Kururi Castle
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese castle
located in Kimitsu
, southern Chiba Prefecture
, Japan
. At the end of the Edo period
, Kururi Castle was home to a branch of the Kuroda clan
, daimyō
of Kururi Domain
. The castle was also known as , after a legend that it rained twenty-one times during its construction, or, on average, once every three days.
by Takeda Nobunaga (1401–1477), and was ruled by his descendants, the Mariya clan, from 1540. With the expansion of the Satomi clan
from Awa Province
in the Sengoku period
, the castle was taken over by Satomi Yoshitaka, who used it as his base of operations against the Hōjō clan
, based from Odawara Castle
. The Hōjō attempted to take the castle unsuccessfully on a few occasions, and finally seized it in 1564. They lost it just three years later in 1567, when the Satomi regained control.
Following the Battle of Odawara, Toyotomi Hideyoshi
punished the Satomi clan by depriving them of their territories in Kazusa Province
. With the entry of Tokugawa Ieyasu
into the Kantō region
, he assigned the fortifications at Kururi to one of his retainers, Matsudaira (Ōsuga) Tadamasa, and appointed him as daimyō
of the 30,000 koku
Kururi Domain
. Osugi Tadamasa built most of the current fortifications of Kururi Castle, and established a castle town
at its base. Following the Battle of Sekigahara
, the Ōsuga clan was transferred to Yokosuka Castle
in Suruga Province
, and were replaced by the Tsuchiya clan with a reduction in revenues to 20,000 koku. The domain was suppressed in 1679, and Kururi Castle was allowed to fall into ruin.
In 1742, Kururi Domain was reinstated, with Kuroda Naozumi transferred from Numata Domain in Kazusa Province
. He rebuilt the fortifications of the old castle, and his descendants continued to rule Kururi Domain until the Meiji Restoration
.
In 1872, by orders of the Meiji government, the surviving structures of Kururi Castle were destroyed. The area, containing remnants of moats, earthen works and a well, became a park in 1955.The current donjon was reconstructed in 1979 to boost local tourism. It was built adjacent to the earthen foundation of the original donjon. The Edo period donjon was a two-story, two-roofed structure; however the current structure is not historically accurate, and has three interior floors. The interior is a museum devoted primarily to local history exhibits.
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...
located in Kimitsu
Kimitsu, Chiba
is a city located in Chiba, Japan. As of September 2010, the city had an estimated population of 88,661 and a population density of 278 persons per km². The total area was 318.83 km².-Geography:...
, southern Chiba Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. At the end of the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, Kururi Castle was home to a branch of the Kuroda clan
Kuroda clan
The ' was a Japanese samurai clan which came to prominence during the Sengoku period.-Origins:The Kuroda clan claimed its origins in Tōtōmi Province.-Sengoku era:...
, daimyō
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of Kururi Domain
Kururi Domain
was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Kazusa Province , Japan. It was centered on Kururi Castle in what is now the city of Kimitsu, Chiba....
. The castle was also known as , after a legend that it rained twenty-one times during its construction, or, on average, once every three days.
History
The original Kururi Castle was a mountain-top fortification built during the Muromachi periodMuromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
by Takeda Nobunaga (1401–1477), and was ruled by his descendants, the Mariya clan, from 1540. With the expansion of the Satomi clan
Satomi clan
The Satomi clan was a clan of samurai which claimed descent from Nitta Yoshishige , whose son Yoshitoshi took 'Satomi' as his surname. The Satomi moved from Kōzuke province to Awa province in the mid-15th century, and remained there into the Edo Period. During the Sengoku period, the Satomi were...
from Awa Province
Awa Province (Chiba)
was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. It lies on the tip of the Boso Peninsula , whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was or...
in the Sengoku period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
, the castle was taken over by Satomi Yoshitaka, who used it as his base of operations against the Hōjō clan
Late Hojo clan
The ' was one of the most powerful warrior clans in Japan in the Sengoku period and held domains primarily in the Kantō region.The clan is traditionally reckoned to be started by Ise Shinkurō, who came from a branch of the prestigious Ise clan, a family in the direct employment of the Ashikaga...
, based from Odawara Castle
Odawara Castle
is a landmark in the city of Odawara in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.-History:Odawara was a stronghold of the Doi clan during the Kamakura period, and a fortified residence was built by their collateral branch, the Kobayakawa clan stood on the approximate site of the present castle...
. The Hōjō attempted to take the castle unsuccessfully on a few occasions, and finally seized it in 1564. They lost it just three years later in 1567, when the Satomi regained control.
Following the Battle of Odawara, Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
punished the Satomi clan by depriving them of their territories in Kazusa Province
Kazusa Province
was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. It lies on in the middle of the Bōsō Peninsula , whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was or .Kazusa is classified as one of the...
. With the entry of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
into the Kantō region
Kanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
, he assigned the fortifications at Kururi to one of his retainers, Matsudaira (Ōsuga) Tadamasa, and appointed him as daimyō
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of the 30,000 koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
Kururi Domain
Kururi Domain
was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Kazusa Province , Japan. It was centered on Kururi Castle in what is now the city of Kimitsu, Chiba....
. Osugi Tadamasa built most of the current fortifications of Kururi Castle, and established a castle town
Castle town
A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns are common in Medieval Europe. Good example include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles...
at its base. Following the Battle of Sekigahara
Battle of Sekigahara
The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...
, the Ōsuga clan was transferred to Yokosuka Castle
Yokosuka Castle
was a Japanese castle in Tōtōmi Province , Japan from the late Muromachi period to the Meiji Restoration. It was the capital of Yokosuka Domain during the Tokugawa shogunate of the Edo period.-History:...
in Suruga Province
Suruga Province
was an old province in the area that is today the central part of Shizuoka prefecture. It was sometimes called . Suruga bordered on Izu, Kai, Sagami, Shinano, and Tōtōmi provinces; and had access to the Pacific Ocean through Suruga Bay.-History:...
, and were replaced by the Tsuchiya clan with a reduction in revenues to 20,000 koku. The domain was suppressed in 1679, and Kururi Castle was allowed to fall into ruin.
In 1742, Kururi Domain was reinstated, with Kuroda Naozumi transferred from Numata Domain in Kazusa Province
Kazusa Province
was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. It lies on in the middle of the Bōsō Peninsula , whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was or .Kazusa is classified as one of the...
. He rebuilt the fortifications of the old castle, and his descendants continued to rule Kururi Domain until the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
.
In 1872, by orders of the Meiji government, the surviving structures of Kururi Castle were destroyed. The area, containing remnants of moats, earthen works and a well, became a park in 1955.The current donjon was reconstructed in 1979 to boost local tourism. It was built adjacent to the earthen foundation of the original donjon. The Edo period donjon was a two-story, two-roofed structure; however the current structure is not historically accurate, and has three interior floors. The interior is a museum devoted primarily to local history exhibits.