Hijiyama Castle (Iga)
History
Hijiyama castle was attacked by the forces of the warlord Oda Nobunaga in 1581. The “shadow warriors” of Iga were able to defeat the troops of Nobunaga’s son some two years earlier, and not liking to lose, Nobunaga sent a larger, more powerful army. This was the second Tensho Iga no Ran, also known as the ninja wars. Thousands of people were killed, and the battle saw the near extinction of the ninja.
Visit Notes
Visited the ruins of the ninja castle, Hijiyama Castle in western Iga Ueno City, Mie Prefecture today. Hijiyama is a mountain castle. A very steep and high mountain castle that has not been maintained, nor cut back, nor properly prepared for visitors. Hijiyama is not easy to climb and without a guide, is difficult to access. My guide was the very capable Kasai San from Iga Ueno City. This was one of the roughest castle visits I’ve done!
All that remains of the castle are the original earthworks, dorui, or earthen embankments around leveled compounds, Horikiri trenches cut into the mountain to prevent enemy advances, and kirigishi, mountainsides shaved back to increase the angle and prevent infiltration. It is exceptionally overgrown, even in winter. This was real Indy Jones jungle tour trekking. We walked a total of 6km, but according to the health meter in my mobile phone we climbed the equivalent of 66 flights of stairs!
Profile by Chris Glenn (edited by ART).
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Iga Hijiyama Castle |
| Japanese Name | 伊賀比自山城 |
| Founder | 福喜多将監・百田藤兵衛 |
| Year Founded | 1581 |
| Castle Type | Mountaintop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Kuruwa, Horikiri, Dorui |
| Features | trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Nishiôte Station on the Iga Line; 35 minute walk to trailhead |
| Visitor Information | 24/7 free; mountain |
| Time Required | |
| Location | Iga, Mie Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 34° 45' 33.44" N, 136° 5' 53.41" E |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2022 |
| Contributor | 豪谷 |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Shirobito | |
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