Koyama Castle

History

The Imagawa originally maintained a fort on this site until they were defeated by Takeda Shingen. Baba Harunobu then built Koyama Castle here under Takeda in 1571. The first lord of the castle was Ohkuma Tomohide. Together with Suwahara Castle, Koyama Castle played an important part in the castle network for the attack on Takatenjin Castle. After the fall of Takatenjin Castle, Koyama Castle continued it's strategic role as a vital supply point on the route to Takatenjin Castle. Koyama Castle fell to the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1582.

Visit Notes

The main keep from the picture above is a mock keep. There was no such keep built on this site. The museum contains an impressive collection of armor for its size. Castles fans should enjoy seeing the round umadashi entrance and the triple moat.

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Gallery

• 

  main keep
• 

  main keep
• 

  main keep
• 

  round umadashi
• 

  round umadashi as seen from the main keep
• 

  scene from the main keep
• 

  triple moat
• 

  triple layer moat
• 

  main keep
• 

  main keep and moat
• 

  approaching the main keep
• 

  map

Castle Profile
English Name	Koyama Castle
Japanese Name	小山城
Alternate Names	Koyama-jo
Founder	Takeda Shingen
Year Founded	1571
Castle Type	Hilltop
Castle Condition	Reconstructed main keep
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Main Keep Structure	3 levels, 5 stories
Year Reconstructed	1987 (concrete)
Features	main keep, turrets, bridges, trenches, stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Shizuoka Sta. (Tokaido main line); express bus for Yoshida High School 40 mins.
Visitor Information
Time Required
Website	http://www.town.yoshida.shizuoka.jp/kanko/kanko.asp?cd=49
Location	Yoshida, Shizuoka Prefecture
Coordinates	34° 46' 43.97" N, 138° 14' 49.27" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2011
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2011
Admin Visits	June 3, 2011

2.83

(6 votes)

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FurinkazanHatamoto

45 months ago

Score 0

20/12/2019 : After Tanakajô i went to Koyamajô. I took a bus Tômei Yaizu Nishi bus stop on the IC E1, direction Sagara bus base. After a 15min ride i payed 410¥, i descended at the 'Kataoka Kita Yoshida Tokubetsu Shien Gakko'. Wow what a name for a bus stop. Luckily i had that printed in japanese and showed it at the bus driver. Before arriving at this stop you'll see the castle tenshu popping from the trees on the hill it stands on your right. The castle tenshu is a horrible mock construction, not even where a building ever stood, but it's the defensive features of the real castle that are interesting. A serie of 3 ditches follow one behind the other. The lady inside the castle was pleased to see a foreigner visiting the site. After telling her i'm a Takeda Shingen fan, she gave me a small booklet about the castle during the Sengoku period(all in japanese). It contains a nice drawing and plan of the castle in its heyday. Some nice artifacts are on show in the mock tenshu. Alas most armours are replicas. From the bus stop with that long name i took a bus for Shizuoka station. It's a 40min drive for 800¥.

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JthaasPeasant

67 months ago

Score 1

The bus stop name 吉田特別支援学校 is also written in English on the sign at the stop: Yoshida Tokubetsu Shien Gakko. As you get off the bus, look back the way you came and the castle can easily be seen on the hill to the left. The English brochure given at the site also calls the castle Koyama rather than Oyama.

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EricShogun

67 months ago

Score 0

I've seen both. There wa sa reason I chose Oyama, but cannot remember what it was now !

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ARTShogun

86 months ago

Score 0

Apparently 小山 is read Koyama here

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ARTShogun

86 months ago

Score 0

I'm on the way here now. My stop seems to be the same place but it is now called the Yoshida Special Needs School 吉田特別支援学校.

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Kiddus i2003Gunshi

113 months ago

Score 0

Used google maps to get here, easiest entry is via the temple at the bottom. Amazing little castle.

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RaymondWDaimyo

135 months ago

Score 0

This is a pretty decent castle to visit for a side trip from Shizuoka City. Catch the bus from No.14 bus stop in front of Shizuoka Station and get off at the Yoshida High School Stop. You can see the castle from the bus stop, and it's around 400 metres away. This is a nice little castle to visit mainly for its typical Takeda-style layout with its crescent shaped moats, a curved umadashi, and the triple moat. The \fake"castle keep is on par with the ones at Gifu and Hamamatsu in terms of what a concrete reconstructed one looks like (both inside and outside). However as mentioned by Eric on his website already this castle has a pretty decent museum for its size with around 7 to 8 suits of armour weapons paintings and a model of the earthworks of the original Oyama Castle. You can take photos inside the museum. Including taking the bus to and from the castle allow yourself around 3 hours if you want to visit this castle from Shizuoka Station"

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Anonymous user #1

142 months ago

Score 0

Another easy drive from Tokyo, but good to do in combination with other castles in the area, not worth a solo trip. Winter is a good time to few any of the castles in this area for the views of Fuji on the drive in and out of Tokyo. Castle wise it is a standard reconstruction with a few historical artifacts to view inside.

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