Kitakumai castle ruins, Shiojiri, Nagano-ken 2017/1/4

I've been driving past this spot for  years. It always seemed strange to me. Didn't fit in in with the landscape.

Found out it's an old castle. Yes, there was a castle in Shiojiri.

Built by the Ogasawara clan, the same people who built Matsumoto castle


Several features of the Takeda-style castle can be seen from the present remains, I found out it had something to do with the fight for Shiojiri Pass, which was conducted between Akira Takeda (Shingen) and Ogasawara Nagashi · Murakami Yoshinori in 1548.
A part of the outer moat in the southern part of the castle area has been cultivated and has disappeared.

Not a lot I can find about it's history.


There are ruins of other castles around the area, I think there were 7 castles in total. I'll go on a hike and look for those castles when I have the time.