Niitakayama Castle Ruins

This mountain castle was the base of the Kobayakawa clan throughout the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. The mountaintop, 190m above sea level, is vast, and the remains of the Honmaru, Kitanomaru, Taikonomaru, and Senjojiki, as well as the stone wall with a dog-passing gate that served as the back gate, still retain their original appearance. Motonari Mori's third son, Takakage Kobayakawa, became the lord of Takehara Kobayakawa Castle at the age of 12. He later inherited Numata Kobayakawa and unified the two Kobayakawa clans. A year later, he renovated the fort on the opposite bank of the Numata River, which had been used as a secondary base, and built "Niitakayama Castle," which he used as his base for about 45 years. Traces of the Honmaru, Tsurii-no-dan, guardhouse, Kane-no-dan, Higashi-no-maru, and other structures, which are still filled with water, remain to this day. Both the remains of Niitakayama Castle and Takayama Castle are designated as national historic sites.