Jindaiji Castle

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Préfecture de Tokyo

West of Tokyo, on a tongue of plateau overlooking wetlands at the edge of the Musashino Plateau, the grassy terraces of Jindaiji Castle tell of a brief but decisive episode in the Kantō wars. A first enclosure probably existed here as early as the 15th century. In 1537 the young Uesugi Tomosada, head of the Ōgigayatsu branch of the Uesugi, had his retainer Nanbata Danjō rework this "old fortress" to hold back the Hōjō, who were installed at Ozawa across the Tama River. The precaution was in vain: in July Hōjō Ujitsuna bypassed the stronghold and seized Kawagoe; Jindaiji lost all strategic value and fell into oblivion. This early abandonment makes it a rare witness: the Hōjō never altered it, so it preserves the earthwork fortification techniques of the Uesugi. Three aligned enclosures, separated by dry moats and earthen ramparts, can still be read, the third having largely been swallowed by urban development. Designated a National Historic Site in 2007, the site now lies within the aquatic plant garden of Jindai Botanical Gardens, near the famous Jindai-ji temple.