Hinoyama Castle

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Préfecture de Hiroshima

Rising 300 m above the Shinjō basin in the town of Kitahiroshima, Mount Hino (705 m) bears the remains of a vast late-medieval mountain castle, Hinoyama Castle. For some forty years it was the main stronghold of the Aki branch of the Kikkawa clan: Kikkawa Motoharu, second son of Mōri Motonari, placed at the head of this family, moved here in 1550, and his descendants held it until 1591, when his third son Hiroie left for Gassan-Toda Castle in Izumo Province. The summit is laid out in nine groups of enclosures: the main enclosure, Kuri-no-maru, second and third enclosures, Ōhiroma-no-dan, Himeji-maru, an outwork, Nakajiro and Mukai-Nakajiro. The site controlled a crossroads linking the Sea of Japan coast and the Seto Inland Sea. At the foot of the mountain, Motoharu's retirement residence, with its stone wall and garden, completes the ensemble. The site belongs to the nine "Kikkawa clan castle and residence sites" designated a National Historic Site. The climb from the trailhead takes about 45 minutes.