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Article Masugata Castle

Hiroto Uehara

Castle Walker
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9 Sep 2016
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Hiroto Uehara submitted a new Article:

Masugata Castle

Masugata Castle (枡形城 Masugata-jō) is located in Tama Ward, Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture.

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The castle was constructed on a hill facing the southern banks of Tama River.

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(This map bases on Tokyo Terrain Map powered by gridscapes.net )

The castle site formed a formidable stronghold, surrounded by steep cliffs about 60 meters above the river.

It was Inage Saburō Shigenari (稲毛三郎重成), son of Oyamada Arishige (小山田有重), who was said to have erected the first fortification on the site in the early days of the Kamakura shogunate. In 1504, the castle saw action when Hōjō Sōun (北條早雲, 1432-1519, also known as Ise Shinkurō, camped there for three days during his campaign against Yamanouchi Akasada of the Uesugi clan. Sōun and Imagawa Ujichika supported the Uesugi branch family of Ōgigayatsu Tomoyoshi and defeated...

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To be honest, I don't have much interest in castles but I had the day off today and decided to visit the area since I'd never been there before. If you live in Tokyo and are hankering for a bit of fresh air, birdsong and greenery, I highly recommend the area.
 
We're living very close to Ikuta Park and have visited Nihon Minka-en as well as the Okamoto Museum many times, but never knew about the castle. Thanks Uehara-san! :)
 
We finally made it to Masugata Castle in GW, but for those interested in castle ruins there isn't much to see.

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Artifacts found in situ

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Path leading up to the former donjon

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Splendid view over Tokyo: Ikebukuro with the Sunshine 60 building on the left, Shinjuku in the centre, and Tokyo Skytree

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The visitor platform on the grounds of the former donjon

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