Iwakiri Castle

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Préfecture de Miyagi

Also known as Takamori Castle, Iwakiri Castle crowns Mount Takamori (about 106-107 m), an M-shaped ridge overlooking the Sendai Plain, straddling Miyagino Ward in Sendai and the town of Rifu. It was the seat of the Rusu, a lineage descended from the Izawa who had administered Miyagi District since the Kamakura period. The castle played a major role during the Kannō disturbance: in 1351 it was the scene of the clash between the two governors-general of Ōshu, Kira and Hatakeyama, a local echo of the rivalry between Ashikaga Takauji and his brother Tadayoshi. Later drawn into the orbit of the Date, the Rusu adopted Masakage, a son of Date Harumune, who moved his seat to Rifu around 1569, leading to the abandonment of the stronghold. The site, extending about 700 m from east to west, lines up terraces and dry moats along the ridge. Excavations in 1935 revealed traces of post-built buildings, the first such discovery at a medieval castle in Japan. Designated a National Historic Site in 1982, it now forms part of Takamoriyama Park, popular for its cherry blossoms.