Tanagura Castle
Tanagura Castle has large dorui (earthen ramparts) surrounded by a mizubori (water moat) with two entrances into the central compound, one from the north and one from the southeast. When I came the cherry blossoms were blooming and Tangura Castle Festival was in full swing.
History
Nagashige Niwa built Tanagura Castle in 1625, and his son Mitsushige ruled form 1627 after the senior Niwa’s transfer to Shirakawa. For most of the Edo period the castle was controlled by Fudai Daimyō appointed by the Shogunate. In its day the castle had a second bailey ringing the honmaru (main bailey), as well as a third bailey in the north, with a sotobori (outer moat) encompassing them. Whilst the primary defences of the castle were of mounded earth, a segment of ishigaki (stonewall) was erected in the west of the Ninomaru. Tanagura Castle’s garrison was wiped out at the siege of Shirakawa Castle during the Boshin War in 1868. The rump defence left at Tanagura then fell to Imperial forces in less than a day. Of the castle’s buildings none remain on-site, although it once had at least four yagura (turrets) in the central compound, now only a single gate survives, but it has unfortunately been moved off site.
Field Notes
Tanagura Castle has large dorui (earthen ramparts) surrounded by a mizubori (water moat) with two entrances into the central compound, one from the north and one from the southeast. When I came the cherry blossoms were blooming and Tangura Castle Festival was in full swing.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Tanagura Castle |
| Japanese Name | 棚倉城 |
| Founder | Nagashige Niwa |
| Year Founded | 1625 |
| Castle Type | Flatland |
| Castle Condition | No main keep but other buildings |
| Historical Period | Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Dorui, Mizubori, Kuruwa, &c. |
| Features | gates, water moats, trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Iwaki-Tanagura Station on the Suigun Line, then 5 minute walk. |
| Hours | 24/7 |
| Time Required | one hour |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Tanagura, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 37.02987, 140.38591 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2017 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Yogo | |
| Shiro Meguri | |
| Kojōdan | |
