Iwamura Castle
| Iwamura Castle | |
|---|---|
岩村城 | |
Mori clan, Matsudaira clan, Niwa clan |
Iwamura Castle (岩村城, Iwamura-jō) was located in the southeastern area of Mino Province in Japan. Its ruins can be found in the modern-day municipal subdivision of Iwamura, in Ena, Gifu Prefecture.[1] Along with Takatori Castle in Nara and Bitchu-Matsuyama Castle in Okayama, it is regarded as one of the three best mountain castles, and at an elevation of 721 meters above sea level (200 meters above its immediate surroundings), it is one of the highest in Japan.
History
Iwamura Castle is situated on a steep mountain overlooking the Iwamura Basin. The area commands an intersection of the Sanshu Kaidō, which connected southern Shinano Province with central Mikawa Province and the Pacific Coast, and the road connecting Mikawa Province with Tōtōmi Province to the east. In the Sengoku period, this area was of great strategic interest to both Takeda Shingen and Oda Nobunaga.
During the Kamakura period, eastern Mino was held by Kato Kagekado a vassal of Minamoto no Yoritomo.[2] His descendants formed cadet branches named after their residence, and through the Muromachi period, Iwamura was ruled by the Tōyama clan. The Tōyama were never a very strong clan, and were forced to pledge fealty to whichever of their neighbors was more powerful at the time. In 1545, they were subordinate to the Takeda clan. However, Oda Nobunaga was eager to build a relationship with the Tōyama, primarily as they bordered the lands of his arch-nemesis, Saitō Dōsan of Gifu. To this end, Nobunaga sent his aunt, Otsuya-no-kata, to marry Tōyama Kagetō. As the couple did not produce an heir, Nobunaga further sent his sixth son, Oda Katsunaga to be adopted into the clan.
In 1565, Nobunaga began his campaign against eastern Mino in earnest. At first, he maintained an agreement with
In 1582 Oda Nobunaga began his conquest of Kai Province, staying at Iwamura Castle to receive reports of the results of the war. Afterwards, the castle was given to
Subsequent to Meiji revolution, all of the remaining buildings of the castle were demolished in 1873, with the exception of one gate which was moved to a neighboring temple. All that remains at present are some remnants of stone walls on the mountain.
See also
- Siege of Iwamura
Literature
- De Lange, William (2021). An Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles. Groningen: Toyo Press. pp. 600 pages. ISBN 978-9492722300.
- Schmorleitz, Morton S. (1974). Castles in Japan. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Co. pp. 144–145. ISBN 0-8048-1102-4.
- Motoo, Hinago (1986). Japanese Castles. Tokyo: Kodansha. ISBN 0-87011-766-1.
- Mitchelhill, Jennifer (2004). Castles of the Samurai: Power and Beauty. Tokyo: Kodansha. ISBN 4-7700-2954-3.
- Turnbull, Stephen (2003). Japanese Castles 1540–1640. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-429-9.
References
- ^ "Iwamura Castle 岩村城". www.jcastle.info. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
- ^ "Iwamura Castle". castle.jpn.or. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
- ^ "Iwamura Castle | A Collection of Photographs of Japanese Castles". castle.jpn.org. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ "Siege of Iwamur". www.vhinkle.com. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
- ^ "Iwamura Castle". www.kotodamaya.com. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
External links
Media related to Iwamura Castle at Wikimedia Commons
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