Hiketa Castle

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Préfecture de Kagawa

Hiketa Castle crowns Mount Shiroyama, a wooded height overlooking the port of Hiketa at the eastern tip of Sanuki Province, facing Harima Bay and Awaji Island. This harbour position made it a strategic bridgehead during the conquest of Shikoku: first held by the Samukawa, vassals of the Miyoshi, it was taken in 1583 by Sengoku Hidehisa on behalf of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and in 1585 became the first base of Ikoma Chikamasa, the new lord of Sanuki, before he moved to Takamatsu in 1587. The castle is laid out in a U-shape along the ridge, with enclosures at its four extremities; the western enclosure and the northern and western flanks were protected by stone walls, several sections of which survive beneath the vegetation and reflect the techniques of the Ikoma era. Abandoned in 1615 and long forgotten, the site was designated a National Historic Site in 2020 and is included in the Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles. It can be reached on foot in about half an hour from JR Hiketa Station.