was a series of fortresses and fortifications controlled by the Ikkō-ikki, a sect of warrior monks in

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 ...

's Sengoku period who opposed samurai rule. It was attacked and destroyed 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 ...

in the 1570s. This, combined with the surrender of the Ikki's other main fortress, Ishiyama Hongan-ji, several years later, ended the threat the Ikko-ikki posed to Nobunaga and other '' samurai'' conquerors. The fortress was situated on a swampy

delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also re ...

, on the border of Owari and Ise Provinces, at the point where three rivers converge, to the southwest of the modern-day city of Nagoya. Nagashima was in fact a number of smaller fortifications surrounding two primary buildings and not a single fortress. Nagashima Castle was built in 1555 by

Ito Shigeharu Ito may refer to: Places * Ito Island, an island of Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea * Ito Airport, an airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo * Ito District, Wakayama, a district located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan * Itō, Shizuok ...

, and seized by the Ikkō-ikki shortly afterwards, in much the same way they had seized a number of other daimyōs' holdings. The Ganshō-ji fortified monastery formed the second center of Nagashima's defense. At one time, the area may have been known as "Nanashima" or "seven islands". It is currently one island between the Kiso and Nagara Rivers, with Ise Bay at its southern tip. The Oda clan, which controlled nearby lands, was wary of the Ikki's growing power, and engaged them at Ogie Castle in 1569. The Ikki were victorious, and Nobunaga's brother Nobuoki was killed. Nobunaga returned to lay siege to the Ikki's fortress three times, before finally subduing it in 1574 with the help of the

Kumano Suigun literally means 'Bear Field'. It is a name adopted by various places in Japan. * Kumano Shrine * Kumano Shrines Grand Shrines * Kumano Kodō, ancient pilgrimage routes * Kumano Region * Kumano River * Kumano, Mie is a city located in Mie P ...

(Navy) under the control of the

Kuki family Kuki can refer to: Locations * Kuki, Isfahan, a village in Isfahan Province, Iran * Kuki, Saitama, a city in Japan Peoples and culture * Kuki, or Thadou people, an ethnic tribe native to northeastern India (also Burma, where they are called ''Ch ...

. He set the wooden structure ablaze, and none of the fortress cathedral's 20,000 inhabitants escaped. According to the members of the Nagashima Historical Society, none of the main castle of Nagashima survived and its true location is unknown. What is believed to be the most probable location is now the site of a junior high school, which was identified in accordance to written descriptions of the area in the 16th century and what is believed to be an old moat. There is a map at the site, next to the school. The reconstructed castle gate was washed away during the

Isewan Typhoon Typhoon Vera, also known as the , was an exceptionally intense tropical cyclone that struck Japan in September 1959, becoming the strongest and deadliest typhoon on record to make landfall on the country as a Category 5 equivalent storm. Th ...

in 1959. Ganshōji was rebuilt some distance inland. A stone

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

was erected as a memorial to those killed in the burning of the fortress.

Notes

References

* Turnbull, Stephen (2003). ''Japanese Warrior Monks, AD 949–1603''. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. {{coord missing, Japan Infrastructure completed in 1555 Forts in Japan Former Buddhist temples Former buildings and structures in Japan 1555 establishments in Japan 16th-century fortifications

See also

Notes

References