| Tsutsujigasaki Yakata | |
|---|---|
躑躅ヶ崎館 | |
| Kōfu, Yamanashi, Japan | |
 Surviving moat of Tsutsujigasaki Yakata | |
| Site information | |
| Type | flatland-styleJapanese castle |
| Controlled by | Takeda clan |
| Condition | Ruins |
| Location | |
  Tsutsujigasaki Yakata  Tsutsujigasaki Yakata | |
| Coordinates | 35°41′12″N138°34′39″E / 35.68667°N 138.57750°E /35.68667; 138.57750 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1519 |
| Built by | Takeda Nobutora |
| In use | 1594 |
Tsutsujigasaki Castle (躑躅ヶ崎館,Tsutsujigasaki yakata) was the fortified residence of the final three generations of theTakeda clan, located in the center of the city ofKōfu,Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. It is not aJapanese castle in the proper sense of the word, and is not referred to as a "castle" in Japanese, as it was famously the policy of the Takeda clan to "make men your castle, men your walls, men your moats".[1][2] Nevertheless, it is listed as one ofJapan's Top 100 Castles. The ruins have been protected as aNational Historic Site since 1938.[3] The site is open to the public and now contains theTakeda Shrine, aShinto shrine dedicated to thedeified spirits of the Takeda clan.
The Takeda clan was a cadet branch of theMinamoto clan, and gradually gained control overKai Province from the lateHeian period from their bases atHakusan Castle andYato Castle. By theSengoku period, the clan held the position ofshugo of Kai Province, andTakeda Nobutora selected a location near the center of the province to build this fortified residence andjōkamachi in 1519. The location was on a gentle slope in the flatlands of the Kōfu Basin, and was considered indefensible by contemporary standards, which dictated that fortifications be built on mountains. Nobutora also built a mountain fortification (Yōgaiyama Castle) nearby as a supporting castle and final redoubt.[4]
Tsutsujigasaki consisted of two main enclosures surrounded by a triple series of two flooded moats and one dry moat. The central enclosure was 200 meters square and contained the private residence of the Takeda ruler. The western enclosure is 100 by 200 meters, and was a public area for the administration of the domain, with "umadashi"-style two-story fortified gates to the north and south. Flanking both enclosures, outside the main gates, and also surrounded by water moats, were twokuruwa secondary enclosures; the Miso-guruwa and Baio-guruwa. This was the largest residential complex in eastern Japan during theSengoku period.[4] The only remains today are some of the surviving water-filled moats and some minor stonework. The Takeda Shrine, built in 1919 is in the centre of the site. To the right of the shrine is a museum, guarded by a stoneHello Kitty.[1][2]
Tsutsujigasaki continued to serve as the principal residence ofTakeda Shingen after he deposed his father in 1540. However, his sonTakeda Katsuyori builtShinpu Castle, a new and larger castle atNirasaki and transferred his residence there in 1581. The Takeda clan was extinguished by the coalition forces ofOda Nobunaga andTokugawa Ieyasu in February 1582. Afterwards, Nobunaga's general,Kawajiri Hidetaka ruled Kai Province from Tsutsujigasaki until Nobunaga's assassination. The Kai Province then came under the direct control of theTokugawa clan and with the completion of the nearbyKōfu Castle in 1594, the site was abandoned.[4]
Media related toTsutsujigasaki Castle at Wikimedia Commons
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