By YUHEI NAKAHODO/ Staff Writer
February 8, 2024 at 18:30 JST
A stone wall and a moat, foreground, were discovered from the site of 16th-century warlord Akechi Mitsuhide’s castle in Otsu. (Yuhei Nakahodo)
OTSU--A 30-meter-long stone wall and a moat were unearthed at the site of the castle belonging to the 16th-century samurai general who betrayed feudal warlord Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582).
The city government announced the discovery of Akechi Mitsuhide's Sakamoto Castle on Feb. 7. He is believed to have led the coup against Nobunaga, who was on the verge of unifying Japan.
The castle was often dubbed “phantom castle” because there are no visible remnants on the grounds and no pictorial maps. The actual scale remains unknown.
Hitoshi Nakai, professor emeritus of the history of Japanese castles at the University of Shiga Prefecture, said, “It is miracle that a stone wall of this size was unearthed.”
“It is certain that the remains will become the cornerstone of the castle’s restoration,” he said.
Sakamoto Castle was built in 1571. Nobunaga ordered Mitsuhide to construct it as a new stronghold after defeating the warrior monks of the temples of Mount Hieizan.
The castle consisted of a main building jutting out into Lake Biwako, along with secondary and tertiary enclosures on the land side.
Luis Frois, a Portuguese missionary who recorded his impressions of Japan at that time, described the castle’s magnificent splendor as second only to Nobunaga’s Azuchi Castle.
Sakamoto Castle was burned after Mitsuhide’s coup in 1582. He succeeded in pushing Nobunaga into suicide but was suppressed shortly afterward.
The Otsu city government surveyed around 900 square meters of land in October for residential land development.
The examination unearthed the stone wall, measuring 1 meter in height and 30 meters in length.
The wall was stacked using natural stones unshaped by tools. It is said to have originally been about 1.5 meters in height.
The discovered moat was confirmed to be roughly 8 meters in width.
The remnants were found about 300 meters west from the lakeshore of the estimated location of the main building.
The wall is believed to belong to the tertiary enclosure, with the moat serving as its outer defense.
Researchers said the discovery will help estimate the scale of the castle.
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