Yamato-koriyama castle

Yamato-koriyama castle is located in Nara prefecture where is relatively near Osaka city. So, this place was swayed by politics at the central Japan during the Sengoku period. One of the ancient capitals, Nara city was a famous hiding place where opponents of the central government in Kyoto at that time. This circumstance had been continued from 3 hundreds years before at the beginning of the Sengoku period.

At the later part of the Sengoku period, Oda Nobunaga began to control Kyoto city. Then, rural lords in Nara city resisted him, and he had to spend much time to control them. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi became the next ruler after Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi's younger brother, Hidenaga became a new lord of the Yamato-koriyama castle. Hidenaga governed this area and owned a million "Koku" of rice products. (A lord owning million "Koku" of rice products was the strongest except the ruler.)  

He controlled opponent groups in Nara city strictly. Speaking about the Yamato-koriyama castle, the years when Toyotomi Hidenaga governed there were the highest stage of it. After that time, the story of this castle is not so famous and still in a sealed mysterious situation.

Main castle was ruined

According to a study of a local historian, the first lord of this castle, Tsutsui Junkei was loved by dominated people. However, next lord, Toyotomi Hidenaga was not loved. Because, when he renovated this castle widely, he fiercely ordered farmers and priests to deliver a lot of materials for it. To make matters worse, he borrowed authority, or the back-up of the ruler, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. So he seemed to be not accepted by his people.

Birds-eye veiw

After the famous war named the Osaka-no-jin, the Toyotomi family ruined, and this castle was also discontinued. Wooden superstructures of it was relocated to other places, and only stone structures were remained. A little long after the incident, during the Edo period, other lords came to govern this area, and this castle was partly repaired. However, they had only 60 thousands to 150 thousands "Koku"of rice products. Remember the heyday, Toyotomi Hidenaga had owned a million "Koku" of rice products. The new lords couldn't repair enough, for example, they couldn't reconstruct the main tower, that was demolished after the Osaka-nojin war.


Toyotomi Hidenaga's time

Castles of Sengoku lords were made mainly on tall mountains in the middle of their controlling areas. This theory was the mainstream almost during the Sengoku period. Imaging cases battle occured, castles on tall mountains were considered advantageous. Because the invaders couldn't siege the whole area of the castle mountain. Typical examples of these castles are the Odani castle and the Gifu castle which were belonged Azai clan and Oda clan respectively.     

However, theory of constructing castles was changed in the later part of the Sengoku period. One of a turning point was considered the Nagahama castle (in Shiga prefecture)  made by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Because it was constructed beside the Lake Biwa, and the location was mainly chosen for the traffic convenience. And there was no tall mountain in the area of this castle, so, it was quite rare as promises of castles. 
 (When he constructed it, he was a retainer of Oda Nobunaga, and the completion of the castle was during Oda's heyday.)  

He thought that he couldn't start immediate military actions, if he hid in a tall mountain castle. Furthermore, he felt the circumstance changed. Battles against his enemies extended into a wide range district, so he had to move as quickly as possible. And if he chose hiding inside defensive bastions, he would be in disadvantageous situations soon. We think Toyotomi Hideyoshi was the first Sengoku lords who noticed a change of circumstance among the Sengoku lords. Then, he made many cutting edge castles during his life.  

The era when he ruled whole Japan, his main bastion was the Osaka castle. As to the Yamato-koriyama castle, the reason Toyotomi Hidenaga chose this castle was mainly because its location. We mean in fact, the original yamato-kouriyama castle made by Tsutsui Junkei was at only 25 kilometers east of the Osaka castle. So, this castle had a function of an outer fortress of the wide range of the Osaka castle at that time.

Another function of this castle was for an authority against forces of resistance such as armed priests in the Koufuku-ji temple. Because this castle was located in 6 kilometers from the Koufuku-ji temple. Forces of resistance must be afraid of the opponent forces in the castle. The location was quite near.    

t played an active role when the Toyotomi family governed Japan. However, in the next era when Tokugawa Ieyasu governed Japan, its importance was lost. 
At this moment, the Toyotomi family had perished by the Osaka-no-jin war, and the next ruler, Tokugawa Ieyasu didn't use this castle. Because this castle was too close to the Osaka castle. In the situation that the Osaka castle was decided to reconstruct after the war, for the Tokugawa family, there wasn't any importance to reuse this castle. 

In our opinion, defense facilities on the Osaka side were relatively poor against the opposite. Toyotomi Hidenaga planned to make only defense of Nara basin side. Because if the enemy forces of the Tokugawa family attacked this castle, (he believed) his brother's army would come behind this castle immediately. 
So, it's not important to protect Osaka side of the castle. He strongly believed they fought against their enemy together. In the reality, the war happened at the Osaka castle and this castle was not used for the war. It's an only our fancy story, but if it was happened, our fancy story would become true.