Yagyu Castles, Chihaya Akasaka Forts, and Kaibara Jin'ya

In September, I’ve added castle profiles for two historically rich—if not well known—regions. The Yagyu area in Nara Prefecture is home to three fortifications tied to the Yagyu clan, whose lineage can be traced at least as far back as the Nanbokucho Period. In the Edo Period, they rose to furt

Yagyu Castles, Chihaya Akasaka Forts, and Kaibara Jin'ya

2025-09-28

In September, I’ve added castle profiles for two historically rich—if not well known—regions.

The Yagyu area in Nara Prefecture is home to three fortifications tied to the Yagyu clan, whose lineage can be traced at least as far back as the Nanbokucho Period. In the Edo Period, they rose to further fame as sword instructors to the Tokugawa shoguns. This castle set offers a rewarding journey from Sengoku-period mountaintop fortifications to an Edo Period jin’ya and a well-preserved samurai residence. The Yagyu Karo Yashiki stands out as one of the finest surviving examples of a high-ranking retainer’s estate.

Nearby in Osaka, we visit the legendary battlegrounds of the Chihaya–Akasaka region, where Kusunoki Masashige famously defied the Kamakura shogunate in the opening stages of the Kenmu Restoration. This set features Chihaya Castle and the twin Kusunoki clan strongholds of Kami Akasaka and Shimo Akasaka.

Finally, adding the Kaibara Jin'ya closes out all my castles visits from 2024. Any new updates are exclusively from 2025.

Chihaya Castle / 千早城

Among castle fans, Chihaya Castle often gets a bad reputation. It’s on the Top 100 Castles of Japan list despite having few visible remains, and it requires a long bus ride from Osaka and a torturous climb up seemingly endless stairs. For years I put off visiting for exactly those reasons, but in the end, Chihaya was worth the visit. Maybe it's not Top 100 quality, but the connection to Kusunoki Masashige and visits to some nearby castles (Kami Akasaka Castle and [Shimo Akasaka Castle]]) made it a worthwhile day out.

First, the hike isn’t bad at all if you avoid the endless stairs. A well maintained hiking trail up to Mt. Kongo bypasses them. After about 15 minutes there’s a clearly marked side path that cuts over to the castle. Second, there’s actually more to see than many people give it credit for. The second, third, and fourth baileys are now occupied by the temple, but behind it the main bailey still shows some yamajiro features: a dry moat, carved terraces, kirigishi slopes, and even some small koshiguruwa side baileys hidden in the woods. The stone wall you see there isn’t original, but the raised ground likely supported a lookout or yagura foundation.

Be aware that some old materials still feature the Kongosan Ropeway, a side attraction that carried visitors to the top of the mountain for great views and hiking trails. It was closed and dismantled in 2022 due to deteriorating equipment.

Kaibara Jin'ya / 柏原陣屋

This is a great site and town. It is the cleanest place I have seen so far in Japan. This little town is a mixture of Edo and Meiji. There are several building built in Meiji. I really recommend this site! (Andrew A) The Site is a National Historic Site, the nagayamon gate is a Prefectural Historic Building, and the Yagura is a Municipal Historic Building. Few trains go to Kaibara through Sasayama or Kuroi but you could combine a visit here with either of them if you planned well. Pay for admittance to the Jin'ya at the museum. I have seen comments elsewhere that photos are not permitted inside the jin'ya. While I saw signs in the museum not to take photos in the museum, there was no such signage in the jin'ya, so I assumed it was OK and no one stopped me. (Admin Update: Sept 2025)

Kami Akasaka Castle / 上赤坂城

The route to Kami Akasaka Castle is controlled by a series of four kido checkpoints along the long gradually rising ridge. Just before the fourth Kido is a narrow dobashi earthen bridge and double trench. Past the Fourth Kido, the path bends sharply — almost 90 degrees — before reaching the eastern baileys and main part of the castle. The castle itself has few visible remains beyond earthworks, but walking the ridgeline really gives a sense of Kusunoki Masashige’s ingenuity with kido up the long slope and the commanding view of the valleys below.

Kusunoki Yakata / 楠木館

Today the site is occupied by a small local history museum. Unfortunately, there are no visible above-ground remains of the former yashiki. However, the museum is worth a stop on the way to Kami Akasaka Castle. Staff can provide maps, local information, and directions to the nearby castle ruins.

Shimo Akasaka Castle / 下赤坂城

When I visited, the road from the bus stop side of the ridge was closed for construction (see first photo above). There is a side road that runs along the opposite side of the ridge, but it was quite a long walk on foot to connect to the path up to the ruins. The school that now occupies the ridge-top — where the honmaru once stood — also did not look particularly welcoming to foreigners wandering through to reach the site. Apparently there is a nice view over the valley, especially when the terraced rice fields are green, but access was limited during my visit. I may try again sometime, though realistically there are very few ruins to make the trip worthwhile.

Yagyu Castle / 柳生城

The ruins of Yagyu Castle are located above Hotoku-ji Temple. There are no signs for the castle nor clear trails up the mountainside. Just before Hotoku-ji, near the pond and well across from the dojo, you can pick an easy-looking route to climb. Once on the ridge, faint paths can be followed to parts of the site. Two large horikiri (trench cuts) clearly divide the main bailey from smaller enclosures. Hotoku-ji itself occupies part of the old castle grounds and embankment on one side may date to the castle itself. Buses from Nara are infrequent, so plan your trip carefully. Nearby is the fascinating old Yagyu Kōdō stone-paved road, which looks ideal for hiking. You could also hike to Kasagiyama Castle, which was my original plan for the day—until it started snowing. Combine with visits to Yagyu Furushiro Castle and Yagyu Jin'ya for a full picture of Yagyu history.

Yagyu Furushiro Castle / 柳生古城

From the Yagyu Higashi bus stop sign, follow the stairs up to the hiking trail. It’s a short walk to the ruins with only a slight climb. The horikiri (trench cuts) are very well preserved and arguably make this the highlight of the Yagyu castles, despite being less well known. Clear some of the trees and it’s obvious the castle once commanded the crossroads below. Buses from Nara are infrequent, so plan your trip carefully. Nearby is the fascinating old Yagyu Kodo stone-paved road, which looks ideal for hiking. You could also hike to Kasagiyama Castle, which was my original plan for the day—until it started snowing. The name Furushiro in Japanese implies an older castle than Yagyu Castle but it was likely a contemporary and even newer than Yagyu Castle itself. Combine this site with visits to Yagyu Castle and Yagyu Jin'ya for a full picture of Yagyu history.

Yagyu Jin'ya / 柳生陣屋

The site of Yagyu Jin’ya is located on a small plateau west of Hotoku-ji Temple. The jin’ya served as the administrative headquarters of the 10,000-koku Yagyu Domain in the Edo period. The ruins are now preserved as a historical park with stone walls, wells, and building foundation outlines. The grounds were once used as a school before being redeveloped in 1980. Because the Yagyu lords were hereditary sword instructors to the shogun, they were "residence-in-Edo" daimyo (定府大名), meaning the jin’ya functioned more as an administrative office than a lordly residence. Buses from Nara are infrequent, so plan your trip carefully. Nearby is the fascinating old Yagyu Kodo stone-paved road, which looks ideal for hiking. You could also hike to Kasagiyama Castle, which was my original plan for the day—until it started snowing. Combine with visits to Yagyu Castle and Yagyu Furushiro Castle to see the full story of the Yagyu Valley from Sengoku to Edo.

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