Horikoshi Castle

History

The origins of a fortification on this site, possibly date to 1336. Tsugaru Tamenobu also used this site as an encampment for an attack on Ishikawa Castle in 1571. Tsugaru Tamenobu built this castle in 1594 and moved the Tsugaru's base from Oura Castle. It was found to be lacking in natural defenses so ended up being a short lived castle. The Tsugaru started to build Hirosaki Castle in 1609 and moved in 1611 abandoning Horikoshi Castle. It is believed that some structures from Horikoshi Castle were reused at Hirosaki Castle.

Visit Notes

Horikoshi Castle was a surprisingly great visit and one castle that definitely deserves more attention. The castle was known from historical documents but was "rediscovered" in the 70's while constructing the highway that runs through part of the castle. The site was added to the National Historical Site registration for Hirosaki Castle in 1985. The castle site has the Kumano Shrine in the Honmaru Bailey but was otherwise mostly undisturbed until recently. Excavations from 1998-2013 laid the groundwork for the restoration of the site that took place from 2012-2019. The site was fully completed and opened in April 2020.

Across the highway, beyond the Sannomaru Bailey there is a an old farmhouse that was moved to this location. It is used as a museum for Horikoshi Castle and local history. The diorama is also located here. It is open daily from 9am to 4pm, April 17 - November 23.

As noted in the Access field, there are 2 train stations that could be used to access Horikoshi Castle, but both are a bit far from the castle. Nisato Station has about one train per hour and Ishikawa Station has far fewer. There is a bus from Hirosaki Station to a bus stop called Horikoshi, which is only a short walk to the castle which might be your best option. The bus also runs about once per hour.

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Castle Profile
English Name	Horikoshi Castle
Japanese Name	堀越城
Founder	Tsugaru Tamenobu
Year Founded	1336
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	National Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Ishikawa Station (Ou Line), 40 min walk; Nisato Station (Konan Railway), 30 min walk; or 20 min bus from Hirosaki Sta.
Visitor Information	park; open 24/7
Time Required	90 mins
Website	http://www.city.hirosaki.aomori.jp/gaiyou/chosya/gyousei/horikoshijouaccess.html#navigation
Location	Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture
Coordinates	40° 34' 21.43" N, 140° 31' 17.62" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2021
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2020
Admin Visits	November 11, 2020
Friends of JCastle
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