, also known as , is a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

located in Ōzu,

Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Early defensive structures date back to early 14th century by Utsunomiya Toyofusa. In 1888 deterioration of the castle led to its demolition, but it was accurately re-constructed in 2004.

History

Local records state that, by 1331, barricades and small fortresses punctuated the ''Jizōgatake'', a strategic mound overhanging the . The defensive compound as it stands today, however, was not erected until 1585–1617.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

and

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

unification campaigns brought constant shifts on the incumbents of , including

Wakisaka Yasuharu (1554 – September 26, 1626), sometimes referred to as Wakizaka Yasuharu, was a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of Awaji Island who fought under a number of warlords over the course of Japan's Sengoku period. Wakisaka originally served under A ...

Kobayakawa Takakage was a samurai and daimyō (feudal lord) during the Sengoku period and Azuchi–Momoyama period. He was the third son of Mōri Motonari who was adopted by the Kobayakawa clan and became its 14th clan head. He merged the two branches of the Koba ...

Tōdō Takatora was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of Tōdō clan from the Azuchi–Momoyama to Edo periods. He rose from relatively humble origins as an ashigaru (a light foot soldier) to become a ''daimyō''. Biography During his lifetime he changed his feudal m ...

, and Toda Katsutaka warlords. Among them, renown castle designer Takatora is believed to have been the major contributor to the overall outline of the current structure. In 1617, alighting from Yonago province,

Katō Sadayasu Kato or Katō may refer to: Places *Kato, Guyana, a village in Guyana *Katō, Hyōgo, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan *Katō District, Hokkaido, a district located in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan *Katowice, a city in Southern Poland, ...

took possession of the Ōzu domain. The Katō clan retained control of the domain during 13 generations, until the onset of the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

(1868). During the

Meiji era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...

(1868–1912), abandoned and exposed to the mercy of inclement weather and natural hazards, the castle deteriorated rapidly. Threatening collapse, in 1888 it was decided to demolish the keep. Nonetheless, its two surrounding , Koran ''Yagura'' and Daidokoro ''Yagura'', were left intact. These two elements, built in late Edo period (1603–1868), as well as the Owata and the Minami Sumi turrets were declared in 1957 Important Cultural Property by the

Agency for Cultural Affairs The is a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It was set up in 1968 to promote Japanese arts and culture. The agency's budget for FY 2018 rose to ¥107.7 billion. Overview The ag ...

of the Japanese Government. Recent developments Ozu Castle 2009

In 2004, local citizens' & city officials' efforts culminated in the completion of a new keep at a cost of 1.6 billion JPY. Old photographs, old maps and the discovery of an old model -depicting its original structure- permitted a faithful reconstruction. Only traditional assembling techniques and natural materials were employed. Historic accuracy was privileged to comfort and ease of construction. The project brought new life to ebbing carpenter and blacksmith craftsmanship. At 19.15 m high, it stood as the tallest timber structure to have been erected since the enactment of the first post-war building regulations in 1950, . The castle is open to visitors. In a bid to revive the local economy through tourism overnight stays are also possible.

Images

File:Ozu Castle & Hiji River.jpg, Ōzu Castle & Hiji River at dusk File:Ozu Castle clouds.jpg, Ōzu Castle and Hiji River File:Sakura Ozu.jpg, Cherry blossom at Ōzu Castle

References

* *

External links

Ōzu Castle(official , EN)

Ōzu Castle. Castle Stay (EN)

Guide to Japanese Castles: Ōzu Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ozu Castle Castles in Ehime Prefecture Museums in Ehime Prefecture History museums in Japan Important Cultural Properties of Japan

History

Images

See also

Further reading

References

External links