Shouzui Castle

There are 2 sites to see. The first one is the castle ruins itself, which is the first you'll see, coming from the station. A much larger site is in the south-west of the first part. It is much larger and excavations are still going on. This is where the lords had their residences. A little museum a

History

Shôzui Castle was the political, economic and cultural centre of Awaji, Sanuki and Awa provinces from the Kamakura to the Azuchi periods, and was known as the "best castle in Japan." It is an important castle ruin in the history of medieval Japan. It is located on a natural levee on the south bank of the old Yoshino River, bordering the Imakiri River to the east and wetlands to the south. The castle town flourished to an unprecedented extent for a medieval provincial city, and served as the base of operations for nine generations of the Hosokawa clan and three generations of the Miyoshi clan for approximately 240 years, making it a major historical stage. Shozui Castle is located within the grounds of Kenshoji Temple, the family temple of the Miyoshi clan, and the castle ruins are a square measuring approximately 80m east to west and 60m north to south, surrounded by a 14m wide moat, with some earthworks still remaining, and it was thought to have been the site of a guardianship for the Hosokawa clan and the residence of the Miyoshi clan. There are various theories about when the castle was built, but the earliest one is that it was built when Ogasawara Nagakiyo, who became the governor of Awa after the Jōkyū War, established a guardian's office there. However, recent excavations have pointed out the possibility that it was built as a hastily constructed final stronghold at the time of the Battle of Nakatomigawa. This battle involved the incursion of the Chosokabe clan and the destruction of the castle in 1582. (source : Partial translations of Japanese Wikipedia page: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8B%9D%E7%91%9E%E5%9F%8E#%E6%9C%AC%E4%B8%B8 )

Field Notes

There are 2 sites to see. The first one is the castle ruins itself, which is the first you'll see, coming from the station. A much larger site is in the south-west of the first part. It is much larger and excavations are still going on. This is where the lords had their residences. A little museum and information office has been built on these grounds. Some information panels(even in English) are explaining the history of the place and the advancement of the excavations. The Next 100 Meijô stamp is in this office.

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Gallery

Shôzui castle grounds
Castle marker
Water moat
Kensho Temple on the castle grounds
earthen rampart
Water moat
Going to the residence ruins
Entrance to the excavations of the residence
Moat and building foundation stones
Where a building stood
Karesansui arden remains
Office with museum and information

Castle Profile
English Name	Shouzui Castle
Japanese Name	勝瑞城
Founder	Ogasawara Nagakiyo
Year Founded	13th century
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Next 100 Castles, National Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	water moats, trenches
Visitor Information
Access	it's about 600m west from Shôzui station
Hours	free access
Time Required	45min
URL	Castle Website
Location	Shôzui, Tokushima Prefecture
Coordinates	34.13206, 134.52295
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2024
Contributor	Furinkazan
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

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