History
Amanarijō was a branch fortification of Nakanojō, which was located above. According to folklore, Amanarijō (or Nakanojō) is where Akiyama Mitsuaki, the lord of the castle, committed suicide when the castle mount was besieged by the Minamoto forces in 1185. The castle gets its name from the mountain which is said to always rumble before it rains, a sort of reliable thunder. Festivals commemorate Akiyama Mitsuaki in the village of Akiyama below, though few people venture up to the site of the fort.
For additional information see Kai Nakano Castle.
Visit Notes
Amanarijō features two baileys with two horikiri (trenches) cutting through the ridge in between them. The northern bailey one reaches first if hiking down from Nakanojō. This is the second bailey and it has a berm of earth protecting it, but otherwise it is quite a small and helpless bailey. The main bailey is better defended and is surrounded by dorui (earthen ramparts), except in the south where landslides have eaten into the ruins. One of the horikri is part of a trail so it remains quite deep, probably no deeper than when the fort was first built.
Castle Profile | |
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English Name | Amanari Castle |
Japanese Name | 雨鳴城 |
Founder | Akiyama Mitsuaki |
Year Founded | Late Heian Period |
Castle Type | Mountaintop |
Castle Condition | Ruins only |
Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
Artifacts | Horikiri, Dorui, Kuruwa |
Features | trenches |
Visitor Information | |
Access | Hike up for one hour from kyokan site, or descend from Nakano Castle for about 15 minutes. |
Visitor Information | 24/7 free; mountain |
Time Required | 30 minutes |
Website | http://103.route11.jp/?ms=2&mc=41&mi=423 |
Location | Fujikawa, Yamanashi Prefecture |
Coordinates | 35° 35' 13.88" N, 138° 25' 16.90" E |
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Admin | |
Added to Jcastle | 2023 |
Contributor | ART |
Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
Friends of JCastle | |
Jōkaku Hōrōki |
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