Fusumada Castle
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History
Fusumadajō is also called Ozakijō because it was a fort of the Ozaki Clan. The hilltop was used as a fortified redoubt and Lord Ozaki lived in a manor house near the foot of the castle mount. In 1536, Kobayashi Gyōbuzawemon, a vassal of the Oyamada Clan (ultimately under the Takeda Nobutora), attacked the castle and village, kidnapping women and children. Around a hundred hostages were transported back to Kai and sold into bondage.
In the middle 16th century the lord of the castle was Ozaki Kamonnosuke (also known as Ozaki Hikoroku). He was a vassal of the Hōjō Clan and a member of the Tsukui-shū, a group of warriors located in Tsukui County who protected the borderlands of the Hōjō between the provinces of Kai (Takeda territory) and Sagami (Hōjō territory). Fusumadajō served as a fort guarding a route between Kai and Sagami, and likely hosted a (smoke) signal tower which relayed signals to Tsukui Castle.
Visit Notes
Fusumadajō is a single bailey complex earthworks yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in a rural, mountainous area of Sagamihara Municipality (in Japan, city boundaries often include vast swathes of countryside and forested mountains with discontiguous settlements scattered about). By Japanese standards, the township, Magino, is quite isolated. The rural setting was a little discomforting because it was getting late and I saw several hand-painted signs which simply read "this is a useless place". Despite this, Fusumadajō, though a small fort ruin with not much to see, is cared for by the locals, and that's great. The ruins are maintained as a sort of park with some old Buddhist statuary at the peak. The climb is steep but doesn't take long. As a fort ruin, Fusumadajō features kuruwa (baileys), a karabori (dry moat), and tatebori (climbing moats). I also saw a sign indicating the site of the lord's manor house a short distance from the foot of the castle mount.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Fusumada Castle |
| Japanese Name | 伏馬田城 |
| Alternate Names | Ozakijō |
| Founder | Ozaki Clan; Ozaki Kamonnosuke |
| Year Founded | Sengoku Period |
| Castle Type | Mountaintop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Kuruwa, Hori |
| Features | trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Bus from Fujino Station on the Chūō East Line to Yamanami Onsen; 50 minute walk to trailhead |
| Visitor Information | 24/7 free; mountain |
| Time Required | 30 minutes |
| Location | Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 35° 33' 40.00" N, 139° 9' 27.22" E |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2023 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Kojōdan | |
| Kojō Seisuiki | |
| Shirotabi | |
| Jōkakuzukan | |
| Shiro Meguri | |
| Yogo | |
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