Katsuyama Castle (Kaminokuni)

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Katsuyama site stands on a ridge north-east of Mount Iōzan, in Kaminokuni, on the Sea of Japan coast. This fortified mountain residence is tied to the settlement of the Wajin in southern Hokkaidō during the 15th and 16th centuries. After the Koshamain uprising, Takeda Nobuhiro is said to have left Hanazawa for Suzaki and then chosen this easier-to-defend height. The founding of a Hachiman shrine in 1473 and the ceramic evidence point to an origin around 1470, but the exact date is unknown. His son Kakizaki Mitsuhiro moved the centre of power to Ōdate in 1514, though the site was not abandoned at once: finds continue into the 16th century, and one popular source suggests use until around 1600. Excavations carried out since 1979 by the Kaminokuni board of education have made Katsuyama a key case for the history of relations between Wajin and Ainu. The main plateau, framed by two small valleys, is organised into levelled areas separated by dry moats and protected by palisades. Finds exceed one hundred thousand objects according to the regional plan submitted to the Cabinet Office; 921 pieces were designated an Important Cultural Property on 10 July 2008. The nearby burial group on Mount Iōzan counts about 650 graves, including burials of Ainu type, which supports the hypothesis of cohabitation. A visitor information centre, opened in 2005, displays a model, computer-generated images and casts of burials; a complementary museum is under study.