Karasuyama Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

Seen from the town, Hakkō Hill, 206 m high, resembles a reclining ox, hence the nickname Gagyū-jō. Yet Karasuyama Castle has a reputation quite unlike this peaceful image: the Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it repelled every invasion by its powerful neighbors, the Satake and the Utsunomiya, for as long as it was the seat of the Nasu, the lineage that claims descent from the archer Nasu no Yoichi. The founding is dated to 1418, when Sawamura Gorō Sukeshige, having fallen out with his brother, is said to have left Inazumi Castle; the city itself uses the phrase "according to tradition." The site's interest also lies in what came after 1590. Once Nasu Sukeharu's domains were confiscated for arriving too late at the siege of Odawara, lords succeeded one another at a brisk pace until the Ōkubo arrived in 1725. The city's excavations and old plans make it possible to trace a shift of political and residential functions from the summit to the foot of the slope, given concrete form in 1659 when Hori Chikamasa built the San-no-maru. Covered in cedars, the mountain retains its terraces, moats and earthworks, along with stone walls, which the city says are uncommon in the prefecture. National designation is recent: March 20, 2023.