Ishibashi Castle

History

Ishibashijō was constructed by Ishibashi Hisakatsu in the 15th century. Hisakatsu adopted the name Ishibashi, but he was the second son of Okudaira Sadahisa, and the grandson of Okudaira Sadatoshi. Ishibashi Shigemasa, Hisakatsu’s son, conspired to rebel in 1537, but his plans were uncovered, and he was attacked by Tosa Sadao under the orders of Okudaira Sadakatsu. Sadakatsu’s was a young man at the time and so it is speculated that Ishibashi Shigemasa thought he could take advantage of his lord’s inexperience to usurp control of the clan. He failed. Ishibashijō was attacked and forty-two rebels were killed (and or including their families); the castle was destroyed at this time. Ishibashi was slain, and his own young son, Tarōjirō escaped, only to be later captured and put down. A temple, Jishōin, was then built in the precincts of the ruined castle, in part to console those killed in the massacre (‘shō’ is the same zodiograph as ‘masa’ in Shigemasa’s name). If Lord Sadakatsu had let just one member of the Ishibashi family survive, perhaps he would never have known peace. Sadakatsu led the Okudaira Clan through a turbulent time, withstanding the shockwaves of the Matsudaira, Oda, Imagawa and Takeda clans; his son would go on to serve Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Visit Notes

Ishibashijō, an earthworks fort ruins, is now the site of a local temple, but it retains castle features to the rear, including dorui (earthen ramparts) and hori (moats). I was surprised to see how tall the rear dorui was. The front of the site just looks like a temple, albeit with a very steep slope which looks suspiciously like a fort’s steep embankments, a feature called kirigishi. The dorui includes a corner segment and part of the ramparts disappear behind the temple’s main hall. There was an opening cut into the rear of the bulwark so I looked beyond here. It was a bit overgrown but I could see moats, now a morass. Due to the overgrown moats and temple we do not have free reign as castle-explorers here, but it makes for a nice casual visit alongside more impressive sites in the area.

Gallery

Dorui; the cenotaphs built into the earthen ramparts commemorate the massacred Ishibashi Clan

Castle Profile
English Name	Ishibashi Castle
Japanese Name	石橋城
Founder	Ishibashi Hisakatsu
Year Founded	15th Century
Castle Type	Fortified Manor
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Dorui, Dobashi, Karabori
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Route 301
Visitor Information	24/7; Free; Temple
Time Required	30 minutes
Location	Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture
Coordinates	34° 57' 50.72" N, 137° 25' 11.93" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2023
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed
Friends of JCastle
Kojōdan
Jōkaku Hōrōki
Kojō Seisuiki
Shiseki Yawa
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