Kakutsugawa Castle

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Kakutsugawajou (8).jpg

History

Kakatsugawajō was the fortified residence of Suganuma Sukejūrō, constructed in the early 16th century; it was attacked and destroyed in the late 16th century along with Koganejō.


Visit Notes

Kakatsugawajō, located in Kakatsugawa Township, Okazaki Municipality, is a strange site. Before going I assumed from looking at satellite imagery that it was a yamajiro (mountaintop castle), but it is located in a shaded valley at the foot of a mountain, making it a valley castle; it would’ve served as a fortified residence. The area today has some interesting ruins, but it is unfortunately doubtful that any of them date to the time of the castle. There are ishigaki (stone-piled retaining wall) segments terracing the area, but these are Edo period or later, and were probably used for fields or mulberry groves. The site is now a cedar plantation. Interestingly there are some trenches and embankment ruins around, but they are very small in scale, and oddly configured. One notable berm cuts across the valley, continues with a trench over a small ridge, and also splits off and goes along the side of a ridge. These aren’t castle features, and the most likely explanation is that they were defences made by villagers against encroachment from wild boars. It was interesting to see all this, and I spent a long time looking for landmarks, such as a series of cenotaphs, which now appear to be removed. Eventually I found the anti-boar works for myself after needlessly going up the ridge for some way and coming back down. The site is generally overgrown and I saw a reddish brown snake of a variety I didn’t recognise.




Gallery
  • Terraced valley floor with stone stacks
  • Anti-Boar Defence Berm


Castle Profile
English Name Kakutsugawa Castle
Japanese Name 鹿勝川城
Alternate Names 加勝川村古城
Founder Suganuma Sukejūrō
Year Founded Early 16th century
Castle Type Hilltop
Castle Condition Ruins only
Historical Period Pre Edo Period
Features trenches
Visitor Information
Access Nearest station is Motojuku Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line; Higashi-Okazaki IC
Visitor Information 24/7 free; mountain
Time Required 30 minutes
Location Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture
Coordinates 34° 54' 25.67" N, 137° 18' 30.24" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle 2023
Contributor ART
Admin Year Visited Viewer Contributed
Friends of JCastle
Jōkaku Shashin Kiroku


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