History/Culture

Yamanaka Castle Ruins Park

The park has the beautiful Shoji Moat as well as the mountain castle ruins which face the grand Mt. Fuji.

Yamanaka Castle was built at the end of the Sengoku Period in the 1560s by the Gohojo Clan who had their main castle in Odawara.
In 1590 the Gohojo Clan, who was now on bad terms with Toyotomi Hideyoshi, got ready to attack Hideyoshi’s Odawara. They started adding to castle, quickly preparing the moats and taisaki demaru.

However, on March 29, 1590 the castle with its still incomplete additions was attacked by 40,000 soldiers from Toyotomi’s army.
The Gohojo Clan only had an army of 4000 so fighting was of no use, and it is said that the castle fell before the army and guns in only half a day. It is a precious mountain castle from the Middle Ages.

The graves of the castle commander Matsuda Yasunaga, vice castle commander Mamiya Yasutoshi, and Hitotsuyanagi Naosue who was on the side of the Toyotomi etc. are located within the Sokanji Temple grounds in San No Maru.

The structural remains of this 400 year-old castle which is made out of earth instead of stone is very rare.
There are remaining moats and earthwork. This impressive mountain castle has Kuruwa (walls of a castle) that are constructed in such a way so as to divide the ridge, and the bridges make use of the unique Mt. Hakone landscape. In 1934 the castle was designated a national historical site. In 2006 it was chosen as one of Japan’s famous 100 castles due to its history and technological aspects.