Habu Castle

History

The early history of this castle is completely unknown. It was likely built by Nonoguchi Chikanaga in the early 1500's. When his son Chikakiyo was in control of the castle it was an ally and satellite castle of Kannosan Castle. When the region came under attack by Akechi Mitsuhide, Nonoguchi allied with Mitsuhide. He also contributed to Mitsuhide's Tanba Campaigns including the Siege of Yagami Castle. Nonoguchi allied with Toyotomi after the Honnoji Incident. After the castle was abandoned, Saifukuji Temple was built near the base of the mountain and repurposed one of the gates from the castle. That is the gate you see in the photos below.

Stonework or stone wall ruins have been found all over the mountaintop castle site suggesting that it had much more extensive stone walls than what we see today. It also has more stonework than we typically see for small mountain castles in the area. The stonework and koguchi entrances indicate it was likely built or reinforced early in the Oda-Toyotomi Period (織豊系城郭). Since Nonoguchi allied himself with Akechi Mitsuhide, it is likely that the castle was influenced by Mitsuhide or Mitsuhide helped fortify the castle with stone walls which would make it similar other Mitsuhide fortified castles in the area including Shuzan Castle, Shuuchi Castle, Kannosan Castle and Yagi Castle.

Visit Notes

This is a classically designed castle with a fortified residence (yakata) at the base of the mountain and a mountain redoubt (tsume-no-shiro) on the mountain behind it. Most of the attention for this castle is paid to the mountaintop part, but don't overlook the yakata area around the base.

The bus from Kameoka Station to Sonobe Station through the mountains stops very close to the castle site. There are few busses each day so depending on what time you get to the area it may be easier to start from one or the other station. I left early in the morning taking the bus from Kameoka but returned via Sonobe. Along the same bus route, you can also access Shishiudo Yakata and Kannosan Castle among others in this history rich area.

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Gallery

Castle Profile
English Name	Habu Castle
Japanese Name	埴生城
Alternate Names	Nonoguchi-jo
Founder	Nonoguchi Chikanaga
Year Founded	Early 1500's
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	JR Kameoka Station, 40 min bus to Habu, 10 min walk; or Sonobe Station, 30 min bus to Habu, 10 min walk
Visitor Information	mountain, open any time
Time Required	75 mins
Location	Nantan, Kyoto
Coordinates	35° 3' 20.02" N, 135° 26' 50.89" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2024
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2023
Admin Visits	November 12, 2023
Friends of JCastle
Yamajiro Sanka
Woodland Kyoto
Jokaku Horoki
Kojodan

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