Kameda Castle
History
The castle was originally a Jin’ya serving as the headquarters of the Kameda Domain. It was built at the base of the mountain on which the former Akozu Castle had sat, abandoned a decade earlier. Kameda Manor was faced with attack by the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei Alliance after the Kubota Clan decided to side with the Meiji government. It was destroyed along with nearby Kubota Castle during the Boshin War.
Visit Notes
The former site of jin’ya called Kameda is now inhabited by a pair of complexes. Firstly there is an art gallery with a castle gatehouse, complete with Ishigaki and ensconced galleries outwardly designed to look like palatial structures. About a minute away around the corner is Amasagi-mura, a tourist attraction which features a mock reconstructed castle keep. Although these two structures are collectively known as Kamedajō, they are not historically accurate. I came therefore quite early just to admire the faux reconstructions, and I didn’t have time to wait around for Amasagi Village to open but it does contain an actual historical structure: Unuma-bukeyashiki (Samurai Residence of the Unuma), which has been relocated to the village. I could only see its thatched roof from behind a wall. The keep is just a folk museum with some token armour sets. I had no interest in visiting the art gallery. I went around the back and was able to see most of the mock reconstruction this way. An older castle called Akozu Castle is on the mountain next to Kamedajō so I went to hunt for the ruins of that immediate after. There another mock reconstruction, a pagoda-shaped turret marking the sannomaru of Akozujō, can be seen from the foot of the mountain. Also on the mountain and visible from below is Amasagi Wine Castle. It’s roof sort of looks like a castle with dual peaked gables on one side, but it otherwise looks nothing like one. This isn’t even the only “wine castle” in Japan. There are more wine castles that exist. I visited the wine castle for my health. Then I investigated the ruins of the mountaintop castle Akozujō Castle.
Castle Profile | |
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English Name | Kameda Castle |
Japanese Name | 亀田城 |
Alternate Names | Amasagijō; Kameda-jin'ya |
Founder | Iwaki Yoshitaka |
Year Founded | 1623 |
Castle Type | Flatland |
Castle Condition | Reconstructed main keep |
Historical Period | Edo Period |
Main Keep Structure | Three Tiers, Four Storeys |
Year Reconstructed | 1974 |
Artifacts | Mogi Tenshu, Restored Ishigaki, Gatehouse |
Features | main keep, gates, palace, stone walls |
Visitor Information | |
Access | Ugo-Kameda Station (Uetsu Line), 40min walk |
Visitor Information | 9am -4.30m |
Time Required | 2 hours |
Website | http://www.kamedajo.jp/ |
Location | Yurihonjo, Akita Prefecture |
Coordinates | 39° 29' 56.51" N, 140° 5' 13.52" E |
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Admin | |
Added to Jcastle | 2016 |
Contributor | ART |
Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
Friends of JCastle | |
Kojōdan | |
Jōkaku Hōrōki |
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