Akasu Castle (Ina)

History

Said to have been constructed by Katagiri Magosaburō Tameyuki in the 14th century, whose descendents became the Akasu Clan and ruled the vicinity from this castle, Akasujō saw action during the invasions of Takeda Shingen, and, later, Oda Nobunaga. The Akasu Clan sided with Takeda Shingen, but in 1582 Oda Nobunaga's invasion left them vulnerable. Akasujō was put to siege by Nobunaga's armies and destroyed. It seems the Akasu were also involved in defending Ôshimajō to the south, but that castle also fell. Akasujō was not rebuilt thereafter.

Visit Notes

Akasujō was the first site on a castle walk which ended up encompassing sixteen different castle ruins. I had already visited two castle sites in Ina City early that morning, and I would visit two more in Ina City later that evening, all in all visiting twenty castle ruins that day! I was pretty chuffed at the end of the day, and, getting back to my (dirt cheap) hotel, thinking back to visiting Akasujō seemed like so long ago!

The castle consists of several kuruwa (baileys) divided by karabori (dry moats) situated along a cliff top overlooking an alluvial plain. The shukuruwa (main bailey) is in the middle, between the ninokuruwa (second bailey) and outer bailey. The shukuruwa and ninokuruwa are easy to identify because they are perforated by karabori either side of the road which runs through them. To the north of the promintory were two more baileys, the deguruwa and soguruwa (添郭). Along the cliffline spreading outward from the fort were minor fortifications (minor baileys and trenches) and samurai homes. I came via the top of the cliff and descended into the river plain by taking the karabori beneath the ninokuruwa, and from here the scale of the earthworks was evident.

Gallery

Castle Profile
English Name	Ina Akasu Castle
Japanese Name	伊那赤須城
Founder	Katagiri Magosaburō Tameyuki
Year Founded	14th Century
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Local Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Karabori, Tatebori, Kuruwa, Dorui
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Komachiya Station on the Iida Line; 30 minute walk
Visitor Information	24/7 free
Time Required	40 minutes
Location	Komagane, Nagano Prefecture
Coordinates	35° 43' 31.58" N, 137° 57' 35.71" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2020
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

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