Chihaya Castle
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese castle
, constructed in 1332 by Kusunoki Masashige
. Consisting primarily of wooden and earthworks defenses, Chihaya stands as a keen example of fortress design of Japan's Nanboku-chō period. Located on Mount Kongō
in Kawachi Province
, it survived siege in 1333
, but was later conquered by forces of the Ashikaga shogunate
in 1390 and then abandoned.
Along with Akasaka Castle (赤坂城), another nearby mountain fortress, Chihaya served as the base of operations for Kusunoki, and the core of his defenses, in his campaigns on behalf of Emperor Go-Daigo
against the Hōjō clan
. Constructed a year after the fall of Akasaka
, Chihaya was intentionally designed to be stronger, and when it was attacked the following year, in 1333, Kusunoki successfully resisted the siege. Moveable bridges were among the fortress' chief defensive measures, alongside its wooden walls, earthwork defenses, and strategic location on Mt. Kongō. The fortress was surrounded with felled trees and boulders, which could be rolled down the mountain on an approaching army, and screens of brush were used to help protect from arrows.
Following the successful defense in 1333, the fortress saw little action until its fall in 1390. Though it was never formally destroyed in battle, it is unlikely that any significant elements of the fortress survive today.
Japanese castle
' were fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century...
, constructed in 1332 by Kusunoki Masashige
Kusunoki Masashige
was a 14th century samurai who fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in his attempt to wrest rulership of Japan away from the Kamakura shogunate and is remembered as the ideal of samurai loyalty.-Tactician:...
. Consisting primarily of wooden and earthworks defenses, Chihaya stands as a keen example of fortress design of Japan's Nanboku-chō period. Located on Mount Kongō
Mount Kongo
is a 1125 meter high mountain in the Senshū region of the Osaka Prefecture, Kansai, Japan. It is near Mount Katsuragi.The mountain has lent its name to a series of naval ships and ship classes: the Imperial Japanese Navy's 1877 corvette Kongō; 1912 battleship Kongō, the nameship of her class; and...
in Kawachi Province
Kawachi Province
was a province of Japan in the eastern part of modern Osaka Prefecture. It originally held the southwestern area that was split off into Izumi Province...
, it survived siege in 1333
Siege of Chihaya
The 1333 siege of Chihaya took place during the final year of Japan's Kamakura period. It was one of several battles of the Genkō War, in which Emperor Go-Daigo sought to eliminate the power of the Hōjō clan regents. Chihaya-jō was built atop Mt. Kongō, in Kawachi province, in 1332...
, but was later conquered by forces of the Ashikaga shogunate
Ashikaga shogunate
The , also known as the , was a Japanese feudal military regime, ruled by the shoguns of the Ashikaga clan.This period is also known as the Muromachi period and gets its name from Muromachi Street of Kyoto where the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu established his residence...
in 1390 and then abandoned.
Along with Akasaka Castle (赤坂城), another nearby mountain fortress, Chihaya served as the base of operations for Kusunoki, and the core of his defenses, in his campaigns on behalf of Emperor Go-Daigo
Emperor Go-Daigo
Emperor Go-Daigo was the 96th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession....
against the Hōjō clan
Hojo clan
See the late Hōjō clan for the Hōjō clan of the Sengoku Period.The in the history of Japan was a family who controlled the hereditary title of shikken of the Kamakura Shogunate. In practice, the family had actual governmental power, many times dictatorial, rather than Kamakura shoguns, or the...
. Constructed a year after the fall of Akasaka
Siege of Akasaka
The 1331 siege of Akasaka was a battle of the Genkō War, taking place during the final years of Japan's Kamakura period, at Shimo Akasaka-jō near modern-day Osaka....
, Chihaya was intentionally designed to be stronger, and when it was attacked the following year, in 1333, Kusunoki successfully resisted the siege. Moveable bridges were among the fortress' chief defensive measures, alongside its wooden walls, earthwork defenses, and strategic location on Mt. Kongō. The fortress was surrounded with felled trees and boulders, which could be rolled down the mountain on an approaching army, and screens of brush were used to help protect from arrows.
Following the successful defense in 1333, the fortress saw little action until its fall in 1390. Though it was never formally destroyed in battle, it is unlikely that any significant elements of the fortress survive today.