Unuma Castle
History
Unuma Castle was located on Shiroyama, a natural rocky mountain on the north bank of the Kiso River, opposite Inuyama Castle Unuma Castle was also known as Shisuiyama Kiriga-jo, and was built in the 1430s by Osawa Toshiharu who served the Toki and Saito clans.
In 1564, Oda Nobunaga ordered Kinoshita Tokichiro (Toyotomi Hideyoshi) to capture Unuma Castle and Igiyama Castle. Osawa Jirozaemon, lord of Unuma Castle, strongly resisted, but was finaly forced to surrender.
Unuma Castle was later given to Ikeda Tsuneo, master of Inuyama. After the Ikeda were transferred, Nakagawa Sadanari took over Inuyama Castle and Unuma. On March 13, 1584, during the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, Ikeda Tsuneoki fighting for Hideyoshi entered Unuma Castle, his former domain, under the pretense of going to Eastern Mino, and took advantage of Tokugawa allied Nakagawa Sadanari's absence to swim the river and capture Inuyama Castle. Unuma Castle was later abandoned.
Until the 1950s, a moat and dorui earthen mounds remained on the west side but most were lost due to highway development. It is said that there is a monument to the Osawa clan at the top of the mountain.
Visit Notes
Unuma Castle is not far from Inuyama Castle. (These pictures) I shot while flying over Unuma Castle. The site is now Off Limits to the public.
The castle ruins are located on a small rocky hill (Shiroyama) near the Inuyama Bridge on the Meitetsu Line. There used to be an inn and restaurant called Shiroyama-so, but it was closed due to a major fire in December 1972 in which a number of people were apparently killed. The ruins were removed in 2002. The mountain itself is owned by Kakamigahara City, and plans are underway to develop it into a park by 2023, but the foot of the mountain is currently private property and cannot be accessed.
Profile by Chris Glenn (edited by ART).
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Unuma Castle |
| Japanese Name | 鵜沼城 |
| Alternate Names | 宇留間城 (Urumajō) |
| Founder | Osawa Toshiharu |
| Year Founded | 1430s |
| Castle Type | Mountaintop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Features | |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Shin-Unuma Station on the Meitetsu-Inuyama Line; 5 minute walk |
| Visitor Information | Private Property |
| Time Required | |
| Location | Kagamiǵahara, Gifu Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 35° 23' 40.42" N, 136° 56' 44.16" E |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2022 |
| Contributor | 豪谷 |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Hōrōki | |
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