Yasuda Castle

Yasuda Castle
安田城
Toyama, Toyama Prefecture, Japan
　 restored moats of Yasuda Castle
Yasuda Castle
安田城
Coordinates 36°40′49″N 137°9′39″E / 36.68028°N 137.16083°E / 36.68028; 137.16083
Type flatland-style Japanese castle
Site information
Open to
the public		 yes
Condition ruins
Site history
In use Sengoku period
Demolished unknown

Yasuda Castle (安田城, Yasuda-jō) was a Sengoku period flatland-style Japanese castle located in what is now part of the city of Toyama, Toyama Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Honshu, Japan. The site has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1981.[1]

Background

Yasuda Castle is located on the western bank of the Ida River, a tributary of Jinzū River, on the site of the Kureha hills, which divides Etchū Province between the Toyama and Takaoka areas. Yasuda castle consist of three areas. The inner bailey is approximately 80 meters square and was surrounded by a two-meter clay rampart. Given its small size and secure location, it was intended to serve as the commander's residence. The inner bailey is connected to a secondary bailey, which apparently was used to store military supplies. As the castle faced its enemy to the west, the western side is further protected by a large kuruwa enclosure. The total size of the caste was thus some 200 meters in length by 150 meters in width.

History

The actual foundation of Yasuda Castle is not certain. During the 16th century, the area was contested between the local Jinbō clan, the Uesugi clan and followers of the Ikkō-ikki movement. Approximately five kilometers north of Yasuda Castle was Shiratori Castle, which was part of the outer defences of Toyama, then under the control of the warlord Sassa Narimasa. In 1585, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched his invasion of Etchū Province, he expanded Yasuda Castle to serve as a temporary field headquarters for the Toyotomi army. Okajima Kazuyoshi, one of Maeda Toshiie's retainers, was appointed castellan; however, faced with overwhelming odds, Sassa Narimasa surrendered Toyama after only a week, and Yasuda Castle was never used in battle.

Following these events, Etchū Province was awarded to Maeda Toshiie, who appointed a magistrate based at Yasuda Castle. After the construction of Kanazawa Castle, Yasuda Castle was abandoned. Field headquarters such as Yasuda Castle normally disappear completely shortly after they are abandoned; however, due to the geography of the site, the outlines of the moats and clay ramparts were preserved.

Current situation

All of the structures of Yasuda Castle have long been lost and by the modern period, the moats had been filled in and much of the site was covered by rice paddy. In the late 1960s, the site was targeted for urban redevelopment, and in 1977 to 1978, archaeologists found the outlines of the moats and ramparts. The area received protection from development in 1981 with its designation as a National Historic Site. From 1990-1994, the moats were restored and the site was opened as a public archaeological park.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "安田城跡". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
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