| Kōfu Castle | |
|---|---|
甲府城 | |
| Kōfu,Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan | |
 Kōfu Castle with Cherry Blossoms | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Hirayama-style castle (平山城) |
| Open to the public | yes |
| Condition | partially reconstructed |
| Location | |
  Kōfu Castle Kōfu Castle Show map of Yamanashi Prefecture Kōfu Castle Kōfu Castle (Japan) Show map of Japan | |
| Coordinates | 35°39′55.04″N138°34′16.82″E / 35.6652889°N 138.5713389°E /35.6652889; 138.5713389 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1583 |
| Built by | Tokugawa shogunate,Hashiba Hidekatsu |
| In use | 1583–1871 |
| Demolished | 1873 |
Kōfu Castle (甲府城,Kōfu jō) was aJapanese castle located in the city ofKōfu,Yamanashi Prefecture, in theChubu region of Japan. The site has been protected as aNational Historic Site since 2019.[1] The castle is also known as Maizuru Castle, and the present-day surroundings are calledMaizuru Castle Park (舞鶴公園,Maizuru-jō Kōen).
Kōfu Castle is located in the physical center of the city of Kōfu on a small hill. The city itself is located at the confluence of theKamanashi River and theFuefuki River. During theSengoku Period after the local warlord (Takeda Shingen) seized control of the province from his father. He madeTsutsujigasaki Castle his seat. Before this time, the Kōfu area was subject to frequent flooding, and it was only through massiveflood control projects which were undertaken by Takeda Shigen over a 20-year period that the area was considered inhabitable. After Takeda Shingen's death, his sonTakeda Katsuyori was defeated by a coalition of theOda clan and theTokugawa clan in 1582.Oda Nobunaga placed his generalKawajiri Hidetaka in charge ofKai Province, but Nobunaga was assassinated only three months later and vengeful formerTakeda clan retainers assassinated Kawajiri soon afterwards. The vacant province was fought over byTokugawa Ieyasu and theLate Hōjō clan, with Ieyasu emerging victorious. However, after the 1590Siege of Odawara,Toyotomi Hideyoshi forced Ieyasu to exchange his holdings for new territories in theKantō region and gave Kai Province to his retainerKato Mitsuyasu (1537–1593).
Kato originally governed from the old Tsutsujigasaki palace, but as that site had minimal defenses and had little room for expansion, he began work on a new castle at Ichijyomodoriyama, a small hill a short distance away, which had a small fort guarding the valley. This was later called "Kōfu Castle". He died before the completion of the new castle, and was succeeded byAsano Nagamasa (1547–1611), Hideyoshi's step-brother-in-law. Asano completed the castle in 1593.
Kōfu Castle was originally T-shaped, with the main body spreading on the ridge of the hill from east-to-west, separated into three or four layers of terraces over a 200 by 100 meters area. The front of the castle protruded north-to-south and had the main gate. Theinner bailey was at the top of the hill measuring 100 by 50 meters, with a four-storytenshu painted black with gold-coloredroof tiles. Below the inner bailey were severalenclosures with a complex system of stone walls, in some places up to 15 meters in height.
After theBattle of Sekigahara, Kōfu Castle came into the hands of the Tokugawa clan with whom it remained until the end of theTokugawa shogunate.[2] The Tokugawa shogunate initially used Kōfu Castle as a stronghold that theshōgun could retreat to, should any enemies takeEdo Castle. Although thetenshu constructed by Asano Nagamasa had fallen into ruin and was not replaced, the castle itself was kept in good repair and was ruled by a cadet branch of the clan.
Tokugawa Tsunatoyo, thedaimyō of Kōfu, became the heir of the fifth ShōgunTokugawa Tsunayoshi and moved toEdo Castle. He was replaced in 1704 byYanagisawa Yoshiyasu, one of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi's closest retainers. Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu was also a descendant of the Takeda clan, and made strong efforts for restoring the prosperity of the region. However, his sonYanagisawa Yoshisato was transferred to Yamato Kōriyama Domain, and Kai province becametenryō territory ruled directly by the shogunate though an appointedhatamoto administrator. During this period, thehonmaru of the palace and the Akagenenmon gate were destroyed by a large fire in 1727.[2]
During theBoshin War of theMeiji restoration,Katsu Kaishū dispatched theShinsengumi underKondo Isami to seize Kōfu Castle before it could fall into the hands of the advancing Imperial army. However, the Imperial army led byItagaki Taisuke reached Kōfu first and took the castle without a fight. The Imperial Army then defeated the Shinsengumi at theBattle of Katsunuma to keep the castle.
At the start of theMeiji period, the castle was abandoned, and in 1877 in accordance with government orders that all old fortifications were to be destroyed, all of the remaining castle structures were pulled down. The outer areas of the castle became the location ofKōfu Station, and other areas were occupied by government offices. In 1904 the area around the inner bailey was opened to the public as Maizuru Castle Park. Since the 1990s,archaeological excavations andreconstruction of the important castle features have been ongoing, and reconstructions of the gate and ayagura tower were completed in 2004. The tower functions as a museum that features many artifacts from the castle's original buildings.
The castle is a ten-minute walk from Kōfu Station on theJR EastChūō Main Line.
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