Nakakuki Castle

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Préfecture de Tochigi

Nakakuki Castle occupies the southern tip of a tongue-shaped plateau on the right bank of the Egawa River, in the east of the city of Oyama, near the border with Ibaraki Prefecture. Its founding date is unknown; one tradition links it to Oyama Masamitsu in the 12th century. Facing the territory of the Yūki clan, it guarded the eastern approaches to the Oyama domain and may correspond to Iwatsubo Castle, listed among the strongholds held by Oyama Yoshimasa during his revolt in the late 14th century. It remained in use until the Sengoku period, notably by Yūki Haruyoshi, and was abandoned in 1601 when the Yūki were transferred to Echizen Province. The main enclosure, about 120 m by 100 m, is still surrounded by earthen ramparts, with a redoubt to the northwest; an eastern enclosure is now home to a Buddhist temple. The JR Mito Line runs through the site, which lies among houses and fields. Together with Gion and Washi castles, it makes up the National Historic Site of the Oyama Clan Castle Ruins.