Difference between revisions of "Asahi Castle (Chikuma)"

Latest revision as of 14:40, 15 April 2024

History

It is thought that this castle was originally constructed by the Mimura Clan or the Ogasawara Clan. It was involved in the campaigns of the Takeda Clan in the area and probably served as a supplementary fortification to the main Mimura stronghold at nearby Takeijō. Later the Kamijō Clan took up residence at the castle (the area has many, many families called Kamijō today). An old mountaintop castle, Asahijō was likely abandoned long before the Edo Period.

Visit Notes

I was really appreciative to find a worn out old marker at the flat top of the mountain summit indicating its former existence. Asahijō (旭城) is in Asahi-mura (朝日村) but they take different kanji.

Gallery

Marker in castle bailey

Castle Profile
English Name	Asahi Castle (Chikuma)
Japanese Name	筑摩旭城
Alternate Names	旭小城・旭大城
Founder	Mimura Clan
Year Founded	Sengoku Period
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Trenches, Baileys; karabori (moats) and obikuruwa (belt bailey) around the central enclosure
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Alpico Bus Service to Asahi Village from Hirooka Station on the Shinonoi Line (no service on Sundays)
Visitor Information	24/7 free; mountain
Time Required	60 minutes
Location	Asahi, Nagano Prefecture
Coordinates	36° 8' 19.68" N, 137° 51' 37.04" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2019
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

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ARTShogun

58 months ago

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Thought I'd try something different for the cover picture here. I'll upload another one of the bailey.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Castle
-|English Name=Chikuma Asahi Castle
+|English Name=Asahi Castle (Chikuma)
 |Japanese Name=筑摩旭城
 |Romaji Name=Asahijō
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 |Artifacts=Trenches, Baileys; karabori (moats) and obikuruwa (belt bailey) around the central enclosure
 |Features=trenches
-|Access=Alpico Bus Service to Asahi Village from Hirooka Station on the Shinanoi Line
+|Access=Alpico Bus Service to Asahi Village from Hirooka Station on the Shinonoi Line (no service on Sundays)
-|Visitor Information=24/7 free
+|Visitor Information=24/7 free; mountain
-|Time Required=one hour
+|Time Required=60 minutes
 |City=Asahi
 |Prefecture=Nagano Prefecture
-|Notes=I was unfortunate to happen across a sign indicating the existence of this castle site. Said sign promised features like karabori (moats) and obikuruwa (belt bailey) around the central enclosure. I’m not sure I was able to identify these however. So now I knew of a castle ruin, and the mountain was before me. I had a couple of hours of sunlight left. I had to check it out. Now, I am not a skilled mountaineer. I quickly lost what I thought was a trail and decided to simply assault the mount head on. This was much more difficult than I had anticipated and I ended up crawling much of the way up (and sliding down). Gravity never felt so oppressive. Highlights of that interminable slog include falling off a fallen log spanning a dried-up ravine; stopping myself falling backward by grabbing a branch – with my teeth; ominously coming across beast droppings; and collapsing like sand what I thought was a sturdy rock formation… I’m getting too old for this. Needless to say I got quite tired and dirty. As for the castle, I was really appreciative to find a worn out old marker at the flat top of the mountain summit indicating its former existence. Asahi Castle is in three parts: the big castle, little castle, and an unnamed middle bailey. The big castle bailey is not so expansive but is the furthest along, I imagine, at the final point of a ladder layout (baileys arranged in a line, passing through one to get to the next) and therefore the toughest part of the old fortress to assault. Now all is mountain and there’s not much to see really. However, I only had time to make it to the “big castle” part, and so I plan to go back to see the other baileys if I can find a suitable trail.
+|Notes=I was really appreciative to find a worn out old marker at the flat top of the mountain summit indicating its former existence. Asahijō (旭城) is in Asahi-mura (朝日村) but they take different kanji.
-Asahijō (旭城) is in Asahi-mura (朝日村) but they take different kanji.
+|History=It is thought that this castle was originally constructed by the Mimura Clan or the Ogasawara Clan. It was involved in the campaigns of the Takeda Clan in the area and probably served as a supplementary fortification to the main Mimura stronghold at nearby [[Takei Castle|Takeijō]]. Later the Kamijō Clan took up residence at the castle (the area has many, many families called Kamijō today). An old mountaintop castle, Asahijō was likely abandoned long before the Edo Period.
-|History=It is thought that this castle was originally constructed by the Mimura Clan or the Ogasawara Clan. It was involved in the campaigns of the Takeda Clan in the area and probably served as a supplementary fortification to the main Mimura stronghold at nearby Takeijō. Later the Kamijō Clan took up residence at the castle (the area has many, many families called Kamijō today). An old mountaintop castle, Asahijō was likely abandoned long before the Edo Period.
 |Year Visited=Viewer Contributed
 |AddedJcastle=2019