Surugamaru Castle

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Préfecture de Hiroshima

North of the Ōasa basin, at the foot of Mount Kanbiki, Surugamaru Castle is one of the earliest landmarks in the history of the Kikkawa clan in Aki Province. According to the tradition reported by Hiroshima Prefecture, Kikkawa Tsunetaka left the village of Kikkawa in Suruga Province in 1313 to settle on these lands, where his family held the office of steward, and had a stronghold built here. The name Surugamaru, "the Suruga enclosure", recalls this eastern origin; the site is also known as Heikemaru-jō and Madokoro-jō. The Kikkawa lived here for about seventy years before moving their seat to nearby Ogurayama Castle. It is a hill castle (hirayamajiro) set at about 440 m above sea level and 30 m above the basin, on the tips of two parallel ridges whose sides were cut into steep slopes – a typical example of early medieval mountain castles. The visible remains are modest. The site belongs to the "Kikkawa clan castle and residence sites", a group of nine places designated a National Historic Site that traces the evolution of a warrior family over three centuries.