Najima Castle

History

Najima Castle was ocated on a peninsula projecting into Hakata Bay on the north of the estuary of the Tatara River. The castle consisted of the honmaru (main bailey), ninomaru (second bailey) and sannomaru (third bailey), ranging from west to east and extending over 900m. Built by Kobayakawa Takakage in the Sengoku Period, Najimajō was considered an impregnable castle. After the Battle of Sekigahara Kuroda Nagamasa was rewarded with lands in Chikuzen (in exchange for his control of six districts in Buzen) and established himself at Najimajō. However, Najimajō's positioning on a peninsula left limited room for expansion, and the site proved, whilst a nice defensible position for wartime, ill-suited to the role of administration in peacetime. So as to allow for the expansion of a castle town and a larger base of operations, Najimajō was abandoned in favour of Fukuokajō. Ishigaki was taken from the site and re-used at Fukuokajō. A gate which still exists at Fukuokajō called the Najimamon was also relocated from Najimajō. Najimajō is therefore the castle which preceded Fukuokajō. The shrine to Benzaiten was apparently here before the castle, and when Toyotomi Hideyoshi made a pilgrimage here in 1587 he ordered Kobayakawa to build a castle here - so the story goes.

Visit Notes

Only the remnants of earthworks, baileys and trace amounts of ishigaki remain. A former turret platform is discernable. Now the castle's honmaru is cleared and its lower baileys contain religious structures and some houses.

Gallery

Najimamon at FUKUOKA CASTLE (relocated in 1961)

Castle Profile
English Name	Najima Castle
Japanese Name	名島城
Founder	Kobayakawa Takakage
Year Founded	Sengoku Period
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Najima Station on the Nishitetsu Kaizuka Line
Visitor Information	24/7 free
Time Required	One Hour
Location	Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture
Coordinates	33° 38' 45.49" N, 130° 25' 23.77" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2020
Contributor	ART
Admin Year Visited	Viewer Contributed