Dodo Fort

History

The prospective date of Dodo-toride's construction in 14th century is based on its structure and remains, and no history is associated with this site. Perhaps it was used as a redoubt for Iwatojō in the valley below. Iwatojō, essentially a fortified manor hall, belonged to the Amano Clan in the 14th century. There is a folkloric tale that the lord of the manor was killed in battle and his wife went up to the mountain to die, becoming a white dragon.

Visit Notes

Dodo-toride is a yamajiro (mountainside) fort ruin in Iwato Township, Okazaki Municipality. The site is made up of terraces built into the mountainside with possible traces of trenches and masonry. I climbed up from the north, from beside the Oto River. I was following a map provided by gentleman castle-blogger at 'Shiro to Rekishi Aruki wo Tanoshimu (shiro-rekishimeguri)'.

There were several terraces before the site of the fort ruins as shown on the map. The upper of these terraces was just a couple of stages below the fort. On the way up I thought these were just formerly cultivated terraces, and indeed the fort terraces may have been so too, but I also wondered if they were part of the fort. The mountain is covered in rocks and boulders, and I wondered if these formations had been incorporated into an ad-hoc defensive space. There are smaller stone blocks stacked to shore up teracces.

I went to the top of the mountain to check I wasn't missing anything. There is a look-out platform but nothing that can be positively identified as fortification ruins. This site, which has a brilliant name, is not to be confused with Dōdojō, also in Okazaki Municipality.

Gallery

Castle Profile
English Name	Dodo Fort
Japanese Name	百々砦
Founder	Amano Tôsada (theorised)
Year Founded	14th Century
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Tatebori, Dorui, &c.
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	I cycled from Okazaki. 'Hello Cycle' rental bicycles are available in Okazaki.
Visitor Information	24/7 free; mountain
Time Required	30 minutes
Website	https://blog.goo.ne.jp/shiro-rekishimeguri/e/be422b493f4e632ef48834132fde25ea
Location	Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture
Coordinates	34° 57' 48.02" N, 137° 15' 3.38" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2024
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed
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Jōkaku Shashin Kiroku

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