西播磨の山城へGO

USACSYSTEM

About this app

"Go to the Mountain Castles of Western Harima" is an app that introduces mountain castles remaining in the Western and Central Harima areas of Hyogo Prefecture.

Enjoy the reconstructed appearance of these former mountain castles, based on historical records and remains.

Hyogo Prefecture boasts one of the highest numbers of castle ruins in Japan.

Within Hyogo Prefecture, the Western Harima area, in particular, has a wealth of impressive mountain castles that are relatively unknown nationwide.

The "Go to the Mountain Castles of Western Harima" app was created with the desire to share the charm of these lesser-known Western Harima mountain castles.

The Western Harima area consists of the municipalities of Ako City, Aioi City, Kamigori Town, Sayo Town, Tatsuno City, Shiso City, and Taishi Town. This app will introduce carefully selected mountain castles in each of these municipalities in order.


[Western Harima]
● Rikami Castle (Sayo Town)
This mountain castle was built on Mt. Rikami, located almost in the center of Sayo Town, at an altitude of 373 meters. Historically, it served as the residence of the Akamatsu clan, and later, after serving as the castle of retainers of the Ukita clan, Ikeda Terumasa, who was appointed to Harima after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, ordered his nephew, Yoshiyuki, to carry out a major renovation.
Although severely collapsed today, the high stone walls remain, conveying the appearance of a large mountain castle.

● Kanjōzan Castle (Aioi City)
This mountain castle was built on Mt. Kanjō, located in the northern part of Aioi City, at an altitude of 301 meters.
It is known that during the Kenmu era, the castle lord, Akamatsu Norisuke, held off the approaching forces of Nitta Yoshisada for approximately 50 days, for which he was awarded a letter of commendation by Ashikaga Takauji, which gave the castle its name. Later, during the Sengoku period, a major renovation was carried out, resulting in the castle with its current all-stone walls. ● Shinonomaru Castle (Shiso City)
This mountain castle was built on a mountaintop at an altitude of 324 meters in Yamazaki-cho, Shiso City, commonly known as "Ipponmatsu." It was built by the Akamatsu clan during the Nanboku-cho period, and later the Uno clan took up residence there. It fell in 1580 during an attack by the army of Hashiba Hideyoshi, and there is a theory that it was "Yamazaki Castle," the residence of Kuroda Kanbei, who later became the lord of Shiso County. Many ridged vertical moats remain well-preserved, mainly in the northwestern part of the castle ruins.

● Tatsuno Old Castle (Tatsuno City)
Tatsuno Old Castle was built by Akamatsu Murahide on the summit of Mt. Keiro, at an altitude of 211 meters. The castle surrendered during Hashiba Hideyoshi's invasion of Harima in 1577, and thereafter Hideyoshi's retainers served as castle lords. During that period, the castle was renovated, and much of the castle's structure and stone walls that we see today were rebuilt during this time.

● Shirahata Castle (Kamigori Town)
This mountain castle was built in 1336 by Akamatsu Enshin to intercept the army pursuing Ashikaga Takauji, who had fled to Kyushu. For his achievement in delaying the Nitta army at the Battle of Shirahata Castle, Enshin was appointed Governor of Harima Province by the Muromachi Shogunate. Since then, Shirahata Castle has witnessed the rise and fall of the Akamatsu clan as their stronghold. Even today, countless baileys and castle ruins remain in the vast mountainous area.

● Amagoyama Castle (Ako City)
It is believed to have been built around 1538 by the Amago clan when they invaded Harima. The western and southern sides are exposed cliffs and rock formations, and the extremely strong terrain is thought to remain as it was at the time. The view to the south is magnificent, offering views of the Seto Inland Sea and the Ieshima Islands.

●Tateiwa Castle (Taishi Town)
Built by Akamatsu Norihiro during the Kenmu era (1334-1338), it fell to the shogunate forces during the Kakitsu Rebellion. It later became the residence of Akamatsu Izunokami Sadamura, but was attacked and captured by Hashiba Hideyoshi at the beginning of the Tensho era. Many large rocks and bedrock can be seen in the mountains, giving a sense of the castle's name, which is derived from the image of rocks standing tall like shields.

●Shiroyama Castle (Tatsuno City)
Shiroyama Castle is located on the summit of Mt. Kinoyama, at an altitude of 458 meters. It is a very rare mountain castle, as it combines an ancient Nara period mountain castle and a medieval Muromachi period mountain castle on the same mountain.

[Central Harima]
● Okishio Castle (Himeji City)
Okishio Castle is one of the largest mountain castles in Harima, built on a 370m-high mountain overlooking the east bank of the Yumemae River. It is known that Akamatsu Yoshimura used it as a shugo (provincial governor) residence in the early 16th century, and that it was later renovated and improved into a mountain castle for the lord's residence from the mid-16th century onwards, during the time of Akamatsu Masamura (Harumasa). It was subsequently abandoned during the Tensho era when Hashiba Hideyoshi, who pacified Harima, issued an order to demolish castles.

● Kasugayama Castle (Fukusaki Town)
Kasugayama Castle is a mountain castle built on Kasugayama (Iimoriyama, approximately 198m above sea level) in Kajiya, located in the southeastern part of Fukusaki Town. It was passed down through generations as the residence of the Goto clan, but Goto Motonobu, the lord during the Tensho era, lost his life along with the castle when it was attacked by Hashiba Hideyoshi's army in 1578.

●Mountain Castles of Ichikawa Town (Ichikawa Town)
・Tsurui Castle
The view from the mountaintop at an altitude of 440 meters is magnificent, and on clear days you can see the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge and the Seto Inland Sea.

・Tani Castle
Known as the largest mountain castle in Ichikawa Town, the remains of the mountain castle, such as baileys, earthworks, wells, and moats, are still well-preserved and easy to visit.

・Kawabe Castle
A long, narrow bailey measuring approximately 60 meters east to west remains on the mountaintop, surrounded by a series of terraced slopes. The hiking trail features a Konpira Shrine and a rest area, preserving the castle's history.

・Sekayama Castle
A distinctive feature is the presence of about 10 ridged vertical moats on the eastern slope. It is also known as a famous spot for cherry blossoms and azaleas in spring.

Enjoy the mountain castles of West and Central Harima while imagining their former glory.

[Kobe]
●Takiyama Castle (Kobe City)
Takiyama Castle was the castle of Matsunaga Hisahide, a retainer of Miyoshi Nagayoshi. The main enclosure was built near the summit of Shiroyama Mountain, which is 323m above sea level, and it is known as one of the largest mountain castles in Kobe.
It is believed that the castle was built in the Nanboku-cho period and later became a base for Hisahide's control of western Settsu, and was later ruled by Araki Murashige, a vassal of Oda Nobunaga, and underwent renovations over time and by different lords.

What’s new

神戸の山城が加わりました。
第一弾として「滝山城」が追加となります。