Arato Castle was built in 1524 by the Yamada clan under the orders of their overlord, Murakami, as a small mountain fort. Over time, it gained strategic importance and became a focal point in the conflict between two famous daimyō of the Sengoku period — Takeda Shingen and Murakami Yoshikiyo. This conflict turned the castle into one of the key fortifications in the struggle for control over Shinano Province.
In 1548, during the Battle of Toishi Castle, the lord of Arato Castle, Yamada Kunimasa, was killed. After his death, the castle was inherited by his son, Yamada Kunitsugu, but he met the same fate. In 1553, Kunitsugu was killed in the Battle of Katsuo Castle. After the fall of Katsuo Castle, the Yamada clan was completely destroyed. From that point, Arato Castle came under the control of Takeda Shingen, who granted it to his vassal, Yashiro Masakuni.
After his defeat, Murakami Yoshikiyo sought assistance from his nearest ally, Uesugi Kenshin. This event marked the beginning of the famous rivalry between two legendary military leaders of feudal Japan — Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen. Their battlefield became the Kawanakajima Valley in Shinano Province, where the Saigawa and Chikumagawa rivers meet. Five major battles took place there, later known in history as the First Kawanakajima Campaign in 1553, the Second in 1555, the Third in 1557, the Fourth in 1561, and the Fifth in 1564. The Fourth Battle was the most famous and the bloodiest. During these campaigns, Arato Castle frequently became the site of clashes between the opposing armies because of its strategic location.
After the final downfall of the Takeda clan in 1582, Arato Castle and its lord, Yashiro Hidemasa, came under the control of Uesugi Kagekatsu. However, in 1584, Yashiro decided to free himself from Uesugi rule. He secretly allied himself with Tokugawa Ieyasu and moved toward Arato Castle, intending to secure it. His plans failed when Uesugi forces attacked and defeated him. According to tradition, Hidemasa set fire to the castle himself before fleeing into Tokugawa territory. After these events, the castle was abandoned and never used again. All that remained of the original fortification were the stone ishi-gaki walls and traces of earthworks.
In modern times, the castle has been partially reconstructed. Palisades have been rebuilt on top of the stone walls, along with the wooden watchtower seiro-yagura, storehouses, living quarters, and the kabuki-mon and yagura-mon gates. These reconstructions allow visitors to imagine what the castle looked like during the Warring States period.
Arato Castle was also used twice as a filming location for NHK taiga dramas: Fūrinkazan and Gō: Hime-tachi no Sengoku. In one of the castle buildings, photographs from the filming are displayed. The photo on the left shows scenes from Fūrinkazan, while the one on the right shows scenes from Gō: Hime-tachi no Sengoku.
Today, Arato Castle is designated as a municipal historic site. It is also included in the unofficial list of the Top 100 Mountain Castles of Japan, highlighting its historical and cultural significance.
See also
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Tatsuno Castle
Tatsuno Castle is not a single fortification but rather a complex consisting of two parts: a mountain fortress located at the summit of Mount Keirozan and a flatland-mountain castle situated at its base. The mountain stronghold was built around 1499 by Akamatsu Murahide. During the Muromachi period, the Akamatsu clan was an influential family that, at the height of its power, controlled the provinces of Settsu, Harima, Bizen, and Mimasaka. Murahide’s ancestors were directly involved in the events of the Genkō War in the 14th century and in the subsequent establishment of the Ashikaga shogunate. However, by the 15th century, due to the process of gekokujō, the clan began to lose its position under pressure from rising families, including their former vassals—the Urakami and Bessho clans. In addition, the Akamatsu faced constant pressure from the Amago clan of Izumo Province.
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Takamatsu Castle
Takamatsu Castle was founded by Ikoma Chikamasa (1526–1603), who was appointed ruler of Takamatsu by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1587. The following year, Chikamasa began construction of the castle on the coast of the Inland Sea (Setonaikai), completing it by 1590.
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Sawayama Castle
During the Kamakura period, Sabo Tokitsuna, the sixth son of Sasaki Sadatsuna, built a fort on Mount Sawayama. This fort occupied a strategically important position because it allowed control over traffic along the important Tōsandō route, which was later known as Nakasendō. This road connected the capital, Kyoto, with the eastern regions of the country. Due to its location, the fortification held great military importance, and during periods of civil war it repeatedly became the site of fierce battles.
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Nadzima Castle
It is believed that the first structures on this site were built by Tachibana Akitoshi (?-1568), head of the Tachibana clan, a branch family of the Ōtomo clan, as auxiliary fortifications for Tachibanayama Castle. In 1587, Toyotomi Hideyoshi established control over the island of Kyushu and granted Chikuzen Province to Kobayakawa Takakage, one of the leading vassals of the Mori clan. Takakage began construction of a new castle on the site of the existing fortifications in 1588. The exact date of completion is unknown, but by the time the invasion of Korea began in 1592, the castle had already been finished, as records note that Toyotomi Hideyoshi stayed there overnight on his way to Hizen Nagoya Castle, which served as the headquarters of the invasion forces.
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Kubota Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be Satake Yoshinobu (1570–1633). Yoshinobu was one of the six great generals of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. During the Odawara Campaign of 1590, he took part in the siege of Oshi Castle under the command of Ishida Mitsunari, with whom Yoshinobu developed a good relationship.
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Kavanhoe Castle
Kawanoe Castle is located on the small Wasi-yama hill near the port area of the Kawanoe district in the city of Shikokuchuo, occupying a central position along the northern coast of Shikoku Island. Kawanoe was also known as Butsuden Castle. The term “butsuden” in Japan refers to temple halls, and for this reason it is believed that a Buddhist temple once stood on the site before the castle was built. Due to its location at the junction of four provinces on Shikoku Island, Kawanoe held significant strategic importance and was repeatedly targeted by rival forces seeking military control over the region.
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Yokote Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be the Onodera clan. The Onodera were originally a minor clan from Shimotsuke Province and served Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199), the founder of the first shogunate. The Onodera distinguished themselves in battle against the Fujiwara clan of the Ōshū branch and were rewarded with lands around Yokote. Around the 14th century, the Onodera moved to Yokote as their permanent residence. Their original stronghold was Numadate Castle, but after a series of clashes with the powerful Nambu clan, they relocated their base to the site of present-day Yokote Castle. It was likely during this time that the first fortifications appeared at the castle.
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Wakayama Castle
Wakayama Castle was built in 1585, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered his uterine brother, Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hidenaga, to construct a castle on the site of the recently captured Ota Castle. The purpose of this construction was to secure control over the likewise newly conquered Province of Kii. Following an already established tradition, Hidenaga entrusted the project to his castle-building expert, Todo Takatora. Takatora carefully inspected the future castle site, personally drew up several designs, created a model of the planned castle, and took part in the work of laying out the grounds (nawabari). For the construction he brought in more than 10,000 workers and completed the large-scale project within a single year, which was considered extremely fast by the standards of the time.
