Kanbara Castle

History

Kanbarajō was built as the main castle of the Kanbara Clan in 1397. The Kanbara were descended from the Shigeno Clan along with the Unno Clan and Sanada Clan, each based in Shinano across the provincial border. The Kanbara feuded with their neighbours in Kōzuke, the Saitō Clan of Iwabitsujō and the Haneo Clan of Haneojō, in the Sengoku period. In 1560 Kanbara Yukishige, lord of Kanbarajō, seeing the expansion of the Takeda Clan from Kai, schemed with Sanada Yukitaka to double-cross Takeda Shingen, but their plot was detected by Saitō Norihiro, lord of Iwabitsujō, and so he and Haneo Irimichi attacked Kanbarajō. However, they could not topple the deadly castle, and they settled on a truce. In 1561 Saitō Norihiro returned on the orders of Takeda Shingen and attacked Kanbarajō, and, following some fighting, Kanbara Yukishige surrendered. Takeda Shingen had attained hegemony over the area and attempted to divide territory between the local powers, but Haneo Irimichi wasn’t satisfied with the peace conditions and attacked Kanabarajō in 1562. The Kanbara retreated to Saku, Shinano, but reclaimed their castle in 1563. At any rate Kanbara Yukishige went on to pledge loyalty to Sanada Yukitsuna who in turn obeyed Takeda Shingen, and thereafter the Kanbara Clan served the Sanada Clan after the fall of the Takeda Clan. Kanbarajō became a border castle for Numatajō in the Edo period and was abolished in 1615 following the Ikkokuichijōrei, an edict of the Tokugawa Shogunate which regulated the number of fortifications per domain.

See also Haneo Castle, Iwabitsu Castle, and Numata Castle.

Visit Notes

Kanbarajō is a ‘gakebatajiro’, or ‘clifftop castle’, built on a plateau surrounded by the Agatsuma River. The cliffs’ precipitous sides make this a readily defensible location. Remains of the castle include kuruwa (baileys) formed from karabori (dry moats) dividing the plateau. The main bailey and second bailey, which have been recently cleared and maintained, are on a narrower part of the plateau at its tip, and the third bailey is more expansive, and is now farmland. There are some lower baileys beneath the main bailey which are now forested. There is a spur of the plateau located at lower elevation with some small baileys called the ‘eastern baileys’, though from above these appeared to be obscured by landslides.

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Gallery

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  Karabori / Dry Moat
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Castle Profile
English Name	Kanbara Castle
Japanese Name	鎌原城
Founder	Kanbara Clan; Kanbara Yukishige
Year Founded	1397
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Local Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Kuruwa, Karabori
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Nearest station is Manza-Kazawaguchi Station on the Agatsuma Line
Visitor Information	24/7; free; fields
Time Required	30 minutes
Location	Tsumagoi, Gunma Prefecture
Coordinates	36° 31' 25.14" N, 138° 32' 42.40" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2022
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed
Friends of JCastle
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