Tsunomure Castle
角牟礼城
Tsunomure Castle is a historic castle in the Kyūshū region (Traditionally founded during the Kōan era (1278–1288) by Mori Tomomichi, though the earliest documentary reference dates to 1475 (Bunmei 7); abandoned in 1601 (Keichō 6) when Kurushima Nagachika took over the domain). Its lord was The Mori clan (traditional founders); the Kusu-gun-shū local lords; Mōri Takamasa; the Kurushima clan.
Overview
Overview
Tsunomure Castle was a mountain castle built on Mount Tsunomure (577m) in Mori, Kusu Town, Kusu District, Oita Prefecture. It served as the stronghold of the Kusu-gun-shū, the local lords who governed Kusu District in Bungo Province, and is best known for withstanding the Shimazu invasion of Bungo in 1586, earning a reputation as an impregnable fortress.
History and Succession of Lords
The castle is traditionally said to have been built during the Kōan era (1278–1288) by Mori Tomomichi, though the earliest documentary reference to it dates only to 1475 (Bunmei 7). During the Sengoku period it was held by the Kusu-gun-shū, including the Mori clan, who were allied with the Ōtomo clan. In 1586 (Tenshō 14), when a large Shimazu army under Shimazu Yoshihiro invaded Bungo in its bid to conquer Kyushu, the Kusu-gun-shū held out at Tsunomure Castle and never allowed it to fall, cementing its reputation as an impregnable stronghold. Mōri Takamasa, who rose under Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was granted a 20,000-koku fief spanning Hita and Kusu districts after the 1593 (Bunroku 2) cadastral survey and became lord of Hinokuma Castle in Hita; he subsequently took part in renovating Tsunomure Castle into an early-modern-style fortress. Takamasa was transferred to Saeki in 1601 (Keichō 6), and Kurushima Nagachika then took over Kusu District and established Mori Domain; because the Kurushima clan did not hold the formal status of castle-owning lords, Tsunomure Castle was abandoned and a jin'ya (residence-office) was built at the foot of the mountain instead. The Kurushima clan continued to rule Kusu District as lords of Mori Domain until the Meiji Restoration.
Structure
The mountain castle's main, second, and third enclosures are arranged in sequence from the summit downward, with rough-hewn Anō-style (anō-zumi) stone walls surviving near the ruins of the rear gate. Mōri Takamasa, based in Hita, is said to have carried out a major renovation around 1594–1600 (the Bunroku–Keichō era), transforming the medieval mountain castle into an early-modern fortress. As an example of the spread of stone-wall construction techniques common under the Toyotomi regime, the site has drawn renewed scholarly attention in recent surveys.
Present Condition
The site was designated a National Historic Site in 2005 and was selected as No. 192 in the Continuation of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan in 2017. A well-maintained mountain trail runs from the Bungo-Mori Domain Archive at the foot of the mountain to the parking area at the third enclosure, from which the main enclosure is about an 8-minute walk.
Connection to Swords
Highlights
- Traditionally founded during the Kōan era by Mori Tomomichi, stronghold of the Kusu-gun-shū (first documented in 1475)
- Withstood a large-scale Shimazu invasion of Bungo in 1586, earning a reputation as impregnable
- Rebuilt as an early-modern fortress by Mōri Takamasa around the Bunroku–Keichō era
- Rough-hewn and Anō-style stone walls survive near the rear gate ruins
- Designated a National Historic Site in 2005; selected as No. 192 in the Continuation of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan
* Opening hours and admission fees are subject to change. Please check the official website before visiting.