Ito Fort

En un regard

Le château en bref

On the western slope of Mount Kōso, at the gates of Fukuoka, Ito Fortress is an ancient defensive work in the continental style, built in the 8th century to guard the coast of northern Kyūshū. Its layout follows the mountain: about two kilometres of earthen embankment block the foot of the slope, doubled on the outside by a ditch ten to fifteen metres wide, while watchtowers once marked the ridges and have left stone bases. The works, entrusted at first to Kibi no Makibi, a former envoy to Tang China, lasted about twelve years. The fortress apparently never saw combat and fell into ruin as early as the early Middle Ages. In the medieval period, the Harada clan reused the site for a castle, abandoned in 1587 during Hideyoshi's campaign. Designated a national historic site since 1938, the site can be explored on foot; the objects recovered from the excavations, including roof tiles, are displayed at the Ito-koku History Museum.