Koya Castle

History

Koyajō was built in the middle 16th century by the Maruyama Clan. The Maruyama Clan, which rivalled the Hiki Clan for control of the area, had formerly been the vassals of the Nishina Clan, but they later swore fealty to the Takeda Clan along with the Nishina themselves. With the fall of the Takeda in 1582, chaos erupted in Shinano. The resurgent Ogasawara besieged the Maruyama in their castles and Koyajō fell in 1583. Its last lord was Maruyama Morinao; he escaped to Uesugi territory to the north, becoming the castellan at Inariyamajō in 1584, and tried to fight a guerilla campaign.

Visit Notes

Koyajō is a Sengoku period earthworks fortification site with a long profile which straddles the ridge overlooking Ikusaka Village. Ruins cover two wooded peaks. The first peak is very small, but beneath it are lined many terraces which climb the ridge like a set of stairs. The peak beyond that is the main bailey. A large double trench complex lurks beneath the main bailey. To the rear of the main bailey is a terraced sub-bailey and another trench. The castle mount is like a hill on the plateau-side north, being higher facing south, and this northern face has multiple bands of terracing lining it in parts. One can reach Hikiôjō by climbing from Koyajō, though I had long ran out of time for that by the time I came here.

Gallery

Beneath bailey
Terraced baileys
Main bailey
Trench

Castle Profile
English Name	Koya Castle
Japanese Name	小屋城
Alternate Names	こや城
Founder	Maruyama Clan
Year Founded	Mid' 16th Century
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Artifacts	Horikiri, Kuruwa, &c
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Bus from Akashina Station on the Shinonoi Line
Visitor Information	24/7 free; mountain
Time Required	40 minutes
Website	http://yaminabe36.tuzigiri.com/naganoHP2/hiki.htm
Location	Ikusaka, Nagano Prefecture
Coordinates	36° 25' 41.27" N, 137° 56' 22.13" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2022
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed
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