Futoh'yama Castle

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Futohyamajou (1).JPG

History

Futôyamajō was constructed, it is thought, in 1471 during the conflict between Saitō Myōchin and the local Maibara Clan. The castle fell under the dominion of the hegemonic Rokkaku Clan, governors of Ōmi Province. In 1552 Kyōgoku Takahiro ordered the Imai Clan to assault Futôyamajō but the castle withstood this attack. In 1562, Azai Nagamasa conquered Futôyamajō and placed Nakajima Sōzaemon in charge. In 1572 Oda Nobunaga ordered an attack on Futôyamajō from Sawayamajō; Sōzaemon fled from Futôyamajō and it was destroyed and thereafter abandoned.


Visit Notes

Futôyamajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) you can go to if you have some time between changing trains at Maibara (Maibara is a small town but its station is an important railway connection). That’s what I did anyway. It takes less than ten minutes to walk from the station to Yutani-jinja where the trail to the castle ruin can be found.

The ruins of Futôyamajō consist of the north castle and south castle. The trail leads to a trench between the two. The ruins each contain the remains of dorui (earthen ramparts), kuruwa (baileys) and hori (trenches). The north ruin contains a yaguradai (turret platform). Though inspecting the ruins necessarily requires re-tracing all of one’s steps, it doesn’t take long to walk throughout the whole site.
Futôyamajō was constructed, it is thought, in 1471 during the conflict between Saitō Myōchin and the local Maibara Clan. The castle fell under the dominion of the hegemonic Rokkaku Clan, governors of Ōmi Province. In 1552 Kyōgoku Takahiro ordered the Imai Clan to assault Futôyamajō but the castle withstood this attack. In 1562, Azai Nagamasa conquered Futôyamajō and placed Nakajima Sōzaemon in charge. In 1572 Oda Nobunaga ordered an attack on Futôyamajō from Sawayamajō; Sōzaemon fled from Futôyamajō and it was destroyed and thereafter abandoned.




Gallery


Castle Profile
English Name Futohyama Castle
Japanese Name 太尾山城
Founder Saitō Myōchin
Year Founded 1471
Castle Type Mountaintop
Castle Condition Ruins only
Designations Local Historic Site
Historical Period Pre Edo Period
Artifacts Kuruwa, Horikiri, Dorui
Features trenches
Visitor Information
Access Maibara Station; 5 minute walk to trail head
Visitor Information 24/7 free; mountain
Time Required 50 mins
Location Maibara, Shiga Prefecture
Coordinates 35° 18' 52.92" N, 136° 17' 55.46" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle 2020
Contributor ART
Admin Year Visited Viewer Contributed


2.50
(2 votes)
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