Hachiman'yama Castle (Tanba)

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TanbaHachiman'yamajou01.JPG

History

Tanba-Hachiman’yamajō was built in 1578 by Akechi Mitsuhide for his invasion of Tanba. The castle came under attack from forces based at nearby Kuroi Castle opposed to Oda Nobunaga’s hegemony (at that time Akechi Mitsuhide was still ostensibly loyal to the Oda). Akechi Mitsuhide was victorious, however, defeating Kuroijō after his second crack at it, and, Hachiman’yamajō having served its purpose, the castle was thereafter abandoned in 1579. Around 1584 Toyotomi Hideyoshi founded the Kaibara Hachiman Shrine on the site of the fort which stands today.


Visit Notes

Hachiman'yamajō was an incidental castle visit for me. The site, which some intrepid castle explorers have identified possible earthworks of, is now a shrine. We came here to see the historic pagoda which sits above the shrine's honden. That is not a configuration one often sees, especially not at shrines, and so this was an impressive sight. The pagoda is decorated with water fowl, with a different bird shown on each face: cranes, geese, ducks and herons. There is some nice ishigaki, but this dates to after the castle, of course, though maybe back to when the shrine was a temple... At the foot of the castle-shrine-temple-mount is a large tree which has grown horizontally over a river like a bridge, a kind of natural wonder.




Gallery
  • The fort site is now a shrine / temple


Castle Profile
English Name Tanba Hachiman'yama Castle
Japanese Name 丹波八幡山城
Founder Akechi Mitsuhide
Year Founded 1578
Castle Type Mountaintop
Castle Condition Ruins only
Historical Period Pre Edo Period
Artifacts Kuruwa, Hori, Dorui
Features trenches
Visitor Information
Access Kaibara Station on the Fukuchiyama Line; 6 minute walk to shrine
Visitor Information Free; 24/7; Shrine
Time Required 30 minutes
Location Tanba, Hyogo Prefecture
Coordinates 35° 7' 49.80" N, 135° 4' 46.20" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle 2021
Contributor ART
Admin Year Visited Viewer Contributed
Friends of JCastle
Hōrōki
O’Shiro no Tabi Nikki


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