Ōno Castle (Kii)

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Préfecture de Wakayama

Ōno Castle, also known as Fujishiro Castle, crowns the ridge of the Fujishiro range at about 430 metres above sea level, on the boundary between Kainan and the former town of Shimotsu. It overlooked the junction of the roads to Kumano and Mount Kōya and served as the fallback stronghold for the seat of the military governors (shugo) of Kii Province at the foot of the mountain. In the 14th century it changed hands between the rival camps of the Northern and Southern Courts, was then held by Yamana Yoshimasa, and later became the first base of the Hatakeyama. The site is divided into two groups about 500 metres apart: the eastern castle, Ōno proper, and the western castle, known as Fujishiro. In the east, the summit platform of roughly 23 by 28 metres is followed by tiers, transverse moats and, on the southern slope, a striking network of vertical moats. Excavations have yielded ceramics from the 14th and 15th centuries. A forest road leads close to the site, which is visited on foot amid the vegetation.