Injiki Castle

History

Injikijō was the castle of the Sengoku Clan which produced Sengoku Hidehisa who served Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Sengoku Jirōzaemon is listed as one of its lords.

In 1333, during the wars of the northern and southern courts, Murakami Yoshiteru was summoned from Shinano to Yoshino by Prince Moriyoshi. On his way he left his wife and her nanny at Injikijō for safety. Prince Moriyoshi was being besieged at Yoshino. In order to help him escape, it is said that Yoshiteru donned Moriyoshi's armour to disguise himself as the prince, and then went into battle as a distraction to help his lord escape. It was a suicide charge so Yoshiteru cut open his belly as he engaged the enemy, spraying his opponents with his own viscera. This charming tale has warmed the hearts of Japanese for centuries. However, we mustn't forget about Yoshiteru's wife and nanny back at Injikijō! Yoshiteru's wife lived to a grand old age, but her nanny, upon hearing of Yoshiteru's death, committed suicide, which probably tells us something about their family dynamic at that time.

Visit Notes

Injikijō is a former fortification site in Ginan Township, Hashima County. No ruins remain and the site is now that of a temple, Senkōji. I came here because Senkōji's necropolis contains the cenotaphs of men of the Iwaki-Taira Domain who served at nearby Kiridôshi-jin'ya. Kiridôshi was a sub-domain and exclave of Iwaki Domain in the Edo period. My first (fulltime) job in Japan was in Iwaki, and so, feeling nostalgic, I went to pay my respects. It just so happens that Senkōji was formerly the site of a medieval fortification, which was Injikijō.

Gallery

Castle Profile
English Name	Injiki Castle
Japanese Name	印食城
Founder	Sengoku Clan
Year Founded	Before 1333
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Local Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features
Visitor Information
Access	Ginan Station on the Meitetsu-Nagoya Line; 15 minute walk to Senkōji
Visitor Information	24/7 free; temple
Time Required	10 minutes
Website	http://enya-kk.seesaa.net/article/384924854.html
Location	Hashima, Gifu Prefecture
Coordinates	35° 23' 39.08" N, 136° 46' 43.54" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2024
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed
Friends of JCastle
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