Nirayama Castle

Japanese: 韮山城 - にらやまじょう

This castle was located in Izunokuni City, Shizuoka Prefecture (formerly Nirayama Town, Tagata County) during the Warring States period. It was a typical flatland castle with vertical enclosures along the hill commonly known as Tatsujoyama . It was the base of Ise Shinkuro Moritoki (later known as Hojo Soun and Ise Shinkuro Nagauji), who pacified Izu Province at the end of the 15th century. Soun, a guest general of the Imagawa clan in Suruga, used Koukokuji Castle (Numazu City) as his residence, but in 1491 (Entoku 3), he attacked and defeated Horikoshi Kubo Ashikaga Chachamaru, pacified Izu, and built a new residence here. According to the Hojo Godaiki, Nirayama Castle was originally built by Toyama Buzennokami, a vassal of the former Horikoshi Kubo Ashikaga Masatomo (Chachamaru's father), but it was Soun who developed it into a full-fledged castle. Soun later captured Odawara Castle (Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture) and advanced into Sagami, but he himself did not move his residence to Odawara Castle, and died at Nirayama Castle in 1519 (Eisho 16) at the age of 88. Even after the Hojo clan's main castle was moved to Odawara Castle, it continued to be an important base for controlling Izu, and at the end of the Eiroku era (1558-69), Hojo Ujiyasu's fourth son, Ujinori, entered the castle and ruled Izu Province. During the Battle of Odawara in 1590 (Tensho 18), Nirayama Castle was attacked by a large Toyotomi army of 44,000 men led by Toyotomi Hidetsugu. The castle's commander, Hojo Ujinori, barricaded himself in the castle with about 3,600 troops and held out for about 100 days, before finally surrendering and opening the castle. After that, Nirayama Castle became the possession of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was transferred to the Kanto region, and Naito Nobunari, a vassal of Ieyasu, entered the castle. However, when Nobunari was transferred in 1601 (Keicho 6), the castle was abandoned. The remains of the Honmaru, Ninomaru, Gongen-daira, and Sannomaru are located near the top of the hill, and the remains of the salt storehouse, earthworks, dry moat, and inner moat remain. Most of the castle ruins are private property of the Egawa family, descendants of Egawa Tarozaemon, who served as the Nirayama magistrate during the Edo period. In addition, there were samurai residences and government offices near the Prefectural Nirayama High School at the foot of the hill. There is a place name called Ozashiki on the grounds of the high school, and it is said that Soun's mansion was located below this. It is about a 25-minute walk from Nirayama Station on the Izu Hakone Railway Sunzu Line. ◇It is also called Dragon Castle.

Source: Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles Information

Japanese:

静岡県伊豆の国市（旧田方郡韮山町）にあった戦国時代の城郭。龍城山と通称される丘陵に沿って、縦に曲輪(くるわ)が連なる典型的な平山城(ひらやまじろ)だった。15世紀末に伊豆国を平定した伊勢新九郎盛時（のちの北条早雲、伊勢新九郎長氏とも）が拠点としていた城である。駿河の今川氏の客将だった早雲は、興国寺城（沼津市）を居城としていたが、1491年（延徳3）に堀越公方足利茶々丸を攻め滅ぼして伊豆を平定し、ここに新たな居城を築いた。『北条五代記』によれば、韮山城は前堀越公方足利政知（茶々丸の父）の家臣外山豊前守が城を造ったのが始まりとされているが、本格的な城郭として整備したのは早雲である。早雲はのちに小田原城（神奈川県小田原市）を奪って相模に進出したが、早雲自身は小田原城に居城を移すことなく、韮山城で1519年（永正16）に88歳で死去した。北条氏の本城が小田原城に移ったのちも、伊豆支配の拠点として重視し、永禄年間（1558～69年）末期には北条氏康の四男氏規が入城して伊豆国を統治した。1590年（天正18）の小田原の役では、韮山城は豊臣秀次を大将とする総勢4万4000といわれる豊臣方大軍の攻撃を受けた。城将の北条氏規は約3600の軍勢とともに籠城し、約100日間持ちこたえたが、ついに降伏・開城した。その後、韮山城は関東に国替えになった徳川家康の持ち城となり、家康家臣の内藤信成が入城した。しかし、1601年（慶長6）の信成転封に伴い廃城となった。丘陵の頂上付近に本丸、次いで二の丸、権現平、三の丸の遺構があり、塩蔵跡や土塁、空堀、内堀などが残っている。城跡のほとんどは、江戸時代に韮山代官をつとめた江川太郎左衛門の子孫である江川家の私有地となっている。また、麓の県立韮山高校付近に武家屋敷や政庁があった。同高校のグラウンドに御座敷という地名が残っており、この下に早雲の館があったのではないかともいわれている。伊豆箱根鉄道駿豆線韮山駅から徒歩約25分。◇龍城ともよばれる。

出典　講談社日本の城がわかる事典について　情報

<<: Nirioka ruins

>>: Nirayama [town] - Nirayama