Chihaya Castle : A Study of Japanese Bibliography

This is all about Chihaya Castle Ruins you want to know.
Every information you get on this site will be from a credible source based on Japanese history (books for reference).

"Chihayajō no zu" from 国立国会図書館

There are two typical example of castle picture in the Edo period exists. The one is collected by the Inagaki family, the Toba Daimyō from the mid-Edo period to the Meiji Restoration, as materials for military studies. There are about 350 illustrations, but there is no uniformity because only illustrations of castles, illustrations including castle towns, and old　battlefield illustrations are mixed.

The Another is "The Shōhō Shiroezu", picture of the castle and castle town that the Edo Shogunate ordered the daimyō to create and submit,aggregating military information such as the buildings inside the castle, the height of the stone wall, the width of the moat and the water depth, etc., it also details the location and shape of the castle town and the mountain river.

Profile : Chihaya Castle Ruins


Location	Chihaya-akasaka Village, kawachi District, Osaka Prefecture
Also known as	ー
Type of castle	Mountaintop
Mountain's name	Mt.Kongō
Elevation	1125m
Condition	Ruins
Designation	National Historic Sites
Year built	1332
Abolished	1392
Castle lord	Kusunoki Masashige
Refurbishment lord	ー

Statue of Kusunoki Masashige from **Wikipedia**

Placed in the Imperial Palace as a "Hero" in Japan's history.
For the achievement, the title of "the Biggest" and the deity of "No.1" are awarded.

Portrait of Kusunoki Masashige from **Wikipedia**

Family Crest of Kusunoki Clan from **"Wikipedia**"

The family crest was originally created from the pattern that the emperor and the royal family put on the kimono, and the pattern was made into a fixed pattern, and the one attached to his own oxcart is said to be the beginning of the family crest. The warlords drew large crests on the flag-fingers, used to distinguish enemy views on the battlefield, and used by the generals to determine which warlords were active and how much.

"Kawachi-Chihayajō-zu" from **Wikipedia**

Chihaya Castle admission

admission fee : free
closing period : reference official site (japanese)

Chihaya Castle Google Map

Chihaya Castle Images　

Chihaya Castle is the hometown of Kusunoki Masashige who played an active part in the late Kamakura Period and the Northern-Southern Dynasties. It has a high level defensive mountaintop type castle built on a ridge around Mt.Kongō, also has a supporting castle of Shimo-Akasaka Castle and Kami-Akasaka Castle.

Participated in response to Emperor Godaigo's call, he used thorough guerrilla tactic with only 1,000 troops against the one-million Kamakura Shogunate Army to defeat them.

By attracting the Shogunate Army to Mt. Kongō, the shattered Kamakura Shogunate in Kyoto would be under attack by Nitta Yoshisada, and the government that has been running for about 130 years would be replaced.

The castle was built on the side of Mt.Kongō. If you follow the climbing route to the summit of that, it will take about 20 to 30 minutes walk from the starting point to the castle ruins. The steep climb continues and it is quite hard, so be prepared in advance.

Link : A fierce battle in japanese history

【north japan】Goryōkaku 【north japan】Aizuwakamatsu Castle 【east japan】Kawagoe Castle 【central japan】Ueda Castle 【west japan】Tottori Castle 【south japan】Shimabara Castle 【west japan】 Chihaya Castle

Link-2 : The Impregnable Castle

【east japan】Odawara Castle 【east japan】Edo castle 【east japan】Hachigata Castle 【west japan】Ōsaka Castle 【west japan】Yoshida-Kōriyama Castle 【south japan】Kumamoto Castle 【central japan】Chihaya castle

Link-3 : The castle of "knowledge warrior"

【north japan】Sendai Castle 【central japan】Ueda Castle 【central japan】Minowa Castle 【west japan】Uwajima castle 【central japan】Chihaya castle