Château de Saginomori, Japanese castle in Ehime Prefecture, Japan
Saginomori Castle is a fortress in Ehime Prefecture built on elevated ground with stone foundations and wooden structures forming its main elements. The remains show the traditional layout of a medieval military complex designed with multiple defensive levels.
The fortress was built during the Sengoku period when the region was contested by rival lords seeking control. It served as a strategic stronghold to secure and monitor trade routes passing through western Japan.
The fortress layout follows a traditional defensive design with multiple rings meant to protect against attacks from different directions. Walking through the ruins, you can see how the builders arranged walls and towers to control the surrounding landscape.
The path to the castle follows marked hiking trails that climb through natural terrain to reach the stone walls and remains. Bring proper walking shoes and allow enough time for the ascent, as the route has uneven ground and natural obstacles.
The stone foundations preserve construction methods from the 16th century that are rarely seen elsewhere in Japanese castle archaeology. These remains reveal how builders worked with basic tools to create complex defensive structures without modern equipment.
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