Murai Koya Castle

History

It is said that Muraijō was the fort of Tezuka Mitsumori, a vassal of Minamoto Yoshinaka. The Murai Clan are also thought to have later inhabited the site from the Kamakura Period onwards, which was where the fort got its name. During this time Muraijō would've been the site of the clan's main fortified residence (yakata) on the plain, and Sugawarajō served as a branch castle. In 1548 Takeda Shingen went to war against Ogasawara Nagatoki. Muraijō belonged to Ogasawara and was used to defend central Shinano. Ogasawara was defeated at the Battle of Shiojiri Pass (located to the south of Muraijō) and the castellans of Muraijō, the Murai Clan, were wiped out. Takeda Shingen conquered Muraijō and used it to advance upon and capture Hayashijō. In 1550 Hayashijō fell and Muraijō, being replaced by Fukashijō (later renamed Matsumotojō), was abandoned. No ruins remain.

Visit Notes

The former site of Muraijō / Koyajō was on my way back home from another site, Momose-jin'ya, so I stopped by, but otherwise I wouldn't've bothered. Absolutely nothing remains of the fort. The only clue as to its existence is a signboard detailing the history of the site. The land is now occupied by maisonettes. Comparing my pictures online with others I noticed that a small wooden marker is now missing. That is the most significant thing I can report. I was surprised to find that Muraijō has its own wikipedia article (in Japanese)! So I've translated that for the history section above.

I've called it Koya-yakata as the main name for this article because that's how I found it first and because maybe there's a much better Murai Castle or Koya Castle worthy of taking up the name on this website somewhere.

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Gallery

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  Description in Japanese on signboard
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  Dorui (earthen ramparts)
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  Possible dorui remains
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  Dorui
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Castle Profile
English Name	Koya Yakata
Japanese Name	小屋館
Alternate Names	Muraijō / Koyajō
Founder	Murai Clan
Year Founded	Kamakura Period
Castle Type	Fortified Manor
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	遺跡なし
Features
Visitor Information
Access	Murai Station on the Chūō Main Line; walk 5 minutes
Visitor Information	24/7; free
Time Required	Thirty Seconds
Website	https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%91%E4%BA%95%E5%9F%8E (%E4%BF%A1%E6%BF%83%E5%9B%BD)
Location	Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture
Coordinates	36° 10' 39.50" N, 137° 57' 17.46" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2019
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

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ARTShogun

13 months ago

Score 0

I revisited here. There may some scant remains after all. Will update shortly.

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