Tamanawa Castle

Tamanawa Castle
Tamanawa Castle
玉縄城
Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
	Hirikiri style moat of Taikokuruwa compound
	Tamanawa Castle Tamanawa Castle
Coordinates	35°21′12″N 139°30′54″E / 35.35333°N 139.51500°E
Type	Hirayama-style castle
Site information
Owner	Later Hōjō clan
Condition	ruins
Site history
Built	1512
Built by	Hōjō Sōun
Demolished	1619
Events	Siege of Kamakura (1526)
Garrison information
Past; commanders	Hōjō Tsunashige, Hōjō Ujitoki, Honda Masanobu

Tamanawa Castle (玉縄城, Tamanawa-jō) was a castle structure in Tamanawa ward of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.^[1] The adopted brother of Hōjō Ujiyasu, Hōjō Tsunashige was command of the castle.^[2]

History

Hōjō Sōun who had been fighting with the Miura clan built the castle to avoid being attacked from behind by the Ōgigayatsu Uesugi clan's relief army.^[3] Even after the fall of the Miura clan, Tamanawa castle continued to be an important castle of the Hōjō clan as a base of defense against the Satomi clan.^[3]

In 1561, Tamanawa castle was surrounded by Uesugi Kenshin's army but he left without even attacking the castle.^[4]^[5]

During the siege of Odawara in 1590, Hōjō Ujikatsu entrenched himself in the castle but was besieged by a big army of the Tokugawa Ieyasu.^[3] In the end Ujikatsu surrendered without resistance.^[3]

After the Siege of Odawara, Tokugawa Ieyasu placed his reliable retainer Honda Masanobu.^[4] Later, the castle was given to Nagasawa Matsudaira clan, a member of the Tokugawa clan. Tamanawa castle was abandoned in 1703 when Nagasawa Matsudaira clan transferred to the Otaki Domain.^[3]

There are little remains of the castle on the present day site, just some moats and earthworks.^[2] Excavated artefacts from the castle are exhibited at Ryūhō-ji Temple near the castle.^[5]