01
Historical record
A plateau where water and land routes met
Moto Sakura Castle makes use of the Hokuso Plateau's intricate terrain, cut deeply by narrow valleys called yatsu. To the north lay the Katori Sea, a major waterway reaching all the way to Koga, and to the south roads to Choshi, Shibayama, Togane and Chiba crossed. The lowland north of the castle was all marsh, a natural defense.[2][3]
02
Historical record
Built by Chiba Suketane after the Kyotoku War
During the Kyotoku War that began in 1454, the Chiba clan split and its main line was destroyed, and Iwahashi Suketane, of a branch line, took over. Under Suketane and his son Noritane, in the Bunmei era (1469–1487), the Chiba moved their seat from Chiba, their home since the Kamakura period, to Sakura and built Moto Sakura Castle.[2][3]
03
Historical record
Capital of Shimosa
Towns grew up around the castle and temples were founded one after another. The Chiba family and their retainers held poetry gatherings and compiled a waka anthology, and the castle and its towns became the political, economic and cultural center of Shimosa. There were four castle towns: Sakura, Shisui, Kashima and Hamajuku.[2][3]
04
Historical record
Falling with the Hojo
From the mid-16th century the Hojo grew powerful in the Kanto, and at one point Uesugi Kenshin attacked Usui Castle just 7 km away. The Chiba allied with the Hojo, and the eighth head, Kunitane, married a daughter of Hojo Ujimasa. After Kunitane was assassinated, Ujimasa's son Naoshige took over the Chiba family. But having sided with the Hojo in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's 1590 Odawara campaign, the Chiba were destroyed and the castle was abandoned.[2]
05
Historical record
A huge earthwork castle survives
This is an earthwork castle, made by cutting into the plateau, filling valleys and shaping enclosures with moats and ramparts. In its final form, the town says, it had ten enclosures plus the surrounding post towns, all within an outer moat line, making a vast castle about 2 km north to south and 1 km east to west. No buildings survive, but enclosures, a riding ground, gates, dry moats, ramparts and turret bases are well preserved.[5][3]
06
Historical record
A National Historic Site under development
On September 11, 1998, the Moto Sakura Castle ruins became a National Historic Site. The site straddles the boundary of Shisui Town and Sakura City, which are working together to develop it as a historic park. The nearby Moto Sakura Castle Ruins Information Center displays excavated finds, a terrain model and an introductory video.[1][4][6]
柴錬アワーCC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons
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