Soudai Castle

History

Sōdaijō was the fortified mountain redoubt, a ridgetop fort, which made up a jōkan (castle-residence) pairing with the Hoshina-yakata on the plain below. Sōdaijō was the central fort in a complex of fortifications which include Hoshina-Maenoyama-toride on the lower ridge. First constructed in the 15th century, Sōdaijō's lord was Hoshina Masatoshi, and the castle fell to Murakami Yorihira in 1513.

Sōdaijō was constructed impressively with stone-piled ramparts by incorporating ancient masonry purloined from pre-existing burial mounds on the mountain. These earthen structures became incorporated into the castle's defensive profile. A detached bailey of Sōdaijō can be found on the ridge above the castle which served as a monomidai (look-out platform).

Visit Notes

Sōdaijō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in the Wakaho Township of Nagano Municipality. The ruins feature kuruwa (baileys), dorui (earthen ramparts), horikiri (trenches) and ishigaki (stone walls). The ishigaki is most prominent on the southern side of the forward bailey complex. It appears to have been constructed by cannibalising kofun (ancient tumuli), at least in part. One portion of the ishigaki even appears to retain a small entrance way to a tomb. Other baileys can be found further up the ridge, and these are separated by horikiri. Sōdaijō also has a dejiro, a sort of annex or detached bailey, located even further up the ridge, which likely served as a look-out.

Gallery

Ishigaki

Castle Profile
English Name	Soudai Castle
Japanese Name	霜台城
Founder	Hoshina Masatoshi
Year Founded	15th Century
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Horikiri, Ishigaki, Kuruwa
Features	trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Take the trail to Mount Tarou; climb from Hoshinamaeyama-toride.
Visitor Information	24/7 free; mountain
Time Required	60 minutes
Location	Nagano, Nagano Prefecture
Coordinates	36° 35' 45.74" N, 138° 15' 48.24" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2023
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed
Friends of JCastle
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