Wakatsukiyama Castle
Wakatsukiyamajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in the Wakatsuki area of Nagano Municipality. The layout of the castle is quite complex, though it essentially follows the ridge. There is a lower area with a series of small terraced sections. These ruins are apparent very soon after one begin
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History
Wakatsukiyamajō was constructed, it is said, by Minamoto Yoritaka, the grandson of Minamoto Yoshiie, at the end of the twelfth century. He and his descendants took the name 'Wakatsuki' from the area, and the Wakatsuki Clan ruled thereafter. In 1404, as vassals of the Takanashi Clan, the Wakatsuki Clan joined a rebellion against Hosokawa Shigetada, the new governor of Shinano, and the Muromachi Shogunate who backed him, and they were defeated by Ichikawa Ujiyuki. By 1441, however, it seems the Wakatsuki Clan had been rehabilitated, as they participated with other local clans - Inōe, Suda, Takanashi - in an expedition to Hitachi Province in support of the shogunate to suppress the Yūki Clan.
In 1519, under castellan Wakatsuki Hirotaka, Wakatsukiyamajō was attacked by Murakami Akikuni. Thereafter the Takanashi Clan took control of the castle. In early 1557, Wakatsukiyamajō was captured alongside Motodoriyamajō by Takeda forces, but Takanashi Masayori was able to recapture Wakatsukiyamajō with the help of Uesugi Kenshin. In mid' 1557, Uesugi Kenshin, using Iiyamajō as his base, launched an attack on Ichikawa Tōwaka at Nozawajō. A couple of months later the battle of Uwanohara (or, Uenohara), part of the battles of Kawanakajima, took place on the plain somewhere between Wakatsukiyamajō and Motodoriyamajō, wherein Nagao Masakage (Uesugi Kenshin's side) engaged Baba Nobuhara (Takeda Shingen's side).
Given the castle's long history it is necessary to specify what time period the ruins we see today date to. The structure of the castle would suggest it was renovated by Uesugi Kenshin's forces in the mid' 16th century, and, indeed, the castle continued to be used by Uesugi forces throughout the rest of the Kawanakajima campaign.
By the way, there was a clan in this area, the Nishijō Clan, who perhaps descended from the Wakatsuki Clan. Clans take their names from places, and there are several places called Nishijō (西条), meaning 'western ward', in and around Wakatsuki Township. There is a theory that the Saijozan (妻女山), perhaps a misreading of Nishijōyama, where Uesugi Kenshin encamped during the fourth and largest battle of Kawanakajima in 1561, was not south of the Takeda encampment at Kawanakajima, but north of it - at Wakatsukiyamajō. It does seem odd perhaps that Uesugi,whose powerbase was around Zenkōji, would engage almost from behind enemy lines, but he was after all said to be a decisive fighter, and Wakatsukiyamajō was anyway too far from the Kawanakajima site to have been an effective command centre during the fourth battle; likely it played a more important role during the other battles, sieges and skirmishes throughout the Kōetsu wars though.
Field Notes
Wakatsukiyamajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in the Wakatsuki area of Nagano Municipality. The layout of the castle is quite complex, though it essentially follows the ridge. There is a lower area with a series of small terraced sections. These ruins are apparent very soon after one begins climbing from the trailhead, but much of this area is overgrown. The castle proper is made up of a series of wide terraced baileys which climb the mountain like a giant's stairway. Particularly noteworthy amongst these terraces is that from the second bailey dorui (earthen ramparts) sweep up to connect with the main bailey, as they go ensconcing a pocket bailey with a well .
The main bailey, which is in shape an irregular pentagon, is surrounded by dorui on four sides, with a fifth overlooking steep mountainside. The main bailey is accessed via a cranked gate complex. Beneath the main bailey is a substantial tatebori (climbing moat) trailing southward down the mountainside. To the rear of the main bailey is an intricate horikiri (trench) system with three cuttings. The first two cuttings are adjacent, forming a double trench, and the last trench is set further back with a terraced bailey - or bailey group - between it and the middle trench.
Wakatsukiyamajō has two satellite fortifications; to the north and ascending is the Bandoko ('guard post'), which is really a yamajiro unto itself, and to the south the Dōsawa Fort. I visited both these sites. The map of the castle ruins in the main bailey of Wakatsukiyamajō shows the Bandoko as a single bailey fortification, but it is in reality much larger...
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| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Wakatsukiyama Castle |
| Japanese Name | 若槻山城 |
| Founder | Minamoto Yoritaka; Uesugi Kenshin |
| Year Founded | Late 12th Century; Mid' 16th Century |
| Castle Type | Mountaintop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Designations | Local Historic Site |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Dorui, Kuruwa, Horikiri, Tatebori, &c. |
| Features | trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Nagano Station; 'Hello Cycling' rental bicycle; cycle to trailhead along mountain roads |
| Hours | 24/7 free; mountain |
| Time Required | 120 minutes |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Nagano, Nagano Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 36.69777, 138.21351 |
| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2023 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Hōrōki | |
| Umoreta Kojō | |
| Kojō Seisuiki | |
| Ranmaru | |
| Yogo | |
