	mountain trials, be open any time.
Time Required	20 mins
URL	Castle Website
Location	Higashiazuma, Gunma Prefecture
Coordinates	36.55409, 138.79709
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2016
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2016
Admin Visits	April 29, 2016

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