- Iwabitsu Castle
is a "yamashiro" (castle on a mountaintop) located on Mount Iwabitsu in Higashiagatsuma,
Gunma Prefecture ,Japan .History
Iwabitsu Castle was built in the fifteenth century by
Azuma Taro Sukefusa of theTakeda clan . It later came under control of theSaito clan (retainers of theUesugi clan ). The castle once again came under control of the Takeda Clan following a battle.Sanada Yukitaka became lord after this seizure. TheSanada clan , of whom Yuritaka was a member, retained control of the area after the Takeda Clan (with which the Sanada Clan was at first affiliated) collapsed by changing their loyalty to whichever clan seemed to have the upper hand. In 1615, however,Shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu declared that each province could have only one castle. As a result, the Sanada Clan dismantled Iwabitsu castle, prefering to instead retainUeda Castle . [ [http://nippon-kichi.jp/article_list.do?ml_lang=en&p=1670 日本吉 - Nippon-Kichi ] ]An interesting footnote of Iwabitsu Castles's history is that the legendary
samurai Karasawa Genba was an officer at the castle.Fact|date=August 2008Today, only ruins remain. [ [http://www.jrp.or.jp/english/japan/agatsuma.htm Japanese Romantic Route, Agatsuma Guide ] ]
References
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