Kikugawa fortification ruins
Kikugawa Fortification ruins (菊川城館遺跡群, Kikugawa-jōkan iseki-gun) are a number of early Sengoku period fortifications located in what is now part of the city of Kikugawa, Shizuoka, Japan. These sites were collectively designed a National Historic Site by the Japanese government in 2004.[1] The National Historic Site designation consists of the sites of the Takada Yashiki ruins (高田大屋敷遺跡) and Yokoji Fortified Residence ruins (横地氏城館跡).
| Kikugawa fortification ruins | |
|---|---|
菊川城館遺跡群 | |
| Kakegawa, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan | |
  Kikugawa fortification ruins  Kikugawa fortification ruins | |
| Coordinates | 34°43′22″N 138°04′36″E |
| Type | Hirayama-style Japanese castle |
| Site information | |
| Open to the public | no |
| Condition | ruins |
| Site history | |
| Built | Sengoku period |
Overview
The Takeda Yashiki ruins are located near the junction of Kikugawa and Kamikosu rivers, about 11 meters above sea level, and were a key point in controlling traffic from the ocean to Shinano Province. They were excavated in 1988 and found to measure approximately 70 meters from east to west and about 93 m north to south, and to consist of a fortified square residence building surrounded by moats and a dike as protection against floods.
The Yokoji fortified residence site is located about 3 kilometers east of the Takada Yashiki ruins at the southwest end of the Makihara plateau along the Kikugawa River. The site was excavated in 1987 and was found to contain the remains of a number of fortified residences, temples, a mountain castle and grave sites from the late 12th to 15th centuries, extending about 2 kilometers east to west and about 0.6 kilometers north to south. The Yokoji clan were once a leading samurai clan in this area of Tōtōmi Province, and are mentioned in Kamakura period Azuma Kagami as gokenin of the shogunate, but they were destroyed by the Imagawa clan, who invaded their territory in 1476.
Both sites are currently empty fields with an explanatory placard.
Notes
- "菊川城館遺跡群" (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs.
External links
- Kikugawa city home page (in Japanese)