Owa Castle (Suwa)

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Revision as of 23:23, 29 April 2020 by Eric (talk | contribs)

SuwaOwajou (1).JPG

History

The hamlets of Takagi and Owa were controlled by the Kanasashi Clan of the Lower Shrine (now called Suwa-taisha). These hamlets were controlled by the Takagi Clan and Owa Clan respectively, and they built their castles to protect their lands. Owajō was particularly important in defending Shimo-Suwa as it opposed the Upper Shrine's stronghold of (old) Takashimajō.


Visit Notes

The ruins of Owajō were fun to inspect, being fairly intact. The trail starts before a small dam, and then follows a ridge up past a small shrine. Owajō consists of a single main bailey, the shukuruwa, but is surrounded below by many koshikuruwa (sub-baileys) which stretch around the main bailey in a ring, tapering off toward the castle’s rear. The shukuruwa is surrounded by dorui (earthen ramparts), which, as expected in this region, are piled up the highest at the bailey’s rear. Beyond this point several horikiri (trenches) were dug into the mountain ridge to protect the castle’s rearside. Remnants of stone-pilings (sekirui) are to be found throughout the site, and particularly around the shukuruwa there are lots of stone blocks to be found, although the largest remaining piling is found beneath one of the terraced koshikuruwa. As with at Takagijō, there are ishigaki remains at the foot of the mountain, but these were likely for terraced fields in the Edo Period.




Gallery


Castle Profile
English Name Suwa Owa Castle
Japanese Name 諏訪大和城
Founder Owa Clan
Year Founded 15th Century
Castle Type Mountaintop
Castle Condition Ruins only
Historical Period Pre Edo Period
Artifacts Dorui, Hori, Kuruwa
Features trenches
Visitor Information
Access Shimo-Suwa Station on the Chuo Line; 35 minute walk
Visitor Information 24/7 free; mountain
Time Required 30 minutes
Website https://www.suwa-midokoro.org/youtube/%E8%AB%8F%E8%A8%AA%E3%81%AE%E5%B1%B1%E5%9F%8E%E3%80%80%E5%A4%A7%E5%92%8C%E5%9F%8E/
Location Shimo-Suwa, Nagano Prefecture
Coordinates 36° 3' 54.47" N, 138° 6' 53.68" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle 2020
Contributor ART
Admin Year Visited Viewer Contributed


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