■ Kinojo Castle
Last time, I ran out of time and had to give up halfway. This time, I got my revenge and finally "conquered" the castle. Walking around it in person really gives you a sense of the castle's scale and unique features.
Kinojo Castle is an ancient mountain castle built on Mount Kinojo, which is about 397m above sea level, and is believed to have been built in the late 7th century. The castle walls, which extend for about 2.8km around the mountain, and the structure, which combines earthworks and stone walls, is truly impressive. While many ancient mountain castles are unfinished, this is a rare example of a "completed mountain castle."
Furthermore, this area is also known as the setting for the legend of Ura, making it a place where you can feel not only history but also romance. Located at a strategic point on the Seto Inland Sea shipping route, seeing the views from the various gates and observation points makes it easy to understand why ships were monitored from here.
The views from each gate are especially magnificent, offering a grand panorama that stretches across the Soja Plain, the Okayama Plain, and even the Seto Inland Sea beyond. You can truly feel that it functioned not only as a defensive stronghold but also as a key lookout point.
With its various legends and history, and its overwhelming scale, this castle's true value can only be appreciated by actually walking around it. It's definitely a castle worth visiting.
The Onijo Castle ruins are located in Okusaka Kuroo, Soja City, Okayama Prefecture. This is an ancient mountain castle of the Kogoishi type, built on Onijo Mountain (approximately 400m) in the northern part of Soja City!? It is not mentioned in the Nihon Shoki or other texts, but it is believed to have been built around the latter half of the 7th century!? The prevailing theory is that it was built by the Yamato court!? It is now a nationally designated historic site and is also one of Japan's 100 Famous Castles! I had visited once before, but I came back to get the stamp for the 100 Famous Castles! Since it was a holiday, I got the stamp at the Soja City Buried Cultural Properties Learning Center in Soja city center, but I wanted to see it again, so I came back! You can also get the stamp at the Onijo Mountain Visitor Center! One of the highlights is the magnificent view of Soja city from the West Gate, which is located on a sheer cliff!
The visitor center has a pamphlet (200 yen), a 100 Famous Castles stamp, and restrooms.
There's also an exhibit about Oni Castle, so it's best to check it out before visiting.
There's plenty to see.
I went all the way to the folding screen stone wall.
The view was amazing! 🎵
Due to time constraints, I skipped the North Gate, but it took about 80 minutes.
The walking trail is well-maintained, but there are many stones and some areas are slippery, so trekking shoes are a must.
Also, the stone wall is located at a high point, but there are no fences, so be careful!
If you just want to see the West Gate, it takes about 30 minutes.
But if you're a castle lover, it's a shame to miss just the West Gate.
I rented a bicycle at Bitchu-Takamatsu Station, parked it at the visitor center, and climbed up to the castle.
Even with an electric bike, I couldn't make it all the way up on a regular city bike, so I strongly recommend going by car or taxi. Pushing an electric bike up the steep slope in the rain was quite a struggle.
Cycling is basically limited to Sunagawa Park.
From the visitor center onwards, it's more of a hike. It takes a fair amount of time to see the whole area, but since you're seeing historical sites along the way, I didn't feel too tired.
I was able to use an umbrella after the visitor center, but I didn't have a raincoat while cycling and was drenched in the rain, which really drained my energy.
Equipment is crucial!
I passed it by because of the rain, but I think you can take some nice photos from the learning plaza, which branches off a short walk from the visitor center.
