Hachioji Castle

As the largest Sengoku daimyo in Kantō, the Later Hōjō held a distinctive importance in sword culture as well. Hachiōji Castle, defended by Hōjō Ujiteru, was the most important hub of the military and commercial route that linked the Takeda domains of Kai and Shinano with the Later Hōjō's Kantō via the Kōshū Dōchū highway. To maintain the armament of their retainer corps, the Later Hōjō required large quantities of swords and armor, and they both protected swordsmiths within their domain and procured swords from various regions. The practical quality standards for swords that the Hōjō valued most reflect their nature as a fighting force that waged war against neighboring provinces for decades. The tragedy at the fall of Hachiōji Castle (the blood of the Shiroyama River) is one of the historical events that most directly shows how seriously the warrior's sword played its role on the battlefield. The castle's garrison commander, Nakayama Ienori, died a heroic death in battle. The Nakayama family afterward served the Tokugawa, and descendants continued in service to the Mito Tokugawa family and as hatamoto. Many samurai on the Hōjō side lost their lives in the fall of Hachiōji Castle. The Sōshū tradition (Kanagawa Prefecture) was a major production center that produced history's greatest swordsmiths, including Masamune, Sadamune and Akihiro, and the Kantō and Sagami lands ruled by the Later Hōjō deeply overlap with the home ground of the Sōshū tradition. Today, the Hachiōji Castle Ruins Guidance Facility presents exhibits on the castle's history and the Hōjō samurai culture, where visitors can learn about the tragedy of the fall. There is no other place in Tokyo where one can walk through a mountain castle site of this gravitas while experiencing the history of Sengoku sword culture.