Konishi Castle (Ina)

History

Unfortunately little is known of Konishijō's history but it is thought to have been built by the Kiso Clan (the Kiso Valley is to the southwest). Konishijō was used in conjunction with Kattorijō and Chikuma-Uedajō to protect the Ono Valley by the Ogasawara Clan. It seems the main landholder in the valley may have been the large shrine at its center, which was subsequently split into two independent but adjacent shrines by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Ono-jinja and Yahiko-jinja, each representing a different district, and that situation continues to this day (when one enters one shrine from the other, one technically enters into the neighbouring municipality).

Visit Notes

The ruins of Konishijō can be found on a small mountain in rural Ono. Ono is a settlement split down the middle by the municipal boundaries of Shiojiri (of the traditional Chikuma County) and Tatsuno (of the traditional Ina County) (the school is operated jointly and Tatsuno maintains religious enclaves on the Shiojiri side due to a long-standing historical dispute). Formerly I had visited some sites in the northeast of town, and Konishijō is to the southwest. The ruin itself contains earthworks such as dorui (earthen ramparts), horikiri (trenches) and kuruwa (baileys), the latter consisting of the main bailey and then smaller terraced baileys carved into the mountainside. The main bailey contains a hokora (祠), "mini-shrine".

Gallery

Castle Profile
English Name	Konishi Castle (Ina)
Japanese Name	伊那小西城
Founder	Kiso Clan; Ogasawara Clan
Year Founded	Medieval Era
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Kuruwa, Dorui, Horikiri
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Ono Station on the Chuo Main Line (Branch); 20 minute walk to trail head
Visitor Information	Free; 24/7; Mountain
Time Required	30 minutes
Location	Tatsuno, Nagano Prefecture
Coordinates	36° 2' 44.56" N, 137° 57' 15.16" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2020
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

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