is a ''yamashiro'', or
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 ...
situated on a hill, located in
Izushi,
Hyōgo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...
,
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 ...
.
History
For more than 200 years the Yamana Family resided at Konosumi Castle. In 1569 the castle fell to attacks by
Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan.
Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...
's successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After the fall of Konosumi Castle,
Yamana Suketoyo
was a Japanese samurai and commander of the Sengoku period. He was the last head of the Tajima Yamana clan. Yamana clan was the Shugo of the Tajima. He owned Ikuno Silver Mine and started full-scale development.
Yamana clan's home castle ''K ...
built another at Mt. Ariko to the Southeast, but it too fell to
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 ...
in 1580. In 1604 Koide Yoshihide built Izushi castle at the base of Mt. Ariko.
In 1979 a corner yagura in the Honmaru and the Tojomon were rebuilt. On the castle grounds you'll also find a small shrine. The bright red Torii gate makes a nice contrast with the castle walls. Izushi Castle is a well known spot in the spring for viewing cherry blossoms. On November 3 they have a castle festival with a mock sankin kotai presentation.
Izushi Castle itself is small with no one particular sightseeing point. However, the castle town is a calm, quiet town with old samurai homes and shops that remind you of the Edo Period. Rice fields and nature spread out around the town. Izushisara Soba is a tasty local dish. Have some soba while watching the view of the town and let your imagination slip back into the Edo Period. On weekends, the town tends to swell with tourists. It provides a nice small trip.
Today
In 1979, the Tojomon (Tojo gate) and the Nishisumi
yagura Yagura may refer to:
* Yagura castle
* Yagura opening
* Yagura (tombs)
* Yagura (tower)
is the Japanese word for "tower", "turret", "keep", or "scaffold". The word is most often seen in reference to structures in Japanese castle compounds bu ...
in the ''honmaru'' were re-built. Besides these reconstructions, only the castle's ruins still remain, though the city of Izushi retains its grid layout which was arranged for militatry purposes around the castle. A shrine is sited within the ruins, with 37
torii
A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred.
The presence of a ''torii'' at the entrance is usually the simplest ...
and 157 stone steps leading up to it.
Izushicho celebrates 400 years as castle town : Lens on Japan : Columns : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri)
/ref> On the remains of the ''mihariyagura'' stands the Shinkoro, a traditional Japanese wooden clock tower. Following 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 ...
, a western-style clock was installed in it. It is seen as the symbol of the town.
Sources
* http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/columns/0005/lens137.htm
* https://web.archive.org/web/20080504120839/http://www.jcastle.info/castle/profile/24-Izushi-Castle
Further reading
*
References
External links
Izushi Castle
{{Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles
Castles in Hyōgo Prefecture