* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Ota Castle (Maizuru Castle, Hitachi Province)
太田城（舞鶴城）
Ota Castle (Maizuru Castle, Hitachi Province) is a historic castle in Kantō dating from the Heian period (traditionally founded in 1109) to 1602, when it was abandoned after the Satake clan's transfer to Akita following the Battle of Sekigahara, whose lord was Fujiwara Michinobu (traditional founder); successive generations of the Satake clan (from the 2nd head, Takayoshi, until the move to Mito Castle in 1590).
Overview
Founding
Ota Castle is traditionally said to have been founded in 1109, when Fujiwara Michinobu, a fourth-generation descendant of Fujiwara no Hidesato, moved from Shimotsuke Province into Ota in Hitachi Province and built a castle there, styling himself Ota-tayū. It is also known by the alternate names "Maizuru-jō" (Dancing Crane Castle), "Satake-jō," and "Seiryū-jō."
Succession of Lords
Minamoto no Masayoshi, grandson of Minamoto no Yoshimitsu who distinguished himself in the Later Three-Year War, gained territory in Hitachi Province and took the name Satake. Around 1145–1151, the second Satake head, Takayoshi, pressured the castle's lord, Onozaki Michimori, into surrendering it, after which Ota Castle became the Satake clan's stronghold. It is said to have gained the name "Maizuru-jō" because a crane was seen dancing over the castle on the day Takayoshi took up residence. The Satake clan subsequently grew into one of the foremost Sengoku daimyo of the Kantō region, holding Ota Castle as their base for roughly 470 years until Satake Yoshinobu seized Mito Castle from the Edo clan and relocated there in 1590. After the Battle of Sekigahara, the Satake clan was transferred from their 540,000-koku holding in Hitachi to an 180,000-koku domain at Kubota in Dewa (Akita) in 1602, and Ota Castle was abandoned.
Structure
The main bailey is thought to have stood in the area now occupied by Hitachi-Ota Municipal Ota Elementary School. The castle grounds are said to have extended over a wide area from Uchibori-chō to Sakae-chō, but the land was parceled out for private use in the early Meiji era and urbanized; although earthworks and portions of the baileys reportedly survived into the late 1920s, almost no remains are visible today due to subsequent development.
Present State
The site holds no formal cultural-property designation, but an "Ota Old Castle Monument" stands on the grounds of Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine, commemorating the roughly 470 years the site served as the Satake clan's stronghold. It is sometimes counted among the "Seven Great Castles of the Kantō." Visits today center on viewing the surrounding area near Ota Elementary School.
Connection to Swords
Highlights
- Stronghold of the Satake clan, one of the Kantō region's foremost Sengoku daimyo, for roughly 470 years
- Alternate name "Maizuru-jō" (Dancing Crane Castle), from a crane said to have danced above it when the 3rd Satake head, Takayoshi, took residence
- Abandoned after the Satake clan's transfer to Akita following Sekigahara; almost no structural remains survive
- An "Ota Old Castle Monument" survives on the grounds of Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine
* Opening hours and admission fees are subject to change. Please check the official website before visiting.