Arayama Castle

History

Arayamajō was built as a satellite fortification of Tenpyōji and Sekidōsanjō, a heavily fortified monastic community. The castle was once controlled by Kikuchi Nyūdō, lord of Nanaojō. Nugui Kagetaka, a vassal of the Hatakeyama Clan, was castellan of Arayamajō after the Honnōji Incident. Nugui Kagetaka and Miyake Nagamori were supported by Uesugi Kagekatsu in opposition to Maeda Toshiie and Sakuma Morimasa. Arayamajō, however, soon fell to these forces. It was not long after taken by Sassa Narimasa but was again conquered in 1584 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi who used it subsequently in his campagin to conquer Toyama. Sassa Narimasa was defeated in 1585 and Toyotomi Hideyoshi took over Etchū. As a castle located near the border between provinces, Arayamajō was considered a strategic position.

Visit Notes

It was well indicated from the road and even had a goading entrance area with ample informative displays and parking area. We were ahead of schedule and the site seemed fairly accessible and so I chanced to climb it. Only to end up giving up due to overgrowth. I saw a "watch tower" surmounting the honmaru from below the ramparts but couldn't reach it. Much of the hiking trail had collapsed in ground motions I suspect brought about recently by heavy rains. It seems the site was once hopefully maintained but no more.

Gallery

Castle Profile
English Name	Arayama Castle
Japanese Name	荒山城
Alternate Names	枡形山城
Founder	Tenpyouji Cult
Year Founded	Sengoku Period
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Reconstructed Miyagura, Baileys
Features
Visitor Information
Access	Notoninomiya Station on the Nanao Line; Taxi
Visitor Information	24/7 free
Time Required	one hour
Location	Nakanoto, Ishikawa Prefecture
Coordinates	36° 57' 17.28" N, 136° 56' 41.17" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2019
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

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