*Oishi Kuranosuke’s figure

■ Castle of Akohoroushi “Ako Castle”
http://www.jp-history.info/castle/947.html

■ What was the residence trace of Kirakouzukeno Suke Yoshinaka (Kirisukuzuke Uenosuke) at the time of the controversy?
http://www.jp-history.info/historic-sites-and-statue/9232.html

■ Castle house territory and salary of Kirakouzukeno Suke Yoshinaka (Kira Uenosuke Yoshinaka)?
http://www.jp-history.info/blog/1882.html

[Address,access]
11-1 Takanawa 2nd city block, Minato ward, Tokyo metropolitan area 108-0074

[Map]

[Oishi Kuranosuke Bronze statue location access]
Takanawa 2-11-1 Minato ward, Tokyo metropolitan area 108-0074

[Oishi Kuronosuke’s bronze map]

[Explanation]
Sekiyado Castle is a famous castle reigning in the Kanto since ancient times. The place is located at the boundary between the Edo river and the Tone river (branch point), and the two rivers played the role of natural water canal. Besides, the area blessed with water transport was also an important base which flourished by water traffic and trade. The castle owner reigned for generations from the family of the Kanto “Yanada”, who was a relative by marriage with the Koga Kubouke family (Ashikaga family), and was in daimyo’s minister position.

When entering the Sengoku period, the Kanto became a place of conflict between Uesugi, Takeda, and Hojo Uji, and was frequently battled by war. Sekiyado castle is not an exception, it will be repeatedly attacked by Hojo Uji who stands for Kanto unification. In the first and second battle of the Sekijuku battle, he repulsed Hojo, but at the third battle, Yanada eventually left the castle without being able to receive support from “Uesugi Kenshin” and “Satake Yoshige”, and since then it became a military base in the Kanto region of Hojo.

※Imitated three-story tower that can be seen far from the river (Imitation Sekiyado Castle)

At that time, in the center “Toyotomi Hideyoshi” came all the way to unification of the whole country, and finally was planning to “conquer Hojo” which dominates the whole Kanto area as the finishing touch. And in Tensho 18th year (1590), finally Hideyoshi ordered each daimyo to conquer Hojo, and he himself also got into Kanto. Toyotomi boasting overwhelming military power and quantity, Hojo could not get out of it no matter how he tried to get out of it, all of his pranks went in vain. This is still the word “Odawara hyoujou” famous for use as a metaphor etc.

Sekiyado castle fell on account of Hojiyoshi’s attack on Hojo, and became the land under the control of “Tokugawa Ieyasu” who became the lord of the Kanto area after the Hojo conquest. Ieyasu placed the father’s brother “Matsudaira Yasumoto” in the main point of Kanto and ruled it. After that, Ogasawara, Hojo, Makino, Itakura, Kuze, Makino and the castle owner change swiftly.

In the late Edo period again, “Kuze” became a castle owner of Sekiyado and is entering the Meiji Restoration. The castle was temporarily wrecked due to the flooding of the Tone River and was subsequently destroyed due to renovation work of the river. “Inner citadel trace (stone monument)” and “Imitated watchtower (Chiba prefecture Sekiyado castle museum)” are built in the present Sekiyado castle site.

※Sekiyado Castle Inner citadel ruins stone monument

[Address,access]
143-4 Sekiyado Sanjo House Noda city, Chiba 270-0201, Japan

[Map]

[Explanation]
Iwatsuki Castle is a castle in Iwatsuki, Saitama district, Musashi province. It was also written as the rock in Edo period. It is a flat castle that used the plateau of Arakawa, and it was decorated with a rough terrain of a rare full-bell shape castle. In the Middle Ages, it was along the Kamakura Highway, middle way and Oshu Road, along the Nikko Onari main road in modern times.

It is currently designated as a historic site in Saitama Prefecture. It is said that it was built together with Edo Castle and Kawagoe Castle by Yasugi Uemasa Mochimoto and his vassals “Oota Doushin” and “Ota Doukan” son-in-law in Chouroku Era (1457).

※There is also the theory that Narita built a castle

Later, in the 7th year of Eishou (1509), “Shibue” who is under the control of Koga Kubou is said to have become the Lord of the castle of Iwatsuki. Early in the Sengoku Era, Kanto also entered into the warfare from the confrontation between Ougiya Uesugi and Uesugi Yamanouchi, then Oota Sukeyori took Iwatsuki Castle in Taiei Era 2nd year (1522), after this it becomes Ota’s castle of feudal lord.

After that, when Hojo Uji invades Musashi and embarks on Iwatsuki castle capture, while Houjou’s Uji Musashi rule becomes decisive in the Kawagoe Yorikusa 15th year (1546), Iwatsuki Castle resists it and started functioning under castle of the feudal lord Outa Sukemasa (Sanrakusai).

Eiroku Era 7th year (1564), During Shisei’s absence from home, legitimate child “Ota Ujisuke” responded to Hojo Ujiyasu and pursued expulsion of Shisei, and then Iwatsuki Castle became Houjou Uji’s castle. When Ota Ujisake was killed in Kazusa in Eiroku 10th year (1567), since Ujisake had no boys, Houjou Uji uses Iwatsuki castle as the imperial territory.

In the Tenshou 8th year (1580), Houjou Ujinao’s younger brother, Gengorou was appointed as the castle owner, and when Gengoro died early, his brother Ujifusa became the castle owner in the Tenshou 13th year (1585). During the 18th year of Tensho (1590) when Toyotomi Hideyoshi stopped the Odawara, and to conserve the Odawara castle, Ujifusa brought 2000 soldiers to Iwatsuki Castle under the command of Fusazane Date, However, about 20,000 soldiers led by Asano Nagamasa attacked them, they surrendered to a couple of days after sacrificing more than 1,000.

When Houjou Uji’s destruction declared, Tokugawa Ieyasu entered Kanto, Kouriki Kiyonaga, the successor of the Tokugawa family, entered Iwatsuki Castle with 20 thousand Jewels. After that, it became the residence of Aoyama, Ujiabe, Itakura, Toda, Matsudaira Fujii, Ogasawara, Nagai and other Daimyous.

In the middle of the Edo period, Tokugawa Ieshige’s employee Tadamitsu Ooka (distant father of Otaoka Tadasuke) entered, the lord got fixed and it became the castle of Ooka until the Meiji’s abolition of feudal domains and establishment of prefectures. There was no Castle tower, but as a substitute of Castle tower watchtower, Inner citadel had a double tier roof tile tower, and the other shingled roof of the first floor was present in inner citadel as well as the double watchtower of the second-floor comb shaped watchtower.

The black gate and the back gate have been transferred to the castle ruins park and remain.
Currently it is Iwatsuki castle ruins park including Iwatsuki castle and its surroundings are maintained.

[Address,access]
3-4 Ota, Iwasaku ward, Saitama city, Saitama Prefecture 339-0052

[Map]

[Explanation]
The Yoshinogari ruins are the Yayoi era settlement that was present in Yoshinogari town, Kanzaki county, Saga prefecture. The Yayoi era also caused warfare in various places, Yoshinogari is thought to have built a fence and moat in preparation for the enemy. Expansion of the village was gradually advanced, and in the late Yayoi period the prototype of the largest castle in the country was completed.

At present it is restored the observatory tower and the shrine etc.
The Yoshinogari ruins have been selected as 88th in Japan No. 100 National Castle.

[Address,access]
Yoshinogari town, Kanzaki county, Saga Prefecture 842-0035, 1869

[Yoshinogari Site Remains]

[Explanation]
Before the battle of Sekigahara, Ieyasu Tokugawa who was on his way to Aizu to fight Uesugi ordered Mototada Torii to be there during his absence. in 1600, the remaining troops of 1800 people led by Mototada Torii was completely wiped out when Hideie Ukita and Yukinaga Konishi from Osaka attacked them.

The picture shows the replica of Fushimi MOmoyama Castle where Mtotada Torii was based, and because of his achievement the Torii family was secure for generations.

[Address,access]
45 Momoyamacho Okura, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto

[Map]