* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Kururi Castle
久留里城
Kururi Castle is a historic castle in the Kantō region (Said to have been built in 1456 (Kōshō 2)). Its lord was The Kazusa Takeda, Satomi, Tsuchiya and Kuroda clans among others.
Overview
Overview
Kururi Castle was a mountain castle in Kururi, Kimitsu City, Chiba Prefecture, also known as Usame Castle, Kirifuri Castle and Urata Castle. In the Sengoku period the Satomi of Bōsō used it as a base against the Hōjō, and in the Edo period it was the seat of Kururi Domain until the Meiji era.
Construction
It is said to have been built in 1456 by Takeda Nobunaga of the Kazusa Takeda clan, regarded as the first construction supported by historical fact. A theory that a son of Taira no Masakado built it also exists but is uncertain. After passing through the Mariyatsu clan, descended from the Takeda, the Satomi took control in the Sengoku period.
The Satomi and the Hōjō
Satomi Yoshitaka is said to have made this area his base around 1535 and built Kururi Castle on the present site below Furu-Kururi Castle (the dating is disputed). Together with Sanuki Castle, it formed the Satomi front line against the Hōjō. The late Hōjō briefly occupied it in 1564, but the Satomi recovered it.
Edo Period
After the 1590 Odawara campaign the Satomi lost their Kazusa holdings, and after Tokugawa Ieyasu entered the Kantō, Ōsuga (Matsudaira) Tadamasa took the castle. Tsuchiya Tadanao entered in 1601, but the Tsuchiya were dispossessed in 1679 and the castle was temporarily abandoned. Kuroda Naozumi entered in 1742, re-establishing the domain, and the Kuroda remained until the Meiji Restoration.
Structure
A renkaku-style mountain castle consisting of four groups of enclosures: the early-modern castle section with the main enclosure, the Anjūbara area, the Nuta site and the early-modern residence at the foot of the mountain. Earthworks, dry moats, enclosures, earthen bridges and wells remain, with several water sources including springs on the mountain.
Present Condition
The Edo-period tenshu (built 1724) no longer exists; a reinforced-concrete replica was built in 1979. The grounds were developed as Shiroyama Park in 1955, and the Kimitsu City Kururi Castle Site Museum opened in the second enclosure in 1979, including an exhibit on kazusabori well drilling.
Connection to Swords
No source tying the castle to a specific sword has been confirmed. It was a front-line castle of the Satomi against the Hōjō in the Bōsō Sengoku conflicts.
Highlights
- Said to have been built in 1456 by Takeda Nobunaga
- The Satomi front-line base against the Hōjō
- Seat of Kururi Domain, held by the Kuroda until Meiji
- A replica tenshu and the castle museum were established in 1979
* Opening hours and admission fees are subject to change. Please check the official website before visiting.