Kosuge Castle

History

Kosugejō was the castle of Lord Kosuge Nobukage, a warlord who served Takeda Shingen and Takeda Katsuyori. The Kosuge helped to guard the border between Kai and Musashi, as well as participating in gold-mining operations (they needed some goalers to keep all that slave labour in check) in the Taba area to the north. Following the fall of the Takeda, the Kosuge leader at that time, Kosuge Tadamoto, was killed by Oda Nobutada. Following the death of Oda Nobunaga, Kosuge clan members Kosuge Nobuari, Kosuge Nobuhisa, Kosuge Kyūbē, and others, sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu against the Hōjō; in the Edo period they became direct retainers of the Tokugawa shoguns, including as working as village magistrates in Kosuge.

Visit Notes

Kosugejō is an earthworks yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Kosuge, a village hidden deep in the mountaints between Kai (Yamanashi) and Musashi (Tōkyō). Kosugejō is not particularly big or noteworthy, but it does have some clear remains and for such a small site it is very well maintained; being the namesake of the village it is well cared for by the villagers. There are many signs which indicate features such as trenches, earthen ramparts (including a wide segment suspected of supporting a turret) and a detached barbican (demasugata), and explanation boards detailing the site’s history. Indeed, the site is designated as a historical site by the municipality. If only every small castle site was so well loved!

Gallery

Koguchi site beneath main bailey

Castle Profile
English Name	Kosuge Castle
Japanese Name	小菅城
Founder	Kosuge Nobukage
Year Founded	Sengoku Period
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Local Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Horikiri, Dorui, Yaguradai
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	The nearest station is Ôtsuki Station on the Chūō Main Line or Okutama Statio on the Ōme Line; Route 139 goes through Kosuge Village
Visitor Information	24/7 free; mountain
Time Required	30 minutes
Location	Kosuge, Yamanashi Prefecture
Coordinates	35° 45' 42.80" N, 138° 56' 22.24" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2023
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed
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