Yorii Castle (Hitachi)

History

Yorii Castle was a hirajiro (flatland castle) built by the Hirano Clan in the Sengoku Period.

Visit Notes

The ruins of Yorii Castle consist of earthworks such as dorui (rammed earth embankments) and karabori (dry moats). The main bailey is now a small cemetery. At the entrance to the site, to the south, is a small village, and a very narrow road brings one to fields surrounded by woodland. A stretch of old earthen ramparts runs across the back of the fields. This is the main part of the central ruin but in the wooded area beyond there is an extensive moat network. The karabori starts beneath the dorui to the right as one enters the main enclosure (to the left it has been filled in), and wraps around the back of the main bailey (where the tombstones are). It continues on passed the dorui of the main bailey up until a point almost back at the roadside, corresponding to an outer bailey, I assume. I tried to follow the moat the whole way but it is very difficult and overgrown, and I had to scramble over many fallen trees and such obstacles. Unfortunately in one part it is full of rubbish from fly-tipping. Interestingly the shape of the central enclosure is semi-circular and the rear moat is elliptical.

Gallery

Karabori

Castle Profile
English Name	Yorii Castle (Hitachi)
Japanese Name	常陸寄居城
Founder	Hirano Clan
Year Founded	Sengoku Period
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Dorui, Karabori, Kuruwa
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Shimo-Sugaya Station on the Suigun Line; 25 minute walk
Visitor Information	24/7 free
Time Required	60 mins
Location	Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture
Coordinates	36° 26' 16.58" N, 140° 30' 41.72" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2020
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

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