Mihara Castle
Mihara Castle | |
---|---|
三原城 | |
Mihara, Hiroshima, Japan | |
Coordinates | 34°24′4.62″N 133°4′57.57″E / 34.4012833°N 133.0826583°E |
Type | yamashiro-style Japanese castle |
Site information | |
Condition | ruins |
Site history | |
Built | 1567 |
Built by | Kobayakawa Takakage |
Demolished | 1873 |
Mihara Castle (三原城, Mihara-jō) was a hirajiro-style
History
In 1552,
The Mōri and Kobayakawa eventually came into conflict with Oda Nobunaga, and subsequently with Toyotomi Hideyoshi. On Nobunaga's assassination in 1582, The Kobayakawa reached an accord with Hideyoshi, and Kobayakawa eventually became a vassal of Hideyoshi, who needed the Kobayakawa navy. Kobayakawa Takakage was awarded Iyo Province in Shikoku and later Chikuzen Province in Kyushu. Together with Kuroda Yoshitaka (Kanbe), he was one of Hideyoshi's most trusted military advisors. In 1595, Kobayakawa Takakage turned his estates in Chikuzen to his adopted son Hideaki, and retired to Mihara Castle. During the reconstruction of Mihara Castle, the stone walls and structures of Niitakayama Castle were gradually dismantled as building materials, and most of the jōkamachi was relocated to Mihara. The present tenshu foundation base dates from this reconstruction. At its height, the castle extended from the Akuhara River (Wakuhara River) in the east for about one kilometer to present-day Nishimachi to the west, and about 600 meters from the foot of Mt. Sakura in the north to Umanokuchi in the south. It had 32 corner yagura and 14 gates. The base of the tenshu was on the same scale as that of Edo Castle; however no tenshu was actually built. Contemporary drawings show three double-story interconnected yagura located on the base; however, one theory states that a three-story tower was located to Mihara Castle in 1615 from Tomojo Castle, after that fortification was destroyed in accordance with the shogunate's "One-Country One-Castle" decree.
The castle's fortifications were situated so that they encompassed the east-west route of the
After the
The castle was listed as one of the Continued 100 Fine Castles of Japan in 2017.[6]
Gallery
-
Mark in gate of center of castle
-
Stone wall that exists in circumference of nearby river
-
Stone wall that digs into Mihara Station
-
Mark in gate in the east
-
Mark in gate in the west
-
Mark in Port in castle
See also
Literature
- De Lange, William (2021). An Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles. Groningen: Toyo Press. pp. 600 pages. ISBN 978-9492722300.
- Sansom, George (1961). A History of Japan: 1334–1615. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press
- Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. London: Cassell & Co.
References
- ^ "小早川氏城跡 / 高山城跡 / 新高山城跡 / 三原城跡". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 25 December 2022.(in Japanese)
- ^ "新高山城跡" (in Japanese). Mihara city official. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ^ "高山城" (in Japanese). 三原観光navi. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ^ Mihara - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
- ^ The Cultural and Historic CROSSROADS of Japan / Map Search Archived 2008-05-09 at archive.today
- ^ "三原城" (in Japanese). 続日本100名城. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
External links
- Hiroshima Prefecture Board of Education(in Japanese)
- Mihara city city home page(in Japanese)
- Mihara Tourism home page(in Japanese)