Ashikaga Clan Fortified Residence

En un regard

Le château en bref

Before it was a temple, Bannaji was a warrior residence, and it was as such that it was designated in 1922: the official notice stresses that the moats and earthworks, pierced by four gates, make it possible to imagine the former home of the Ashikaga. The city of Ashikaga measures an irregular trapezoid, 223 m on the north, 211 on the south, 175 on the east and 206 on the west, or roughly 40,000 m². A water-filled moat and earthen rampart still encircle all four sides and, according to the city, rank among the oldest surviving forms of medieval warrior residence. These works remain modest: Japan Castle describes them as low and narrow, in keeping with a lordly dwelling rather than a stronghold built for war. History here can be read in layers. The residence dates back to the late 12th century; in 1196, Ashikaga Yoshikane had a private chapel dedicated to Dainichi built here, the nucleus of the future temple, whose name comes from his religious name, Ban'a. His successor Yoshiuji gave the site its buildings and made it the temple of the clan that would produce the founder of the Muromachi shogunate. The main hall, erected in 1299 by Ashikaga Sadauji, has been a National Treasure since 2013, and the compound is listed among Japan's 100 castles.