The exact time when structures first appeared on the site of the present-day castle is unknown; however, it is generally believed that the first fortified buildings were constructed here during the Muromachi period, when these lands were controlled by the Shibata clan.
Most likely, within the boundaries of the future city of Shibata there were fortified administrative buildings and the clan’s main residence, while the primary military base was located at nearby Izumino Castle. The Shibata clan descended from Sasaki Moritsuna, one of the influential allies of the first shogun, Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199). As a reward for his participation in suppressing a rebellion in Echigo Province, Moritsuna received lands in the northern part of the province, and his descendants became the founders of the local Shibata, Nakajō, and Takemata clans. During the Muromachi period, the governors of the province were members of the Uesugi clan, but their seat was located in the south, which allowed the northern clans to retain a certain degree of independence. The situation changed during the Sengoku Jidai period, when the famous warlord Uesugi Kenshin unified southern Echigo under his rule and began advancing northward. As a result of this campaign, many northern daimyō acknowledged the authority of the Uesugi clan. The head of the Shibata clan, Shibata Nagaatsu (1538–1580), became one of Kenshin’s seven closest generals and fought alongside him in many battles. After Uesugi Kenshin’s death in 1578, a civil war over succession broke out within the Uesugi clan.
The Shibata initially supported Uesugi Kagekatsu (1556–1623), but later entered into armed conflict with him, forming an alliance with Oda Nobunaga. The new head of the Shibata clan, Shibata Shigeie (1547–1587), seized the territory around present-day Niigata City and built Niigata Castle on the coast of the Sea of Japan. After Oda Nobunaga’s death in 1582, the Uesugi clan grew closer to Japan’s new de facto ruler, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In 1586, Kagekatsu received Hideyoshi’s permission to deal with his longtime enemy and by 1587 had completely taken over the Shibata lands. Shigeie led a final desperate assault against the Uesugi forces with only 700 remaining warriors and, after all his companions were killed, committed seppuku on the battlefield. The Uesugi retained control of these lands until 1598, when they were ordered by Hideyoshi to relocate to Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle. The northern lands of Echigo were divided among Hideyoshi’s vassals, and the area around Shibata passed into the hands of Mizoguchi Hidekatsu (1548–1610).
After Tokugawa Ieyasu’s victory in the Sekigahara campaign in 1600, Hidekatsu’s rights to these holdings were confirmed, as he had assisted in suppressing an uprising in Echigo instigated by Uesugi Kagekatsu. Despite being classified as tozama daimyō, or “outside lords,” the Mizoguchi clan was not transferred to other regions and ruled Shibata Castle and its domain for twelve generations until the beginning of the Meiji era. In 1873, in accordance with an edict of the new Meiji government, most of the castle structures were dismantled. Until 1945, the castle grounds were used by the Imperial Japanese Army, and since 1953 part of the land has been occupied by a base of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, which is closed to the public. The main buildings of Shibata Castle were erected as early as 1598, but construction continued for more than fifty years, and the complex was not fully completed until 1654 under the third daimyō of the Shibata Domain, Mizoguchi Nobunao.
The main enclosure, the honmaru, had a pentagonal shape with sides of approximately 100 meters and was protected by an earthen rampart (dorui), with stone walls (ishigaki) on the south and west sides, topped by plastered walls (dobei); the entire enclosure was surrounded by a wide water-filled moat (mizubori). It is believed that the shape of the honmaru followed the boundaries of the former fortified residence of the Shibata clan. The second enclosure, the ninomaru, was triangular in shape and was likewise protected by ramparts, plastered walls, and a water moat. The third enclosure, the sannomaru, adjoined the ninomaru on the south and had a similar defensive system. Overall, the castle complex measured roughly 500 meters in length and 200 meters in width. In total, the castle contained 11 towers and five gates, and instead of a classic donjon, a three-story corner tower located in the main enclosure was used. Of the sixteen principal structures of the castle, only two have survived to the present day.
The main gate, Otemon, has survived since its reconstruction in 1732. The two-story corner tower Sumi-yagura was originally located in the second enclosure and was built after the fire of 1668 that destroyed most of the original castle buildings; in the 20th century it was relocated to its current position within the former honmaru. Both surviving structures are designated as national treasures with the status of “Important Cultural Property.” In addition, portions of the earthen ramparts, stone walls, and a small section of the water moat have also been preserved. In 2004, the two-story Tatsumi-yagura tower and the three-story Sangai-yagura tower, which served as the donjon, were reconstructed. These towers were rebuilt based on surviving photographs, constructed of wood, and erected using authentic techniques, making them one of the few examples in the country of a proper approach to the reconstruction of Japanese castles.
The Sangai-yagura tower features a design unique in Japan: the ridge of its roof is shaped like the letter “T,” which results in three shachihoko figures being placed at the ends of the beams. Because a large portion of the castle is now located within the grounds of a Self-Defense Forces base, public access to the reconstructed Sangai-yagura tower is closed. The military has established a museum at the entrance to the base, where, among other exhibits, the history of the castle is presented. In 2006, Shibata Castle was included in the list of the “100 Outstanding Castles of Japan.” In the castle town (jōkamachi), several samurai residences and ashigaru houses from the Edo period have been preserved.
See also
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Kaminoyama Castle
Kamino-yama Castle stood at the center of an important logistics hub, in the middle of the Yonezawa Plain, which served as the gateway to the western part of the Tohoku region. Roads connecting the Aizu, Fukushima, and Yamagata areas intersected here.
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Imabari Castle
Tōdō Takatora (1556–1630) served at different times as a vassal of several famous clans—Azai, Oda, Toyotomi, and Tokugawa. He took part in the Battle of Anegawa (1570), the Battle of Shizugatake (1583), the invasions of Kyushu and Korea, the Sekigahara campaign (1600), and the Siege of Osaka (1614–1615).
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Iwakuni Castle
Kikkawa Hiroie (1561–1625) was the grandson of the famous daimyo Mori Motonari and a vassal of the Mori clan. Under Mori Terumoto, he fought in both Korean campaigns and took part in the defense of Ulsan Castle. During the Battle of Sekigahara, Hiroie stood with his 3,000-man force on the side of the Western Coalition; however, even before the battle began, he sent Tokugawa Ieyasu a secret message stating that he did not intend to fight Tokugawa’s troops. As a result of his inaction, 15,000 soldiers under Mori Hidemoto were also unable to enter the battle, since Hiroie blocked their path.
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Gujo Hachiman Castle
Gujo Hachiman Castle is located on 350-meter Mount Hachiman, near the confluence of the Yoshidagawa and Kodaragava rivers, and not far from the Nagaragawa River. During the Sengoku period, this area was of great strategic importance: it stood at a key crossroads of routes connecting Mino Province in the south with the Sea of Japan in the north, and Hida Province in the east with Echizen Province in the west.
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Amagasaki Castle
The founding year of Amagasaki Castle is traditionally considered to be 1617, when Toda Ujikané built his castle here, making it the administrative center of the Amagasaki Domain. However, as early as the Sengoku period, a fortress built by the Hosokawa clan already stood on this site. After the fall of Itami Castle in 1579, Araki Murashige—formerly a vassal of Oda Nobunaga who had rebelled against him—fled to this earlier castle.
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Hiroshima Castle
Mōri Terumoto (1553–1625) was the grandson and rightful heir of the renowned Mōri Motonari. When Terumoto became the head of the Mōri clan in 1571, he inherited vast territories covering a large part of the San’in and San’yō regions in western Honshū. In addition, the Mōri clan possessed the largest and most technologically advanced naval fleet of its time.
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Fukuyama Castle
After the defeat of Toyotomi Hideyori’s supporters in the Osaka Campaigns of 1614–1615, many clans in Japan still remained not fully loyal to the Tokugawa shogunate, especially in the western Chūgoku region. Mizuno Katsunari (1564–1651), a cousin of Tokugawa Ieyasu, became the first of the Tokugawa house’s close retainers, the so-called fudai daimyō, to be relocated to this strategically important area.
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Tiba Castle
The founder of the Chiba clan is considered to be Chiba Tsunesige (1083–1180), who in 1126 moved his residence to the Inohana area and built a strongly fortified stronghold there. Although Tsunesige himself came from the Taira clan, the Chiba clan later supported Minamoto no Yoritomo, the future founder of the first shogunate.
