* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Fukaya Castle
深谷城
Fukaya Castle is a historic castle in Kantō dating from the Muromachi period (built around 1456) to 1634, when it was abolished in the early Edo period, whose lord was Uesugi Fusanori (builder, 5th head of the Fukaya-Uesugi line); successive Fukaya-Uesugi lords (including Norimori and Ujinori); in the Edo period, the Nagasawa-Matsudaira, Sakurai-Matsudaira, and Sakai clans.
Overview
Founding
Fukaya Castle is a flatland castle built by the Fukaya-Uesugi clan (also called the Kobanawa-Uesugi clan), whose line began in the late 14th century when the Kantō Kanrei Uesugi Norikane stationed his sixth son, Norihide, at Kobanawa in Fukaya to guard against the Nitta clan and the Taira Ikki in northern Kantō. Under the 5th head, Uesugi Fusanori, the castle is thought to have been built around 1456 as a strategic stronghold amid intensifying conflict between the Koga Kubō and the Kantō Kanrei.
Succession of Lords
The Fukaya-Uesugi initially opposed the Koga Kubō as allies of the Kantō Kanrei, but as the Later Hōjō clan expanded its power during the Sengoku period, the castle's lord, Uesugi Norimori, submitted to the Hōjō in 1573. During Toyotomi Hideyoshi's 1590 conquest of Odawara, the castle's lord, Uesugi Ujinori, was stationed at Odawara Castle and absent; senior retainers Akimoto Nagatomo and Sugita Inaba held the castle, which came close to falling before surrendering. After Tokugawa Ieyasu entered the Kantō region, Matsudaira Yasunao of the Nagasawa-Matsudaira line took the castle with a 10,000-koku holding and established Fukaya Domain; he was followed by Matsuchiyo and Tadateru, and in 1610 Matsudaira Tadashige of the Sakurai-Matsudaira line entered with an 8,000-koku holding. When Tadashige was transferred in 1622, Sakai Tadakatsu entered with a 10,000-koku holding, but his transfer in 1627 led to the abolition of Fukaya Domain, and the castle itself was abolished in 1634.
Structure
A flatland castle built on low ground within the Tone River watershed, it is said to have had a layout of multiple baileys surrounded by water-filled moats.
Present State
The site is preserved as Fukaya Castle Ruins Park, with mock-reconstructed stone walls and fencing. The only remnant of the original castle is a moat trace beside Fuji-Sengen Shrine on the park's east side. Within walking distance of JR Fukaya Station, the park now serves as a community gathering place.
Connection to Swords
Highlights
- Flatland castle built as the stronghold of the Fukaya-Uesugi (Kobanawa-Uesugi), a branch of the Kantō Kanrei Yamanouchi-Uesugi clan
- Built as a strategic stronghold amid intensifying conflict with the Koga Kubō
- Held by senior retainers during the 1590 conquest of Odawara before surrendering; later served as the seat of Fukaya Domain in the early Edo period
- Now preserved as Fukaya Castle Ruins Park, with a surviving moat trace beside Fuji-Sengen Shrine
* Opening hours and admission fees are subject to change. Please check the official website before visiting.