Iwakura Castle (Mikawa)

History

Iwakurajō's history is obscure, but it was the castle of Iwakura Hayatonosuke. Toda Matatsugu and Amano Tōwemon may also have been castellans at some point. The structure of the fort suggests it was built in the Sengoku period.

Visit Notes

Iwakurajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Iwakura Township, Toyota Municipality. Ruins are earthworks, including kuruwa (baileys), horikiri (trenches), dorui (earthen ramparts), dobashi (earthen bridges) and an umadashi (barbican). Iwakurajō is the centrepiece of a complex of fortifications in the Iwakura Township. Since the whole complex could be refered to as Iwakurajō, sometimes this site, the main castle of the group, is distinguished as 'Iwakurashironōrajō', which either has the intended meaning of 'Iwakura Rear Castle', or is taken from the neighbourhood name which is Shironōra ('behind the castle'). I don't know but to me this seems a little redundant.

Iwakurajō consists of a series of baileys separated by horikiri. The main bailey complex is encirculed by terraced koshikuruwa (sub-baileys). The bailey furthest west appears to be an umadashi, connected to the next bailey by a dobashi. A large horikiri separates the main bailey complex from a tertiary bailey. To the east there is a 'saddle' in the ridge, and then the eastern stretch of the ridge is carved into terraced baileys, some of them now under plough. This eastern area, where the ruins are less clear, is sometimes referred to as a tsumenoshiro (satellite castle) of the main castle. Beneath the castle to the south is a kyokan (residential area) with a rear trench complex.

Gallery

Horikiri (trench)
Embankment seen from within trench
Koguchi (gate site)
Dobashi (earthen bridge)

Castle Profile
English Name	Iwakura Castle (Mikawa)
Japanese Name	三河岩倉城
Alternate Names	岩倉城ノ浦城 (Iwakurashironōrajō)
Founder	Iwakura Hayatonosuke
Year Founded	Sengoku Period
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Dobashi, Umadashi, Dorui, Horikiri, Kuruwa, &c.
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Access via road from southeast.
Visitor Information	24/7 free; mountain
Time Required	45 minutes
Location	Toyota, Aichi Prefecture
Coordinates	35° 2' 57.91" N, 137° 11' 26.77" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2024
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed
Friends of JCastle
Jōkaku Hōrōki
Umoreta Kojō
Jōkaku Shashin Kiroku
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