Posted by We finally had nice weather after the rain, so we decided to head down south into the Sefuri mountains and visit an onsen. On the way down we stopped off at an old mountain castle which I though (for some reason) we’d be able to climb, and use some energy before the onsen. After a false start we finally found the main track up which turned into quite the adventure.
Mitsuse Castle (三瀬城) was a Japanese mountain castle located in Mitsuse mura, Saga Prefecture, Kyushu. It is located on the summit of the 667m Jōyama mountain in the central part of the Seifuri Mountains. It overlooks the Saga Plain and the foot of the mountain was a strategic location with access to Hakata, Karatsu and Saga. It is unknown exactly when the castle was built but it is assumed the it was built during the rule of Kumashiro Katsutoshi, a vassal of the Shoni clan. This would put it at around the mid 1500s. Kumashiro was the leader of all the 23 clans of the Sefuri mountains. However, after Katsutoshi’s death, his son Kumashiro Nagayoshi surrendered to the Ryuzoji clan who were on the rise of power in Kyushu after defeating the Shoni. As a vassal under the Ryuzoji the Sefuri clans battled against the Otomo and Shimazu. After the fall of the Ryuzoji he became a vassal of the Nabeshima clan who succeeded the Ryuzoji. Nabeshima Naoshige had Kumashiro transferred to the Ashikari clan near Ogori during the Keicho era to avoid the Kamishiro reuniting. Thus, the Kamishiro clan abandoned the castle.
The beginning of the walk up is quite easy but from the first marker the climb become significantly steeper. The climb became a little more difficult as autumn leaves covered the path making it a bit slippery. We climbed up from the southern route although we made our first attempt from the eastern route. This track however becomes impassable after the first 200m or so due to landslides which wiped out the track.
Anyway, back onto the main track. Getting closer to the top the gradient steepens even more, we had to get on all fours a couple of times due to the slipperiness. The kids had a couple of short slides which weren’t dangerous so to say but we were worried it was a bit difficult for them. One time (I think we were right at the southern end of the secondary bailey) we nearly gave up but met an older man who was on his way down who told us that this part was the worst. With that encouragement we kept going.
The start of the outer bailey is about 80m from the main bailey which eventually levels out quite a lot. But the best part was entering the second bailey and seeing the original ishigaki (stone walls). The castle was a mix of stone wall and earthworks. I read that the earthworks on this site are the largest within all of the Sefuri mountain castles. Some earthworks are 5m high, all hand build mind you. The site itself is a mix of ancient earthworks and more modern stone walls which show the evolution of castle building in Japan.
The climb up and down took about an hour and a half. The kids were OK, albeit a little dirty and the onsen later was well earned. We went to Yamabiko onsen if anyone wants to head down there. Actually, If I had known how steep the climb was I probably wouldn’t have taken the kids. Even as an adult, the climb was a bit strenuous. I’d give it about 6 or 7 out of 10 for difficulty. Main because of the autumn leaves which made it slippery.
Great site if you’re a mountain castle fan or a mountain climber.
Picks and text by Stu
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