Saitama » Kumagaya, Fukaya, Gyoda
It is said that around 1478, local father and son Narita Masato and Akiyasu destroyed the Oshi clan and built Oshijo Castle. At first, the castle belonged to the Ougitani Uesugi family, but they reconciled the following year and the Narita clan took possession of the castle. As the Hojo clan grew in power in the Kanto region, the Narita clan rebelled against them.
In 1559, when Kenshin Uesugi made an expedition to the Kanto region, the Narita clan was revered. However, during the attack on Odawara Castle in 1561, Nagayasu Narita, the lord of the castle at that time, participated in the battle. However, he later defected, and in 1574, Uesugi Kenshin laid siege to Oshijo Castle and burned it to the ground, but the castle held out.
In 1590, when Hideyoshi Toyotomi pacified the Kanto region, the lord of the castle, Ujinaga Narita, was confined to Odawara Castle. The Oshijo Castle was occupied by 3,000 people, including about 500 samurai, foot soldiers, farmers, and townspeople, with Narita Yasunori as the castle’s representative. The attack on Oshijo Castle by the Toyotomi forces was led by Ishida Mitsunari, who built the Ishida Tsutsumi for a water attack. However, Oshijo Castle did not fall, and eventually Odawara Castle fell and Oshijo Castle was opened. This gave the castle its other name, “Oshino Floating Castle.
In the Edo period (1603-1867), Matsudaira Tadayoshi, the fourth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, was assigned to Oshijo Castle, which became the seat of government for the Oshi clan. The castle was expanded and improved after the entry of Abe Tadaaki, an old government official, in 1639, and was completed around 1702.
After the Meiji period, Oshijo Castle was abandoned and most of the structures were removed. The ruins of the castle were developed into a park, and the Gyoda City Folk Museum was built on the ruins of the main citadel. Some of the structures of Oshijo were moved, and the Kitaya-mon Gate is located at Soganji Temple in Kazo City, and the Koraimon-style gate still exists by the parking lot of the local museum. Part of the Honmaru earthen mound also remains.
In 2017, Oshijo Castle was selected as one of the 100 best castles in Japan. Oshijo Castle was a flat castle that utilized marshland, and was built without reclaiming the swamp, with an independent island as a ring and a bridge across it. Today, it is maintained as Suijo Park, and remnants of the swamp from that time can still be seen.
9:00 - 16:30
Mondays (Open if Monday is a holiday or national holiday)
The day following a national holiday (open on Saturdays and Sundays)
The 4th Friday of every month (Open when special exhibitions are being held)
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
Admission to the Gyoda Folk Museum
General admission 200 yen
University and high school students: 100 yen
Junior high school and elementary school students 50 yen
From Gyoda Station (East Exit) of JR Takasaki Line
Take the city circulation bus (westbound) and get off at “Oshijo Ruins, Local Museum Mae” bus stop.
Take the city circulation bus west course (going left) and get off at “Gyoda City Bus Terminal” (5 min. walk).
City Loop Bus Sightseeing Bus Course: Approx. 5 minutes walk from Gyoda City Bus Terminal.
From Fukiage Station (North Exit) of JR Takasaki Line
From Fukiage Station (North Exit) on the JR Takasaki Line, take the Asahi Bus (via Maeya) to Gyoda Turnaround Area, Gyoda City Station, or General Education Center, and get off at “Oshijo” bus stop.
From Fukiage Station (North Exit) on the JR Takasaki Line, take the Asahi Bus (via Sama) to Gyoda Turnaround Area, Gyoda-shi Station, or Sogo Kyoiku Center, get off at Shinmachi 1-chome, and walk west for about 10 minutes.
15 minutes on foot from Gyoda-shi Station (South Exit) on the Chichibu Railway Line.