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Miki Castle : A Study of Japanese Bibliography

This is all about Miki 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).

"Harimanokuni Miki-jō shokoku kojō no zu (picture in Edo Period)"
by Asano Library from Wikipedia

"Shokoku kojō no zu" is a collection of castle illustrations handed down to the former Hiroshima feudal lord Asano Clan, and consists of 177 illustrations depicting ancient castles from Tōhoku District to Kyūshū. Most of the castles taken up were already abandoned in the early Edo period.

Speaking of old castle picture, there are two typical example of a castle picture in the Edo period. 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 : Miki Castle Ruins

LocationMiki City, Hyōgo Prefecture
Also known asBessho Castle
Type of castleHilltop
Mountain's name
Elevationー 
ConditionNo main keep but other buildings
Designation National Historic Sites
Year builtaround 1492
Abolished1615
Castle lordBessho Noriharu
Refurbishment lordMaeno Nagayasu , Nakagawa Hidemasa
Portrait of Bessho Nagaharu from Wikipedia
Family Crest of Bessho 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.
Portrait of Toyotomi Hideyoshi from Wikipedia
Portrait of Takenaka Shigeharu ( known as Takenaka Hanbei ) from Wikipedia

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was served by two genius military staff. One was Kuroda Kanbei and the other was Takenaka. He fell ill and died at Hideyoshi's headquarter among the battle of Miki Castle.

Miki Castle admission

admission fee : free
admission time : free
closing period : reference official site

Miki Castle Google Map

Miki Castle Images 

Statue of Bessho Nagaharu

The battle, known as "Miki kassen" was held by Oda Nobunaga' s army and Bessho's from 1578 to 1580.
It was one of the Banshū conquests performed by the Oda family, Toyotomi (Hashiba) Hideyoshi.
Ruins of the headquarter of Toyotomi(Hashiba) Hideyoshi

Initially, Bessho Nagaharu was an ally of the Oda Army. But an unexpected event falls on Hideyoshi, who was promoting west japan unification at the order of Oda Nobunaga. Finally Bessho, who should have been on Nobunaga's side, has rebelled by receiving an invitation from Mōri Terumoto, Oda's enemy. Bessho stood in Miki Castle for two years from 1578, against Hideyoshi attacked the troops, including the battle "The Strving tactics of Miki", Known for its fierce siege battle.
Bessho Nagaharu prepared his supplies at Miki Castle with enough to withstand long-term battles. Neighboring local samurai, peasants and their family were together. At this time, Hideyoshi thought that it would be feasible to attack from the front, and decided to cut off Bessho's supply route.

Indeed, the troops in Miki Castle were exhausted with each passing day, and anything that could go into the mouth, not to mention dead cows and tree roots, was all right. In addition, it is said that there was an extreme situation where people could eat a human being on the verge of dying as it was and save their lives. Thus , the castle fell in August 1580 , and Bessho Nagaharu cut himself instead of helping soldiers and non-combatants stay in the castle. He reportedly killed his three-years-old child on his knee at first, then killed his wife, and committed suicide finally.
Farewell Poem by Bessho Nagaharu

「今はただ うらみもあらじ 諸人の いのちにかはる 我が身と思へば」
If I can save everyone's lives, I have no regrets that I will take over.
Tomb of Takenaka Hanbei

Despite being Hideyoshi's attack on Miki Castle, he is still heavily memorialized by local aged people's associations, etc., and there is no interruption in the grave offerings. In addition, 【the memorial service for the lord of the military, Takenaka Hanbei Shigeharu】is held regularly on the anniversary of June 13 and on July 13 when one month after the local farm work calmed down.

Link-1 : A castle closely related to Toyotomi Hideyoshi

【east japan】 Odawara Castle 【west japan】Himeji Castle 【west japan】Odani Castle 【south japan】Nagoya Castle 【west japan】Ōsaka Castle 【west japan】Miki Castle

Link-2 : The tragic castle

【north japan】Nihonmatsu Castle 【west japan】Odani Castle 【central japan】Iwamura Castle 【west japan】Miki Castle

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