Fukazawa Castle

History

This castle started as the palace of the Fukazawa. It was fortified into a castle in the 16th C. by Imagawa Ujichika to watch over the Ashigara and Koshu Highways and the confluence of the Mabuse and Nuke Rivers. In 1568 it became the site of a pitched battle between the Hojo and Takeda Shingen. The Hojo prevented Takeda from moving into the Suruga Province but he came back the following year and succeeded in conquering the castle in 1570. The Hojo quickly fought back and retook the castle, but a few months later Takeda himself went back to lay siege to the castle. Hojo Ujinari gave up and surrendered the castle. The castle was commanded by Komai Masanao for the Takeda until 1582 when he set fire to the castle and abandoned it. When the area came under the control of Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1584, Ieyasu rebuilt the castle for his perimeter defenses. After the fall of the Hojo in 1590 the castle was no longer necessary and was abandoned.

Visit Notes

The ruins are on a mix of private property. The guy from the house by the road was following me at a distance the whole time and watching me suspiciously making it very uncomfortable. Even if it's private it's still open and that was a bit rude. Daiunin, a nearby temple, has the original Otemon and is only about a 15 min walk away.

There is also an occasional bus from Gotenba Sta. that goes near the castle, but I bicycled from Gotenba.

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Gallery

Stone signpost
crescent shaped moat
Sannomaru Umadashi
umadashi between the Ninomaru and Sannomaru
Ninomaru Bailey
remains of a warehouse
Honmaru umadashi
Honmaru Bailey
Honmaru Bailey
Ninomaru Bailey
dry moat
Otemon Gate from Daiunin
The Otemon Gate at Daiunin
Map

Castle Profile
English Name	Fukazawa Castle
Japanese Name	深沢城
Founder	Imagawa Ujichika
Year Founded	16th C.
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Designations	Prefectural Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Gotenba Sta. or Ashigara Station (Gotenba Line), 50 min walk
Visitor Information	Private property, be respectful. Open anytime.
Time Required	25mins
Website	http://www.sengoku-shizuoka.com/castle/3108005/
Location	Gotenba, Shizuoka Prefecture
Coordinates	35° 19' 29.96" N, 138° 57' 23.98" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2014
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2014
Admin Visits	April 13, 2014

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ARTShogun

14 months ago

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Fukazawajō is a medieval earthworks fortification site with substantial ruins. Most of the baileys, which are now farmland, are divided by deep karabori (dry moats). The site is farmed and many of the karabori are too overgrown to properly explore. I did have a little peak in one which was a little more clear. It's always fun to wander around a karabori! The site is quite extensive and has many baileys; it starts at the road where there is a monument to the historic site and an information board, and continues on behind a cluster of homes to the fields.

I had to contend with a farmer, to whom I nodded politely, slowly moving down the narrow lanes between baileys on his tractor, but he did not tell me to go away or anything. In the furthermost bailey (main bailey?) there was a group of agri' workers taking lunch. In the karabori were many large spiders I was forced to fight. It's quite a busy site, part of people's lives, of which the fort's history must surely be of little consideration day-to-day.

Fukazawajō had at least one satellite fort, Daiun'in-doi, which now has a temple gate which is said to be the relocated ôtemon (main gate) from Fukazawajō itself.

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