Okawachi Castle

Japanese: 大河内城 - おおかわちじょう

Hirayamajiro ( Hirayama Castle) was located in Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture. The castle was built on the northern end of a not-so-high hill, with the Sakanai River to the east and the Yatsugawa River to the north, which served as a natural moat. The south and west sides of the castle were steep cliffs, and between the main enclosure and the western enclosure there was a deep valley called "Mamushi-dani" (Mamushi Valley). It was built in 1415 (Oei 22) by Kitabatake Mitsumasa, governor of Ise Province, to counter the Northern Court, and he made his younger brother Akimasa the castle's lord. When Oda Nobunaga began his invasion of Ise during the Warring States period, Kitabatake Tomonori, the former governor of Ise Province, who was based in Taki Castle (Kiriyama Castle, Tsu City), moved his residence to Okawachi Castle with his eldest son Tomonori to counter Nobunaga. The Oda army led by Nobunaga invaded Ise, took Asaka Castle (Matsusaka City) in 1569 (Eiroku 12), and then besieged Okawachi Castle. Gyocho fought a siege that lasted for two months, but made peace with Nobunaga and surrendered the castle on the condition that Nobunaga's second son, Nobukatsu, be adopted into the Kitabatake family. Kitabatake Nobukatsu lived in Okawachi Castle for a while, but in 1575 (Tensho 3), he renovated Tamaru Castle ( Tamaki Town, Watarai County ) and moved there. As a result, Okawachi Castle was abandoned. The following year, in 1576 (Tensho 4), Nobukatsu assassinated his father-in-law, Gyocho. This marked the end of the Kitabatake clan of Ise after eight generations. Currently, shrines have been built on the sites of Honmaru, Ninomaru, and Nishinomaru, but remains of the enclosures , earthworks, moats, etc. remain. There used to be a vast enclosure called Baba on the north side of Ninomaru, but the site of this is now fields and a grove of trees. Take a bus from Matsusaka Station on the JR Kisei Line or Matsusaka Station on the Kintetsu Yamada Line and get off at Okawachi.

Source: Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles Information

Japanese:

三重県松阪市にあった平山城(ひらやまじろ)。同城は、さほど高くはない丘陵の北端に築造され、東に阪内川、北に矢津川が流れ、これを自然の堀としていた。城の南・西側は急な崖になっていて、本丸と西の丸の間には「まむし谷」とよばれる深い谷があった。1415年（応永22）に伊勢国司の北畠満雅が北朝方に対抗するために築き、弟・顕雅を城主にした。戦国時代に入り織田信長による伊勢侵攻が開始されると、多気城（霧山城、津市）を本拠としていた前伊勢国司の北畠具教は、嫡子・具房とともに大河内城に居城を移し、信長に対抗した。伊勢に侵攻した信長率いる織田軍は、1569年（永禄12）に阿坂城（松阪市）を落城させた後、大河内城を包囲。具教は2ヵ月に及ぶ籠城戦を行ったが、信長の次男信雄を北畠家の養子に迎えることを条件に和睦し、城を明け渡した。北畠信雄は、しばらく大河内城を居城としていたが、1575年（天正3）、田丸城（度会(わたらい)郡玉城(たまき)町）を修築して居城を移した。これにより大河内城は廃城となった。その翌年の1576年（天正4）、信雄は義父・具教を暗殺した。これにより伊勢の北畠氏は8代で途絶えた。現在、本丸・二の丸・西の丸跡は、それぞれ神社の社が建てられているが、曲輪(くるわ)、土塁、堀切などの遺構が残っている。かつて二の丸の北側には馬場と呼ばれる広大な曲輪があったが、この馬場跡は現在、畑や雑木林になっている。JR紀勢線松阪駅、近鉄山田線松阪駅からバス、大河内下車。

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