Kasane Castle

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01Kasane.JPG

History

Kasanejō was a branch castle of Takeijō located on the neighbouring mountain. It was established by the Mimura Clan. I may be mistaken but I believe the Mimura family is still in local politics today. During the Sengoku Period the area was contested by the Takeda of Kai and the Ogawara of Matsumoto. The Mimura sided with Kai and came under attack. After the fall of the Takeda many of their people came to live in the village which still today has many families called Mimura and Takeda. The ruin can be accessed by climbing up along the ridge from Takeijō or ascending from the Yakushidō in Asahi-mura.


Visit Notes

I went to Kasane Castle because when I was about to leave Takei Castle I saw a sign tied to a tree pointing to it. I had no idea about it but curiosity drove me on. I’d already merrily expended energy running around Takeijō so I had to break a couple of times on the way, but then I also have the habit of running up steeper slopes. It’s a form of laziness really. I was about to give up when I saw the mountain summit because it seemed the ridge would never end but just get steeper. However, at that time I saw another sign which had fallen down indicating that the castle was close by. The whole far side of the mountain, which Kasanejō is atop of, is cordoned off, creating a colourful but bedraggled barrier hemming in the site. Essentially the ruin is an undulating formation of baileys perforated by horikiri, trenches that dissect the ridge. Some of the trails were strewn with collapsed trees. I was able to identify the main bailey and multiple horikiri but the long abandoned and foreboding atmosphere of the mount was probably the most memorable part of my visit. Since the climb from Takeijō is time-consuming and arduous, it probably isn’t worth visiting Kasanejō unless one feels a sense of duty to visit the latter as part of the former. (co-ordinates are my best guess)




Gallery


Castle Profile
English Name Kasane Castle
Japanese Name 重ね城
Founder Mimura Clan
Year Founded Sengoku Period
Castle Type Mountaintop
Castle Condition Ruins only
Historical Period Pre Edo Period
Artifacts baileys and trenches
Features trenches
Visitor Information
Access Alpico Bus Service to Asahi Village from Hirooka Station on the Shinanoi Line
Visitor Information 24/7 free
Time Required two hours
Location Asahi, Nagano Prefecture
Coordinates 36° 6' 48.92" N, 137° 52' 54.01" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle 2019
Contributor ART
Admin Year Visited Viewer Contributed


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