Sakasai Castle

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Préfecture d'Ibaraki

Sakasai Castle stands in Bandō, in former Shimōsa Province, at the tip of a plateau that once overlooked Hasunuma pond and the vast Iinuma marsh, drained in the Edo period. A first castle is said to have been built here in the mid-15th century by Koyama Tsunemune, founder of the Sakasai clan and a supporter of the Koga kubō. The clan was reportedly wiped out by the Hōjō, and in 1577 Hōjō Ujishige, lord of Tamanawa, entirely rebuilt the stronghold using the latest techniques to make it a forward base against the Satake and the lords of the northern Kantō. He died there as early as 1578. Abandoned after the fall of the Hōjō during the Odawara campaign in 1590, the site is now Sakasai Castle Park. Its earthen ramparts and moats are highlighted by reconstructions based on excavations: a gate tower, a two-storey turret and a main residence, slightly offset to preserve the remains. The park also houses a gate moved from Sekiyado Castle and the foundations of the shoin of Koga Castle; it is known for its cherry trees and served as a set for the drama "Sanada Maru".