Yamazaki Castle

History

After the Honnōji Incident Toyotomi Hideyoshi returned back from campaign against the Mōri clan to Kyōto to avenge Oda Nobunaga by defeating Akechi Mitsuhide. Mitsuhide’s forces were defeated at the Battle of Yamazaki. During the battle the Left Vanguard of Hideyoshi’s forces encamped atop Mt. Yamazaki, founding the castle (Mt. Yamazaki is also known as Mt. Tennō). After the Right Wing of Hideyoshi’s forces crossed the river to engage with Mitsuhide’s army head-on, the rest of his forces came in to support them from Yamazaki Castle, causing Mitsuhide’s to panic and retreat to Shōryūji Castle. The Battle of Yamazaki (also called the Battle of Tennōzan) is considered “the start of the end of the Sengoku Period.” Hoshakuji Temple, which one passes through to reach the castle site, acted as the entrance to Yamazaki Castle. Yamazaki Castle was decommissioned in 1584.

Visit Notes

A short trip from Kyōto, Ōyamazaki is a very pretty little town packed full of tradition and history, famous for oil production. The castle ruin is an ideal destination for hiking fans if they visit here. Ascending the mountain one passes by many murals erected by the municipality showing the history of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the Battle of Yamazaki.

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Gallery

Castle Profile
English Name	Yamazaki Castle
Japanese Name	山崎城
Founder	Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Year Founded	1582
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Top 100 Mountaintop Castles, National Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Ōyamazaki Station (Hankyū Line) or Yamazaki Station (Tōkaidō Main Line), head to the temple Hoshakuji, which takes 5-10 minutes walking. From there the hiking route to the castle starts and it takes about 30 minutes to climb
Visitor Information	free, 24/7
Time Required	50 minutes
Location	Ōyamazaki, Kyoto
Coordinates	34° 54' 5.90" N, 135° 40' 33.56" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2017
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

1.00

(3 votes)

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ARTShogun

14 months ago

Score 1

I'll need to revisit... with, erm, a map next tiime!

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RaymondWDaimyo

14 months ago

Score 1

Looking at your photos, it looks like the ishigaki remnants up at the upper part of the castle near the well has crumpled a lot more since my visits back in 2011 and 2012. Did you get a photo of Koguchi b? It was already fairly overgrown a decade ago when I visited, but sometimes castle ruins get spiffed up. Alternatively, it might decay some more and become hidden in even more undergrowth. There isn’t a lot to see at this castle ruin when compared to other yamajiro ruins in Kyoto, Osaka, and Shiga, but it is worth visiting because of its historical importance.

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