Kouyama Castle (Bingo)
Bingo-Kōyamajō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) constructed by Yamanōchisutō Michisuke. The clan headquarters of the Yamanōchi Clan was Shitomiyamajō, also in modern Shōbara Municipality. From 1553 the clan and their forts fell under the aegis of the Mōri Clan. In 1591 the Yamanōchi went with the Mōri to build Hiroshimajō, and their old castles were abandoned around this time.
Bingo-Kōyamajō consists of about seven integral baileys at the top of Mount Kōyama, and several "spokes" of sub-baileys and terracing along the mountain's ridges. The ichinokuruwa (prime bailey) is split neatly in two by a segment of dorui (earthen embankment), which is a curious arrangement. The ninokuruwa and sannokuruwa (second and third baileys), wrap around the elevated ichinokuruwa, though there is a shift in elevation between the two, with the sannokuruwa being lower, and adjoining about a third of the ichinokuruwa's southern perimeter. Beyond the ninokuruwa is the higashikuruwa (east bailey) and kitakuruwa (north bailey). The sannokuruwa is connected to the nishikuruwa (west bailey), which is in turn connected to the minamikuruwa (south bailey). There are a few remains of earthworks, but this central portion of the castle seemed to have chiefly relied on the climbing elevation of the mountain for its defences. Ruins also include dorui, horikiri (trenches) and tatebori (climbing moats). The castle's extensive terracing is larger than the main area of the castle. The temple Entsūji, located below and partially surrounded by the castle, was built in the Sengoku Period as the Bodaiji (funerary temple (of a particular clan)) of the Yamanōchi Clan.
|Bingo Kouyama Castle
|Prefectural Historic Site
|Pre Edo Period
|Kuruwa, Dorui, Tatebori, Horikiri, Bodaiji
|Nanatsuka Station on the Geibi Line; 55 minute walk to trail head
|24/7 free; mountain
|Shobara, Hiroshima Prefecture
|34° 51' 11.88" N, 132° 57' 22.43" E
|Added to Jcastle
|Admin Year Visited