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Castle Tsuzurao Castle

This article is in the series Walking the Japanese Castles
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Tsuzurao Castle (防己尾城 Tsuzurao-jō) is located on the Western shore of Lake Koyama in modern-day Tottori City.

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It was constructed in 1579 by Yoshioka Sadakatsu (吉岡定勝, 1532-1606), a vassal of the Inaba Yamana clan.

During Oda Nobunaga's campaign in Western Honshū in 1580/81, his general Hashiba Hideyoshi, later known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, besieged Tottori Castle. The castle was originally held by Yamana Toyokuni, but had been handed over to Kikkawa Tsuneie (吉川経家, 1547-1581), a retainer of the Mōri clan. Tsuneie organised the defence of Inaba, but had to surrender 200 days into the siege after the situation of the defenders had turned desperate. Tsuneie comitted suicide to save his garrison. During the siege, Yoshioka Sadakatsu harrassed Hideyoshi with surprise attacks; legend has it in one of the skirmishes Sadakatsu's brother Ukon seized Hideyoshi's umajirushi (馬印), a battle standard carried by horses.

After the fall of Tottori Castle, Tsuzurao Castle was abandonded.

The former castle site is very easy to find. It is situated right next to the parking lot at the Western side of the lake.

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The hill is very small, so it was no challenge to reach its top. There are few remnants of the former enclosures.

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The view of Lake Koyama from the castle; it is a former inlet of the Sea of Japan, but became a closed lagoon after the Koyama sand dunes closed it off from the sea.

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Date of visit: 14 July 2013

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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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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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防己尾城跡

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