Mukade Castle

History

Mukade Jo - Centipede Castle.

Mukade Castle (百足城) is a Hirayama-Jo (a mountain and flatland castle) located in Takano, Furukawa-cho, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture. Also known as Kakiuchiyama Jo, it is said to have been built as the residence or retirement castle of the warrior Anekoji Takatsuna (D. 1576).

The castle is mentioned in the book Hishu Shishi, compiled by Hida Provincial Governor Hasegawa Tadataka during the Kyoho era (1716-1736), and was recognised as a castle site from “long ago", but goes on to say: "Mukade Castle’s origins are unknown." The owner of the castle and the date of its construction have therefore not been fully established. Located within 1 km of Furukawa Castle, it is thought to be a branch castle of Furukawa Castle.

Stone walls were detected during a trial excavation by the Hida City Board of Education in 2017. The stone wall is 1 metre high and 5 metres wide. The small size of the stones and the field stacking method of the stone wall suggests that the castle was built by the Anekoji clan before Kanamori Nagachika entered the Hida Region. As the construction method of the stone walls differs from that of the Kanamori clan, it is believed that Mukade Castle may have been built by the Anekoji clan or later renovated by the Miki clan.

Dorui earthen mounds, kuruwa baileys, dry moats, ishigaki stone walls, Koguchi gates and turret sites remain. A castle map（discovered later）shows the turrets sites as north and south turrets. The castle is L-shaped, situated on the summit of a small mountain that juts out from the western massif into the Miya River providing a fine view of the river, the town below and surrounding areas. The main enclosure is mostly flat with a raised area yagura turret position. To the south, an earthen bridge crosses the horikiri trench separating the mountain ridge, and two leveled compounds remain in stages towards the west.

Visit Notes

The castle is not well signposted, nor were there any information signage. I couldn't find the entrance, despite having looked at maps on-line beforehand, so I parked on the roadway running across its northern edge. It is an easy climb, and for its size, a very well planned castle.

Profile by Chris Glenn (edited by ART).

Gallery

The main northern yagura dai (turret site) surrounded by the main bailey. The koguchi gate is to the right of the mound.
Ishigaki remains.
Part of the low ishigaki re-discovered in 2017
The northernmost crescent shaped kuruwa bailey.
Southern turret site.
Mukade Castle seen from below. The darker area to the right is the southern yagura dai, (turret site) to the left, the higher ridge is the main northern yagura dai.
Southern turret site seen from the western compounds. The tsuchibashi earthen bridge to the northern baileys can be seen to the left at the rear.
Tsuchibashi, earthen bridge linking the northern and southern compounds. The river is to the right, to the left, the former living areas.
looking north from the narrow tsuchibashi earthen bridge linking the southern and northern turret sites.

Castle Profile
English Name	Mukade Castle
Japanese Name	百足城
Founder	Anekoji Clan; Miki Clan
Year Founded	Unknown
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	stone walls
Visitor Information
Access
Visitor Information	24/7 free; mountain
Time Required
Location	Hida, Gifu Prefecture
Coordinates	36° 13' 49.98" N, 137° 10' 48.07" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2022
Contributor	豪谷
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed

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