Yokoyairi Fort
Sources alternately refer to this site as a "castle" ruin and merely as a toride (small fort) ruin. I am going with toride because it says that at the site itself. There is not much to see here. If I had known how little, I probably wouldn't've come up, but I'm glad I did for the views of Asama-onse
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History
Yokoyairi-toride was perhaps built by the Akazawa Clan; their yakata was located in what is now the resort town of Asama-onsen. The Akazawa were vassals of the Ogasawara Clan. The fort was at one point held by the Inukai Clan, based at Inukaijō and Inukai-yakata. The Asama Clan held the fort between 1532 and 1550. Yokoyairi-toride fell to the Takeda Clan in 1550 and was destroyed.
Yokoyairi-toride consisted of a shukuruwa (main bailey) with two horikiri (trenches) protecting the plain-side approach and at least three protecting the mountain-side rear.
Field Notes
Sources alternately refer to this site as a "castle" ruin and merely as a toride (small fort) ruin. I am going with toride because it says that at the site itself. There is not much to see here. If I had known how little, I probably wouldn't've come up, but I'm glad I did for the views of Asama-onsen and the Japanese Alps. There is a marker indicating the site around 800m up. This was likely the main enclosure but that's about it for ruins that I could identify. I was also under the impression, looking at satellite imagery, that the mountain was fairly open, but tree growth has since rebounded after a forest fire scourged the mountain years ago.
During the hike up I came across a giant hornet. I just kept my head down and kept on walking. Luckily the beast was obviously engaged with some other nefarious errand and did not bother to harass me.
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| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Yokoyairi Fort |
| Japanese Name | 横谷入砦 |
| Alternate Names | Yokoyairijou |
| Founder | Akazawa Clan |
| Year Founded | Chuusei |
| Castle Type | Mountaintop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Features | |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Matsumoto Station; taxi or bicycle |
| Hours | 24/7 free |
| Time Required | 60 mins |
| Location | Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 36.2636, 137.9988 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2020 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
