Kannosan Castle

History

Kannosan Castle first makes it's way into the history books in 1526 when the founder Yanagimoto Kataharu and his brother Hatano Tanemichi (Yagami Castle) rebelled against Hosokawa Takakuni who had forced their brother Kozai Motomori to commit seppuku based on false rumors. This led to the Battle of Katsuragawara. This was one of the events that led to the collapse of the Ashikaga Bakufu.

In 1533, Naito Kunisada was killed at Kannosan Castle in battle against the Hatano Hidetada (Yagami Castle).

When Akechi Mitsuhide laid siege to Yagami Castle in 1579, he used Kannosan Castle as his main base of operations. The castle was likely renovated at this time and Akechi Mitsuhide employed his trademark stone walls which accounts or the slight ruins of stonework around the site today. After the Hatano brothers were captured in the siege, they were brought back to this Kannosan Castle.

Visit Notes

The stepped baileys along the ridge line have been recently cleared and are really fantastic. You can get a clear view down the ridge of multiple levels and the trenches and embankments of each. At the top of the mountain the ruins kind of fade out and are hard to find. I ran into another castle explorer and we searched the woods looking for the supposed unejo tatebori, but could find no signs of them. They may be very slight today and mostly filled in with leaves and detritus. The gentleman was also kind enough to give me a ride back to the bus stop from the temple.

This castle is a long uphill walk from the bus stop. For better or worse, it is along a paved road but sometimes I think walking in the woods is easier. If you had a car it would be easy to drive up to the Kinrinji Temple which is at the entrance to the castle. You may see Google Maps and other places mistakenly call this Kamiosan Castle, but all the Japanese materials I've seen call it Kannosan Castle.

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Gallery

stonework

Castle Profile
English Name	Kannosan Castle
Japanese Name	神尾山城
Alternate Names	Motome-jo
Founder	Yanagimoto Kataharu
Year Founded	1526
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	JR Kameoka Station, 30 min bus to Miyagawa, 35 min walk; or Sonobe Station, 40 min bus to Miyagawa, 35 min walk
Visitor Information	mountain, open any time
Time Required	120 mins
Location	Kameoka, Kyoto
Coordinates	35° 2' 20.58" N, 135° 28' 11.21" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2024
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2023
Admin Visits	December 11, 2023
Friends of JCastle
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