* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Sakawa Castle
佐川城
Sakawa Castle is a historic castle in the Shikoku region (Built around Genki 2 (1571); abandoned under the Genna one-castle-per-province edict (around 1615)). Its lord was Fukao Clan.
Overview
Background to Construction
Sakawa Castle was a mountain castle built on Mount Kojō (elevation 200.7 meters) in Sakawa town, Takaoka District, Kōchi Prefecture. It is thought to have been built around Genki 2 (1571), when the Chōsokabe clan subdued the northern part of Takaoka District. Motochika's senior retainer Hisatake Kuranosuke Chikanobu led the Sakawa garrison and was stationed there.
Succession of Lords
After Hisatake Kuranosuke, the Chōsokabe clan was dispossessed following the Battle of Sekigahara, and Yamauchi Kazutoyo entered Tosa. Kazutoyo's senior retainer Fukao Izumi-no-kami Shigeyoshi received 10,000 koku and became lord of Sakawa Castle, and the area thereafter remained a domain of the Fukao clan. Shigeyoshi moved among several lords, namely the Toki clan, Oda Nobutada, Oda Nobutaka, and Mizoguchi Hidekatsu, before being invited in Tenshō 13 (1585), when Yamauchi Kazutoyo became lord of Nagahama in Ōmi with 30,000 koku. He served there as a guest retainer (kyakubun) receiving a stipend of rations for 200 people (200 nin-buchi). When Kazutoyo became lord of Kakegawa in Tōtōmi, Shigeyoshi received 3,000 koku. After the Battle of Sekigahara in Keichō 5 (1600), he followed Kazutoyo into Tosa, was granted 10,000 koku of Sakawa, and attained the position of chief karō of the Tosa domain.
Governance in Sakawa
Shigeyoshi governed the Sakawa domain for about 30 years, until he handed the household headship to his adopted son Fukao Shigemasa in Kan'ei 7 (1630). During this period he also responded to major domain matters, including the repairs to Edo Castle, the construction of Nagoya Castle, and the Osaka campaigns. After retiring, he received a retirement stipend of 2,000 koku, lived in Kōchi, and died in Kan'ei 9 (1632).
Structure and Features
The honmaru (main enclosure) was placed on the summit of Mount Kojō, with outworks (demaru) arranged around it. Because no archaeological excavation has been carried out, the detailed structure remains unclear.
Abandonment and Afterward
Following the Genna one-castle-per-province edict, Sakawa Castle was abandoned. However, the Fukao clan built a residence (doi-yashiki) at the foot of the mountain and continued to govern the area until the Meiji Restoration. The Fukao family's family temple is Seigen-ji, where the graves of successive heads are located. As the castle town of the Fukao clan, which served as chief karō of the Tosa domain, Sakawa town retains sake breweries and their storehouses as well as former merchant houses dating from the Edo period, preserving a distinctive townscape to this day.
Present Condition
Today the hillside section of the former Sakawa Castle site has been developed as Makino Park. The park began when Someiyoshino cherry trees were planted through the connection with the botanist Dr. Makino Tomitarō, and it is known as a famous cherry-blossom spot. The former main enclosure (shukaku) on the summit can be reached from the park, and visitors can trace part of the castle's original layout (nawabari).
Highlights
- A castle garrisoned by Hisatake Kuranosuke Chikanobu, a senior retainer of the Chōsokabe clan
- The 10,000-koku castle of the Fukao clan, senior retainers of the Yamauchi family
- The honmaru on the summit of Mount Kojō and the surrounding outworks
- Now Makino Park, a famous cherry-blossom spot linked to Dr. Makino Tomitarō
* Opening hours and admission fees are subject to change. Please check the official website before visiting.