Tsutagi Castle

Tsutagijō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Fujimi Township, Suwa County. There is a hill between a cliff and a plateau here called Shiroyama (‘Castle Mount’), though it may not have been part of the fort known as Tsutagijō, as the ridge does not appear to have been worked. At the end of th

History

Tsutagijō is traditionally thought to have been the castle of Baba Nobufusa. Since it is a small fort it may have served as a watchtower or signal tower.

See also Suwa-Maruyama-noroshidai (Suwa Maruyama Noroshidai).

Field Notes

Tsutagijō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Fujimi Township, Suwa County. There is a hill between a cliff and a plateau here called Shiroyama (‘Castle Mount’), though it may not have been part of the fort known as Tsutagijō, as the ridge does not appear to have been worked. At the end of the ridge the earth has been sculpted into a single bailey fort complex, however. There is a single bailey here with possibly some terraced strips below. The most obvious feature is that the fort’s rear is protected by a horikiri (trench dug into the ridge).

Tsutagijō looked easy to get to but it was a bit tricky. I ended up walking between a wide expanse of rice paddies from the plateau side to reach the hill which rose up behind a fence to keep animals out; luckily there was a gate in the fence in a convenient place. In order to descend I had to get over a net like barrier to stop falling rocks. Nothing’s ever easy!

Gallery

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  horikiri remnants on ridge
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Castle Profile
English Name	Tsutagi Castle
Japanese Name	蔦木城
Founder	Baba Nobufusa
Year Founded	16th century
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Horikiri, Dorui, Koshikuruwa, Kuruwa, Noroshidai
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Shinano-Sakai Station on the Chūō Main Line; 25 minute walk
Hours	24/7 free; mountain
Time Required	20 minutes
Location	Fujimi, Nagano Prefecture
Coordinates	35.87142, 138.27621
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2022
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed
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