Karasawa Castle

Karasawayama Castle (唐沢山城, Karasawayama-jō) was a Japanese castle originally built in the Heian period and used through the end of the Sengoku period. It was located in what is now part of the city of Sano, Tochigi Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. The site has been protected as a National Historic Site, since 2014.

Karasawayama Castle is located on a mountaintop north of the center of the modern city of Sano. It is located on a 247-meter (810 ft) ridge protruding into the northernmost portion of the Kantō Plain and was regarded by contemporary writers as one of the seven most secure fortresses of the Kantō region.

The origins of the castle is uncertain. It was controlled by the Sano clan, who claimed descent from Fujiwara no Hidesato of the Northern Fujiwara, and the date of the foundation of the castle is traditionally given as 927 AD. Fujiwara no Hidesato was assigned rule over Shimotsuke Province following the suppression of the revolt of Taira no Masakado in the Tengyō no Ran, and his descendants controlled the castle for five generations until the clan relocated its seat to Ashikaga. His 9th generation descendant rebuilt the castle in 1180 AD and changed his family name to "Sano". However, there is no mention of the castle in any documentation until 1491 AD, when Sano Moritsuna is recorded as having rebuilt the castle.

During the Sengoku period, the northern Kantō region was continually contested between the powerful Uesugi and Hōjō clan. Following the Siege of Kawagoe Castle in 1546, Uesugi Kenshin made strong inroads into the region, forcing many of the smaller warlords to submit to him. Karasawayama Castle was a key location in Kenshin's strategy as it controlled the roads to his allies in eastern Kantō, the Satake clan and the Satomi clan. Kenshin attacked the castle three times, but could not take it. On the fourth attempt, in 1563, Sano Masatsune (1529-1574) finally surrendered. However, Kenshin's lines were overextended from his base in Echigo province and he faced continual threat of attack along his flank from his arch-nemesis, the Takeda clan.

As soon as he withdrew his armies, Sano Masatsune revolted. Each year for the succeeding three years, Kenshin would return with his armies, and Sano Masatsune would submit again, only to revolt one more as soon as the armies were withdrawn.

Text adapted from “Karasawa Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Karasawa Castle ranks #2,875 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #154 of the 297 mapped in Japan. Founded 927, it is older than 94% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 138 atlas entries founded in the 10th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 2,369 times in the last 60 days, more than 71% of the atlas. 4 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Tokyo, 74 km away. See how Japan compares in the castle statistics.

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