| Founder | Iwamatsu Iezumi |  |
| Year | 1469 | |
| Type | Mountaintop | |
| Condition | Ruins | |
| Alternate Name | Ota Kanayama-jo | |
| Admin's Rating | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ | |
| Historical Site | National Historic Site | |
| Historical Value | Top 100 Castles | |
| Location | Ota, Gunma Pref. | |
| Map | Google Map | |
| Access | Ota Sta. (Tobu Isezaki Line); 50 min walk | |
| Website | Kanayama Castle | |
| Visited | June 23, 2007 | |
| Notes | Ota City has done a splendid job taking care of this historical site. The ruins are well maintained, good signs explain points of interest, and the website is very detailed. This is a site I have wanted to visit for a long time. It wasn't as extensive as I had imagined but still worth the trip for Tokyo area castle fans. While you are in the area, make it a full day and try to visit Karasawayama Castle too. | |
| History |
Iwamatsu Iezumi built this castle in 1469. Yokose Narishige, a retainer of the Iwamatsu family, came to rule over it 1528. Around 1565, the Yokose changed their name to Yura. Kanayama Castle was attacked several times by some of the strongest powers in the area including Uesugi Kenshin (1574), Takeda Katsuyori (1580) and Satake Yoshishige (1583). It withstood all these attacks demonstrating its tough construction and great location. In 1584, Yura Kunishige and his brother Nagao Akinaga (lord of Tatebayashi Castle) were captured by the Hojo of Odawara. In exchange for their release, they turned over the castle to the Hojo. During Hideyoshi's campaign against the Hojo, Maeda Toshiie took over of Kanayama Castle in 1590. It was decommissioned and not used after this time. Kanayama Castle is one of the Top 100 Castles, one of the Seven Famous Kanto Castle and a National Historical Site. The picture above is of the Ote Koguchi, the main entrance to the castle. The gate combined with the entrance road that is bordered on both sides with stone walls and baileys is very strong and elaborate. There are few such structures throughout the country. Also notice the built in channels on each side to drain off water. |
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4 Viewer Comments
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Eric
September 28, 2012 at 09:31 PM
Ota Station, as mentioned above is nearest. Also, see this page for the station and map to the castle from the station: http://www.jcastle.info/castle/elevation/93
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june
September 28, 2012 at 07:52 PM
may I ask what train station to go to this castle?
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Usagi
on
My Page
January 22, 2012 at 01:27 PM
Easy drive from Tokyo, the mist over the mountain and snow scattered across the ground gave a great feel to these ruins. Interesting ruins to walk around, you can appreciate why this castle withstood it numerous attackers. Further excavations are still underway and can be seen, it is a huge site with good English explanations and a museum at the foot of the hill. The Daikoin shrine is also worth checking out as well.
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Kris
on
My Page
November 14, 2010 at 11:53 PM
I went in early Summer and really enjoyed Kanayama. I walked straight from the station towards the castle ruins, got suitably lost on the walking trails in the forest, and eventually found the museum. The museum was quite good for its size, they had mini dioramas of the castle and certain important scenes from its history. The walk from the museum up the Otemichi to the castle had been washed out in places by the rain and was a bit hazardous although most parts had been fixed with sandbags. I was a bit too late to see it in bloom but it looks like there is a beautiful wisteria arbor with panoramic views at the top. The ruins were atmospheric to walk around and the two pools, the pool of the sun and the pool of the moon, definitely deserve viewing. Most of the point explanation signs have quite detailed explanations in English as well. There is a reconstruction of a wooden building where an oven was discovered, believed to be a weapons storehouse and office for soldiers on duty. The ni-no-maru was fenced off when I was there to stop people from picking bamboo shoots, (really, they even had a 'don't pick the bamboo shoots sign). There is a shrine to Nitta on the site, plus as you are walking back to the station take the time to stop at nearby Kinryuji – dedicated to Yoshisada Nitta with a memorial dating from 1637 and also part of the Ota Shichifukunin meguri. Nearby Daikoin was founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu to honour the spirits of the Nitta. The 100Meijo stamp is not in the museum; it is at the top of the mountain in the rest area.
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