Anjo Castle was built on a slight elevation at the edge of the Hekikai Plateau, about 2 kilometers southeast of present-day central Anjo City in Aichi Prefecture. Today, the surrounding area thrives on large-scale agriculture and automotive manufacturing, utilizing the expansive flatlands and its proximity to the Nagoya region.
The exact year of Anjo Castle’s construction is unknown, but it is believed to have been established in the mid-15th century by the local Hatakeyama clan. The original Anjo Castle was located roughly 500 meters west of the current site, within a valley near a water source, serving as the residence of a minor local lord.
As the Hatakeyama clan expanded their power, they relocated their main stronghold to the current location. The new castle was built on a peninsula-like height surrounded by marshland, making it naturally defensible. It also commanded both the old Tokaido Road and the Yahagi River, giving it control over key land and water transportation routes.
Around the same time, the Matsudaira clan — based in the Matsudaira region of present-day Toyota City and ancestors of the Tokugawa Shogunate — began expanding southward. In the mid-15th century, they captured Iwatsu Castle (in present-day Okazaki City) and pushed into the Okazaki Plain.
Structure of Anjo Castle
Anjo Castle featured a central enclosure and several surrounding areas. The main enclosure was a rectangular space measuring about 60 meters by 30 meters, now the site of a temple. The central area stood about 5 meters above the surrounding terrain and was once fully enclosed by clay walls, although only the western portion remains today.
To the south of the main enclosure was the secondary enclosure, now home to a shrine. This area was originally larger but was reduced in size due to the expansion of dry moats and the construction of thick clay walls, strengthening its role as a defensive buffer zone.
North of the main enclosure was the castle’s northern gate, where remnants of a turret platform still survive. To the west, where a museum now stands, was a corridor area designed to launch side attacks against enemies approaching the north gate. Overall, the castle measured about 200 meters in length and 100 meters in width.
The Matsudaira and Oda Clans at Anjo Castle
The Matsudaira clan controlled Anjo Castle for around 20 years until Matsudaira Kiyoyasu (1511–1535), grandson of Matsudaira Nagachika, moved their base to Okazaki Castle. Kiyoyasu succeeded in unifying much of Mikawa Province, but his assassination in 1535 significantly weakened the clan's power.
This power vacuum attracted the attention of Oda Nobuhide (1511–1552), lord of neighboring Owari Province and father of the famous Oda Nobunaga, as well as Imagawa Yoshimoto (1519–1560) of the powerful Imagawa clan from Suruga Province.
In 1540, Nobuhide invaded Mikawa Province, capturing Anjo Castle and pressuring Matsudaira Hirotada (1529–1549) at Okazaki Castle. In response, Hirotada submitted to the Imagawa clan, sending his son Takechiyo (later Tokugawa Ieyasu) as a hostage. However, Nobuhide managed to capture Takechiyo by bribing the Toda clan, who were responsible for the hostage transfer.
In 1548, Nobuhide attempted to seize Okazaki Castle, leading to a major confrontation at the Battle of Azukizaka. Imagawa forces, led by the monk-general Taigen Sessai (1496–1555), defeated the Oda army.
In 1550, Imagawa forces attacked and captured Anjo Castle, taking Nobuhide's eldest son, Oda Nobuhiro (?-1574), as a prisoner. Nobuhiro was later exchanged for Takechiyo. With Hirotada’s death in 1549, the Imagawa clan effectively took control of Mikawa Province under the name of Takechiyo.
The Decline and Legacy of Anjo Castle
Anjo Castle remained in use for about 10 more years but was eventually abandoned following the peace agreement between Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu after the Battle of Okehazama in 1560. It is possible that the castle was briefly restored as part of Okazaki Castle’s defensive network during Ieyasu’s conflict with Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1584.
Today, while no buildings remain, traces of Anjo Castle’s structure survive in the grounds of a temple and a shrine. The surrounding marshlands, once crucial to the castle’s defense, have been lost to land reclamation, and the site now sits amid expansive rice fields. However, by carefully comparing the current terrain with old maps, the strategic significance of Anjo Castle — once the main base of the Matsudaira clan and the center of fierce regional struggle — becomes clear.
See also
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Numata Castle
Numata Castle, located in Numata, northern Gunma Prefecture, Japan, has a rich and complex history. During the late Edo period, it served as the residence of the Toki clan, who ruled the Numata Domain. Over the centuries, the castle changed hands multiple times and was the site of significant battles during the Sengoku period.
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Iwabitsu Castle
Iwabitsu Castle is a yamashiro-style (mountain) castle located atop Mount Iwabitsu in Higashiagatsuma, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Recognized for its historical significance, its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 2019.
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Tsutsujigasaki Castle
Tsutsujigasaki Castle (Tsutsujigasaki Yakata) served as the fortified residence of the last three generations of the Takeda clan and is located in the heart of Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Unlike traditional Japanese castles, it was not referred to as a "castle" in Japanese, as the Takeda clan famously believed in relying on their warriors as their true fortifications, stating, "Make men your castle, men your walls, men your moats." Designated a National Historic Site in 1938, the ruins are now open to the public and house the Takeda Shrine, a Shinto shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of the Takeda clan.
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Nagoya Castle
Nagoya Castle, originally built by the Owari Domain in 1612 during the Edo period, stands on the site of an earlier Oda clan castle from the Sengoku period. It became the centerpiece of Nagoya-juku, a significant castle town on the Minoji road, which connected two major Edo Five Routes: the Tokaido and the Nakasendo. In 1930, ownership of the castle was transferred to the city by the Imperial Household Ministry, establishing it as the focal point of modern Nagoya. Although partially destroyed in the Pacific War in 1945, the castle has undergone continuous restoration and preservation efforts since 1957.
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Matsushiro Castle
Matsushiro Castle, originally known as Kaizu Castle, is located in what was once Matsushiro town, now part of Nagano City. The site is recognized as a National Historic Site of Japan. Situated on the northern Shinano flatlands between the Chikuma River and a former riverbed that serves as a natural outer moat to the north, the castle and its surrounding town were prone to flooding due to their location.
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Fushimi Castle
Fushimi Castle, also known as Momoyama Castle or Fushimi-Momoyama Castle, is located in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto. Originally built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi between 1592 and 1594 as his retirement residence, the castle was destroyed by the 1596 Keichō–Fushimi earthquake and later rebuilt. However, it was demolished again in 1623, and its site now houses the tomb of Emperor Meiji. A replica of the castle was constructed nearby in 1964.
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Odawara Castle
Odawara Castle, located in the city of Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, is a reconstructed historical site with roots dating back to the Kamakura period (1185–1333). The current donjon (main keep) was rebuilt using reinforced concrete in 1960 on the stone foundation of the original structure, which was dismantled between 1870 and 1872 during the Meiji Restoration.
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Shinpu Castle
Shinpu Castle was a Japanese hirayama-style fortress from the Sengoku period, situated in what is now Nirasaki, Yamanashi Prefecture. It served as the main stronghold of warlord Takeda Katsuyori. Designated as a National Historic Site in 1973, the castle occupies a strategic position on a mountain with steep cliffs, overlooking the Kamanashi River to the west of Kofu, where Takeda Shingen’s Tsutsujigasaki Castle once stood.
