* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Tsunomure Castle
角牟礼城
- Lord
- The Mori clan (traditional founders); the Kusu-gun-shū local lords; Mōri Takamasa; the Kurushima clan
- Era
- 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
- Designation
- National Historic Site (designated 2005); Continuation of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan (No. 192, selected April 6, 2017)
- Location
- Mori, Kusu Town, Kusu District, Oita Prefecture (Mount Tsunomure, 577m)
- Access
- The nearest station is Bungo-Mori Station on the JR Kyūdai Main Line. There is reportedly a parking area at the site of the third enclosure, from which the main enclosure is reached on foot.
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 is a mountain castle built on Mount Tsunomure (elevation 577 m) in Mori, Kusu Town, Kusu District, Oita Prefecture. It was the base of the Kusu-gun-shū, the local lords who governed Kusu District in Bungo Province, and is known as a stronghold that withstood the Shimazu invasion of Bungo in 1586.
Construction and Succession of Lords
The castle is traditionally said to have been built by Mori Tomomichi during the Kōan era (1278–1288), but its earliest documentary reference dates to 1475. During the Sengoku period it was held by the Kusu-gun-shū, including the Mori clan, who belonged to the Ōtomo clan. In 1586, when a large army under Shimazu Yoshihiro, aiming to conquer Kyushu, invaded Bungo, the Kusu-gun-shū held out in Tsunomure Castle; because it never fell, the castle earned a reputation as an impregnable fortress. Mōri Takamasa, who had been raised by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was granted a domain of 20,000 koku in Hita and Kusu districts after the 1593 cadastral survey and became lord of Hinokuma Castle in Hita. He later also took part in renovating Tsunomure Castle into an early-modern castle. Takamasa was transferred to Saeki in 1601, and Kurushima Nagachika then entered Kusu District and established Mori Domain. However, because the Kurushima clan did not hold the formal status of castle-holding lords (jōshu-kaku), Tsunomure Castle was abandoned, and a jin'ya (residence-office) was set up at the foot of the mountain. The Kurushima clan continued to rule Kusu District as lords of Mori Domain until the Meiji Restoration.
Structure
A mountain castle with the honmaru, ni-no-maru and san-no-maru arranged in order from the summit. Near the ruins of the Karamete gate (rear gate), nozura-zumi (also called anō-zumi) stone walls remain. Mōri Takamasa, who was based in Hita, carried out a renovation around 1594–1600 (Bunroku–Keichō era) that added stone walls and turned the castle into an early-modern castle, but the renovation was partial. As an example of the spread of stone-wall construction techniques that became widespread under the Toyotomi regime, the site has attracted 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. There is reportedly a parking area at the site of the third enclosure, from which the main enclosure is reached on foot.
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.