3 new castles and 2 yakata in Saitama
3 new castles and 2 yakata in Saitama
2020/08/21
This update adds 5 new castles to Saitama Prefecture. It's getting more and more difficult to put together a day trip around Tokyo that includes multiple castles. This day trip picks up some castles that I skipped on other trips to Saitama in prioritizing more famous or easier to reach sites. The highlight of the day was Yamada Castle.
One common thread among all these castles is that their early origins are unknown or based in legends. The only reliable records start to appear in the late Sengoku Period or in relation to the Siege of Odawara. Some of the published "local histories" (not just Saitama but all over the country) that were largely written in the late Edo Period or later attempt to patch together local legends, historical events, and famous people. Sometimes they put more importance on sites or events than they actually warrant without real historical scholarship. Any of these local histories written in this time period should be taken with a grain of salt and cross checked with other sources where possible. Unfortunately, many signs at castle sites were written many years ago and/or simply rely on these local histories that they had at hand without being updated with more modern research. Where possible I rely more on books and articles written in the past 30 years over signs at castles so occasionally there are differences.
Minamoto no Tsunemoto Yakata / 源経基館跡
Odori Castle / 青鳥城
Takasaka Yakata / 高坂館
Yamada Castle / 山田城
Yamazaki Castle (Saitama) / 山崎城
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