Kaminoyama Castle

YAMAGATA CULTURE

Kaminoyama Castle was the southernmost stronghold of the Mogami clan, feudal lords (daimyo) during the Warring States period, and was the scene of the clan’s battles with Yonezawa's Date clan and Uesugi clan. After the rank of the Mogami household changed, the castle was used as a residence by successive local lords. However, the various facilities, including the castle town, were prepared under the governance of the Toki clan, and the magnificent fortress that towered over Tenjin-mori, Tsukioka, became widely known as “the fine castle of Ushu.” However, accompanying the Toki clan’s forced relocation in 1692, the castle was demolished by the Shogunate, and now the traces of the moat and the stone walls are the only remaining vestiges of that time.