Sanuki Castle Ruins

"The entrance is a little hard to find, so you might miss it if you're driving.
There is a parking lot at the castle entrance just before Sannomaru. There are many remains, including dry moats, shoji moats, stone walls, earthen ramparts, and earthen bridges. The round trip from Sannomaru → Ninomaru → Honmaru → Observation Deck takes about 30 to 40 minutes.
The dry moats and earthen bridges between Ninomaru and Honmaru were quite impressive.

Although the original lord of Sanuki Castle is unknown, it is a historic castle that survived through many changes of lord from the mid-Muromachi period until the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures in the Meiji period."

Taka Shigeru

"This is the site of a castle that began with the Takeda clan at Mariya, and continued to be occupied by families such as the Satomi, Naito, Matsudaira, and Abe clans until the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures in the Meiji era.
It is notable for its dry moats carved into the bedrock and steep embankments, which are characteristic of the Satomi school of castle building.
It is a rare castle in the Boso region, with stone walls still remaining at the site of the Ote-yaguramon gate, and recent maintenance has made it very easy to explore, making it a great place for a stroll.
As an important base where highways converged, it was from here that Satomi Yoshihiro launched his attack on Mifuneyama, a battle between Satomi and Hojo, forcing the Hojo forces to retreat with a stunning surprise attack.
There is a parking lot at the site of the Sannomaru, so you can also come by car."

おやじ三等兵

"Sanuki Castle survived through the late Muromachi period and the early Meiji period, with different lords throughout its existence.

There are various theories about the date of Sanuki Castle's construction, but it is said to have been built by the Mariya Takeda clan in the early 16th century. One of the pieces of evidence is that Takeda Nobutsugu rebuilt Tsurumine Hachiman Shrine in 1507 (Eisho 4).

Later, during the Tenbun era (1532-1555), it became the castle of the Satomi clan, who defeated the Takeda clan. In 1567 (Eiroku 10), Satomi Yoshihiro used the castle as his base and defeated the Hojo army in the Battle of Mifuneyama.

His son, Umeomaru, subsequently occupied the castle, but with Tokugawa Ieyasu's entry into Kanto, the Satomi clan was reduced to control of the entire Awa province.

In 1590 (Tensho 18), Tokugawa vassal Naito Ienaga became the castle's lord.
Ienaga was granted 20,000 koku and laid the groundwork for the Sanuki domain, but was killed in battle just before the Battle of Sekigahara. His son, Masanaga, then resided in the castle until 1622 (Genwa 8).

After the Naito clan, Matsudaira Tadashige (of the Sakurai Matsudaira clan) ruled until 1633 (Kan'ei 10), and then Matsudaira Katsutaka and Shigeharu (of the Nomi Matsudaira clan) from 1639 (Kan'ei 16), until Shigeharu's territory was confiscated in 1684 (Jokyo 1).

Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu ruled the region from 1690 (Genroku 3) to 1694 (Genroku 7), and for the next 16 years or so it was ruled by shogunate magistrates and hatamoto (samurai retainers).
In 1710, Abe Masachika (16,000 koku) was appointed to the castle. The Abe clan ruled the castle for 160 years, from then until the ninth generation, Masatsune. However, in 1871, the castle was abandoned with the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures.

[Excerpt from on-site information board]

This historic castle ruins continued from the Sengoku period to the Meiji era.
Remains from each era remain, including stone walls and a magnificent earthen bridge set from the dry moat.
The undergrowth is well-trimmed, allowing you to enjoy a leisurely stroll and soak up the castle town atmosphere."

中山家範