Japan · 14th century
Shimo-Akasaka Castle ranks #6,531 of 9,040 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #282 of the 295 mapped in Japan. Founded c. 1325, it is older than 58% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 758 atlas entries founded in the 14th century. 4 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Osaka, 28 km away. It is one of the 69 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of Kansai. See how Japan compares in the castle statistics.
Shimo-Akasaka Castle (下赤坂城, Shimo-Akasaka-jō) is a late Kamakura period Japanese castle located in the village of Chihayaakasaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1934. It is also referred to as simply Akasaka Castle (赤坂城, Akasaka-jō).
Shimo-Akasaka Castle is located on Mount Kabutori, a ridge extending from Mount Kongō on the border of Kawachi Province with the Yoshino region of Yamato Province at an elevation of 185.7 meters above sea level and 61.4 meters above its surroundings. It was part of a defensive position which included many smaller fortifications on surrounding hills, and later, Kami-Akasaka Castle on the hillside opposite a small river. The Honmaru (Main Enclosure) of Shimo-Akasaka Castle is now the site of the Chihayaakasaka Village Hall, and a monument indicating the location of the castle is within the grounds of the neighboring Chihayaakasaka Junior High School.
In 1331, when Emperor Go-Daigo attempted to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate in the Genkō War, he relied on Prince Moriyoshi and a local lord from the Chihaya-Akasaka area, Kusunoki Masashige, to raise an army. However, this first attempt failed, and Emperor Go-Daigo was captured and exiled to the Oki Islands. Shogunal armies attacked Kusunoki Masashige at in the Siege of Akasaka and, when the castle fell, he faked his death and escaped into the deep mountains of his own territory where he constructed Kami-Akasaka Castle and Chihaya Castle. In early 1333, Kusunoki Masashige joined forces with Prince Moriyoshi and recovered Shimo-Akasaka Castle and resumed his offense against the shogunate.
After the Kenmu restoration, Shimo-Akasaka Castle continued to be used as a base for the Southern Court during the wars of the Nanboku-chō period, but fell to Northern Court forces in 1360. It is now largely ruins with little remaining evidence of the original structure.
Text adapted from “Shimo-Akasaka Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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