Kanegasaki Castle

History

Kanegasaki Castle was built by Taira no Michimori in the 12th century. It was the site of two battles. The first was in 1337 when the Ashikaga overtook the fortress from the Nitta family who supported Emperor Go-Daigo. Nitta Yoshisada managed to escape however, Nitta Yoshiaki (his son) and Prince Takanaga (son of Go-Daigo) killed themselves here before the castle was overtaken and destroyed. Kanegasaki Shrine (Kanegasaki-gu) was built on the castle grounds to enshrine the prince.

The other battle took place in 1570 when the Asakura Clan attacked Oda Nobunaga when he was attempting to capture Echizen Province. It is said that Oda Nobunaga would have been defeated here if Toyotomi Hideyoshi had not come to his aid.

Visit Notes

2023: Updated photos and information by ART.

Kaneǵasakijō is situated on a cape on the eastern side of Tsuruga. It was used to watch over the port and to guard entry into the rest of Echizen Province. The north-facing cliffside is very steep. The topmost part of the castle area is known as the palace area (Tsukimi-goten ('Moon-viewing Palace')), and this is thought to have been the main bailey. There is an ancient burial mound and strange boulders are scattered about. As for castle ruins, the main features of Kaneǵasakijō consist of horikiri (trenches), called Ichinokido, Ninokido, Sannokido (first, second and third gate respectively). If it were not for these trenches it would be difficult to recognise Kaneǵasakijō as a fortfication site. To be fair, Kaneǵasakijō is more famous for its history than its ruins. Beneath Kaneǵasakijō is Kaneǵasakigū, a shrine built in 1890 to commemorate the 1337 Siege of Kaneǵasaki, and to venerate Nitta Yoshiaki and the princes Takanaga and Tsunenaga of the Southern Court who died there. From the Meiji period many new shrines were constructed to promulgate Japan's new national religion, Shintō, and these were often centred around the veneration of historical figures, especially those who embodied martial values like loyalty and self-sacrifice, such as Nitta Yoshiaki.

Also see Teźutsuyamajō, an important branch fort of Kaneǵasakijō: Tezutsuyama Castle

The castle mount was also the site of the Kamomeǵasaki-daiba in the Bakumatsu period: Obama Domain Kamomegasaki Battery

2015: Original profile and photos contributed by Phibbyfan. Within the grounds of Kanegasaki Shrine is a replica of the former castle site and a paper with a little information about the site.

Gallery

Main Bailey
Site of Ichinokido
Large trench of the Ninokido Gate
Sannokido Trench
Imperial Stele
Site of Palace
Castle Mount, Main Bailey
Kanegasaki Shrine

Castle Profile
English Name	Kanegasaki Castle
Japanese Name	金ヶ崎城
Founder	Taira no Michimori
Year Founded	12th Century
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	National Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features
Visitor Information
Access	Tsuruga Sta (JR Hokuriku), bus
Visitor Information	Always Open/Free
Time Required	20 min
Website	http://www.turuga.org/places/shiroato/shiroato.html
Location	Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture
Coordinates	35° 39' 57.67" N, 136° 4' 26.65" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2015
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

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ARTShogun

10 months ago

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So, it seems back in 2018 when the 'Kanegasaki Castle (Iwate)' profile was created, some pictures here got replaced with pictures from there. I just sent one picture to the Iwate profile which showed a masugata road; it waited five years but it has finally been re-united with its fellows. The other picture already had a duplicate on the Iwate profile so i deleted it here. I think the original pictures here showed Kanegasaki Shrine. It's not really the castle site though; i'll upload some pictures of the castle ruins soon.

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