Kakegawa Castle（Shizuoka Prefecture） Kakegawa Castle was a regular sight for travelers on the old Tokaido, the major route linking the samurai era center of government in Edo (Tokyo) and the capital of Kyoto. Travelers would pass through 53 checkpoints and post towns along the highway, stopping only at government approved inns along the [...]
Iwasaki Castle（Aichi Prefecture） Iwasaki Castle, mostly forgotten by the history books and the tourist information guides, sits in modern day Nisshin City, some 15 kilometers south east of Nagoya City. Sited on a hill providing a clear view of the surrounding plain. Iwasaki Castle The [...]
Yamato Koriyama Castle The impressive ruins of Koriyama Castle sit atop a small hill and surrounded by two rivers. The positioning of the castle and its strong layout served it well through the final years of the Sengoku period, and through the peaceful days of the Edo period. Yamato [...]
Kujo (Fujiwara) Yoritsune, the 4th Kamakura Shogun, (February 12, 1218 - October 14, 1252) The 4th Kamakura Shogun, Kujo Yoritsune was born February 12, 1218, in the Year of the Tiger, in the Month of the Tiger and on the Day of the Tiger, and so his parents named him Mitora (Three Tigers). He [...]
Ko Morofuyu (?? - February 13, 1351) Ko Morofuyu One of the most important generals in the service of the first Ashikaga Shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, Ko Morofuyu was the administrative governor of Mikawa Province (Aichi Prefecture) and the military governor of Musashi Province (Saitama Prefecture) and later governor of [...]
Yamaga Soko (September 21, 1622 - October 23, 1685) Yamaga Soko Yamaga Soko was a samurai strategist, philosopher and scholar, and in later life, a ronin, noted for his significant contributions defining the role of the Tokugawa period samurai. Born September 21, 1622, in Aizu Wakamatsu, Yamaga is known [...]
Yoshida Castle, Pretty as a Picture Yoshida Castle is world famous. The intricately carved woodblock prints by the Edo Period artist, Hiroshige depicting the 53 stages of the Tokaido, (the old roadway between the capital of Kyoto and Edo, modern day Tokyo) are famous the world over. The 34th of the series shows [...]
Uesugi Kagekatsu (January 8, 1556 – April 19, 1623) Uesugi Kagekatsu Uesugi Kagekatsu was born to Nagao Masakage, head of the Nagao clan of Ueda. When Masakage was killed, Kagekatsu was adopted by his uncle, Uesugi Kenshin (His mother, Aya Gozen, was Kenshin’s elder sister) and following Kenshin’s [...]
Date Masamune (September 5, 1567 - June 27, 1636) Date Masamune Date Masamune was known as Dokuganryu, the “One Eyed Dragon of the North”. Masamune was an outstanding tactician, a brilliant leader, a fearless warrior and the lord of Sendai. He was respected amongst the samurai as being [...]