Moshiriya Chashi, Ainu fortification site in Kushiro, Japan
Moshiriya Chashi is an elevated fortification site built on a hilltop with defensive walls and earthen structures near Kushiro. The layout spreads across the high ground, creating natural advantages for monitoring the surrounding landscape.
The fortification was established in the mid-1700s by Ainu leader Tomikara Aino as a defensive stronghold. It played a key role in protecting the community during a period of regional tensions.
The site displays remnants of how the Ainu lived, worked, and traded with visiting merchants over centuries. Walking through the grounds gives you a sense of a community that once thrived here.
You can walk through the site using marked trails that lead you across the fortification grounds. Informational signs placed throughout explain what you are seeing and why it matters.
This fortification is one of eleven protected Ainu defense sites designated throughout the Kushiro area. Together, these locations form a network of places that reveal the layered history of the region.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
