Shobata Castle Ruins, Inazawa

Until now, it was commonly believed that Nagoya Castle was the birthplace of Oda Nobunaga, a hero of the Warring States period. However, based on newly discovered documents, Katsuhata Castle is now the most likely location. This means that Nobunaga was born not in the heart of Owari, but somewhere geographically closer to Ise Province and further west. In other words, Nobunaga's family, the Oda Danjochu clan, was still only a modest presence at the time. They served as one of the three magistrates serving the Kiyosu Oda clan, the deputy guardian of the Shiba clan, the guardian of Owari Province. Later, using Katsuhata Castle as his initial capital, his father, Nobuhide, made great strides, gaining power rivaling that of his master. This is a memorable castle that can be said to be the origin of the Danjochu clan. I have to go see it (lol). Actually, I've always called it "Katsuhata" Castle (lol). The correct name is "Shobata" Castle. I thought the pronunciation was a bit far-fetched, but there's a reason for it. The original name of this place was "Shiobata" (Shiobata). The soil and irrigation water were so salty that it was probably a barren area unsuitable for cultivation. It was considered unlucky, so Nobuhide or his father, Nobusada, renamed it after the "victory flag." It turns out "Katsuhata" wasn't far off the mark (lol). The castle measured 29 ken east to west and 43 ken north to south (approximately 53 x 78m), and was surrounded by 5.5m-wide earthen ramparts and defended by double moats. It was such an impressive castle that the court noble Yamashina Tokitsugu, who was invited by Nobuhide, recorded in his diary that he was amazed at its size and construction. On this occasion, in addition to Kyoto's nobles, local gentlemen and ladies were also welcomed to the castle, where they enjoyed elegant pastimes such as renga (linked poetry) and kemari (kemari). Yamashina Tokitsugu's diary, which records the banquet, is the deciding factor in identifying Nobunaga's birthplace. Nobunaga was born in 1534 (Tenbun 3), but the banquet, held in 1535, was attended by Imagawa Ujitoyo, lord of Nagoya Castle, and there is an entry that he met with Tokitsugu. It would have been difficult to break off diplomatic relations under these circumstances, capture the castle the following year, move his base to Nagoya, and give birth to Nobunaga. It is currently believed that Nobuhide took possession of Nagoya Castle in 1535. Unfortunately, this once prosperous Katsubata Castle has completely disappeared due to river improvement work and land reclamation, and literally no trace remains. A stone monument engraved with its origins remains a faint reminder of that time. The intricate waterways and the completely flat terrain were impressive. If that's not enough for you (lol), you can imagine the prosperity of the time when young Nobunaga would have been running around, by visiting nearby Tsushima Shrine. The famous Oda clan's "momoko crest" is the same as the shrine's sacred crest, so the two shrines are closely related, and the Danjo-chu clan also thrived through waterborne trade, and they came under control of Tsushima in Torii-mae-cho, said to be the wealthiest area in Owari, which is why this was such a major leap forward. It's highly likely that Nobunaga himself played here, so I think it's a place that should be visited in conjunction with the castle ruins.

This is the remains of a castle located in the delta of the Nikko River and Miyake River. All that remains now is a stone monument by the side of the road. The castle was built on a swamp and is now unrecognizable. There are also remains about 300m downstream, but I overlooked them.

There's nothing there, just a stone monument standing there by itself. However, there are two rivers nearby, and if you visit the site you can imagine that the rivers were used as moats to strengthen the defenses. Nearby there is another stone monument and a guide board, and at the station there is a reconstruction model supervised by the famous Professor Senda Yoshihiro.