Kokura Castle is traditionally considered to have been founded by Hosokawa Tadaoki (1563–1645), although by the time the Hosokawa clan came to control these lands, the fortification had already existed since at least 1569 and was most likely built by members of the Mori clan.
Initially, Hosokawa Tadaoki served Oda Nobunaga. In the 1580s, he married Tама, the daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide (her Christian name was Gracia, 1563–1600). When Akechi Mitsuhide launched a rebellion that resulted in the death of Oda Nobunaga, he expected Tadaoki to support him in the struggle against Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of Nobunaga’s former generals. However, Tadaoki refused to join Mitsuhide and later swore allegiance to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. As a vassal of Hideyoshi, he took part in the campaigns at Komaki and Odawara. In the 1590s, Tadaoki grew closer to Tokugawa Ieyasu, and in 1600, during the Sekigahara campaign, he sided with him. On the eve of the decisive battle, Ishida Mitsunari attempted to put pressure on his opponents by taking members of their families hostage, including Gracia, but she chose to take her own life instead.
At the Battle of Sekigahara, Tadaoki commanded a five-thousand-man force positioned at the vanguard of the Tokugawa army and took part in clashes with the troops of Shima Sakon. After the victory, he was rewarded with the Nakatsu domain in Buzen Province, and in 1602 he was granted the Kokura domain.
The main residence of his holdings was considered to be Nakatsu Castle, located on the eastern coast of Kyushu. However, Tadaoki decided to move the center of his domain to the northern part of the island, to an area where major transportation routes between Kyushu and Honshu converged. He began constructing a new castle, inviting skilled craftsmen and experienced builders from various regions of the country. Tadaoki also invested significant effort and resources into developing the castle town surrounding it. Construction was fully completed by 1608.
In 1620, Tadaoki abdicated in favor of his son Tadatoki (1586–1641), who became the second daimyo of the Kokura domain. In 1632, Hosokawa Tadatoki was transferred to Kumamoto Castle, and Kokura passed to a relative of the Hosokawa clan, Ogasawara Tadaazane (1596–1667). Tadaazane, a great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, came to Kokura from Akashi Castle. At his invitation, the Zen Buddhist monk Sokuhi, a representative of the Ōbaku school, arrived in the city, and several temples were built.
In 1634, at Tadaazane’s invitation, the renowned swordsman Miyamoto Musashi came to the castle. He lived in Kokura for seven years—the longest period he spent in one place throughout his life. During this time, the Niten Ichi-ryu school was established in the city, focusing primarily on the two-sword fighting technique developed and practiced by Musashi himself.
The Ogasawara clan controlled the castle for more than 230 years. In 1837, the Kokura donjon, along with the other buildings, was destroyed in a major fire. Two years later, the castle was restored, but the main tower was not rebuilt.
During the Bakumatsu period (1853–1869), the castle served as the headquarters for forces opposing the uprising of the Choshu clan against the shogunate. In 1866, the combined forces of the Kokura and Kumamoto domains attempted to suppress the rebellion but were defeated. The Ogasawara clan was forced to abandon Kokura Castle, which was set on fire by the retreating troops and burned to the ground. In 1869, the last Ogasawara daimyo, Tadanobu, transferred ownership of the castle to the emperor.
During World War II, the city of Kokura was designated as a secondary target for the first atomic bombing and the primary target for the second. However, the first bomb was dropped on the main target, Hiroshima, and a dense fog prevented the second bomb from being dropped on Kokura, leading to the selection of the alternate target, Nagasaki. Thus, Kokura narrowly escaped destruction twice.
After the war, the castle was confiscated by American occupation forces and returned to Japan in 1957.
In 1959, the castle’s main tower was reconstructed using reinforced concrete. This reconstruction is considered an example of a so-called “fake” castle, as its modern appearance differs significantly from the historical original: the donjon built by Hosokawa Tadaoki belonged to the simple sotogata type and had no gables. The present tower, by contrast, is decorated with numerous gables and can be classified as the namban-style, since its top floor is significantly larger than the one below it. The total height of the donjon is nearly 50 meters, about 19 meters of which are accounted for by the stone base. The tower consists of four tiers and five stories; the fifth story is larger than the fourth and features a panoramic observation deck. Since 1971, the donjon has housed a museum with an interesting collection of artifacts. By 1991, some of the castle’s secondary structures had also been reconstructed.
See also
-
Ikeda Castle
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.
-
Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle
Aizu-Wakamatsu is the most powerful and at the same time the oldest castle in the Tōhoku region in the north of Honshu Island. Its history begins in the 14th century and is closely connected with the Ashina clan, whose members claimed descent from the legendary Taira family.
-
Maruoka Castle
Maruoka Castle is located in the central part of the former city of Maruoka, which is now part of the city of Sakai. This area lies in the northeastern part of Fukui Prefecture. The castle was built on the bank of the Kuzuryu River, on the side opposite Fukui City, which once served as the administrative center of the former Echizen Province. Thanks to its location, Maruoka held significant strategic importance, as it controlled two major routes at once: the Hokurikudo highway leading from Kaga Province and the Mino Kaido road connecting these lands with Mino Province.
-
Marugame Castle
Marugame is part of the so-called “Authentic Dozen,” a group of twelve castles whose donjons have survived to the present day without major reconstructions since the Edo period.
-
Iyo Matsuyama Castle
Historically, the center of Iyo Province—corresponding to today’s Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku—was the city of Imabari, while the Matsuyama area was regarded as an agricultural hinterland with broad plains and low hills. During the Muromachi period, the central part of the province was governed by the Kano clan from Yuzuki Castle. With the onset of the Sengoku period, however, this clan lost its former influence and was forced to survive in the shadow of the more powerful Mori and Chōsokabe clans. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s forces conquered Shikoku in 1587, the northern part of Iyo Province was granted to Fukushima Masanori, one of the so-called “Seven Spears of Shizugatake.” In 1595, Masanori was transferred to Kiyosu Castle, and the lands around Matsuyama were given to another of the Seven Spears, Katō Yoshiaki, who received Masaki Castle and an income of 60,000 koku of rice.
-
Kanazawa Castle
Construction of Kanazawa Castle began in 1580 on the orders of Sakuma Morimasa, a vassal of Oda Nobunaga. The castle was built on the site of the Ikko-ikki sect's Oyama Gobo temple, which is why it is sometimes called Oyama Castle. Morimasa managed to build several moats and begin construction of a castle town. However, after his defeat at the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583, he was executed, and ownership of the castle passed to Maeda Toshiie (1538–1599).
-
Nakatsu Castle
Kuroda Yoshitaka (1546–1604) was one of the closest advisors to the legendary military commander Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He took part in key military campaigns of the late 16th century, including the campaign against Shikoku in 1585 and the campaign against Kyushu in 1587. Later, during the second campaign in Korea, Yoshitaka served as chief advisor to the commander of the invasion forces, Kobayakawa Hideaki. After Hideyoshi's death, he swore allegiance to Tokugawa Ieyasu, thereby securing his influence and patronage under Japan's new leader.
-
Edo Castle
The history of Edo Castle dates back to the Heian period, when the Edo clan built a small fort on this site. In 1457, the vassal of the Uesugi clan, Ota Dokan (1432–1486), constructed a full-scale castle here. Internal conflicts weakened the Uesugi clan, and in 1524, Ota Dokan’s grandson, Ota Yasutaka, surrendered the castle without resistance to the forces of Hojo Soun, the ambitious leader of the Hojo clan. While Odawara Castle remained the clan's main stronghold, Edo was considered a key strategic fortress.
