Nakaara Castle

History

Nakaara Castle is thought to have been the precursor of Tsuwano Castle but later became a subsidiary fort of Tsuwano Castle. It was built at the end of a long ridge with great views of valleys in two directions and the road below. Unfortunately, it is so overgrown today you can hardly see the castle ruins through the trees and weeds, much less the great views.

Visit Notes

The castle ruins are about a 20 minute hike from the last ruins of Tsuwano Castle. There are supposed to be some vertical trenches one after another in the style known as unejo tatebori (see the map below) but they were impossible to discern among the trees and weeds. There are a couple photos of what looks to be vertical trenches but there was not enough in one location to see the unejo tatebori pattern. As mentioned on the Tsuwano Castle profile, there are many bears in the area and you should take care. In fact, when I was coming down the trail into the Washihara Hachimangu Shrine, a woman was yelling at me from a distance. When I approached her she let me know that there was a bear on the same trail just a few minutes earlier eating persimmons (kaki). She also kindly suggested I stay around the main tourist areas and offered me a ride back to the center of Tsuwano, which I politely declined. I appreciated the thought, but ...

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Gallery

Castle Profile
English Name	Nakaara Castle
Japanese Name	中荒城
Founder	Yoshimi Yoriyuki
Year Founded	1295
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	20 min hike from Tsuwano Castle
Visitor Information	mountain, open 24/7
Time Required	20 mins
Location	Tsuwano, Shimane Prefecture
Coordinates	34° 27' 18.54" N, 131° 45' 36.18" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2023
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2014
Admin Visits	Nov 22, 2014