Katsumata Castle

Katsumata Castle
Katsumata Castle
勝間田城
Makinohara, Shizuoka Japan
	ruins of Main Bailey of Katsumata Castle
Site information
Type	Japanese castle
Controlled by	Katsumata clan
Open to the public	yes
Condition	ruins
Location
	Katsumata Castle Location within Shizuoka Prefecture Katsumata Castle Location within Japan
Coordinates	34°46′42.3″N 138°09′25.4″E / 34.778417°N 138.157056°E
Site history
Built	14th century
Built by	Katsumata clan
In use	Muromachi period
	Shizuoka Prefectural Historic Site

Katsumata Castle (勝間田城, Katsumata-jō) was a Muromachi period Japanese castle located in the city of Makinohara, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a Shizuoka Prefectural Historic Site since 2020.^[1]

Overview

Katsumata Castle was located on a hill about 130 meters above sea level, in the upper reaches of the Katsumata River, which flows from the Makinohara Plateau into Suruga Bay. It is about five kilometers southeast of the site of Suwahara Castle and five kilometers northeast of the site of Yokoji Castle.

This was the stronghold of the Katsumata clan, the lords of Katsuta-shō shōen since the 10th century, who later served the Kamakura and Muromachi shogunates. Katsumata Shigenaga was a retainer of Minamoto no Yoritomo and fought in the Genpei War. Katsumata Nagakiyo was a noted poet who edited the Fubo Wakasho, a massive anthology of over 17,000 poems. The construction of the castle is uncertain, but is believed to have been in the 14th century. Due to their strategic location controlling the Tōkaidō highway, the Katsumata were direct retainers of the Muromachi shogunate, and supported the western army of Shiba Yoshikado, shugo of Tōtōmi Province in the Ōnin War in 1467. This brought them into conflict the Suruga-based Imagawa clan, which, under Imagawa Yoshitada, invaded and occupied Katsumata Castle in 1476. The castle appears to have remained for a number of decades afterwards as a supply base^[1]

Katsumata Castle consisted of several enclosures, spread across the ridges of a hill in a reverse "V" shape, protected on both sides by the slopes of the ridge. The central area of the castle was an oblong enclosure 20 meters in diameter with clay walls, protected by a combination of smaller enclosures and dry moats. The total size of the castle was about 300 meter long and 200 meter wide. No structures of the castle have survived, but the remains of the main enclosure, second enclosure, third enclosure, outwork enclosure, dry moats, trenches, and earthworks are well-preserved.Archaeological excavations have confirmed the existence of building foundations and artifacts. The site has been maintained for visitor access.^[1]