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.
Tsunesige’s son and successor, Chiba Tsunetane (1118–1201), fought on the Minamoto side during the Genpei War, taking part in particular in the Battle of Fujikawa in 1180 and the Battle of Ichinotani in 1184.
For their contributions to the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate, the Chiba clan was granted the provinces of Shimosa and Kazusa. During the Kamakura period, the Chiba were regarded as one of the most powerful and influential clans. In the Muromachi period, alongside houses such as the Utsunomiya and Satake, they were counted among the “Eight Traditional Clans of the Kanto Region.”
Nearly every new lord of Chiba Castle expanded and strengthened it, and as a result the castle became one of the most formidable fortresses of its time.
However, internal conflicts within the clan gradually weakened the Chiba house and ultimately led to its decline in the mid-fifteenth century. During the so-called Kyotoku Incident—a series of armed clashes from 1454 to 1482 over control of the Kanto region among the Ashikaga, Uesugi, and other clans—Chiba Castle was attacked in 1455 by the forces of Hara Tanefusa, a former vassal of the Chiba clan.
In the same year, another blow was dealt to the Chiba clan by Makuwari Yasutane of a related family. He defeated the remaining heirs of the Chiba clan, took the Chiba surname for himself, and proclaimed himself the fourteenth head of the Chiba house. He built a new castle, Motosakura Castle, in the nearby town of Sakura. Chiba Castle was abandoned, and today only traces of earthen fortifications remain.
The history of the castle remains a subject of debate among modern scholars. According to another theory, Chiba Castle was originally founded by the Hara clan, while the Chiba maintained only a small fortified residence nearby.
In 1861, the ruins of Chiba Castle were selected as one of the “Eight Scenic Views of Chiba.” In 1909, the site was opened to the public, and in 1959 the “Inohana Historical Park” was established on the site of the ruins.
In 1967, a massive five-story donjon made of reinforced concrete was built in Inohana Park. It has no connection to the historical castle, as towers of this type did not yet exist in the fifteenth century. It should be noted that, unlike many other so-called bastard castles, this structure is honestly designated by the city authorities as a “historical museum in the form of a medieval castle,” rather than a reconstruction. In other words, the local community is not attempting to capitalize on the claim of having reconstructed a historical castle, and such honesty can only be praised.
The museum houses a solid collection of artifacts, and the observation deck on the fifth floor offers an excellent view of the surrounding area—on clear days, even Mount Fuji can be seen.
The castle complex is designated as a “municipal historical site.” Another name for the castle is Inohana.
See also
-
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.
-
Sunomata Castle
Oda Nobunaga, as part of his “final solution” to the conflict with the Saitō clan, conceived the construction of a fort in the Sunomata area, which was intended to serve as a forward base for an attack on Inabayama Castle (later renamed Gifu). Sunomata was a swampy area located between Ogaki Castle, a stronghold of the Oda clan, and Inabayama, the main fortress of the Saitō clan. Earlier attempts to build fortifications in this area, carried out by Oda generals Sakuma Nobumori and Shibata Katsuie, had all ended in failure. After that, the task was entrusted to the young vassal Kinoshita Tokichirō, who later became known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
-
Shibata Castle
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.
-
Okayama Castle
According to a number of accounts, the earliest fortifications on the site of present-day Okayama Castle appeared as early as the 14th century and were built by the Nawa clan. The Asahigawa River was used as a natural defensive barrier, protecting one side of the fortifications.
In the early 16th century, the Kanamitsu clan constructed a new castle here, which at the time was known as Ishiyama. In 1573, it came under the control of the Ukita clan, after which Ukita Naoie (1529–1582) launched large-scale reconstruction efforts. He did not live to see the work completed, and construction was continued by his son Hideie. -
Nagahama Castle
Hashiba, later known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, received Odani Castle and the surrounding lands from Oda Nobunaga after the defeat of the Azai clan. However, Odani Castle was located high in the mountains, which made it poorly suited for the effective administration of the territory. For this reason, in 1575 Hideyoshi began constructing a new castle in the village of Imahama on the shore of Lake Biwa. Taking the character naga from Nobunaga’s name, he renamed both the village and the new castle Nagahama.
-
Kokura Castle
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.
-
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.
