Nakayama Fort (Mikawa)
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History
Nakayama-toride was constructed by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1572 in preparation for a counter-attack on Nagashino Castle which Takeda forces had captured in 1571. Takeda Shingen then invaded the area during his ill-fated push toward Kyōto in 1573. But when it was discovered that Shingen had died, local forces re-took Nagashino. Nakayama-toride and Kumayama-toride were used by Tokugawa forces during this fresh assault on Nagashinojō.
Takeda Katsuyori was enraged when he heard news of the capture of Nagashino following the death of his father, and, following a series of military successes, set out to get it back in the summer of 1575. During the siege of Nagashinojō, Takeda forces conquered Nakayama-toride, and the fort was used as a position from which to watch over Nagashino Castle below. The fort was manned by Gomi Sadauji, Iio Suketomo, Iio Sukekuni, Nawa Shigeyuki, and others. The garrison consisted of about 240 warriors.
Oda-Tokugawa coalition forces began streaming into the theatre of war, but it became clear that Takeda Katsuyori would not retreat from his siege of Nagashinojō. The defenders took the initiative, and Sakai Tadatsugu, a vassal of Tokugawa Ieyasu, set out in the night with 4,000 cavalry and 500 musketeers. In the pre-dawn the flying column attacked from the mountainside rear, capturing Tobiǵasuyama-toride. A contingent under Matsudaira Tadatsugu took Nakayama-toride.
In response, Takeda Katsuyori left a minimal force to keep up the blockade of Nagashinojō, and set out with his cavalry to charge coalition forces. The Takeda would once again be forced to retreat following their calamitous routing at Shitaraǵahara, and Katsuyori fought a fighting retreat back to Kai. The Takeda never fully recovered from their defeat at Nagashino, and would be wiped out by Oda forces in 1582.
Visit Notes
Nakayama-toride is a mountaintop fort site in Norimoto Township, Shinshiro Municipality. It is maintained as a small historical park accessed via a long set of stairs which climb up the castle-mount past a motorway. Most of the fort site is actually inaccessible, and the motorway must've ploughed right through it. The park area is a small plot with explanatory boards and a reconstructed (probably around 2010) miyagura (watchtower). The mountain continues to climb a little, but it is overgrown completely. Nagashino Castle can be seen from the tower - just, as the motorway obstructs most of the view of it. I could also see Iōji-toride with its near identically reconstructed miyagura across the valley.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Nakayama Fort (Mikawa) |
| Japanese Name | 三河中山砦 |
| Founder | Tokugawa Ieyasu |
| Year Founded | 1572 |
| Castle Type | Mountaintop |
| Castle Condition | No main keep but other buildings |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Miyagura (reconstructed) |
| Features | turrets |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Nagashino Station on the Iida Line; 20 minute walk |
| Visitor Information | 24/7 free; park |
| Time Required | 15 minutes |
| Location | Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 34° 55' 8.36" N, 137° 33' 44.53" E |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2023 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Shashin Kiroku | |
| Shiseki Tanbōki | |
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