Hachigata Castle, Japanese castle in Yorii, Japan
Hachigata Castle is a ruined Sengoku-period fortress in Yorii, Saitama Prefecture, built on cliffs where the Fukasawa River joins the Arakawa. Its linked enclosures run from the southwestern front—Ōte, outer bailey and Sannomaru—toward the river confluence, followed by Ninomaru, Honmaru and Sasakuruwa. Earthen walls and dry moats remain.
Nagao Kageharu founded the castle in 1476, and it later became a major stronghold for the Hojo clan controlling northern Kanto. The fortress played a key role in defending this strategically important region.
The site displays traditional Japanese fortification methods with multiple baileys arranged to maximize defense against attack. You can still see how the layout was carefully designed to use the landscape for protection.
From Yorii Station the site is about 25 minutes on foot, or take the Eagle Bus toward Washi no Sato and get off at Hachigata Castle History Museum, about 5 minutes away. By car, leave the Kanetsu Expressway at Hanano IC and follow Route 140 about 6 km toward Chichibu and Nagatoro, roughly 15 minutes; free parking is available.
The Edohigan cherry on the grounds was once cut down and regrew as twelve shoots from the base of a two-trunked stump. In 2009 it was about 150 years old, 18 m tall, with a branch spread of 23.5 m east-west and a root circumference of about 6.5 m. Yorii Town named it Ujikuni-zakura in 2018 after the castle's lord Hojo Ujikuni.
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