Kuroi-jō was a Sengoku period Japanese castle located in what is now the Kasuga-cho neighborhood of the city of Tamba Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.
History
Kuroi Castle is located on a 350-meter mountain at the middle of Hikami basin, protected on three sides by rivers. the valley is a cul-de-sac to the northwest of the Sasayama basin, which contained
Sasayama Castle. Spreading across three ridges of the mountain, the castle was one of the largest in
Tanba Province, along with
Yakami Castle and
Yagi Castle. A fortification was originally built in this location in the early
Muromachi period by the Akamatsu clan, who ruled the area for around 120 years. It then came into the hands of the Ogino clan, a cadet branch of the
Akai clan, who in turn were a cadet branch of the
Inoue clan, originally from
Shinano Province. Originally a minor clan, in the Sengoku period, as the power of the
Hosokawa clan, the
shugo of Tajima province and the Naito clan, the deputy
shugo both waned due to internal conflicts and the aftermaths of the
Onin War, the Akai clan expanded rapidly under its aggressive new chieftain,
Akai Naomasa. Known as the "Red Demon" of Tanba, Akai Naomasa seized Kuroi Castle in 1554 by killing his grand-uncle, and over the next ten years expanded his holdings through marriage alliances, open warfare and stratagem to control the western half of the province. Using Kuroi Castle as his stronghold, he substantially expanded on its defenses. In 1570, Akai Naomasa dove back an invasion from the
Yamana clan,
shugo of
Tajima Province, and in his counterattack invaded Tajima and seized
Takeda Castle and Konosumiyama Castle. The Yamane clan had pledge fealty to
Oda Nobunaga, and these events made Nobunaga wary of the aggressiveness of the Akai clan. However, Nobunaga was tied down in conflict with the
Takeda clan of
Kai Province and it was not until his victory at the Battle of Nagashino in 1575 that he was able to turn his attention toTanba Province. Nobunaga ordered his general,
Akechi Mitsuhide to take control of the province. Mitsuhide attempted diplomacy and won over a number of the smaller local lords to his side; however, the Akai were adamant in their opposition, and Mitsuhide was forced to lay siege to Kuroi Castle for two months in the winter of 1575. In the early spring of 1576, Mitsuhide's forces were attacked from behind by
Hatano Hideharu and he was forced to retreat back to
Sakamoto Castle. Mitsuhide rebuilt his army and attacked Tanba again from March 1578, this time securing his rear by building Kinzan Castle between Kuni Castle and the Hatano stronghold of Yagami Castle to prevent a repeat of the previous campaign. Akai Naomasa died of illness soon after the start of the campaign, and with his death, the anti-Nobunaga alliance of minor lords in Tanba started to collapse.Yagami Castle fell in June 1579, and the isolated Kuroi Castle fell in August.
Mitsuhide placed his general Saitō Toshimitsu in charge of Kuroi Castle, and as the area as still threatened by Tajima Province, he had the defenses modernized with stone walls and extended.
After Saitō Toshimitsu's death,Hideyoshi entrusted the castle to Horio Yoshiharu, but in 1583 he was transferred to Wakasa Province and Kuroi Castle was abandoned and allowed to fall into ruin.
All that remains of Kuroi Castle today and some fragmentary stone walls and earthworks. The entrance to the site is a 15-minute walk from Kuroi Station on the JR West Fukuchiyama Line and another 45 minute walk from entrance to the hilltop.
Kuroi Castle was listed as one of the Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles in 2017.
==Gallery==
See also
-
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Hyōgo)
Literature
