Numata Castle

History

Numata Castle was originally founded by Numata Akiyasu in 1532. Under the orders of Takeda Katsuyori, Sanada Masayuki took Numata Castle in 1580. The following year the Numata clan perished when they tried to take back the castle. The Numata area was much fought over between the Sanada and the Hojo. In 1589, Hideyoshi ended the dispute by giving Numata Castle to the Hojo and Nagurumi Castle to the Sanada. The Hojo lord of Numata Castle, Inomata Kuninori, was not satisfied with this decision and attacked and took Nagurumi Castle. This was the last straw for Hideyoshi and set him on a path to destroy the Hojo, which he accomplished in the following year (1590). After the defeat of the Hojo, the castle was put back under Sanada control.

The castle was rebuilt by Sanada Nobuyuki in 1597. It was a modern castle with stone walls, moats and a large (5 level) main keep. In 1681, the 5th lord of Numata Castle, Sanada Nobutoshi, was punished for misgoverning his domain and for being late getting his quota of supplies to build the Ryogoku Bridge. His lands were confiscated by the Tokugawa Bakufu and the castle was completed destroyed. The moats were filled in and stone walls were demolished or buried.

In 1703, Numata Castle was given to Honda Masanaga who was instructed to rebuild the castle. He repaired some of the buried moats and earthen embankments, but nothing more. After three generations of Honda, the Toki clan became the new lords of Numata Castle and they continued to rule until the Meiji Restoration. After the original castle was demolished, a palace was built in the Sannomaru Bailey for later lords, but the the rest was a castle in name only. No yagura, main keep or other castle structures were ever rebuilt.

Visit Notes

There's not very much to see here but it is worth visiting along with Nagurumi Castle. You definitely should take some time to see the inside of the Ubukata Home. You don't find many homes from the 1600's. Many are actually later in the Edo Period.

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Gallery

Remnants of the Nishi Yagura Stone walls
Reconstructed bell tower
Moat around the Nishi Yagura
Stone walls of the Nishi Yagura
Stone walls of the Nishi Yagura
Earthen embankment of the Honmaru
View from Numata Castle
Sute Bailey
Ubukata House
Inside the Ubukata House
The Ubukata House
Inside the Ubukata House
Model of Numata Castle
Numata Castle map

Castle Profile
English Name	Numata Castle
Japanese Name	沼田城
Alternate Names	Kurauchi-jo
Founder	Numata Akiyasu
Year Founded	1532
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Next 100 Castles, has Important Cultural Properties, Local Historic Site
Historical Period	Edo Period
Features	turrets, trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Numata Sta. (Joetsu Line); 20 min walk
Visitor Information	The park is open any time. The Ubukata House is open 9am to 4pm; closed 12/29-1/3 and Wednesdays unless it's a national holiday, then it's closed the following day. Admission 100yen.
Time Required	45 mins
Website	http://www.city.numata.gunma.jp/introduction/koen.html
Location	Numata, Gunma Prefecture
Coordinates	36° 38' 53.52" N, 139° 2' 20.18" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2013
Admin Year Visited	2013
Admin Visits	Apr 29, 2013

2.00

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FurinkazanHatamoto

3 months ago

Score 0

I visited this site on 08/05/2023. It's a lovely park with some castle features, like ART mentions, but otherwise there isn't that much to see.

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ARTShogun

27 months ago

Score 0

Numatajō is famous amongst castle fans. It once had a towering keep, dating to 1597, and would've been as splendid as the likes of Matsumotojō. The castle was demolished the 17th century, however. The site today is a park, but there's lots of bits and pieces to see of the castle, such as ishigaki (stone-piled ramparts), hori (moats), dorui (earthen ramparts), and kuruwa (baileys). A historic bell tower has been relocated to the site and serves as a replacement for a similar one which was originally located at the castle. The Former Ubakata Residence, a 17th century machiya (merchant's house), can also be found at the castle site, presumably relocated from the jōkamachi (castle town).

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