Japanese Castle guide in Japan castle Historical site Statue Introduction.

[Castle name]
Murakami Castle (Honjo Castle)
It was lived by Honjo Shigenaga, who raised a standard of revolt to Uesugi Kenshin.

[Description]
Murakami Castle used to stand on a hill in current Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture. It was the domain office of Murakami Domain in the Edo period.
It was built by the Honjo family in the middle of the Warring States period.

The Honjo family had served the Nagao family and the Uesugi family. However, after Uesugi Kenshin united Echigo, in the 11th year of the Eiroku period (1568), Honjo Shigenaga suddenly raised the standard of the revolt to Kenshin.

He was besieged for a year. Finally he surrendered. He was forgiven for sending his heir Akinaga as a hostage. In the 3rd year of the Keicho period (1598), Uesugi Kagekatsu was transferred to Aizu and Honjo Shigenaga followed him.

After that, Hori HIdeharu received Echigo and assigned his man Murakami Yorikatsu the head of the castle. Yorikatsu repaired the castle into early modern style. After the 2nd year of the Keian period (1649), the head of the castle changed again and again. At the end of the Edo period, the Naito family ruled it.

In the Boshin War, the domain split into the shogunate group and the new government group. The shogunate group thought they couldn’t resist to the new government army, so burned the castle and escaped to Shonai Domain.

Then they joined Shonai Domain army and fought with the new government army on Uetsu Border.
Murakami castle burned in the Hokuetsu War (Boshin War) and destroyed in the early Meiji period.

[Address,access]
Nino Town, Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture 958-0835

[Map]