Tateyama Castle

History

The castle was built by Satomi Yoshiyasu ruling the rich lands around Tateyama. He was, however, not a fortunate ruler. Because he was late joining Hideyoshi's forces at Odawara, he lost a large portion of his lands. His son Satomi Tadayoshi also fell out of favor with the Tokugawa and eventually had to surrended his lands and the castle was disassembled in 1614.

Visit Notes

Nice view from the top of the castle and the honmaru. Poor signage and information about the castle and grounds.

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Gallery

Castle Profile
English Name	Tateyama Castle
Japanese Name	館山城
Founder	Satomi Yoshiyasu
Year Founded	1590
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	Reconstructed main keep
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Year Reconstructed	1982 (concrete)
Features	main keep
Visitor Information
Access	Tateyama Station (Uchibo Line), bus or 15 minute walk
Visitor Information
Time Required
Website	http://www3.to/hakkenden
Location	Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture
Coordinates	34° 58' 53.51" N, 139° 51' 20.77" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2005
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2005
Admin Visits	2005-05-28

2.43

(7 votes)

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ARTShogun

22 months ago

Score 0

This was the first time I remember being fairly underwhelmed by a mogi and thinking "is this all there is?", and so I went off in search of some tangible remains of the actual castle, finding them in a lonely area of the park. Tateyamajō is a pleasant enough castle site to visit. The park is vast and it sits on a mountain overlooking the bay. This scenic setting is famous from the Edo Period epic novel Hakkenden by Kyokutei Bakin. In the legend of Hakkenden the story begins when Lord Satomi returns to Bōsō after victory in battle. Attempting to conquer all of Bōsō from Tateyamajō in Awa-kuni, Lord Satomi promises his daughter’s hand in marriage to the brave warrior who can bring him the head of his rival. To everyone’s astonishment, Satomi’s loyal dog slays the rival and brings the head back to Lord Satomi. So the princess obliges and marries the dog! Hakkenden follows the adventures of “the eight dog warriors” who are half-brothers descended of the man-slaying canine each embodying a Confucian virtue. The tenshu (donjon) we see today is a reconstruction modelled on a tower of the Azuchi-Momoyama period, and specifically Maruokajō was the main model. Therefore it is a faux reconstruction, or speculative at best. Another thing about the concrete reconstruction to be noted is that it has an impractically truncated stone base. There is even a type of dropchute or floor gunport represented, but what use is such a mechanism a mere three foot of the ground!? C'est là mogi.

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Kiddus i2003Gunshi

95 months ago

Score 1

Well worth the visit, lovely position with fantastic views. Concrete reconstruction .

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ARTShogun

96 months ago

Score 0

Tateyamajō is a pleasant castle to visit. The park is vast and it sits on a mountain overlooking the bay. This scenic setting is famous from the Edo Period epic novel Hakkenden by Kyokutei Bakin. In the legend of Hakkenden the story begins when Lord Satomi returns to Bōsō after victory in battle. Attempting to conquer all of Bōsō from Tateyamajō in Awa-kuni, Lord Satomi promises his daughter’s hand in marriage to the brave warrior who can bring him the head of his rival. To everyone’s astonishment, Satomi’s loyal dog slays the rival and brings the head back to Lord Satomi. So the princess obliges and marries the dog! Hakkenden follows the adventures of “the eight dog warriors” who are half-brothers descended of the man-slaying canine each embodying a Confucian virtue.

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Anonymous user #1

142 months ago

Score 0

Went here in the midst of a miserable downpour when everything was closed. Even in the rain the autumn leaves in the small garden and the gingko trees lining the road were still pretty. My camera got water in it and fogged up so by chance I ended up with some neat photos that made it look like the castle was shrouded in a thick fog. The field at the base of the castle turned into a pond in the rain, but the restaurant/souvenir shop was still open; they seemed to be experiencing a bit of a Hakkenden boom if their souvenirs were anything to go by.

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Anonymous user #1

166 months ago

Score 0

A great day trip drive from Tokyo, with spectacular views. Stop off at the local caves on the way down via the Aqualine.

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