Arato Castle
荒砥城
| Founder | Yamada clan |  |
| Year | 1524 | |
| Type | Mountaintop | |
| Condition | Other Buildings | |
| Admin's Rating | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ | |
| Historical Site | Local Historic Site | |
| Location | Chikuma, Nagano Pref. | |
| Map | Google Map | |
| Access | Togura Sta. (Shinano Tetsudo); 1700 yen taxi | |
| Website | Chikuma City | |
| Visited | October 16, 2008 | |
| Notes | This is a castle I've wanted to visit for a long time. It splendidly recreates the feeling of a Sengoku Period mountaintop castle. It was also used as the location for filming several scenes from the NHK drama Furin Kazan. | |
| History | Arato Castle was built by the Yamada clan as retainers for the Murakami around 1524. It became the focal point of the battles between Takeda Shingen and Murakami Yoshikiyo. In 1548, Yamada Kunimasa, the lord of Arato Castle was killed in a battle at Toishi Castle. His son, Kunitsugu, also perished in the battle at Katsuo Castle in 1553. With the fall of Katsuo Castle, the Yamada clan were destroyed and Takeda Shingen chose his retainer Yashiro Masakuni as the lord of Arato Castle. From 1553-1564, Arato Castle was involved in several skirmishes during the Battles of Kawanakajima. After the destruction of the Takeda clan in 1582, Arato Castle and it lord, Yashiro Hidemasa, came under the control of Uesugi Kagekatsu. In 1584, Yashiro turned on the Uesugi and made a secret pact with Tokugawa Ieyasu. Yashiro fled to Arato Castle but was attacked and destroyed by the Uesugi forces. After this the castle was decommissioned and no longer used. | |
8 Viewer Comments
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camarena.alex.96
July 26, 2012 at 11:37 AM
Hey, have you seen the movie, The Hidden Fortress by Akira Kurosawa, i think this is the castle in which they made one of the last scenes, im no sure, i just wanted to say it
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furinkazan
June 08, 2012 at 05:16 AM
I bought the 2011 NHK Taiga Dorama 'Go-hime'(princess Go). It arrived today and i saw the first episode. Some scenes representing Odani-castle of the Azai were filmed at Arato-jô. Nice to see that it is still used like this.
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Eric
May 23, 2011 at 07:31 AM
John, have a look at Ne Castle, Shiwa Castle, Taga Castle, and Kikuchi castle on this site for some other good examples. Also Hotta Saku in Akita is another good one but I haven't been there yet. http://jcastle.info/castle/profile/149-Ne-Castle http://jcastle.info/castle/profile/150-Shiwa-Castle http://jcastle.info/castle/profile/124-Kikuchi-Castle http://jcastle.info/castle/profile/150-Shiwa-Castle http://jcastle.info/castle/profile/151-Taga-Castle
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John
May 23, 2011 at 02:10 AM
were there even casltes (other than Ki castle) in japan before the 1300s? I'm doing some research on japan in the Nara, Heian and kauakura periods, particularly partaining to the samurai, and i need to know what castles looked like in those time periods. can anyone give me some info on this?
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Alamo6400
January 08, 2011 at 12:05 PM
arato castle beloned to the takeda clan such a castle is a shame to be lost when the takeda lost the battle of nagashino in 1575 when the takeda clan got ripped out of the pges of history
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furinkazan
on
My Page
June 13, 2010 at 05:21 AM
The location of this little yamashiro and the buildings reconstructed are very nice, but don't expect a castle like Himeji or Matsumoto.
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furinkazan
August 04, 2009 at 12:49 AM
I went there during last april. The day was very cloudy, but i decided to walk to the castle. It is 4km from Togurastation. I have to tell that the last km is an almost 17% steep climb to the castle. I could figure out that attacking a castle like this, in full armor and with defenders shooting and hurling stones at you, would'nt be an easy task. The reconstructed parts are very interesting and surely worth the 3 stars.
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RAD
March 13, 2009 at 03:21 PM
I looking forward to visit this amazing castle next summer!
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Chikuma, Nagano Pref.
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