Setagaya Castle

There's really very little to see here besides the outlines of some earthen embankments. The stone walls were recreated with the park for atmosphere. Combined with a trip to nearby Gotokuji Temple, it is a worthwhile trip if you live in Tokyo. Gotokuji Temple houses the graves of the Hikone lords, t

History

The Kira Clan was awarded with the Setagaya lands by Ashikaga Motouji in 1366. The residence of the Kira clan was established around 1394-1426 and further fortified into a small castle by Kira Naritaka in the mid 1400's. Naritaka also became a close ally of Ota Dokan and was entrusted with the defense of Edo Castle when Ota Dokan left to put down the Nagao Kageharu Rebellion. This is actually the only record of the Kira clan participating in any battles. Naritaka also established an alliance with the Hojo who were gradually swallowing up the Kanto plain. The Kira ruled until the fall of the Hojo in 1590. Following the fall of the Hojo, Tokugawa Ieyasu put the Setagaya area under the control of the Hikone Ii clan. The Ii established their funerary temple here at Gokokuji and administered the area from the nearby Daikansho which still exists today (sorry, no picture). It is said that the stones from the castle were taken and used for the construction of Edo Castle.

Field Notes

There's really very little to see here besides the outlines of some earthen embankments. The stone walls were recreated with the park for atmosphere. Combined with a trip to nearby Gotokuji Temple, it is a worthwhile trip if you live in Tokyo. Gotokuji Temple houses the graves of the Hikone lords, the Ii clan. One legend states that the world famous Japanese manekineko cats also derive from a story at this temple and that means it's also related to the Hikone Castle mascot, Hikonyan. Click through to the photo for these exciting details.

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Gallery

Park entrance
Park entrance
Earthen embankment
Path up the embankment
Earthen embankment
bailey
Embankment and bailey
Moat separating two baileys
dry moats
Dry moats
dry moats and baileys
Main gate of Gotokuji Temple
Entrance to the family graves of the Ii clan.
Manekineko Shrine.
Map

Castle Profile
English Name	Setagaya Castle
Japanese Name	世田谷城
Alternate Names	Kira Gosho, Setagaya Gosho
Founder	Kira Haruie
Year Founded	1366
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Prefectural Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Miyanosaka Sta. (Tokyu Setagaya line), walk 7 mins
Hours	Park is open anytime
Time Required	20 mins
URL	Castle Website
Location	Tokyo, Tokyo
Coordinates	35.64611, 139.6475
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2014
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2013
Admin Visits	Sept 7, 2013

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