Tottori Castle

Tottori castle 鳥取城
Tottori city, Inaba province, Japan
Type	Japanese castle
Built	Year Unknown
In use	Years Unknown
Current condition	Ruins
Controlled by	Ikeda clan
Commanders	Nasu no Yoichi, Kajiwara Kagetoki, Kikkawa Tsuneie
Battles/wars	1581 Siege of Tottori

Tottori Castle (鳥取城, Tottori-jō) was the central castle of the Tottori han (fief) in feudal Japan. It was a yamashiro, or 'mountain-castle', built into the mountain itself, using natural obstacles and defenses to a greater extent than man-made walls. Currently, little remains of the castle aside from parts of the stone wall, and one gate, which is reinforced with iron, and features spikes on the outsides of the doors, to help against attackers.

Ninomaru

A gate leading into the castle grounds.

In the late 12th century, following the Genpei War, the new Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo granted the Tottori han to Nasu no Yoichi, the hero of the battle of Yashima. He lost it soon afterwards to Kajiwara Kagetoki, a spy for Yoritomo, in a hunting competition.

Tottori is perhaps most well-known for its siege in 1581 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, which lasted 200 days. Those inside, led by Kikkawa Tsuneie, eventually were forced to surrender due to starvation, coming just short, according to some accounts, of giving in to cannibalism.

References

• Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co.

Literature

• Schmorleitz, Morton S. (1974). Castles in Japan. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Co.. ISBN 0-8084-1102-4.