Detail
| Cultural Resources Category | Histric Sites, Places of Scenic Beauty |
|---|---|
| Cultural Properties Category | Designation Histric Sites |
| Title | The Site of Tobiyama Castle |
| Designation Date | 1977/03/08 |
| Cities / Towns | Utsunomiya |
| Description | The site of Tobiyama Castle are located on a plateau on the left bank of the Kinugawa River, which runs north-south through the eastern part of Utsunomiya City. Tobiyama Castle was built in the Einin period (1293-98) as the residence of the Haga (Kiyohara) clan, who were vassals of the Utsunomiya clan that controlled the central part of Shimotsuke-kuni in the Middle Ages and were known as the Kisei Ryoto together with the Masiko (Ki) clan. The castle played an important role as a base for the Haga clan's territorial control and in battles. The castle was designated as a historic site because it still retains the remains of the moat and earthen mounds from those days, 400 years after the castle was abandoned. The designated site measures approximately 420 m from north to south and 240 m from east to west. The steep cliffs of the Kinugawa River provide natural defenses on the north and west sides. On the east and south sides, earthen mounds and empty moats were built in two layers. The inner moat is about 15m wide and 4m deep at the southeast corner. The main quarter is on the northwest side, followed by the second and third quarters on the north-south sides, each of which is divided by earthworks and moats. The eastern side of the joint of the second and third blocks has a tiger-gate as the main entrance. The southern side of the third block is thought to have been the lengte. It is estimated that there was one watchtower in the middle facing outward on the south side, two on the east side, and one on the southeast corner. In 1996, earthware with the inscription "Tobuhi no yake(beacon place)" was discovered for the first time in Japan from the remains of an ancient pit dwelling in the western corner of the third block, confirming that this area was used for communication by beacons in ancient times. |
| Copyright | 著作権あり |
