Ansho Castle

From Jcastle.info

Ansho2.jpg

History

The castle was founded by Wada Chikahira in 1440. The Matsudaira defeated them in 1471 and moved into the castle. This became the family home of the Matsudaira until Matsudaira Kiyoyasu (Ieyasu's grandfather) moved to Okazaki. After the Matsudaira vacated, the area surrounding the castle was the site of several heated battles between the Matsudaira, Imagawa and Oda. The castle was abandoned in 1562. Ansho Castle was surrounded by moats and earthen embankments, but never had a tenshu.


Visit Notes

I think I was "tricked" into visiting this castle. On my way to Nishio Castle, there was a poster for the museum and the ruins of Ansho Castle with a photo that looked like it should be a castle wall and the top of a yagura. Actually it was just the temple you see in the honmaru ruins. The museum looks like it might be a nice local history museum but I passed on it and continued on to Nishio instead.


Loading map...


Gallery
  • Daijoji Temple.
  • honmaru ruins
  • map of former castle grounds


Castle Profile
English Name Ansho Castle
Japanese Name 安祥城
Founder Wada Chikahira
Year Founded 1440
Castle Type Flatland
Castle Condition Ruins only
Designations Local Historic Site
Historical Period Pre Edo Period
Features trenches
Visitor Information
Access Minami Anjo Sta. (Meitetsu Nishio Line); 10 min walk
Visitor Information
Time Required
Website http://www.katch.ne.jp/~anjomuse/index.html
Location Anjo, Aichi Prefecture
Coordinates 34° 56' 43.98" N, 137° 5' 56.98" E
Loading map...
Admin
Added to Jcastle 2009
Contributor Eric
Admin Year Visited 2009
Admin Visits October 15, 2009


2.50
(4 votes)
Add your comment
Jcastle.info welcomes all comments. If you do not want to be anonymous, register or log in. It is free.


avatar

FurinkazanDaimyo

14 months ago
Score 0++

Due to the rain on 13/12/2022, I changed my plans and went first to the Anjô city museum, located next to the Anjôjô ruins. It was still raining when I finished visiting the museum, but went to the castle ruins. There are now a temple and a shrine on the former castle grounds. Of the castle there isn't much to see. At the temple there was a group of elderly persons. They were training to guide people around the place in expectation of next year's Taiga drama's attraction to the site. A lady of the group came to me to give some explanation, but I couldn't understand. She called a man of the group, his name being Kato Tadao and he speaks English. I had a nice chat with him and after showing the castle grounds, he asked me what were my plans for the rest of the day. I told him I was going to Nishiojô and on my way back to the hotel, if I had still time, to Honshôji. He was amazed, since he lives in Nishio and he was also training to be a guide at Honshôji. He proposed to visit both sites together and so he drove me to them. He was very kind and after the visit at Honshôji, he drove me back to my hotel. A rainy day became a very nice experience.

Like ART stipulate in his last comment, the castle name in Japanese can be read Anshôjô or Anjôjô. The middle kanji is different. See on the picture of the map of the former castle.
avatar

ARTShogun

14 months ago
Score 0++
It's very dedicated of you to return to a site like this!
avatar

EricShogun

14 months ago
Score 0++
wow, sounds like an awesome day. So many good stories out there meeting like-minded castle people along the way. Ansho is the original proper castle name, Anjo came about because of the city name. All older sources list it as Ansho.
avatar

ARTShogun

83 months ago
Score 0++
I see that the Japanese wikipedia article gives the reading of this site as Anjōjō あんじょうじょう.
avatar

EricShogun

14 months ago
Score 0++
Ansho is the original proper name off 安祥, as per more authoritative sources, not wikipedia. I suspect reading it as Anjo came about from the city name.
avatar

FurinkazanDaimyo

120 months ago
Score 0++
After Nishiojou and Toujoujou, i went to this site. I decided to go there because i changed from the Meitetsu-line to the JR-line in this city. The stations are 1km from each other and the site of the castle is 1km on the same road but in the other direction from Minamianjo-station on the Meitetsu-line. There is indeed not alot to see. I like also temples and shrines, so i wasn't completely disappointed. If you go for a castle you'll be very disappointed.
avatar

Jcastle.oldHatamoto

160 months ago
Score 0++
Tokugawa is a branch of the Matsudaira clan that was founded by Ieyasu.
avatar

Anonymous user #1

160 months ago
Score 0++
for some reason why does the the banner of the matsudaira clan look like the banner of the tokugawa clan