* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Usui Castle
臼井城
Usui Castle is a historic castle in the Kantō region (Traditionally founded in the mid-12th century; abandoned in 1604 (Keichō 9)). Its lord was The Usui clan; the Hara clan (including Hara Tanesada); Sakai Ietsugu.
Overview
Overview
Usui Castle was a linear-bailey hilltop castle (renkaku-shiki hirayama-jiro) in Usuida, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture, built on a plateau overlooking Lake Inba. Throughout the medieval period it served as a key strategic stronghold in northern Shimōsa Province, and it is known for having been attacked by prominent commanders including Ōta Dōkan and Uesugi Kenshin. It is now protected as a Sakura City Designated Historic Site and maintained as Usui Castle Ruins Park.
Founding and the Usui Clan
The castle is traditionally said to have been founded in the mid-12th century by Usui Tsuneyasu, although some scholars are cautious about treating this as established historical fact. Afterward, the Usui clan, regarded as a branch of the Chiba clan, ruled the area as lords of the castle until around 1561 (Eiroku 4).
Ōta Dōkan's Attack (1479)
In 1479 (Bunmei 11), forces under Ōta Dōkan, chief steward of the Ōgigayatsu Uesugi clan, attacked Usui Castle, which fell after a siege lasting seven months. In this battle, Ōta Sukeyoshi (Zusho-no-suke), Dōkan's younger brother (possibly his nephew), and more than fifty others were killed; a mound said to be Sukeyoshi's grave still stands atop the castle's earthworks.
Hara Clan Rule and Uesugi Kenshin's Attack (1566)
In 1557 (Kōji 3), Hara Tanesada entered Usui Castle, after which it came under Hara clan control. In 1566 (Eiroku 9), the castle was attacked by the forces of Uesugi Kenshin and Satomi Yoshihiro and driven to the brink of falling, but the Hōjō side, through the strategy of military advisor Shirai Jōzō and others, repelled Kenshin's army. This battle is known as the Battle of Usui Castle.
Structure and Abandonment
The castle followed a linear-bailey hirayama-jiro layout, and surviving remains include earthworks, dry moats, earthen bridges, stone walls, and baileys; no tenshu was ever built. After the 1590 Siege of Odawara, Sakai Ietsugu entered the castle with a 30,000-koku fief, but in 1604 (Keichō 9), when Ietsugu was transferred to Takasaki domain in Kōzuke Province, the castle was abandoned.
Present State and Access
The site is now maintained as Usui Castle Ruins Park, where visitors can see deep dry moats and earthworks, the dry moat and earthen bridge between the main bailey and the second bailey, and a well-preserved gate (koguchi). Lake Inba can be viewed in full from the site of the main bailey. About a 15-minute walk from Keisei-Usui Station on the Keisei Main Line.
Highlights
- A linear-bailey hirayama-jiro built on a plateau overlooking Lake Inba
- Besieged for seven months by Ōta Dōkan in 1479 before falling; Ōta Sukeyoshi's grave still stands on the site
- The site of the 1566 Battle of Usui Castle, where Uesugi Kenshin and Satomi Yoshihiro's attack was repelled
- A Sakura City Designated Historic Site with well-preserved earthworks, dry moats, earthen bridges, and a gate
- Abandoned in 1604 following the transfer of Sakai Ietsugu
* Opening hours and admission fees are subject to change. Please check the official website before visiting.