Tateyama Castle Explained

Tateyama Castle
館山城
Location:Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Map Type:Japan Chiba Prefecture#Japan
Map Alt:Location in Japan
Map Relief:1
Type:hilltop-style Japanese castle
Coordinates:34.9815°N 139.8557°W
Built:1580
Builder:Satomi Yoshiyori
Used:Edo period
Demolished:1614
Ownership:reconstructed 1982
Open To Public:yes

is a Japanese castle located in Tateyama, southern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Tateyama Castle was home to the Inaba clan, daimyō of Tateyama Domain, but the castle is better known for its association with the former rulers of Awa Province, the Satomi clan.[1] The castle was also known as .

History

Satomi Yoshiyori, virtually independent lord of all of the Bōsō Peninsula during the Sengoku Period, erected Tateyama Castle in 1580 to guard the entry to Edo Bay and the southern portions of his domains. After the Satomi clan was destroyed by the Tokugawa shogunate in 1614 and Tateyama Domain suppressed, the castle was allowed to fall into ruin.

In 1781, the domain was reinstated, with Inaba Masaaki as the first daimyō of Tateyama Domain under the Inaba clan. He rebuilt the fortifications of the old castle, but apparently did not erect a donjon, as his successor, Inaba Masatake was only allowed to build a jinya fortified residence. The Inaba clan remained in residence at Tateyama until the Meiji Restoration.

The current donjon was reconstructed in 1982 to boost local tourism and to function as an annex to the local Tateyama City Museum. As there are no surviving records indicating the appearance of the original donjon, the current structure was modeled after Inuyama Castle. The interior is devoted primarily to exhibits pertaining to the epic novel Nanso Satomi Hakkenden, by Edo period author Takizawa Bakin.

The surrounding is a popular local spot for bird-watching, and for sakura blossoms in spring.

Literature

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 館山城(読み)たてやまじょう日本の城がわかる事典「館山城」の解説. kotobank. Japanese. 20 October 2021.