Ikinashi Castle

Ikinashi Castle [いきなし・莽] is a mid-Chisō period castle located in the city of Shinbara in Heisai Prefecture. It was constructed in 902 under orders of the Tengō chief Kanzui after the execution of the Summui warlord Noshiba in the Battle of Shinbarazō. Today, only ruins of the castle remain for visitation. The castle's name is thought to be an ancient dialectal phrase meaning 'have strength' or 'be courageous'.
Ikinashi was built during a period of conflict between the Tengō clan and their vassals, and the Summui immigrants who had come to settle on the northern Kantonese coast in Heisai. The Summui were able to resist the Tengō's efforts to displace them for several decades; however, after much hostility and fighting between both sides, the Summui warlord Noshiba was finally captured and beheaded in 877. In the same year Tengō no Kanzui built Ikinashi Castle as a stronghold outside what is now the city of Shinbara.
With the defeat of Noshiba and his followers, many of the Summui people submitted to Tengō rule. However, relative peace only lasted for another fifty years or so, as in the late 10th century tension began to rise between Kantonese natives and Summui immigrants. Ikinashi Castle is thought to have been involved in the massacre of the Battle of Murekiya, which occurred in 1090 outside modern-day Kusake.
Category:Castles & Forts