[Castle name]
Ichigoyama Castle
mitation castle tower of Ichigoyama built for Kanto Kanrei (a government official) Norizane Uesugi’s protection of Hirai Castle.
[Explanation]
It was built as a branch castle of Taira castle to protect Norizane Uesugi, Kanto Kanrei (a government official). But it was destroyed in 1563 when the invasion battle of West Ueno by Shingen Takeda occured.
A branch castle on the road to Hirai
Ichigoyama Castle stood on a low hill in what is now Yoshii, Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture. It was built as a branch castle in the network that protected Hirai Castle, the seat of Uesugi Norizane, who held the office of Kanto Kanrei (deputy shogun for the Kanto region). Western Kozuke Province was a corridor between the Kanto plain and Shinano, so small castles like this one guarded the roads and river crossings that armies had to use.
Destroyed in the Takeda invasion
In 1563 Takeda Shingen pushed into western Kozuke. The Uesugi network of castles collapsed one after another, and Ichigoyama Castle was destroyed in that campaign. It was never rebuilt as a working fortress.
The tower you see today
The tower on the hill is not an original structure. It is a modern imitation keep, built long after the castle was gone, and it now serves as a landmark and viewpoint over the Yoshii district. Japanese castles of this period rarely had towers of this kind; defence relied on earthworks, dry moats and the shape of the ground itself.
Visiting
The site is a short drive from central Takasaki, and the hill can be climbed in a few minutes. Combine it with the castle sites of western Gunma for a fuller picture of how the Uesugi, Takeda and Hojo clans fought over this province.
[Address,access]
Taira YOshiimachi, Takasaki-shi, Gunma
[Map]
