270px, Aerial photograph showing the relative locations of the old castle, new castle and Kamakura-period mansion is a late

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

Japanese castle are fortresses constructed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century. Castles in Japan were built to guard important or strategic sites, such ...

located in the Yōka neighborhood of the city of Yabu, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1997. The ruins are regarded as historically important, as the site includes the traces of a Kamakura period feudal mansion,

Muromachi period The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

mountain castle with clay walls, and the ruins of a

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

castle with stone walls.

History

Yagi Castle is situated in a strategic border area between the

Kansai region The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropoli ...

and the

San'in region The is an area in the southwest of Honshū, the main island of Japan. It consists of the northern part of the Chūgoku region, facing the Sea of Japan. Etymology The name San'in in the Japanese language is formed from two kanji characters. The ...

, overlooking the ancient San'in highway connecting Tajima Province with

Inaba Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Tottori Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Inaba bordered on Harima, Hōki, Mimasaka, and Tajima Provinces. The ancient capital, and the castle town, were at Tott ...

. The castle has town locations. One is at Mount Tsuchiyama, with an elevation of 409 meters (which is called the "Yagi Kojō", or "old Yagi Castle") and the other at Mount Shiroyama, with an elevation 303 meters, with the two areas connected by a 450-meter ridge. The castle is located only 15 kilometers from

Takeda Castle was a Sengoku period Japanese castle located in the Wadayama neighborhood of the city of Asago, in the northern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It is located north of Himeji, and north-west of Kyoto, and is situated some 353 metres above sea ...

, whose history it partly shares. Although there is little documentary evidence, according to local folklore, following the Former Nine Years' War,

Minamoto no Yoshiie Minamoto No Yoshiie (源義家; 1039 – 4 August 1106), also known as Hachimantarō, was a Minamoto clan samurai of the late Heian period, and '' Chinjufu-shōgun'' (Commander-in-chief of the defense of the North). The first son of Minamoto ...

was awarded Tajima Province, and he ordered the construction of Yagi Castle in 1063. In 1194, the province was awarded by

Minamoto no Yoriie was the second ''shōgun'' (1202–1203) of Japan's Kamakura shogunate, and the first son of first shōgun Yoritomo. His Dharma name was Hokke-in-dono Kingo Da'i Zengo (法華院殿金吾大禅閤). Life Minamoto no Yoriie was born to Hōjō M ...

to Asakura Takakiyo, who but Asakura Castle. His second son, Shigekiyo, was given the old Yagi Castle, and he changed his name to "Yagi Shigekiyo". The Yagi clan continued to rule the surrounding area for the next three centuries. During the

, Tajima came under the control of the powerful

Yamana clan The was a Japanese samurai clan which was one of the most powerful of the Muromachi period (1336-1467); at its peak, members of the family held the position of Constable (''shugo'') over eleven provinces. Originally from Kōzuke Province, and l ...

, and the Yagi accepted the Yamana as overlords. However, following the

Onin War Onin may refer to: * Ōnin, a Japanese era ** Ōnin War * Onin peninsula, on the Bomberai Peninsula of Indonesian Papua * Onin language Onin is a minor Austronesian language of the Onin Peninsula Onin may refer to: * Ōnin, a Japanese era ** � ...

the power of the Yamana was greatly weakened. In 1575, the 15th castellan of Yagi Castle, Yagi Toyonobu was approached by both the

Mōri clan The Mōri clan (毛利氏 ''Mōri-shi'') was a Japanese samurai clan descended from Ōe no Hiromoto. Ōe no Hiromoto was descended from the Fujiwara clan. The family's most illustrious member, Mōri Motonari, greatly expanded the clan's pow ...

from the west, and Oda Nobunaga from the east. Initially, the Yagi cooperated with the Mōri, but in 1579 surrendered to Nobunaga's general,

Toyotomi Hidenaga , formerly known as . He was a half-brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the most powerful and significant warlords of Japan's Sengoku period and regarded as 'Hideyoshi's brain and right-arm'. He was also known by his court title, . He promot ...

in exchange for being allowed to keep their castle and territory. As per the terms of his surrender, Yagi Toyonobu was ordered to lead an army against the Mōri at Tottori Castle in 1580 and was ordered togaed Wakasa Oni-ga-jo Castle (also in Tottori). He was defeated in a counterattack by Mori forces in 1581, and went missing-in-action. Consequently,

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 ...

seized Yagi Castle and awarded it to Bessho Shigemune as part of a 15,000 '' koku'' fief. Bessho Shigemune rebuilt the castle into its current configuration, with a new

inner bailey The inner bailey or inner ward of a castle is the strongly fortified enclosure at the heart of a medieval castle.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 22. It is protected by the outer w ...

with connecting ''

kuruwa is a Japanese term for the walls of a Japanese castle are fortresses constructed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century. Castles in Jap ...

'' enclosures on all sides, ''yagura'' watchtowers, and stone walls lining the fortifications facing the ''

jōkamachi The term refers to a type of urban structures in Japan in which the city surrounds a feudal lord's castle. These cities did not necessarily form around castles after the Edo period; some are known as Jin'yamachi, cities that have evolved around J ...

'', which had grown up along the route of the San'in highway. The total area of the castle extended to 340 meters long by 260 meters in width. The old castle, located 500 meters to the west and 200 meters up a steep slope, with its clay walls and dry moats, continued to be used for a timeout eventually was abandoned. During the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Bessho Yoshiharu, son of Shigemune, supported Ishida Mitsunari and attacked Tanabe Castle held by

Hosokawa Fujitaka , also known as , was a Japanese samurai ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Fujitaka was a prominent retainer of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the last Ashikaga shōgun. When he joined the Oda, Oda Nobunaga rewarded him with the fief of Tango and went o ...

; however, after the defeat of the Western Army, he was pardoned by

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 fello ...

as his aunt had once been a wet nurse to

Tokugawa Hidetada was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate. Early life (1579–1593) Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...

. In 1628, he was dispossessed of his domain for negligence in attendance to his duties at Edo Castle, which may have been a pretext for the shogunate to seize control of a gold mine located on his territories. Yagi Castle was abandoned at that time. The Yagi mansion was located at the foot of Yagi Castle, and was excavated in 1989. A moat and the foundation pillars for buildings were uncovered, and many relics including Chinese ceramics from the latter half of the 12th century to the latter half of the 14th century were found. At present, there are no structures remaining on the mountain except for some partial stone walls, and the climbing route is not well marked.

Gallery

Yagijtutij05.jpg, Ruins of old Yagi Castle Yagijyou09.jpg, Foundations of a building in Yagi Castle Yagijyou05.jpg, Site of Ni-no-maru Enclosure Yagijyou03.jpg, View from Yagi Castle

References

External links

*
Yabu City home pageYabu City Department of TourismHyogo Prefecture Department of Tourism
{in lang, ja Castles in Hyōgo Prefecture Ruined castles in Japan Historic Sites of Japan Tajima Province Yabu, Hyōgo

History

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links