続日本100名城　諏訪原城　武田流築城術を駆使した山城　静岡県　Suwahara Castle

続日本100名城　諏訪原城　武田流築城術を駆使した山城　静岡県　Suwahara Castle

Today I am heading to Suwahara Castle in Shizuoka Prefecture. Get off at Kanaya Station on the Tokaido Main Line. It is about a 30 minute walk from the station. You can see Mt. Fuji in the distance. Proceed to the old Tokaido. This stone pavement was apparently restored in 1991.

You can see the banner of “Surezzu Jizoson”. I’ll pray that I don’t slip. The stone pavement of Kanayazaka has finally finished. Like Shizuoka, there are tea plantations. After walking for a while, I saw an information board. First, let’s go to the visitor center. A restored map of Suwahara Castle.

There is a model so it is easy to imagine what it was like back then. This is a gun ball discovered from the castle ruins. Pick up a leaflet at the center and start your walk. This is Ote Minami Sotobori.

It looks like it’s a lot more crowded now than it was back then. This is Otomemade no Hori, the second kuruwa. This area will be a major curve. There was the grave of Jokan Imafuku, a senior vassal of the Takeda family. The moat remains clean.

This area surrounded the first Minamibori and Ote Kuruwa in Ote Kita Sotobori. The December issue of the magazine “Historical Person” featured Suwabara Castle in its special feature on mountain castles. There are plenty of information boards, so you can enjoy the tour. This is the second kuruwa Nakamade.

You can see the crescent moat and marumade, which are the characteristics of Suwahara Castle. Suwahara Castle was built by Katsuyori Takeda as a base for the invasion of Totomi. It is said that the castle got its name because Suwa Daimyojin was enshrined within the castle grounds.

The depth of the moat seems to be up to 9m. Proceed in the direction of Kitamade. The Kitamade Gate has been restored. Kitamade is connected to Chumade by an earthen bridge, making them overlap. Even if you break through Umade, there is an outer moat that prevents easy intrusion.

This is an earthen bridge that connects Chumade and Ninokuruwa. The second kuruwa is quite large. What you can see in the foreground is a partition earthwork. Let’s move on to the main turn. This is an earthen bridge that connects Honkuruwa and Ninokuruwa. This is Uchibori. We have arrived at Honkuruwa.

This castle was built in 1573. However, in 1575, the Battle of Nagashino and Shitarahara occurred, and Tokugawa Ieyasu recaptured the area. Since burnt clay can be seen in Honkuruwa, it is believed that the Takeda clan set it on fire when they fell to the castle.

The east side of Honkuruwa is a cliff and is extremely difficult to enter. You can see a panoramic view of Shimada city. There is a well between Honkuruwa and Ninokuruwa, so I will go to see it. This well is called Kankan Well. There is a theory that Kansuke Yamamoto is the origin.

I will also go to the water teguruwa. Was there once a well here? There is a huge difference in height from the second curve. Finally, I made it back to the second corner. Go south at the second curve. The castle’s importance declined after the fall of the Takeda clan in 1582.

It is thought that the castle was abandoned around 1590. You can see Suwa Shrine ahead, but first go to see Umade on the south side. What you can see below is the outer moat. This is Umade Higashiuchi.

The moat here seems to show signs of renovation by the Tokugawa clan, who entered the castle after the Takeda clan. This is Minamimade. Crescent moat is clearly visible. I returned to Suwa Shrine. Suwa Shrine is currently located in Otemade. We will pass through the earthen bridge. Thank you for your viewing.

2024/02/11　静岡県島田市　続日本100名城No.146
アクセス：JR金谷駅から徒歩約30分　武田勝頼が遠江進出の足がかりとして築城
構造：山城／丸馬出・堀など
#続日本100名城　#城めぐり　#武田勝頼

続日本100名城

静岡県の城

【参考書籍】
歴史人 2023年 12 月号「令和版　戦国の山城 大全」：https://amzn.to/49CC6CR
完全保存版 日本の城1055 都道府県別 城データ&地図：https://amzn.to/3MstRza