One of Nobeoka Castle’s most impressive features is the 22-meter-high stone wall around the central Hon-Maru citadel. Legend has it that if the castle were ever attacked and a specific keystone was moved, the wall would collapse, killing 1,000 invaders!
Formerly known as Agata Castle, Nobeoka Castle in Kyushu’s east-central Miyazaki Prefecture was originally the fortified residence of the Tsuchimochi clan from the 10th century. The Tsuchimochi controlled lands across Kyushu’s Hyuga region but lost much of their holdings when the Kamakura Shogunate allocated the southern districts to the Shimizu clan and the Miyazaki plains to the Ito clan, leaving the Tsuchimochi with only the northern areas. As expected, various clans fought among each other for a greater share of the fertile lands. In 1587, the region came under the control of Takahashi Mototane, who, despite his affiliation with Ishida Mitsunari at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, maintained his lands and commenced construction of Nobeoka Castle in 1601, completing it in 1603.
Situated between two rivers that meet just east of Nobeoka, the castle was perched on a plateau-like hill approximately 200 meters long and 100 meters wide, with three elliptical terraces featuring well-constructed ishigaki dry stone walls along the western face. This is where the Sennnin Goroshi, or the Thousand Killer Wall, a 20-meter-high, 70-meter-long wall, can be found. The shape of the wall’s corner is intriguing, as it curves downward before suddenly curving into a near-vertical drop toward the ground, resembling a reverse-angled fortissimo ( f ) mark. The eastern side of the castle does not have any stone wall work.
The Takahashi were replaced by Arima Yasuzumi in 1613 following a falling out with the Tokugawa Shogunate and expulsion. The Arima clan, formerly of Hinoe Castle in Nagasaki, strengthened the castle, adding not a keep but a three-story turret, and changed the name from Agata to Nobeoka Castle. The turret was destroyed in a blaze that started in the town in 1682 and was never replaced. The castle had a central Hon-Maru, Ni, and San no Maru baileys surrounding it, while the Nishi no Maru to the west was the site of the lord’s residence. This area also covered a 200-meter-long, 100-meter-wide stretch of land that enhanced the castle's defensive capabilities, allowing it to act like a Demaru, an outer defense separate from the main castle if the need ever arose.
The Arima were dismissed following peasant uprisings, and for the following years, various hereditary retainers of the Tokugawa were placed in charge until 1747, when the Naito clan of Aichi Prefecture was transferred to Nobeoka and remained until the beginning of the Meiji Period. The Naito clan graveyard can be found next to the Otemon Gate.
Although the castle was decommissioned in 1870, it finally saw battle in 1877 when Saigo Takamori and his troops took over the castle but were ousted by the Imperial troops. Saigo Takamori and his men fled to near Kagoshima, where they met their deaths shortly after.
See also
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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.
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Takato Castle
Takato Castle, located in the city of Ina in southern Nagano Prefecture, Japan, was a notable stronghold during the Sengoku period. By the end of the Edo period, it was the residence of a cadet branch of the Naito clan, the daimyo of the Takato Domain. Also known as Kabuto Castle, it was originally constructed in the 16th century and is now mostly in ruins.
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Takatenjin Castle
Takatenjin Castle was a yamashiro-style fortress from Japan's Sengoku period, situated in the Kamihijikata and Shimohijikata districts of Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture. Designated a National Historic Site in 1975, with an expanded protected area in 2007, its ruins remain a significant historical landmark.
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Yoshida Castle
Yoshida Castle is renowned worldwide, particularly through the intricate woodblock prints by Edo Period artist Hiroshige. His famous series, depicting the 53 stages of the Tokaido—the historic route between Kyoto and Edo (modern-day Tokyo)—includes the 34th print, which shows workmen repairing a castle overlooking a wooden bridge crossing a wide river. This scene captures the Toyokawa River at Toyohashi in southeast Aichi Prefecture, and the castle is Yoshida Castle.
