Odori Castle

History

Odori Castle, at least the Odori Castle we see today, was likely built during the unrest of the 15th C. during the conflicts between the Ogigayatsu Uesugi and Yamanouchi Uesugi, but some stories date it back to the 12th C. when Minamoto no Yoritomo had an encampment at a place called "Odori" which may have been the same site. It was quite a large castle for the time and could have held thousands of soldiers. Ota Dokan used the site as an encampment. The Hojo launched their attacks against Matsuyama Castle from here and it played an important part of their castle network. At the end of the Hojo era, Odori Castle was also used by Maeda Toshiie as his base when he launched attacks against the Hojo at Matsuyama Castle. The castle was abandoned in 1590 after the Siege of Odawara.

Visit Notes

Despite having a rich history and being a Prefectural Historic Site, most of this vast castle has been developed over by a residential area, some fields and an old hotel that looks abandoned. The main features visible are the trench and embankments around part of the Honmaru Bailey. The center of the honmaru is a vegetable field and some fruit trees. The trench is quite deep and the high embankments make it interesting to visit if you can find your way into them and through the trees and bamboo that have grown over most of the trench.

The castle is about a 30 minute walk from Shinrin Koen Station, but there is also a bicycle rental shop near the station where you can rent a bicycle to visit not only Odori Castle but also Sugaya Yakata and Ogura Castle or others if interested. The area is rich with great castle ruins and Odori is the first after Matsuyama Castle (Saitama) connecting all the way to Hachigata Castle including Sugaya Yakata, Sugiyama Castle, Ogura Castle, Koshigoe Castle, and Hachigata Castle. All of these are must-see castles. I would like to revisit them all, but unfortunately, Odori Castle is probably the only castle in Japan that I never want to visit again. There is some kind of fertilizer or industrial waste processing facility in the Ninomaru that creates a stench that permeates every inch of the grounds. It's nearly unbearable. I can't imagine what the site would be like on a humid August day instead of a cold dry January one.

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Castle Profile
English Name	Odori Castle
Japanese Name	青鳥城
Alternate Names	Ishibashi-jo
Founder	Yamada Naoyasu
Year Founded	15th C.
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Prefectural Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Shinrin Koen Sta (Tobu Tojo Line); 30 mins walk
Visitor Information	mostly private property
Time Required	30 mins
Location	Matsuyama, Saitama Prefecture
Coordinates	36° 1' 52.50" N, 139° 22' 38.75" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2020
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2020
Admin Visits	January 19, 2020
Friends of JCastle
Shirobito - Odori Castle
Kojodan - Odori Castle
Jokaku Horoki - Odori Castle

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