is a '' yamashiro'', or "mountain castle", located on Hachiman Mountain in the city of Gujō,

Gifu Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, F ...

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 ...

. Its ruins were designated a Gifu Prefecture Historic Site in 1955.

Background

Gujo Hachiman Castle is located at the top of the 350 meter Mount Hachiman, close to the confluence of the Yoshida and Kodaraga Rivers and the main stream of the Nagara River. These two rivers and the mountain form a natural defense for the castle, which also commands a north-south road connecting central Mino Province with Nagoya and

Gifu is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku ...

to the south and the Sea of Japan to the north, and an east-west road leading to Hida Province in the each and Echizen Province in the west.

History

In the

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 betwee ...

, this area was controlled by a cadet branch of the Chiba clan, who were rewarded by the Kamakura shogunate for their role in the Jōkyū War. This cadet branch was named the and due to their skill at ''waka'' poetry, became close retainers of the Ashikaga shogunate in the Muromachi period. They constructed a castle called "Shinowaki Castle". The 8th

Shogun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

Ashikaga Yoshimasa ordered Tō Tsuneyori to lead an expedition to the

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...

to restore the authority of the shogunate. In his absence, his castle was seized by the deputy '' shugo'' of Mino, Saitō Myōchin. However, Tō Tsuneyori's skill at poetry was such that he was able to persuade Saitō to restore the castle to him with a poem. However, conditions became increasing difficult in the Sengoku period, and the Tō were barely able to repulse an invasion by the Asakura clan from the north. To strengthen their defenses, the Tō constructed Tōdonomayama Castle on the Yoshida River. In 1559, Endō Morikazu, from a cadet branch of the Tō, overthrew the Tō clan, destroying Tōdonomayama Castle and building a new one on Mount Hachiman on the opposite side of the river. Morikazu had barely finished the castle when he died, leaving it to his son Endō Yoshitaka. Yoshitaka later became a retainer to

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 ...

. After the assassination of Nobunaga in 1582, Yoshitaka pledged fealty to Nobunaga's third son, Oda Nobutaka and fought against Toyotomi Hideyoshi. However, after the Toyotomi forces defeated Shibata Katsuie and Oda Nobutaka, Endo Yoshitaka surrendered, and Hideyoshi awarded the castle to his retainer,

Inaba Sadamichi Inaba (written: or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese shogi player *, Japanese singer *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese video game producer and designer * Carrie Ann Inaba (born 1968), American da ...

. Under Inaba, the castle was completely renovated and modernized with stone walls. Following the death of Hideyoshi in 1598, Inaba initially supported

Ishida Mitsunari Ishida Mitsunari (, 1559 – November 6, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the A ...

. He came under attack from Endō Yoshitaka who was hoping recover his former territories and was forced to surrender Gujō Hachiman Castle to the Endō. However, by this time, Inaba Sadamichi had already switched his fealty to Tokugawa Ieyasu, and with Tokugawa help, was able to recover the castle from Endō Yoshitaka. Both rivals fought on the same side during the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu prefecture, Japan, at the end of ...

in 1600 and Tokugawa Ieyasu resolved the dispute by awarding Inaba Sadamichi with Usuki Domain in

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

and returning Gujō Hachiman Castle to Endō Yoshitaka. The Endō clan ruled for a century, but declined due to internal conflicts and was transferred to a smaller territory in the Kantō region in 1693. The castle then came under the control of various '' fudai daimyō'' clans: The Inoue clan (1693-1697), the Kanamori clan (1697-1758) and finally the Aoyama clan, who ruled from 1758 to the Meiji restoration. In accordance with directives issued by the Meiji government, all remaining structures of the castle were demolished in 1870, leaving only the inner moats and some stone walls. Gujō Hachiman Castle
. A Guide to Japanese Castles. Accessed June 30, 2008. In 1933, a faux wooden reconstruction of a '' tenshu'' was constructed on the ruins of the inner bailey. Although this building is not historically accurate (it was based on the design of the ''tenshu'' of

Ōgaki Castle 270px, Ōgaki Castle in 1933 270px, Edo period layout map of Ōgaki Castle is a flatlands-style Japanese castle located in the city of Ōgaki, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. During the Sengoku period, Ōgaki Castle was home to several of Toyotomi Hidey ...

, it contributes to the image of Gujō Hachiman being a castle town and helps attract tourists. In 1987, this reconstructed building was designated as a Tangible Cultural Property of Gujō city. The building contain a museum. The castle was listed as one of the Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles in 2017.

Gallery

岐阜県郡上市_郡上八幡城01.jpg, Gujo Hachiman Castle ） Gujo_hachiman_castle_P8117439.jpg, Gujo Hachiman Castle Main Gate Gujo hachiman castle P8117395.jpg, Illuminated Gujo Hachiman castle Gujo_hachiman_castle_P8117454.jpg, Gujo Hachiman Castle seen from the back Gujo hachiman castle P8117429.jpg, Gujō city from the castle Gujo hachiman castle in autumn.jpg, Autumn leaves and Gujo Hachiman Castle The rebuilding of the Gujo Hachiman Castle.jpg, Rebuilding the ''tenshu'' in 1933

References

Literature

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External links