(Translated by Google) Iwatsuki Castle Ruins is located in Iwatsuki Ward, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture. The visit included fishing, ramen, and a tour of historical sites.
The exact year Iwatsuki Castle was built is unknown, but there are various theories.
First, the original owner of the castle is unknown, and the castle was built before the middle of the Kamakura period. The name ``Iwatsuki Castle'' can already be seen in this area in an old document dated 1246 from the middle of the Kamakura period. Therefore, it is said to be at least before 1246.
Another theory is that the castle was built in the mid-15th century (mid-1400s), as stated on the instruction signboard in the castle ruins park.
①The theory is that the castle was built in 1457 by the father and son of Ogigatani Uesugi Mochitomo and his senior retainers Ota Sukekiyo (Michizane) and Ota Dokan.
②Furthermore, there is a theory that the castle was built in 1478 by Motonaka Narita (Masashi Narita), the father of Narita Kenhata, the lord of Oshi Castle.
(*The Narita clan and the Ota clan actually lived at Iwatsuki Castle for a time.)
There are various historical theories...it's fun to imagine all sorts of things.
I'm wondering if the first castle was built by one of the local powerful clans who were the vassals of the Kamakura period? I guess. This is just a personal guess.
And were the Narita and Ota clans renovators of castles in later times? I think so. but…
However, I believe that both the Narita and Ota clans were retainers of the Kamakura shogunate during the Kamakura period, or perhaps one of these two clans was the first to build Iwatsuki Castle before the middle of the Kamakura period. That's also possible. I don't know...
(*In particular, the Narita clan, under Minamoto no Yoritomo, went to the front to subjugate the Fujiwara clan in Oshu as a retainer, and as a reward they received the area of present-day Kazuno City to Hirosaki City in Mutsu Province as their fiefdom, and their second and third son's lineage There is also a history in the Kamakura period when the lineage migrated and settled there, and it was divided into two parts, the Honkan area in the northern part of Musashi Province, which also included the Iwatsuki area, so the Narita clan has long had ties to this area.)
In the castle ruins park, remains such as the black gate, back gate, earthworks, and dry moat remain. It was a relatively simple plain castle ruin.
However, I have attached a map of the castle's territory from the past, and you can see that this castle ruins park is just a small part of the castle's territory. The Honmaru, Ninomaru, and Sannomaru areas that existed on the north side have become residential areas.
Oh, and as I wrote earlier, the Narita clan, who lived in the castle from the end of the Muromachi period to the Sengoku period, served Minamoto no Yoritomo and the regent, the Hojo clan of Kamakura, as retainers of the Kamakura shogunate, as I wrote earlier, and then had the Koga Kubo Ashikaga clan and the Shogun Ashikaga clan as their lords, and after that, the Gohojo clan as their lords, and I think they owned Oshi Castle and Iwatsuki Castle. During Toyotomi Hideyoshi's attack on Hojo, he fought as a member of the Gohojo clan. The Narita clan's Oshi castle was the only one that did not fall during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's attack on Hojo. wonderful.
Incidentally, the Gohojo clan itself resided at Iwatsuki Castle for a time, and the waffle-shaped shoji moat, which was a specialty of the Gohojo clan, was also discovered during excavations.
Also, from the territory map, you can see that this area was once a vast natural stronghold surrounded by wetlands like a castle. You can imagine what it looked like in the past in your head.
Please come and visit us. It's not bad.
(Original)
埼玉県さいたま市は岩槻区に有ります「岩槻城跡」です。釣り、ラーメン、史跡見学という流れで訪問です。
こちら岩槻城の築城年は正確には不明ですが諸説有る様です。
まず最初の築城主が不明な説で、築城年は鎌倉時代中期以前説。鎌倉時代中期の1246年の古文書に、既にこの地に「岩付城」の名が見えるとの事。なので少なくとも1246年以前という説。
あとは城跡公園内の説明書看板に有る15世紀中頃(1400年代中頃)に築城された説。
①長禄元年(1457年)に扇ヶ谷•上杉持朝とその重臣•大田資清(道真)と大田道灌の親子が築城した説。
②さらに、文明十年(1478年)に忍城主の成田顕秦の父•成田資員(成田正等)が築城した説。
(*成田氏、大田氏はそれぞれ実際岩槻城に一時期在城しています)
歴史の諸説有りは…色々想像出来て楽しいですねぇ。
僕は最初の説の鎌倉時代の御家人だった在地豪族のいづれかが築城したのが最初の築城では?と推測します。あくまで個人的な推測です。
そして成田氏や大田氏は後の時代の在城改修者では?と考えます。が…
ただ…確か成田氏も大田氏も鎌倉時代には鎌倉幕府御家人だったと思うので、あるいは…この二氏のいづれかが鎌倉時代の中期以前に最初に岩付城を築城したかもしれませんね。それも考えられます。分かりませんが…。
(*特に成田氏は源頼朝の元、御家人として奥州藤原氏討伐に出陣し手柄をたて、そして恩賞として陸奥国の現•鹿角市~弘前市辺りを領地として貰い、二男三男の庶流系統がそちらに移住•土着し、岩槻辺りも含む武蔵国北部の本貫地と二つに分かれてたと言う鎌倉時代の歴史も有りますので、成田氏は古くからこの辺りに縁が有ります)
城跡公園内には黒門や裏門、そして土塁や空堀などの遺構が残ります。比較的にシンプルな感じの平地の城跡でした。
ただ…往時の城の縄張り図を添付しておきますが、この城跡公園は城縄張り内の、ほんの端っこの一部なのが分かります。北側に存在した本丸、二の丸、三の丸などは住宅街になってしまっています。
あ〜あと実際に室町末期~戦国期に在城した成田氏は先にも書いた様に鎌倉幕府御家人として源頼朝や執権•鎌倉北条氏に仕えた後、古河公方足利氏や将軍家足利氏を主君とし、更にその後は後北条氏を主君とし忍城や岩槻城を領有したと思います。豊臣秀吉の北条攻めでは後北条氏方として戦っていますね。豊臣秀吉の北条攻めで唯一落城しなかったのが成田氏の忍城です。素晴らしい。
因みに後北条氏自体も一時期は岩槻城に在城していましたので、後北条氏お得意のワッフル状の障子堀も発掘調査で発見されています。
また縄張り図からは、この辺りも昔は忍城の様に湿地に囲まれた広大な自然の要害だったのが見て取れますね。頭の中で往時の姿の想像が膨らみますよ。
皆さんも是非にブラリと訪れてみて下さい。悪く無いです。