Yokosuka Castle
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese castle
in Tōtōmi Province
(present day Shizuoka Prefecture
), Japan
from the late Muromachi period
to the Meiji Restoration
. It was the capital of Yokosuka Domain
during the Tokugawa shogunate
of the Edo period
.
, the Imagawa clan
ruled Suruga
and Tōtōmi Province
s from their base at Sunpu (modern-day Shizuoka City
). After Imagawa Yoshimoto
was defeated at the Battle of Okehazama
, Tōtōmi passed to Tokugawa Ieyasu
, who ordered his retainer Ōsuga Yasutaka to build a castle at Yokosuka
, on the coast south of Kakegawa
in 1580. During the Edo period
, Yokosuka Castle passed through a number of daimyō
before coming under the control of the Nishio clan
in 1682, under whose control it remained until the Meiji Restoration
in 1868.
Yokosuka Castle was noteworthy in that it used rounded boulders from the Tenryū River
in the walls of its moats, instead of cut stone. The keep was a four-story, three-roof structure. The keep was destroyed in an earthquake in 1707
, and was not rebuilt.
Today, a portion of the moats and earthen walls remain. The site is a Japanese National Historic Monument, and a local history museum has been built within the site of the former main bailey
.
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 Tōtōmi Province
Totomi Province
was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today western Shizuoka Prefecture. Tōtōmi bordered on Mikawa, Suruga and Shinano Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .-History:...
(present day Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
), 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...
from the late Muromachi period
Muromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
to the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
. It was the capital of Yokosuka Domain
Yokosuka Domain
' was a Japanese feudal domain of the Edo period, located in Tōtōmi Province. Yokosuka was a Fudai domain. It was centered at Yokosuka Castle in the Matsuo district of the city of Kakegawa in Shizuoka Prefecture.-History:...
during the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
of the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
.
History
During the Muromachi periodMuromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
, the Imagawa clan
Imagawa clan
The was a Japanese clan that claimed descent from Emperor Seiwa . It was a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Ashikaga clan.-Origins:Ashikaga Kuniuji, grandson of Ashikaga Yoshiuji, established himself in the 13th century at Imagawa and took its name.Imagawa Norikuni received from his cousin the...
ruled Suruga
Suruga Province
was an old province in the area that is today the central part of Shizuoka prefecture. It was sometimes called . Suruga bordered on Izu, Kai, Sagami, Shinano, and Tōtōmi provinces; and had access to the Pacific Ocean through Suruga Bay.-History:...
and Tōtōmi Province
Totomi Province
was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today western Shizuoka Prefecture. Tōtōmi bordered on Mikawa, Suruga and Shinano Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .-History:...
s from their base at Sunpu (modern-day Shizuoka City
Shizuoka, Shizuoka
is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in terms of both population and area. It became one of Japan's 19 "designated cities" in 2005.-Geography:...
). After Imagawa Yoshimoto
Imagawa Yoshimoto
was one of the leading daimyo in the Sengoku period Japan. Based in Suruga Province, he was one of the three daimyo that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He was one of the dominant daimyo in Japan for a time, until his death in 1560....
was defeated at the Battle of Okehazama
Battle of Okehazama
The took place in June 1560. In this battle, Oda Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto and established himself as one of the front-running warlords in the Sengoku period.-Background:...
, Tōtōmi passed to Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
, who ordered his retainer Ōsuga Yasutaka to build a castle at Yokosuka
Osuka, Shizuoka
was a town located in Ogasa District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.On April 1, 2005 Ōsuka, along with the town of Daitō, also from Ogasa District, was merged into the city of Kakegawa....
, on the coast south of Kakegawa
Kakegawa, Shizuoka
is a city in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 117,858 and a population density of 444 persons per km². The total area was 265.63 km².-Geography:...
in 1580. During the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, Yokosuka Castle passed through a number of daimyō
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
before coming under the control of the Nishio clan
Nishio clan
The was a Japanese clan claiming descent from the Kira clan, a branch of the Seiwa Genji line. Kira Yoshitsugu, a son of Kira Mochihiro, served under Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu adopted the family name of Nishio...
in 1682, under whose control it remained until the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
in 1868.
Yokosuka Castle was noteworthy in that it used rounded boulders from the Tenryū River
Tenryu River
The is a river arising from Lake Suwa in Okaya, Nagano Prefecture, grazing Aichi Prefecture and flowing through western Shizuoka Prefecture in central Honshū, Japan. With a length of , it is Japan's ninth longest river.-Geography:...
in the walls of its moats, instead of cut stone. The keep was a four-story, three-roof structure. The keep was destroyed in an earthquake in 1707
1707 Hōei earthquake
The 1707 Hōei earthquake, which occurred at 14:00 local time on October 28, 1707, was the largest in Japanese history until the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake surpassed it. It caused moderate to severe damage throughout southwestern Honshu, Shikoku and southeastern Kyūshū. The earthquake and the resulting...
, and was not rebuilt.
Today, a portion of the moats and earthen walls remain. The site is a Japanese National Historic Monument, and a local history museum has been built within the site of the former main bailey
Ward (fortification)
In fortifications, a bailey or ward refers to a courtyard enclosed by a curtain wall. In particular, an early type of European castle was known as a Motte-and-bailey. Castles can have more than one ward. Their layout depends both on the local topography and the level of fortification technology...
.
See also
- commons:Category:National historic sites of Japan
- commons:Category:Yokosuka Castle