Kawashima Castle

History

Kawashima Koretada, a Miyoshi clansman, built Kawashima Castle on a 50m hill overlooking the Yoshino River in 1573. After Toyotomi’s forces had conquered Shikoku, and Hachisuka Iemasa was appointed the Lord of Awa (present day Tokushima Prefecture), Kawashima Castle became one of Hachisuka’s Nine Castles of Awa. In 1585, Hachisuka stationed 300 soldiers at the castle under the command of Hayashi Tadakatsu to watch over the western part of Awa. Kawashima Castle was demolished in 1615 after the implementation of the One Province One Castle Edict.

Visit Notes

This castle is about 8 minutes walk from JR Awakawashima Station on the JR Tokushima Line. The concrete castle keep built in 1981 is nothing like the original, and the interior is completely modern with glass windows and painted white walls. Entry is free and on the top floor, there are a couple of suits of replica samurai armour and period clothes.

Profile and photos by JCastle user RaymondW.

Gallery

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  main keep
• 

  Main keep
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  Main keep
• 

  inside the main keep
• 

  View from the main keep.
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  Map

Castle Profile
English Name	Kawashima Castle
Japanese Name	川島城
Alternate Names	Kitano Castle
Founder	Kawashima Koretada
Year Founded	1573
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	Reconstructed main keep
Designations	Local Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Year Reconstructed	1981
Features	main keep, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Awakawashima Sta. (Tokushima Line), 8 min walk
Visitor Information	Free.
Time Required	30 minutes
Website	http://www.city.yoshinogawa.lg.jp/docs/2010100700821/
Location	Yoshinogawa, Tokushima Prefecture
Coordinates	34° 3' 58.18" N, 134° 19' 13.19" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2013
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

1.67

(3 votes)

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ARTShogun

90 months ago

Score 0

Whilst the mock reconstructed keep here is pretty, it’s not historically accurate and there’s nothing else to see. I didn’t have time to hang around and wait for the museum to open so I don’t know if the exhibitions redeem it. This was the only low point of my Shikoku trip, but I still find something incredibly intriguing about random castle towers in the middle of the countryside or residential areas. Whilst the typical museum architecture of the West is Greaco-Roman, in Japan in many cases a “symbolic” castle tower will serve as a museum. These mock reconstructions usually announce themselves by their plain glass windows.

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