Shimonishijouno Yakata
Shimonishijōno-yakata, also called Shimonishijōjō, is a former yakata (fortified manor hall) site in Shimonishijō Township in Shiojiri Municipality. No ruins remain, and the site is now fields. Local landmarks in the village consist of a small shrine and altar to Yakushi. This yakata is the proposed
History
Shimonishijōno-yakata is proposed to have been the yakata paired with Nishijōjō, a mountaintop fort. Many peaks were fortified in this area, forming a complex of forts and residences. Likewise, Uenodan-yakata was the yakata for Arashijō, and Jikōin-yakata was the yakata of Iinawajō. The Ogasawara were feudal lords in this area and it is presumed they or their vassals constructed Shimonishijōno-yakata, also called Shimonishijōjō, but it is not known exactly when (but probably between 1396 and 1449).
Field Notes
Shimonishijōno-yakata, also called Shimonishijōjō, is a former yakata (fortified manor hall) site in Shimonishijō Township in Shiojiri Municipality. No ruins remain, and the site is now fields. Local landmarks in the village consist of a small shrine and altar to Yakushi. This yakata is the proposed kyokan (residential component to a fort-and-manor-hall compound) site which was twinned with Nishijōjō on the mountain above.
This site, which sits atop a small river terrace, is part of a complex of fort sites in the vicinity made up of yakata and their fortified redoubts on the mountaintops above. However, it was not identified until recently, and so I did not know about it when I visited the rest of those sites, mostly in 2020. This year (2025) I took the opportunity of passing through Shiojiri to check it out since the village of Shimonishijō is just outside downtown Shiojiri.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Shimonishijouno Yakata |
| Japanese Name | 下西条の館 |
| Alternate Names | 下西条城 |
| Founder | Ogasawara Clan |
| Year Founded | Between 1396 and 1449 |
| Castle Type | Fortified Manor |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Features | |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Shiojiri Station on the Chūō Line; 30 min walk. |
| Hours | 24/7 free; fields |
| Time Required | 10 mins |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Shiojiri, Nagano Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 36.10137, 137.96522 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Nippon Shiro Meguri | |
