is a Japanese castle

Japanese castle

' were fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century...

 in Akashi

Akashi, Hyogo

is a city located in southern Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, on the Seto Inland Sea west of Kobe.As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 290,776, with 117,392 households, and a population density of 5,907.68 persons per km²...

, Hyōgo Prefecture

Hyogo Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

This castle was constructed by Ogasawara Tadazane

Ogasawara Tadazane

Japanese daimyō of the early Edo Period, the son of Ogasawara Hidemasa .Following the deaths of his father and elder brother in the Osaka Summer Campaign, his holdings were transferred from Akashi Domain in Harima Province to the Kokura domain Buzen Province.Famed as the lord who employed...

 as his own castle from 1617 to 1619 to watch over the western lords, by the order of Tokugawa Hidetada

Tokugawa Hidetada

was the second shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate.-Early life :...

, on Mount Akamatsu. The castle was built in one year, which was a relatively short amount of time. This was done so quickly because a law had been issued in 1615, declaring that there would only be one castle per clan. As a result, many castles had to be dismantled and parts of some were used to construct Akashi Castle.

Akashi castle located in Akashi, which is a very important strategic place between Osaka and western Japan, where many major tozama daimyo

Tozama

A ' was a daimyo who was considered an outsider by the rulers of Japan. The term came into use in the Kamakura period and continued until the end of the Edo period.-Edo period:...

 had their feudal estates. Akashi Castle was expected to play the role of a keystone to stop their invasions to Osaka.

Akashi castle underwent major repairs in 1739, and was abolished by the Meiji Government in 1874.

Cultural Property

In Akashi Castle, there are two Important Cultural Properties

Important Cultural Properties of Japan

The term is often shortened into just are items officially already classified as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and judged to be of particular importance to the Japanese people....

 selected by Japanese government:

• Hitsujisaru Yagura
  Yagura
  Yagura is the Japanese word for "tower" or "turret." The word is most often seen in reference to structures within Japanese castle compounds, but can be used in a variety of other situations as well. The bandstand tower erected for Bon Festival is often called a yagura, as are similar structures...
  
  
• Tatsumi Yagura

These two yagura, or towers, are the castle's only remaining buildings.

Access

• Sanyo Akashi Station of Sanyo Electric Railway
  Sanyo Electric Railway
  Sanyo Electric Railway Co., Ltd. is a Japanese private railway in western Hyōgo Prefecture...
  
  
• Akashi Station
  Akashi Station
  is a train station on the Sanyō Main Line serving the city of Akashi, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, on the north side of Sanyo Akashi Station on the Sanyo Railway Main Line...
  
   of JR Kobe Line
  JR Kobe Line
  The is the nickname of portions of the Tōkaidō Main Line and the Sanyō Main Line, between Osaka Station in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture and Himeji Station in Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture...