Shibushi Castle

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Préfecture de Kagoshima

Shibushi Castle is not a single fortress but a group of four neighbouring strongholds, Uchijō, Matsuo-jō, Takajō and Shinjō, set on the heights overlooking the port of Shibushi in the former Hyūga Province. Gradually enlarged from the 14th century onwards as conflicts swept the region, it passed through successive lineages, from the Niiro to the Kimotsuki, before becoming a direct domain of the Shimazu clan in 1577, which appointed a steward there. It then served as a district castle until its abandonment at the beginning of the Edo period. The best-preserved part is Uchijō, behind Shibushi elementary school: over about 600 metres north to south and 300 metres east to west, six large enclosures are separated by spectacular dry moats dug into shirasu, the soft volcanic rock of southern Kyūshū. Designated a National Historic Site in 2005 and selected in 2017 for the Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles, the site remains largely in its natural state; a few enclosures, including the main enclosure, have been laid out and fitted with explanatory panels.