Keirozan Castle

History

The castle was built by Uno Masahide under the direction of Akamatsu Murahide. It was the home castle of the Akamatsu until it was attacked by Hideyoshi in 1577. Seeing the likely outcome of the battle before it unfolded before him, Akamatsu Hirohide surrendered to Hideyoshi. He was sent to Takeda Castle and some of Hideysohi's most trusted allies rotated as castle lord. The stone walls actually date to this time period. The castle was abandoned in 1598. After the Battle of Sekigahara, Tatsuno Castle was established as a branch castle of Himeji Castle. Several lords ruled the castle which was then abandoned again in 1658 when the Kyogoku were transferred to the Marugame. A few years later Tatsuno Castle was founded at the base of the mountain.

Visit Notes

This mountain castle has a good easy to climb trail and is well signposted. It is a good hike and well worth the time for castle fans. There are many terraced baileys up through the Otemichi to the honmaru. The hiking path may be a bit difficult to find. Look for the wooden box on a post with maps inside. It's around from the back and to the left of the palace near the koraimon gate. Then you need to open and close the small gate next to the box of maps. You can also ask for directions and a map at the museum. Down the opposite side of the mountain on the way back you can also see the terraced remains of many samurai homes and gardens. It is probably very pretty in the fall for fall colors.

This site should be visited with Tatsuno Castle at the base of the mountain. The Nishi Harima castle website labels this as Tatsunoko-jo but most others call it Keirozan which is what I'm going with.

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Gallery

the castle is on top this mountain

Castle Profile
English Name	Keirozan Castle
Japanese Name	鶏籠山城
Alternate Names	Keirosan-jo, Tatsunoko-jo, Asagiri-jo, Kiri-jo
Founder	Akamatsu Murahide
Year Founded	1499
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Hontatsuno Station (San'yo Main Line), 20 min walk
Visitor Information	mountain, open 24/7
Time Required	90 mins
Website	https://www.nishiharima.jp/yamajiro/tatunokojo.html
Location	Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture
Coordinates	34° 52' 21.36" N, 134° 32' 42.79" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2023
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2012
Admin Visits	October 7, 2012
Friends of JCastle
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