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Castle Setagaya Castle

This article is in the series Walking the Japanese Castles
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Once upon a time, right in the centre of Tōkyō's Setagaya Ward near the present-day ward office, there was a small fortress called Setagaya Castle (世田谷城).

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The ancient castle was located on the tip of a tongue-shaped plateau that stretched south from the hills between Gōtōkuji (豪徳寺駅) and Kyōdō (経堂駅) stations on Odakyu Line, surrounded by Karasuyama River (now a duct).

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This map is based on the Tokyo Terrain Map by Gridscapes.net.

Nowadays, the former inner bailey (本丸 honmaru) is located on the grounds of the adjacent Gōtōkuji temple, and the south-eastern enclosure of the castle became part of the Setagaya Castle Site Park.

On that day, I took a ride on one of Tōkyū Setagaya Line's petite green cars from Sangenjaya to Kamimachi, and then I walked 5 minutes to the park.

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Although the former castle grounds are small in size, several well-maintained enclosures, earthworks and dried moats remain in the park.

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In 1366, Ashikaga Motouji bestowed the Setagaya lands on the Kira clan (吉良氏), a cadet branch of the Ashikaga. Kira Haruie constructed a fortification between 1394 and 1424; in the mid-15th century, Kira Naritaka expanded it into a small castle. The Kira were allies of Ōta Dōkan, the founder of Edo, and the Hōjō clan.

In 1590, the Hōjō were defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the siege of Odawara, and Setagaya Castle was abandoned. After that, the Kira disappeared from the annals of history.* It is said that the stones of Setagaya Castle were later used in the construction of Edo Castle.

After visiting the castle ruins, I walked to the nearby Gōtōkuji temple.

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Some remaining earthworks in the residential area between the park and Gōtōkuji temple.

The Kira residence was situated in the current temple compound. Gōtōkuji temple, formally known as Kōtōku-in, was installed within the bounds of Setagaya Castle by the Kira.

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In the Edo Period (1600-1868) the Hikone domain established its official residence in Setagaya. The lords of Hikone, the Ii clan, made Gōtōkuji their ancestral temple. Over 300 members - Lord Ii Naosuke among them - of the Ii are buried there. Gōtōkuji is also well-known for its maneki-neko (beckoning cats). There are some stories surrounding the maneki-neko and the role of Gōtōkuji temple.

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Date of visit: 18 May 2013

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* The Mikawa-Kira, with Kira Kozukenosuke of Forty-Seven Ronin fame, were a different branch.

Access Information

  • Address: 2 Chome-14-39 Gotokuji, Setagaya City, Tokyo 154-0021
  • Transportation: 5 minutes from Tokyu Setagaya line Kamimachi Station(SG06) on foot
  • Other sights: Gotokuji Temple
Next article in the series 'Walking the Japanese Castles': Konodai Castle
Previous article in the series 'Walking the Japanese Castles': Inohana Castle
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Hiroto Uehara
Hiroto is an ordinary Japanese office worker, but his true mission is searching for castles on the weekend.

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Thank you for sharing this! It's quite surprising how many ancient castle sites can be found in modern Tokyo. Combined with Gotofuji, this seems to be an interesting sightseeing spot. (y)

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Series table of contents

Iwatsuki Castle Shakujii Castle Oda Castle Tsuchiura Castle Miharu Castle Inohana Castle Setagaya Castle Konodai Castle Usui Castle Sakura Castle Kozukue Castle Masugata Castle Koga Castle Tenjinyama Castle Ogura Castle Sugaya Castle Sugiyama Castle Kogane Castle Kokokuji Castle Nagahama Castle (Izu) Nirayama Castle Hachigata Castle Futagamiyama Castle Edo Castle Kawahara Castle Kageishi Castle Wakasa-Onigajo Castle Tenjinyama Castle (Tottori) Tsuzurao Castle Ueshi Castle Jindaiji Castle Kururi Castle Mariyatsu Castle Narukami Castle Ryozen Castle Kori-Nishiyama Castle Tsutsujigasaki Residence Yogai Castle Kofu Castle Iwadono Castle Hachioji Castle Takiyama Castle Suemori Castle Nagoya Castle Inuyama Castle Kiyosu Castle Tatebayashi Castle Sano Castle Karasawayama Castle Ueda Castle Sanada Residence Sanada Honjo Toishi Castle Katsurao Castle Uchiyama Castle Hiraga Clan Castle Taguchi Castle Tatsuoka Castle Komoro Castle Matsushiro Castle Kajiki Castle Kakuto Castle Hitoyoshi Castle Ichiuji Castle Izaku Castle Chiran Castle Kiyoshiki Castle Kamo Castle Miyakono Castle Obi Castle Shibushi Castle Koyama Castle Mukasa Castle Sadowara Castle Tonokoori Castle Taka Castle Nerima Castle Kawagoe Castle Ashikaga Residence Koizumi Castle Kanayama Castle Shinagawa Battery (Odaiba) Tamba Kameyama Castle Yagi Castle Sonobe Castle Fushimi Castle Yodo Castle Shoryuji Castle Yamazaki Castle Tsukui Castle Katakura Castle Hirayama Castle Site Park Yamanaka Castle Sanuki Castle Sunpu Castle Koyama Castle (Shizuoka) Ryugenzan Castle Sagara Castle Tanaka Castle (Shizuoka) Ishiwaki Castle Hanazawa Castle Mochifune Castle Moriyama Castle (Aichi) Obata Castle (Aichi) Ryusenji Castle Gakuden Castle Komakiyama Castle Iwakura Castle (Aichi) Kano Castle Gifu Castle Kitagata Castle Sone Castle Ōgaki Castle Ōtaki Castle Obata Castle (Ibaraki) Mito Castle Kasama Castle Tanagura Castle Akadate Castle Inawashiro Castle Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle Mukai-Haguroyama Castle

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Hiroto Uehara
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