- Type
- Ruin
- Origins
- 1332 · 14th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Ōsaka Prefecture, Japan
- Commissioned by
- Kusunoki Masashige
- Coordinates
- 34.4172°, 135.6512°
History
The castle on a ridge of Mount Kongō, on the border of Kawachi and Yamato provinces, was built in 1332 by Kusunoki Masashige, a supporter of Emperor Go-Daigo in his struggle against the Kamakura shogunate. In 1333, after taking nearby Kami-Akasaka Castle, huge Hōjō forces besieged it, while according to the chronicle Taiheiki fewer than a thousand men held the fortress. For several months the garrison beat off assaults, hurling stones and logs on the attackers and setting fire to their ladders and bridges, until the besiegers turned to a blockade and ran short of supplies. The drawn-out siege undermined the shogunate's authority and encouraged other commanders to rebel, and the Kamakura shogunate fell later in 1333. The castle remained a stronghold of the Southern Court until 1392, when it was taken by Hatakeyama Motokuni of the Northern Court and then abandoned.
What to see
Steep stone steps lead up to the site from a bus stop at the foot of Mount Kongō. All that remains of the stronghold are the earthen terraces of its baileys and dry moats in a dense cedar forest, and the main bailey is home to the small Chihaya Shrine, dedicated to Kusunoki Masashige and his family. The site is a National Historic Site, and a popular trail to the summit of Mount Kongō starts nearby.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q1149573
Popularity: articles about this site in 12 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).