Fukuyama Castle (Bitchū)

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Préfecture d'Okayama

Fukuyama Castle occupies the summit of Mount Fukuyama, 302 metres high, south of the city of Sōja. Before becoming a fortress, the mountain was home to a Buddhist temple, Fukuyama-ji, active from the Nara to the Heian period. In 1335 Shō Kanesuke turned this mountain sanctuary into a stronghold. The site remains famous for the Battle of Fukuyama in May 1336, recounted in the Taiheiki: Ōida Ujitsune, a lieutenant of Nitta Yoshisada, held back there the immense army of Ashikaga Tadayoshi marching on Kyoto. The castle is laid out on three levels stepped along the mountain. One can still see the stone wall of the gate between the first and second levels, dry moats, stone alignments and a well. Designated a National Historic Site as early as 1936, the summit bears a monument commemorating the battle and offers a wide panorama; a group climb takes place there every 1 January.