Shimoyama Castle (Kai)
Shimoyamajō is a yakata (fortified manor hall) site in Shimoyama village in Minobu Township of historical Koma County. It is now the site of a Nichiren temple, Hongokuji, which retains 18th century architecture, including the sanmon (main gate) and kuri (kitchen) buildings. There is a stele for the
History
Shimoyamajō was built circa 1202 by Shimoyama Mitsushige, a grandson of Kagami Tômitsu (see Kagami-yakata). Shimoyama Mitsumoto, Mitsushige's son, built a temple near the yakata in 1260. Mitsumoto was a follower of Nichiren, and the philosopher-priest stayed at Shimoyamajō in 1275 on his way to Mount Minobu. This is described in the document 'Shimoyama (go)Shōsoku'.
In 1418, the Anayama Clan, vassals of the Takeda Clan, moved into Shimoyamajō. Owing to dedications and shrines on the hillside, it seems the Anayama were in place here up until 1582 and the fall of the Kai-Takeda. The last Anayama Clan patriarch, Anayama Nobutada (also known as Takeda Nobutada and Anayama Baisetsu), was, having surrendered to Tokugawa Ieyasu earlier that year, killed in Yamashiro during the Honnōji incident in 1582.
Field Notes
Shimoyamajō is a yakata (fortified manor hall) site in Shimoyama village in Minobu Township of historical Koma County. It is now the site of a Nichiren temple, Hongokuji, which retains 18th century architecture, including the sanmon (main gate) and kuri (kitchen) buildings. There is a stele for the castle near the entrance to the temple, and what castle-bloggers have identified as a karabori (dry moat) to the east. I clambered past the temple's necropolis onto the hillside to be double sure of not finding anything, and there was an old shrine building which had been run through by a fallen tree. Beyond there was a path up the mountain. The lower portions of this path do bear a moat-like aspect. Still, the reason to visit here is mostly to appreciate the temple I think. The huge ichō (ginkgo tree) is said to have been planted by Nichiren himself. It looks old enough, surely.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Shimoyama Castle (Kai) |
| Japanese Name | 甲斐下山城 |
| Founder | Shimoyama Mitsushige; Anayama Clan |
| Year Founded | c. 1202; 1418 |
| Castle Type | Fortified Manor |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Features | trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Hadakajima Station on the Minobu Line; 30 minute walk to Hongokuji |
| Hours | 24/7 free; temple |
| Time Required | 10 minutes |
| Location | Minobu, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 35.41377, 138.44028 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Hōrōki | |
| Yamareki | |
| Kojōdan | |
