Kannonji Castle

Japanese: 観音寺城 - かんのんじじょう

A mountain castle ( Yamajiro ) located in Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture (formerly Azuchi Town, Gamo County). It is a nationally designated historic site. It is one of the "100 Great Castles of Japan" selected by the Japan Castle Foundation. It is counted as one of the five great mountain castles in Japan, along with Gassan-Toda Castle (Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture), Nanao Castle (Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture), Kasugayama Castle ( Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture), and Hachioji Castle (Hachioji City, Tokyo). The castle was built on top of Kinugasayama (432.9m above sea level) and is a rare medieval castle built entirely of stone walls before Azuchi Castle. In the past, it was the main castle of the Sasaki clan of the Uda Genji clan, and after the Sasaki clan split into three branches, the Rokkaku, Kyogoku, and Kuchiki branches, the main branch of the Rokkaku clan used it as their castle. The date of construction is unclear, but according to the Taiheiki, it began in 1335 (Kenmu 2) at the beginning of the Northern and Southern Courts period, when Rokkaku Ujiyori turned the Tendai Buddhist temple Kannonshoji into a fortress and barricaded himself inside it to prevent an attack by Kitabatake Akiie. It wasn't until around the time of the Onin War (1466-1477) that it was fully developed as a castle, when the lord of the castle at the time, Rokkaku Takayori, sided with the Western Army in the Onin War and was hostile to the Kyogoku clan, who were also of the Sasaki clan and belonged to the Eastern Army. He would often barricade himself in Kannonji Castle to withstand the attacks of the Eastern Army. Later, in 1556 (Koji 2), the lord of the castle, Rokkaku Yoshikata, strengthened the castle's defenses by adding stone walls to the enclosure. In 1568 (Eiroku 11), Oda Nobunaga began his march to Kyoto accompanied by Ashikaga Yoshiaki, but at this time, Rokkaku Yoshikata (Shotei) and Yoshisuke, father and son, were barricaded in Kannonji Castle and opposed him. The Oda forces attacked the Rokkaku side's castles, including Kannonji Castle. When one of these, Mikuriyama Castle (Higashiomi City), fell, Rokkaku and his son abandoned Kannonji Castle and retreated to Mikumo Castle, which was then occupied by the Oda forces. The castle was subsequently abandoned. Currently, the remains of the castle ruins include the kuruwa ( circular enclosure ), stone walls, a tiger's mouth, a well, and a waterway. It is an hour and 10 to 20 minute walk or a taxi from Azuchi Station on the JR Biwako Line. Bicycles can also be rented from in front of the station.

Kannonji Castle (Yamagata Prefecture)

Hirayama Castle was located in Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture (formerly Yahata Town, Akumi County). It was the castle of the Kisugi clan, whose ancestor was Kisugi Tokihira , a member of the ancient Kiyohara clan. At the time, the Shonai region was under the control of Muto ( Daihoji ) Yoshiuji, but the Kisugi clan was subservient to the Muto clan. The castle was built on a river terrace (60m above sea level) on the Arase River, on the middle slope at the western end of the Dewa Mountains, and measures 103m from east to west and 81m from north to south. From inside the castle one could see views of the Shonai Plain, the Shonai Sand Dunes, and the Sea of Japan. It dates back to the beginning of the Sengoku period, when Ujifusa, the 20th head of the Kisugi clan, built a mansion on the flat land at the western foot of Kannonji Castle. Ujifusa's son, Tokihide, is said to have built the castle on the mountainside because the old building built by his father was poorly defended and suffered from flooding and erosion from the nearby Hyuga River. In 1582 (Tensho 10), Mogami Yoshimitsu of Yamagata Castle (Yamagata City), who was planning to advance into Shonai, came into conflict with Muto Yoshiuji. Yoshimitsu tried to attract Tokihide's son, Ujihide, to his camp, but Ujihide was undecided. The following year, Maemori Kuranobu, a senior vassal of Yoshiuji who had ties to the Mogami clan, killed Yoshiuji, and his younger brother, Muto Yoshioki, inherited the Muto clan's headship, but in 1587 (Tensho 15), he committed suicide due to an attack by the Mogami forces, and Oura Castle (Tsuruoka City) fell. In 1588 (Tensho 16), Honjo Shigenaga, supported by Uesugi Kagekatsu, invaded Shonai and captured Oura Castle, which had been occupied by the Mogami clan, and Shonai became the territory of the Uesugi clan. At this time, Ujihide also became a vassal of the Uesugi clan through the Honjo clan, and continued to be in charge of Kannonji Castle. In 1600 (Keicho 5), during the Battle of Sekigahara, Mogami Yoshimitsu, who was on the eastern side, invaded Shonai, but Yoshimitsu advised Kannonji Castle to surrender. Ujihide accepted, surrendered the castle, and left for the Uesugi clan in Aizu. It is said that the vassals returned to farming at that time. Currently, the remains of the dry moat remain at the castle ruins. By car from Minamichokai Station on the JR Uetsu Main Line. ◇It is also called Kuratsugi Castle.

Source: Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles Information

Japanese:

滋賀県近江八幡市（旧蒲生郡安土町）にあった山城(やまじろ)。国指定史跡。日本城郭協会選定による「日本100名城」の一つ。月山富田城（島根県安来市）、七尾城（石川県七尾市）、春日山城（新潟県上越市）、八王子城（東京都八王子市）とともに、日本五大山岳城の一つに数えられている。繖(きぬがさ)山（標高432.9m）の山上に築かれていた城で、安土城以前の中世城郭としては珍しい総石垣の城である。古くは宇多源氏佐々木氏が本城としていた城で、佐々木氏が六角・京極・朽木の3流に分かれた後は、嫡流の六角氏が居城としていた城である。築城年代は明らかではないが、『太平記』によれば、南北朝時代初めの1335年（建武2）に、六角氏頼が北畠顕家の進攻を防ぐために、天台宗の寺院観音正寺を城塞化して立てこもったのが始まりとされている。本格的に城郭として整備されたのは応仁の乱（1466～77年）前後で、当時の城主の六角高頼は応仁の乱で西軍に与したため、同じ佐々木流で東軍に属した京極氏と敵対し、しばしば観音寺城に籠城して東軍の攻勢をしのいだ。その後、1556年（弘治2）には、城主の六角義賢が郭に石垣をめぐらすなどして城の守りを増強した。1568年（永禄11）、織田信長は足利義昭を奉じて上洛を開始したが、このとき、観音寺城の六角義賢（承禎）・義弼父子は観音寺城に籠城して敵対した。織田勢は観音寺城を含む六角方の城を攻撃。その一つの箕作山城（東近江市）が落城すると、六角父子は観音寺城を捨てて三雲城に退いたため、観音寺城は織田軍に占領された。その後、同城は廃城となった。現在、城跡には曲輪(くるわ)、石垣、虎口、井戸、水路などの遺構が残っている。JR琵琶湖線安土駅から徒歩1時間10分～20分、またはタクシー。同駅前からレンタサイクルも利用できる。

かんのんじじょう【観音寺城〈山形県〉】

山形県酒田市（旧飽海(あくみ)郡八幡町）にあった平山城(ひらやまじろ)。古代の清原氏の一族の来次時衡を祖とした来次(きすぎ)氏の居城。当時の庄内地方は武藤（大宝寺）義氏の勢力下にあったが、来次氏は武藤氏に臣従していた。出羽山地西端の中腹、荒瀬川の河岸段丘上（標高60m）につくられていた城で、東西103m、南北81mの規模の城郭である。城内からは庄内平野、庄内砂丘、日本海が眺望できた。戦国時代の初め、来次氏第20代の氏房が観音寺城西麓の平地に館を築いたのが始まりである。氏房の子時秀は、父の建てた旧館が防衛上不利であること、また、近くを流れる日向川の洪水と浸食に悩まされていたことから、山腹に城を築いたといわれる。1582年（天正10）、庄内への進出を企図した山形城（山形市）の最上義光は武藤義氏と対立。義光は時秀の子、氏秀を自陣営に引き入れようと画策をしたが、氏秀はその態度を決めかねていた。翌年、最上氏に通じた義氏の重臣の前森蔵人が義氏を殺害、弟の武藤義興が武藤氏の家督を相続したが、1587年（天正15）、最上勢の攻撃により、自刃し尾浦城（鶴岡市）は落城した。1588年（天正16）、上杉景勝の支援を受けた本庄繁長が庄内に攻め入り、最上氏が占領していた尾浦城を攻略し、庄内は上杉氏の領地となった。このとき、氏秀も本庄氏を通じて上杉氏の家臣となり、引き続き観音寺城を預かることになった。1600年（慶長5）、関ヶ原の戦いで、東軍側の最上義光は庄内に侵攻したが、義光は観音寺城に降伏を勧告。氏秀はこれを受け入れて城を明け渡し、会津の上杉氏のもとに去った。その時、家臣は帰農したといわれる。現在、城跡には空堀の跡が残っている。JR羽越本線南鳥海駅から車。◇来次城とも呼ばれる。

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