Teshirozuka Castle (Saku)
Teshiroźukajō is an okajiro (hilltop castle ruin) in Hei Township of Komoro Municipality. The main bailey of Teshiroźukajō is on a small hill over-looking the Chikuma River. The main bailey complex consists of a few of baileys which taper along the hill. The most impressive thing was the sleek profi
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History
Teshiroźukajō was built in 1486, perhaps by Nagao Akimori, since it would become his residence. Nagao Akimori was a member of the Ôi Clan, and he died fighting the Takeda Clan. It is said that when Ôi Tadamasa lost Iwaojō to the Takeda Clan in 1520 he fled to Teshiroźukajō and found a gōrin stupa dedicated to Nagao Akimori. Because the moats between the baileys at Teshiroźukajō are not deep they may have been numabori (swamp moats), a type of mizubori (wet moat), originally.
Field Notes
Teshiroźukajō is an okajiro (hilltop castle ruin) in Hei Township of Komoro Municipality. The main bailey of Teshiroźukajō is on a small hill over-looking the Chikuma River. The main bailey complex consists of a few of baileys which taper along the hill. The most impressive thing was the sleek profile of the hill which with its steep sides looked very much like a hill fort should.
The second and third baileys are separated by depressions which look like karabori, but wide and not very deep, at least not now, and both the depressions and baileys appear to be vegetable patches. These outer baileys are situated much lower than the main bailey.
The signboard for the castle is in front of the second bailey, and the earthen embankments are clear as soon as one approaches the site. The third bailey is a little higher than the second and overlooks an adjacent road which swoops down beneath the castle mount toward the river. The third bailey is now a cemetery plot.
In the gloom of my first visit here the ruins of the fort's mass were a shadowy outline cut out of the remotest black. Since it was too dark to take any decent pictures at that time, I took the opportunity of revisiting Komoro recently to return by daylight and take some better photos.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Teshirozuka Castle (Saku) |
| Japanese Name | 佐久手代塚城 |
| Alternate Names | 手城塚城 |
| Founder | Nagao Akimori |
| Year Founded | 1486 |
| Castle Type | Mountaintop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Kuruwa, Kirigishi, Karabori |
| Features | trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Komoro Station on the Shinano Railway; 15 minute walk |
| Hours | 24/7 free; mountain |
| Time Required | 30 mins |
| Location | Komoro, Nagano Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 36.33068, 138.41191 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2021 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Hōrōki | |
| Yogo | |
