Takiyama Castle (Mikawa)
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History
Takiyamajō was built by Okudaira Sadayoshi in the latter half of the 16th century. In 1573, following the death of Takeda Shingen in May, Lord Sadayoshi defected from the Takeda side to support Tokugawa Ieyasu. Takeda Katsuyori meant to keep on going where his father left off, however, and wasn't about to broach rebellion, and so he sent a punitive force of 5,000 warriors to bring him Sadayoshi's head. Lord Sadayoshi fled his seat at Kameyamajō in Tsukude, and positioned himself for a defensive battle at the mountain redoubt of Takiyamajō. With the support of the hostile terrain and reinforcements from the Tokugawa side, Takiyamajō and its defenders were able to repel the Takeda army at the battle of Takiyama in August of that year.
Visit Notes
Takiyamajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Miyazaki Township, Okazaki Municipality. Ruins mostly consist of narrow bailey spaces. There is a signboard with an explanation about the castle at the side of the road, as well as a stele to mark the castle. In the creek here there are a series of streams cascading down rocks, which give the castle its name ('Waterfall Mount Castle'). I only saw the bottom waterfall because I opted to clamber straight up onto the ridge to get to the castle. There are no trails and exploring the rocky creek could be dangerous. I also had to clamber over rocky outcroppings along the ridge en route to the fort's main bailey.
There is a marker for the castle in what is termed the main bailey. It is a very narrow place but the peak is flattened. The rest of the castle ruins are a series of flattened ridges and peaks. In what I think is the most northerly bailey I found the ridge flattened with a terraced portion beneath, and the earth had clearly been sculpted here into an earthen bulwark. This looked quite castle-y, and was the most prominent evidence of fortifications here I could find beside the narrow bailey spaces. The main bailey gives views up the valley, and was probably just a look-out space. The upper, 'inner peak' bailey gives views down the valley - or it would if not for all the trees. The rear of the castle mount was further fortified somewhat.
Other features include, according to various castle-bloggers, 'tenshu rock', a horikiri (trench) and a sign which says 'karabori-ato (dry moat site)'. I searched for this trench by going down a different ridge from the way I came up, as some castlers had come that way rather than from the signboard - maybe because there's no place to park by the signboard. But either way there are no trails. Anyway, I didn't come across the horikiri unfortunately. After going through many sources, it seems the horikiri are in the east separated from the rest of the mountain by a sunken ridge; I had underestimated the extent of the fort's footprint. I may have missed the trenches, but descending where I did I encountered a clan of three wild piggu; large, chonky things they were, and I'm glad they ran away and not toward me.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Takiyama Castle (Mikawa) |
| Japanese Name | 三河滝山城 |
| Alternate Names | Kameanajō (亀穴城 ) |
| Founder | Okudaira Sadayoshi |
| Year Founded | 16th Century |
| Castle Type | Mountaintop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Horikiri, Kuruwa, &c. |
| Features | trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | I cycled from downtown Okazaki |
| Visitor Information | 24/7 free; mountain |
| Time Required | 60 minutes |
| Website | https://blog.goo.ne.jp/shiro-rekishimeguri/e/e99f76733b1597100fcecc71e2706098 |
| Location | Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 34° 56' 16.12" N, 137° 21' 8.96" E |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2024 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Shashin Kiroku | |
| Umoreta Kojō | |
| Jōshi Meguri Bibōroku | |
| Shiseki Tanbōki | |
| Shirotabi | |
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