Ishigakiyama Castle Ruins

photo by Tak1701d · Public domain

photo by Tak1701d · Public domain

Hideyoshi made it look as if it had been built in one night: in reality it took eighty days.

The walls, still standing, are the first castle walls in the Kantō to be built entirely of stone: unsquared blocks fitted together dry (野面積み, nozura-zumi) by the stonemasons of Ōmi Anō, brought in specially by Hideyoshi. Legend has it that the trees around the hill were all felled in a single night, so that the castle would appear suddenly before the eyes of those besieged in Odawara and break their morale: hence the name, ‘one-night castle’. In reality the work lasted from April to June 1590, with forty thousand men employed. Hideyoshi hosted a tea gathering there with the master Sen no Rikyū and received an imperial envoy, while below, on the plain, Odawara was still holding out.

Built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi during the siege of Odawara in 1590 on a hill overlooking the enemy castle, it was the first castle in the Kantō built entirely of stone and stayed in use only for the duration of the siege: once Odawara had fallen, it was dismantled.

ℹ️ Free entry, self-guided visit. Free car park with 58 spaces (8:30–17:00, with facilities). About 50 minutes on foot from Hayakawa Station, or 7–8 minutes by taxi. Next door, a café-restaurant with a farm (一夜城ヨロイヅカファーム).

🚉 Hayakawa · 27 min walk

Sources: jbpress.ismedia.jp · ja.wikipedia.org · city.odawara.kanagawa.jp · odekake.info

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