In 1334, Ikeda Noriyoshi built a small fort on this site, which over time was repeatedly expanded and rebuilt. During the Ōnin War of 1467–1477, the Ikeda clan supported the Western Coalition. As a result, Ikeda Castle was attacked and captured by the forces of the Eastern Coalition, but it was soon recaptured, allowing it to avoid serious destruction.
In the early 16th century, during internal conflicts within the Hosokawa clan, the castle repeatedly became a battlefield and suffered from the fires that accompanied these clashes. This is evidenced by the results of archaeological excavations, which revealed layers of burned earth dating to this period, as well as the remains of wooden structures that had been charred into charcoal. After each such episode of destruction, the castle was rebuilt once again.
In 1557, Ikeda Katsumasa confronted the forces of the Oda clan. After the capture of the castle in 1558, Oda Nobunaga highly praised Katsumasa’s abilities, made him one of his vassals with an income of 60,000 koku of rice, and allowed him to retain Ikeda Castle. Katsumasa subsequently strengthened and rebuilt the castle, making use of the plans and ideas provided by Nobunaga.
In 1570, Araki Murashige rose in rebellion against the Ikeda clan. Initially, he had served as a vassal of Ikeda Katsumasa and became a member of the Ikeda family by marrying the daughter of Ikeda Nagamasa. Later, however, Murashige aligned himself with the Miyoshi clan, organized a revolt, expelled Katsumasa, and seized power within the Ikeda clan. Although he was considered a supporter of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki, in 1571 he sided with Oda Nobunaga in Nobunaga’s conflict with the shogun. In 1574, Murashige took part in suppressing the uprising of Itami Tadataka in Kawachi Province, besieged Itami Castle, and captured it. As a reward for this victory, Nobunaga granted the castle to Murashige, and around the same time the castle was renamed Arioka.
After Murashige moved to Arioka Castle, Ikeda Castle was almost no longer used. Nevertheless, in 1578 Murashige defected to the rebel Ikkō-ikki, and during the siege of Arioka Castle by Oda forces, Ikeda Castle served as the headquarters of the punitive expedition. After the fall of Arioka Castle in 1579, Ikeda Castle was permanently abandoned and ceased to be used.
In 1989, large-scale archaeological investigations were carried out on the castle ruins, leading to the discovery of remains of fortifications and various artifacts dating to the Sengoku period.
In 2000, the ruins were turned into Ikedashiroato Park. Earthen rampart walls (dobei), several types of gates, and a mihari-no-yagura watchtower were reconstructed. Towers of this type are considered predecessors of the tenshu donjons of later periods. At the same time, this tower is a notional, “fake” reconstruction, since according to surviving descriptions and excavation materials, no such structure actually existed on the grounds of the historical castle.
Overall, the reconstructed buildings represent a clear and high-quality example of the fortifications of a typical early to mid–Sengoku period castle, even though they are not directly tied to the historical Ikeda Castle itself. In addition, the site features a beautiful garden with a pond inhabited by carp and turtles, which also attracts visitors.
See also
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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.
Toyama Castle
Toyama Castle is located almost in the very center of the former province of Etchū and is surrounded by a wide plain with a large number of rivers. The very first castle on the banks of the Jinzu River was built in 1543 by Jimbo Nagamoto. The Jimbo clan were vassals of the Hatakeyama clan and governed the western part of Etchū Province. The eastern part of the province belonged to their rivals, the Shiina clan, who were also Hatakeyama vassals. Beginning in the 15th century, the influence of the ancient Hatakeyama clan gradually weakened, and as a result, the Jimbo and the Shiina fought constant wars for control of the province. Meanwhile, the forces of the Ikkō-ikki movement periodically intervened, helping first one side and then the other.
Takada Castle
During the Sengoku period, the lands where Takada Castle would later be built were part of Echigo Province and were controlled by the Uesugi clan.
Kishiwada Castle
The celebrated 14th-century military commander Kusunoki Masashige (1294–1336), who owned extensive lands south of what is now the city of Osaka, ordered one of his vassals, Kishiwada Osamu, to build a fortified residence. This order was carried out around 1336. These fortifications became the first structures on the site of what would later become Kishiwada Castle. From the beginning, the castle stood in a strategically important location—roughly halfway between the cities of Wakayama and Osaka, south of the key port of Sakai. Because of this position, it changed hands several times during periods of warfare.
