Difference between revisions of "Ichijojiyama Castle"

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On the way back, I first tried to take the shorter side trail down to the Manshuin Temple, but about 1/3 of the way down it was too washed out and slippery that I deemed it too dangerous to go on and walked the long way back around Kirarazaka and Kirarazaka Castle back to Shugakuin Station. By this time it was dark.
 
On the way back, I first tried to take the shorter side trail down to the Manshuin Temple, but about 1/3 of the way down it was too washed out and slippery that I deemed it too dangerous to go on and walked the long way back around Kirarazaka and Kirarazaka Castle back to Shugakuin Station. By this time it was dark.
|History=This castle was likely built as a "tsume-no-shiro" to [[Watanabe Castle]] to protect Kyoto from any force that might try to sneak over Mt. Hiei from the Enryakuji Temple area and attack the city.
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|History=This castle was likely built as a "tsume-no-shiro" to [[Watanabe Castle]] to protect Kyoto from any force that might try to sneak over Mt. Hiei and attack the city. It is a large castle built alongside the "Shiratori-goe" road that crossed the top of Mt. Hiei as a shortcut between Kyoto and Shiga Prefecture (modern day Sakamoto). Several other castles also lay along this route including [[Shogunyama Castle]], Ipponsuginishi Castle and Tsubokasayama Castle. The exact route is not known today but can be guessed from historical records and the position of these castles.  
  
The castle was expanded by the Asakura / Azai forces for exactly the same purpose it was built to prevent, their combined threats on Kyoto in 1570. There are very steep trails to get to the castle but the area itself is relatively even ground and could hold many troops for attacks. It may have been paired with Tsubokasayama Castle on the opposite side (Shiga Prefecture) of Hieizan.
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The castle was expanded by the Asakura / Azai forces for exactly the same purpose it was built to prevent, their combined threats on Kyoto in 1570. The castle area itself is on relatively even ground and could hold many troops for attacks. The Shiratori-goe highway eventually gave way to a new highway developed by Nobunaga called the Shiga-goe road after he removed the threat of the Asakura/Azai alliance.
 
|Year Visited=2021
 
|Year Visited=2021
 
|AddedJcastle=2022
 
|AddedJcastle=2022

Revision as of 00:04, 21 February 2022

Ichijojiyama2.jpg

History

This castle was likely built as a "tsume-no-shiro" to Watanabe Castle to protect Kyoto from any force that might try to sneak over Mt. Hiei and attack the city. It is a large castle built alongside the "Shiratori-goe" road that crossed the top of Mt. Hiei as a shortcut between Kyoto and Shiga Prefecture (modern day Sakamoto). Several other castles also lay along this route including Shogunyama Castle, Ipponsuginishi Castle and Tsubokasayama Castle. The exact route is not known today but can be guessed from historical records and the position of these castles.

The castle was expanded by the Asakura / Azai forces for exactly the same purpose it was built to prevent, their combined threats on Kyoto in 1570. The castle area itself is on relatively even ground and could hold many troops for attacks. The Shiratori-goe highway eventually gave way to a new highway developed by Nobunaga called the Shiga-goe road after he removed the threat of the Asakura/Azai alliance.


Visit Notes

The castle can be approached by several of the hiking routes around Mt. Hiei as part of the "Kyoto Trail" that circumnavigates Kyoto. Unfortunately, it is not near the entrance of any of them so expect a long mountainous walk. The route I took started from Shugakuin Station and went up the Kirarazaka Hiking trail which is the famous Mt. Hiei climbing trail that starts from the Kyoto side of the mountain. Along the way up the mountain, you will run into the Shugakuin Kirarazaka Castle, which is actually a satellite fortification of Ichijoji Castle, protecting the northern side and roughly parallel across the valley from Matsugasaki Castle. From just beyond Kirarazaka Castle, you need to take a small path off the Mt. Hiei climbing trail that goes south along the Kyoto Trail. It is well marked if you watch for it. Another 20 minutes or so walking will bring you to Ichijoji Castle, but it is completely unmarked so you really need a good map and some guesswork to find out where the castle ruins are. I explored around here for awhile until it was starting to get dangerously late in the afternoon for a long walk back to civilization. There are some trenches and possible embankments along one ridge but others marked on the map were unrecognizable on the site today.

On the way back, I first tried to take the shorter side trail down to the Manshuin Temple, but about 1/3 of the way down it was too washed out and slippery that I deemed it too dangerous to go on and walked the long way back around Kirarazaka and Kirarazaka Castle back to Shugakuin Station. By this time it was dark.


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Castle Profile
English Name Ichijojiyama Castle
Japanese Name 一乗寺山城
Alternate Names Ichijoji-jo, Ipponsuginishi-jo, Ichijojienryakujiyama-jo (一乗寺延暦寺山城)
Founder Watanabe clan
Year Founded 15th C. (?)
Castle Type Mountaintop
Castle Condition Ruins only
Historical Period Pre Edo Period
Features
Visitor Information
Access Shugakuin Station (Eizan Railway); 90 mins walk
Visitor Information mountain trails, open any time
Time Required 90 mins
Location Kyoto, Kyoto
Coordinates 35° 3' 8.82" N, 135° 48' 49.50" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle 2022
Contributor Eric
Admin Year Visited 2021
Admin Visits October 24, 2021
Friends of JCastle
Kojodan: Ichijojiyama-jo


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