| Kakegawa Castle 掛川城 | |
|---|---|
| Kakegawa,Shizuoka Prefecture,Japan | |
 Mainkeep of Kakegawa Castle | |
 TheNi-no-Maru Goten | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Hirayama-styleJapanese castle |
| Open to the public | yes |
| Condition | reconstruction from 1994 |
| Location | |
  Kakegawa Castle 掛川城  Kakegawa Castle 掛川城 | |
| Coordinates | 34°46′32″N138°00′53″E / 34.775417°N 138.014733°E /34.775417; 138.014733 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1469–1487, |
| Built by | Asahina Yasuhiro,Yamauchi Kazutoyo, others |
| In use | Edo period |
| Demolished | 1869 |
Kakegawa Castle (掛川城,Kakegawa-jō) is ahirayama-styleJapanese castle. It was the seat of variousfudai daimyō clans who ruled overKakegawa Domain,Tōtōmi Province, in what is now centralKakegawa,Shizuoka Prefecture,Japan.
Kakegawa Castle is located at a small hill in the center of Kakegawa, which had been an importantpost station on theTōkaidō highway connectingKyoto with eastern Japan since theHeian period. Because of its geographical location, Kakegawa was strategic point in controlling the eastern half of Tōtōmi province.
The first Kakegawa Castle was built byAsahina Yasuhiro in theBunmei era (1469–1487), a retainer of the warlordImagawa Yoshitada to consolidate his holdings overTōtōmi Province. The castle remained in the hands of the succeeding generations of theAsahina clan. After the defeat of the Imagawa clan at theBattle of Okehazama, the former Imagawa territories were divided betweenTakeda Shingen ofKai andTokugawa Ieyasu ofMikawa. Kakegawa Castle was surrendered to Tokugawa forces in 1568 byAsahina Yasutomo after a five month siege. The surrounding area remained a territory contested between the Tokugawa and Takeda for many years; however, Kakegawa Castle remained in Tokugawa hands until the fall of theTakeda clan.
After theBattle of Odawara in 1590 and the rise to power ofToyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu was forced to trade his domains in theTōkai region for theKantō region instead. Kakegawa was relinquished to Toyotomi retainerYamauchi Kazutoyo as the center of a new 51,000koku (later 59,000koku) domain. Yamauchi Kazutoyo completely rebuilt the castle per the latest contemporary designs, and the current layout and much of the stone walls and moats date from his period.
After the establishment of theTokugawa shogunate, the Tokugawa recovered their lost territories, and reassigned Tōtōmi to variousfudaidaimyō. The Yamauchi clan was reassigned toKōchi inShikoku, and Kakegawa was assigned initially toHisamatsu Sadakatsu. Over the years, numerousdaimyō clans ruled Kakegawa Domain, ending with seven generations of theŌta clan. The keep built by the Yamauchi was destroyed in an earthquake in 1604, and reconstructed in 1621.
The castle was kept in repair through theBakumatsu period, however it suffered from extensive damage in 1854, due to theAnsei Tōkai earthquake. Many structures were rebuilt by 1861, and were in use after theMeiji Restoration as local government offices; however, thekeep was not rebuilt after the earthquake.
Kakegawa Castle remained in ruins through theShōwa period, with the exception of theNi-no-Maru Goten (二の丸御殿) (daimyō's mansion), built byŌta Sukekatsu after the earthquake, and registered with the government in 1980 as anImportant Cultural Property.[1]
Other surviving portions of the castle included a portion of the moats and stone walls, and the drum house. A gate from the mainbailey of the castle built in 1659 was given to the Buddhist temple of Yusan-ji inFukuroi, where it now serves as the main gate of that temple. It is also a National ICP.[2]
In April 1994, sections of the innermost bailey (honmaru), including some walls, ayagura, and the keep (tenshukaku), were reconstructed using the original methods.[3] Thetenshukaku's reconstruction was done based on a few diagrams of the originaltenshukaku that survived, and marked the first time in post-war Japan that atenshukaku had been reconstructed in wood using the original construction methods.[4] The cost of 1 billion yen for the reconstruction was raised largely through public donation. In 2006, the site of Kakegawa Castle was listed as No. 42 of the100 Fine Castles of Japan by the Japan Castle Foundation, primarily due to its historical significance.
100 Fine Castles of Japan by region | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hokkaidō | .svg) | |
| Tōhoku | ||
| Kantō | ||
| Chūbu | ||
| Kansai | ||
| Chūgoku | ||
| Shikoku | ||
| Kyūshūa | ||
a includingOkinawa. | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
