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.
Origins and Sengoku Period Conflicts
The Numata clan originally controlled the region, with Numata Akiyasu constructing a fortress on the site in 1532. However, in 1580, Sanada Masayuki, a vassal of Takeda Katsuyori, seized the castle. The Numata clan attempted to reclaim their stronghold the following year but suffered devastating losses.
The castle then became a focal point of conflict between the Sanada clan and the Odawara Hōjō clan. In 1589, Toyotomi Hideyoshi sought to mediate the dispute by awarding Numata Castle to the Hōjō and granting nearby Nagurumi Castle to the Sanada. However, Hōjō castellan Inomata Kuninori rejected the settlement and launched an attack on the Sanada. After the fall of the Hōjō at the Battle of Odawara in 1590, the Sanada regained undisputed control over Numata.
Expansion and the Edo Period
In 1597, Sanada Nobuyuki undertook an ambitious reconstruction of Numata Castle, expanding its defenses with stone walls, a grand five-story donjon, and multiple three-story yagura (watchtowers). In 1656, Numata became a separate domain from the Sanada stronghold at Ueda Castle. However, in 1681, Sanada Nobutoshi was dispossessed by the Tokugawa shogunate due to financial misrepresentation, leading to the castle’s destruction.
The domain was later reinstated in 1703 and awarded to Honda Masanaga, who partially rebuilt Numata Castle. While some moats and earthen embankments were restored, neither a new donjon nor yagura were constructed. The castle later came under the rule of the Kuroda clan before being transferred to the Toki clan in 1742. From this period onward, the ruling families resided in a residence within the castle’s third bailey, and the site functioned more as a jin’ya (administrative headquarters) than a military fortress.
Preservation and Legacy
In 1912, Kume Tamenosuke, a former samurai of the Toki clan, purchased the castle site. He later donated it to the town of Numata in 1926, transforming it into a public park. Today, the park features the Ubukata House, an Edo-period structure that once served as a pharmacy in the Numata castle town. Designated as an Important Cultural Property, it now operates as a local history museum, showcasing artifacts, including a scale model of Numata Castle during the Sanada era.
Recognizing its historical significance, Numata Castle was included in the Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles list in 2017. Although little remains of the original structure, its legacy endures as a testament to the region’s turbulent past and the shifting power dynamics of feudal Japan.
See also
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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.
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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.
