Hirabayashi Castle

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Préfecture de Niigata

In the north of the Echigo plain, in the Hirabayashi district of Murakami, Hirabayashi Castle (平林城) combines two complementary elements: a fortified lordly residence at the foot of the hills and a mountain stronghold perched on Mount Yōgaisan, 281 metres high, about 1.7 kilometres away. The site was first held by the Hirabayashi clan, supporters of the Southern Court in the 14th century, before the Irobe, stewards (jitō) of the Koizumi estate since the Kamakura period, seized it and made it their main seat. In 1508, Irobe Masanaga, loyal to the governor Uesugi Fusayoshi, was besieged there by the allies of Nagao Tamekage and forced to submit. The Irobe then remained in the service of the Uesugi until 1598, when Uesugi Kagekatsu's transfer to Aizu led to their departure and the abandonment of the castle. Remarkably well preserved, the residence, divided into three enclosures separated by a dry moat, and the summit stronghold with its stepped terraces and transverse trenches have formed a National Historic Site since 1978.