Nanzan Castle
History
This is the castle where the king of Nanzan lived during the Sanzan period or The Three Kingdoms period. Nanzan Gusuku or Nanzan Castle is mentioned in local legends as early as in the second half of the 12th century. Archaeological excavation by the Itoman City Board of Education in 1984 found evidence that the castle was founded sometime in the 13th century. From the ceramics and other relics unearthed on site, it further indicates that the castle flourished from the 14th to 15th century. In 1429, the Nanzan Kingdom was conquered by Sho Hashi and became part of the Ryukyu Kingdom. It is likely that the castle continued to be used in some capacity as there are ceramic fragments unearthed dating to the 16th and 17th century.
Today only a small part of the castle walls remains, and most of the castle site is now part of Takamine Primary School and its grounds.
Visit Notes
Nanzan Castle at first glance seems to have lots of ishigaki, but the tight-fitting stone walls are of modern construction from the early 20th century. There is only a small portion of Nanzan Castle’s extant stone wall left, and it is the older nozura-zumi style of more loose-fitting stones. Most of the original stone walls are on the northern side of this castle ruin, along the path to Takamine Primary School.
All the photos shown on this profile were taken in April 2022.
RaymondW wrote this castle profile and contributed all the photos.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Nanzan Castle |
| Japanese Name | 南山城 |
| Alternate Names | Shimajiri-Ozato Castle, Takamine Castle |
| Founder | Ozato Aji |
| Year Founded | 13th century |
| Castle Type | Hilltop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Designations | Local Historic Site |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Features | stone walls |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Takamine Primary School Bus Stop, 3 minute walk |
| Visitor Information | Free |
| Time Required | 30 minutes |
| Location | Itoman City, Okinawa Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 26° 7' 39.00" N, 127° 41' 24.90" E |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2023 |
| Contributor | RaymondW |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
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