Stonewalling

FIELDSTONE METHODNatural fieldstones of various
sizes are piled up to create awall with a mostly straightslope. This technique wasoften used during theSengoku period (also known
as the Warring States period;1467–1568), a time of
constantly shifting alliancesand rivalries among local
warlord-led families.
Although the stonework may
seem unsophisticated, thesetypes of stone walls are very
durable. Good examples ofthis method can be seen at
Watagura Gate andGenkanguchimon Gate.

Horse-Washing
Boulder

B Kirikomi

D Tanizumi

Smooth-faced
stone wall made byfinely dressing(kirikomi) thestones with a chisel.
This creates aneatly fitted stone
wall without gaps.
This technique wascommon during themid-Edo period;
the Oyagura Tower
and the main keep
provide good
examples.

Roughly dressed facing stones
are set diagonally, creating
V-shaped lines. The next row
of stones are set into these Vs.
This was a popular techniquethat was also used in road
construction until the Showaera (1926–1989). These types
of walls can be seen near thefoot soldier headquarters andalong the path to theninomaru (second enclosure).

DIAGONALLY STACKED
STONE WALLSFINELY DRESSEDSTONE WALLSA Nozura-zumi

8techniques used throughout the castle's history

C Uchikomi
ROUGHLY DRESSEDSTONE WALLS

Filling in the gaps
between roughly
dressed larger stones
with smaller ones. Thesewalls have a curvilinear
upward slope, gradually
growing steeper near thetop. Examples can beseen at Kitamon Gate
and Oyagura Tower.

Majestic
view fromthe Main
Keep

(The Uma Arai Iwa)
According to castle legend, afteran enemy attacked and cut off thewater supply, a horse was led atopthis rock (about 45 meters incircumference) and washed withrice to deceive the enemy into
believing that the occupants of thecastle still had plenty of water.

7 The Main Keep

The main keep of the castle was built on a series of
support pillars directly atop two colossal boulders
at the mountain’s summit. Its original dimensions were
9 meters wide by 11 meters long. The keep was
designed to appear on the outside as three-stories
high to deceive enemies. On the inside, however,
the true dimensions of the bottom two levels madethem too small to be occupied.

NAEGI
CASTLERUINSA Journey
throughHardships& Warlord
Rivalry

One ofthe GreatinCastles

Walking
Route toNakatsugawa
StationJAPAN741CCC

58B
A

B

5A

C

A three-story watchtower wasbuilt here in the mid-seventeenthcentury. It was the largest
watchtower in the castle
complex. The stone walls
enclosing the first floor, which
was mainly used for storage,
remain standing. Loopholes inthe walls were used in defense of
the north side of the castle.

3

Site of theWeapons
Storehouse

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B2

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OyaguraTower

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2

Site ofFoot Soldier
Headquarters

There were several buildings at the base of themountain where foot soldiers would stop to reportfor duty before entering the castle. Foot soldiers
were the lowest-ranking samurai and typicallyfought on the front lines during battles. The
original buildings included a captain’s office andfacilities for training.

This storehouse wasprimarily used to store
guns and bows. Mostof the foundation andedging stones underthe eaves remain as
they once were.

3Site of theSecond Enclosure
The Ninomaru Enclosure (secondarycircle of defense) was the location of theToyama family residence and had rooms
for retainers to assemble in.

6Access InfoNaegi
Bus Stop

Site of theKasagiyagura
Tower

A three-story watchtower stood on thissite on the west side of the honmaru(main enclosure). Note that thestructure would have been built on topof a group of huge boulders. It
commands a fine view of Mt. Kasagi
to the west.

4SENGOKU
WELL

Despite its high elevation on themountain near the main keep, thiswell is known as never having gonedry, even in the worst drought. Its
name, “One Thousand Stones,”derives from the reputation it has
held as a well that could provide
water for “a thousand” (that is,“many”) people. Clean water canstill be drawn from the well today.

WES

257

A1

A3

Naegi P
CastleBus Stop
HospitalPP

Naegi Toyama Historical Museum

P A2

PB3

Site of theN

B1・B2

Naegi
Castle Ruins
Kiso River

Shiroyama
Ohashi Bridge

Gyokuzon
Ohashi Bridge

Nakatsugawa
StationR19

Nakatsugawa City
Tourist Information CenterChuo Expressway

From Nakatsugawa Station to Naegi Castle Ruins
With KITAENA BUS
to Naegi Bus Stop - Then by foot(1.5km/30min)

to Naegi Castle Bus Stop - Then by foot(800m/15min)

The route to Naegi Castle Bus Stop is only available for a limited time.

From Nakatsugawa Station by Foot(3.5km/60min)

このパンフレットは岐阜県からの補助金を受けています。

NAEGICASTLE
SITE

A model of what
Naegi Castle could
have looked likecan be seen at
Naegi Toyama
Historical Museum

Naegi Castle was built in 1526 by Toyama

Masatoshi (dates unknown), whose family had served as
local administrators of shogunal estates since thefourteenth century (Kamakura period). The sixteenth
century was a time of fierce rivalries among thepowerful warlords of the surrounding region, and Mt.
Takamori, with its steep, rocky terrain, made the Toyama
fortress highly defensible.
The Toyama formed relations by marriage with
the Oda family of Owari province to the south as wellas with the powerful Takeda family of Kai province to theeast. From their seat at Naegi castle, they managed tomaintain their family line through the tumultuoussixteenth century and, after a brief interim, on into thesubsequent Edo period (1603–1867). The castle wasoccupied by the Toyama family for 270 years until
1871. The newly established Meiji government, whichembarked on a policy of rapid modernization from 1868
onward, viewed castles as symbols of the past. Naegi
Castle was one of the many castles abandoned anddismantled at that time.
The castle site is located on the north bank of
the Kiso River. In the past, the river acted as a partial
moat, affording defenders yet another level of protection.
In addition to the surviving stone retaining walls, thecastle once had gates, watchtowers, enclosures, andthe main keep at the top. Today, the supports of theCastle Observation Tower are based in post holes in therock made to construct the original main keep
overlooking the Nakatsugawa area.
In 1981, the castle was designated a National
Historic Site, and in 2017, it was recognized by the Japan
Castle Foundation as one of the great castles of Japan.

Naegi Castle
History & The
Toyama Family
Naegi Castle was the stronghold of the Toyama family until Naegi
domain (part of present-day southern Gifu Prefecture) was abolished in
the aftermath of the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The original surname of
the family was Kato, and they traced their line back to Kato Kagekado(1156–1221), a retainer of Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199), founder ofthe Kamakura shogunate. In 1195, the family changed their surname
to Toyama in honor of Mt. Ena, a towering 2,191-meter peak to thesouth of Nakatsugawa City. At the time, the peak was called
Toyama, meaning “distant mountain.” In 1526, the family chose Mt.
Takamori as their castle site, the better to control the Kiso and Hida areasat a pivotal location on the Kiso River and the Nakasendo highway, as well
as expand their influence in eastern Mino Province.

Surviving in a time of war
In 1526, Toyama Masatoshi established Naegi Castle as the administrative
center of Naegi domain. Close ties between the Oda and Toyama
families meant that Naegi Castle was considered an important
defense against the rival Takeda family of Kai Province (present-day
Yamanashi Prefecture).
Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) was the first of “three unifiers” whobrought about the end of the Sengoku (Warring States) period(1467–1568). After Nobunaga was killed at Honnoji Temple in Kyoto by atrusted general, Akechi Mitsuhide (1528–1582), Toyotomi Hideyoshi(1537–1598) began jockeying to succeed Nobunaga as unifier of therealm. The Toyama family, which did not swear allegiance toHideyoshi, were forced to flee their castle by Hideyoshi’s general,Mori Nagayoshi (1558–1584).
The Mori family made Kawajiri Hidenaga their castellan and theToyama family fled, allying themselves with Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616)
in Owari Province. Ieyasu would eventually challenge Hideyoshi and hisallies in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and complete the unification of
the country. Just before that, Ieyasu sent Toyama Tomomasa, the head

The City ofNakatsugawa
Nakatsugawa flourished as amerchant town during the Edo
period (1603–1867). Much ofits traditional culture has beenpreserved, including one of its
post stations along theNakasendo highway and a
ji-kabuki playhouse called
Kashimo Meijiza Theater.
Today, Naegi Castle and theNaegi Toyama MemorialMuseum are Nakatsugawa’s
top tourist attractions alongwith the post station area called
Nakatsugawa-juku.
Nakatsugawa-juku is a short
10-minute walk from JR
Nakatsugawa Station. It was acheckpoint on the Nakasendo
highway that connected Edo(modern-day Tokyo) to Kyoto
during the Edo period. Most
traces of the old highway have

Nakatsugawa-juku

been lost, but a section of theoriginal road has beenpreserved in this historic district.
The road is lined with sakeshops, confectionery stores,
and restaurants housed in
traditional wooden buildings.
Nakatsugawa also houses theNakasendo HistoricalMuseum, which displaysartifacts from the town’s richhistory. The museum’s exhibits
include documents,
wood-block prints, paintings,
and other materials concerning
the Nakasendo.
A popular scenic attraction
can be found in Tsukechi Gorge.
Waterfalls and clear streams
flow through its rugged androcky terrain and lush foliage
fills the valley with color fromspring through late autumn.

Naegi Toyama
Historical Museum
The museum’s galleries display a wealth of artifacts from Naegi
domain. The exhibits trace the domain’s history from the Sengoku(Warring States) period (1467–1568) to the Edo period(1603–1867) with particular emphasis on the Toyama family andthe 12 successive lords of the domain.
Opening Hours:
Tuesday-Sunday 9:30-17:00 (Last entry 16:30)
Closed:Mondays (except on national holidays falling on Mondays, when
it closes the following day) and Year-end New Years holidays
Admission Fee:¥330 (free for children under 16)

Tsukechi Gorgeof the family, to retake Naegi Castle and the former Toyama territory.
Castellan Kawajiri was killed at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, and after
Ieyasu emerged victorious, Naegi Castle and the domain were awarded toTomomasa. Thereafter, twelve generations of the Toyama family ruled
Naegi domain until the change of regimes led to their removal frompower in 1871.

Ruling in a time of peace
In the peaceful Edo period, many mountaintop castles were abandonedin favor of more accessible castles on plains. The Toyama family
resisted this temptation to move and kept the castle their family
had built over generations. During the Edo period (1603–1867),
Nakatsugawa was a major transportation hub. It was next to the Kiso
River and was the 45th post station on the Nakasendo, one of five mainhighways that connected Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Kyoto. The
domain was strategically important, as it controlled both the land
and river routes between Owari and Mino Province.
Naegi was one of the smallest domain to have a castle and was valued ata relatively modest 10,000 koku (approx. 50,000 bushels) of riceproduced annually. Koku was a unit for measuring rice and was used todetermine land value for taxation under the Tokugawa shogunate. Onekoku (roughly equivalent to five bushels of rice) was theoretically enoughrice to feed one person for a year.

The end of an era
As one of the poorest domains, Naegi faced a difficult financial situationand struggled to grow enough rice to support itself. When the castle wasdismantled in 1871, the timber and other items of value wereauctioned to help pay off the domain’s accumulated debts.

Scenic Views from Naegi Castle Site
CastleObservation Tower
The view south from theobservation tower includes thecity of Nakatsugawa, the Kiso
River, traces of the historic
Nakasendo highway, and Mt. Ena,which was named one of the 100
most famous mountains of Japan.
Kasagiyagura
Tower
This site where a watchtower
once stood commands a view ofMt. Kasagi (1,128 m)
Monomiyagura
Tower
This tower, which once stood on
the cliff facing the Kiso River,commands a panorama of themountains around Nakatsugawa
as well as the majestic Shiroyama
Ohashi Bridge, completed in
1984, which crosses the Kiso river
just west of the castle.

Sengoku
Well
The well is at the bottom of thepath leading to the Castle
Observation Tower. From thisspot, the Oyagura Tower, which isespecially impressive in autumn
when surrounded by autumn
foliage, can be seen to the west.
The path continues to the right,
up to the site of the main keep(honmaru).
Foot soldierHeadquarters
One of the most popular places
to view the castle is the footsoldier headquarters at the baseof the fortress. From there,
visitors get an exceptional view ofthe mountain’s summit where themain keep once stood, with Mt.
Ena in the background.