Omori Castle

Japanese: 大森城 - おおもりじょう

This mountain castle ( yamajiro ) was located in Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture during the Warring States period. It is unclear when the castle was built, or who built it, but there are stone monuments from the Kamakura period to the beginning of the Muromachi period (the period of the Northern and Southern Courts) nearby, and it is believed to have been the residence of a powerful person at the time. Omori Castle appears frequently in historical documents during the Warring States period, especially after Date Sanemoto (the third son of Date Tanemune and the younger brother of Date Masamune 's grandfather Harumune ) became the lord of the castle. During the Tenbun Rebellion (1542-1548), an internal conflict within the Date clan between Tanemune and Harumune , Sanemoto became the base of Tanemune's side. After this rebellion, Sanemoto was pardoned by his brother Harumune and remained as the lord of Omori Castle, and later retired to Hachichome Castle (Matsukawa-cho, the same city), after which his eldest son, Date Masamune, became the lord of the castle. After Masamune gave Nihonmatsu Castle to Shigezane, Katakura Kagetsuna became the lord of the castle for a time. In 1591 (Tensho 19), Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered the Oshu Punishment and Date Masamune was transferred to present-day Miyagi Prefecture. The castle became a subordinate castle of Gamo Ujisato, who was given Shinobu County, and Kimura Yoshikiyo, a guest general of Ujisato, became the lord of the castle. Yoshikiyo later built Fukushima Castle and moved there, so Omori Castle was abandoned. However, when Uesugi Kagekatsu was transferred to Aizu, Omori Castle was rebuilt and became the castle of the Uesugi clan, and the Imokawa clan, a vassal of the Uesugi clan, served as the lord of the castle for generations. In 1644 (Shoho 1), the Uesugi clan's fief was reduced to 150,000 koku due to a family feud, and when Shinobu County became a Tenryo (a territory directly controlled by the shogunate), the castle was abandoned again. Omori Castle was composed of three baileys, the main bailey on the top of the mountain, the north bailey to the north, and the south bailey to the south. The remains of the dry moat and earthworks remain to the south of the main castle, and part of the former castle grounds has been developed as Shiroyama Park. This park is one of Fukushima City's most famous cherry blossom viewing spots, and the Omori district at the foot of the mountain is an urban area that was built as a castle town for Omori Castle. Take a bus from Fukushima Station on the JR Tohoku Main Line or Tohoku Shinkansen, get off at the Omori Honmachi Shinobu Branch Office entrance, and walk for about 15 minutes. ◇It is also called Gagyu Castle.

Source: Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles Information

Japanese:

福島県福島市にあった戦国時代の山城(やまじろ)。同城の築城年代、築城者は明らかではないが、付近には鎌倉時代から室町時代初め（南北朝時代）にかけての板碑が残っており、当時の有力者の居館があったと考えられている。大森城が史料に頻繁に登場するようになるのは戦国時代で、特に伊達実元(さねもと)（伊達稙宗(たねむね)の三男。伊達政宗(まさむね)の祖父晴宗(はるむね)の弟）が城主となってからで、稙宗と晴宗が争った伊達氏の内紛、天文(てんぶん)の乱（1542～48年）では稙宗方の拠点となった。この乱の後、実元は兄晴宗に赦免されて大森城主にとどまり、その後、八丁目城（同市松川町）に隠居したのち、嫡男の伊達成実が城主となった。成実が政宗より二本松城を与えられた後に、片倉景綱が城主となった時期もある。1591年（天正19）の豊臣秀吉の奥州仕置により、伊達政宗が現在の宮城県に国替えになると、信夫郡を与えられた蒲生氏郷(がもううじさと)の属城となり、氏郷の客将の木村吉清が城主となった。その後、吉清は福島城を築城して居城を移したため、大森城は廃城となった。しかし、その後上杉景勝が会津に国替えになると、大森城は再興され上杉氏の城となり、その家臣の芋川氏が代々城主をつとめたが、1644年（正保1）、上杉氏の御家騒動により15万石に減封され、信夫郡が天領（幕府直轄領）になるに及んで再び廃城となった。大森城は山頂に主郭があり、北の北館、南の南館の3つの郭で構成されていた。主郭の南側に空堀と土塁跡が残っており、かつての城域の一部が城山公園として整備されている。この公園は福島市有数の桜の名所で、麓の同市大森地区は大森城の城下町としてつくられた市街である。JR東北本線・東北新幹線福島駅からバスで大森本町信夫支所入口下車、徒歩約15分。◇臥牛城とも呼ばれる。

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