The setting of the Momotaro legend and a popular hiking course! We'll take you around all of "Kinojo Castle"

Okayama Prefecture Official Tourism Site

• Table of Contents
• What kind of castle is Kinojo Castle? (Location)
• What kind of castle is Kinojo Castle? (Structure)
• The history of Kinojo Castle is shrouded in mystery
• Start exploring
• Mount Kijo Visitor Center
• A study space (observation deck) with a spectacular view
• The restored West Gate
• A restored rammed earthwork
• Paving stone remains that can only be seen at "Devil's Castle"
• Six water gates inside the castle
• Head to the South Gate ruins while enjoying the beautiful view to the south
• Exploring the east side while taking in the spectacular views
• Walk through the greenery to the north gate
• We've reached the goal, the corner tower!
• Maintenance of the vast castle grounds is also difficult
• Conclusion

What kind of castle is Kinojo Castle? (Location)

This ancient mountain castle was built on the southern edge of the Kibi Highlands at an altitude of 400 to 600 meters, in a spectacular location with a panoramic view of the Soja Hirano. It occupies a vast site of about 30 hectares, making it extremely large for an ancient mountain castle.

What kind of castle is Kinojo Castle? (Structure)

The castle is located on a mountain shaped like an upside-down mortar, with steep slopes but a flat summit. Around the 8th to 9th station, where the gentle slope of the mountain changes to a steep one, a strong earthwork runs for 2.8km, interspersed with high Ishigaki at key points. In the valley there is a water gate made of Ishigaki for drainage, and there are four gates for entrance and exit. Inside it is thought to have contained buildings, warehouses, a water source, a signal tower, a blacksmith's workshop, and more.

Kinojo Castle

Okusaka, Soja City, Okayama Prefecture 719-1101

One of Japan's 100 Famous Castles. An ancient mountain castle said to have been built by the Yamato Imperial Court for the defense of the country. Kinojo Castle is not mentioned in any history books, and its history remains a mystery. Currently, historical sites are being surveyed, maintained, and restored, and you can visit the ruins of the corner tower and castle gate. The panoramic view from the restored west gate is spectacular. In front of the summit, there is the Soja City Kinojo Visitor Center, which introduces the restoration process and what the ruins looked like when they were excavated. We also recommend the 2.8km long walking course that follows the castle walls.

The history of Kinojo Castle is shrouded in mystery

The history of Kinojo Castle is shrouded in mystery, as there are no records of it in historical texts such as the Nihon Shoki. However, recent excavation findings have revealed that it was most likely built in the second half of the 7th century. After suffering a major defeat at Baekgang in Korea in 663, the Yamato Imperial Court feared an invasion by the allied forces of Tang and Silla, and built mountain castles in northern Kyushu and along the Setouchi coast for defense, and it is thought that Kinojo Castle was one of these. In other words, it was a castle built as a national project.

Start exploring

Now, let's start exploring Kinojo Castle Castle. You can drive only as far as the parking lot next to the visitor center. From here, you'll have to walk around. There are walking paths inside the castle, but we recommend wearing sneakers or other comfortable walking shoes (trekking poles would be even better).

Mount Kijo Visitor Center

The Kinjoyama Visitor Center is a guidance facility that uses videos, panels, and models to introduce Kinjoyama in an easy-to-understand way. It is recommended that you first get some basic knowledge about Kinojo Castle here, so that you can enjoy exploring it more. You can get the 100 Famous Castles stamp here (on closed days, you can get the stamp at the Soja City Buried Cultural Property Learning Center. *Only when the museum is open). Also, there are no restrooms inside the castle, so be sure to use them here before setting off.

[Kishiroyama Visitor Center]

Address: 1101-2 Kuroo, Soja Soja City, Okayama Prefecture Prefecture

TEL: 0866-99-8566

Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (entry until 16:30)

Closed: Mondays *If Monday is a national holiday, the museum will be closed on the following weekday and during the New Year holidays (December 29th to January 3rd)

Parking: Approximately 70 spaces

Onishiroyama Visitor Center | Okayama Tourism WEB

Soja City Kinojo mountain Visitor Center

719-1105 1101-2 Kuroo, Soja City, Okayama Prefecture

Located at the entrance to Kinojo Castle, this is a facility where you can learn about Kinojo Castle and the nature around it. In the exhibition room, there is an overview of Kinojo Castle, explanations about the ancient mountain castle, as well as restored buildings and their appearance.

A study space (observation deck) with a spectacular view

From the visitor center, take the gentle path to the right at the fork in the road and you will arrive at the learning plaza in about 5 minutes. "Kinojo Castle" is the only ancient castle in Japan that has had its defensive facilities, such as the castle gate, wooden fences, earthworks, and Ishigaki, restored, making it a valuable place where you can see what the castle was like back then. However, it has not been restored based on imagination, but has been restored as faithfully as possible after repeated research based on excavation surveys. In front of you there is a magnificent view overlooking the Kibi Plain.

The restored West Gate

The West Gate is the largest gate in the castle, with a width of 12m, and was restored after excavation revealed it to be in good condition. Its imposing presence overwhelms all visitors. The views from here are particularly beautiful at sunset and Asahi. There is a barrier-free promenade from the visitor's center to the West Gate, making it the only ancient mountain castle that can be accessed by wheelchair users.

A restored rammed earthwork

Passing through the West Gate, you can get a good view of the restored castle walls. The earthworks of Kinojo Castle are made using a method called "tamped earthworks." They are not simply piled up with soil; a small amount of soil is piled up and then compacted using feet or tools, and then a small amount of soil is piled on top of that and compacted again, and this process is repeated to build up height, making them very strong. These tamped earthworks encircle the castle endlessly. Near the West Gate, they have been restored using traditional construction methods. Looking up at the nearly vertical earthworks is very impressive.

Paving stone remains that can only be seen at "Devil's Castle"

Stone paving can be seen on both the inside and outside of the tamped earthen ramparts. These stone paving remains are unique among ancient mountain castles, and are a valuable feature not found in other castles discovered for the first time in Japan. Be careful when walking on the stone paving as it is easy to trip.

Six water gates inside the castle

Going down along the rammed earthwork, you will come to the first sluice gate, sluice gate No. 0, just before the wooden stairs. At Kinojo Castle, six sluice gates with drainage functions have been installed in the valley to prevent rainwater from accumulating inside the castle. The basic structure is made of Ishigaki on the lower half and rammed earth embankment on the upper half. Next, climb the wooden stairs and head further Higashi. After walking Higashi on the promenade for about 10 minutes, you will reach sluice gate No. 1, and a little further on, sluice gate No. 2 (pictured above). Sluice gate No. 2 is in good condition and is the only gate at which you can get a good look at the structure of Kinojo Castle's sluice gates.

Head to the South Gate ruins while enjoying the beautiful view to the south

It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the Second Water Gate to the remains of the South Gate. From the south side of the road, you can see the beautiful views of Okayama city and other areas. The South Gate is a large gate of the same scale and specifications as the West Gate, and the remains of its pillars have been well-maintained and easily visible.

Exploring the east side while taking in the spectacular views

From the South Gate, continue along the road on the east side. From the protruding part between the 3rd and 4th water gates, you can see another spectacular view of Kinojo Castle Castle, the folding screen Ishigaki. The view that spreads out below is also amazing!

The East Gate, where an imposing monolith blocks intrusion

The East Gate is smaller than the West and South Gates, but as you enter from outside the castle, there are fan-shaped Ishigaki on both sides of the gate, and a large natural rock lies in front as if blocking entry. This gate was the first gate to be excavated at "Demon Castle," and was formerly known as the remains of the First Castle Gate. From here to the Byobu-ore Ishigaki is a slightly rough path with many ups and downs. Let's make one more effort to reach the lunch point!

Lunch time at the folding screen Ishigaki

The Byobu-ori Ishigaki is a protruding part with a high Ishigaki, and it is a place with a great view. There is also a stone monument of the Kinojo Castle ruins. In terms of the journey, it is about halfway. The lunch with the magnificent view was especially delicious!

Walk through the greenery to the north gate

From the folding screen Ishigaki, a relatively gentle and easy path continues. Along the way, you can see remains of earthworks and other structures, and in about 15 minutes you will arrive at the North Gate. The North Gate was also renovated after the excavation survey. There is a drainage ditch running through the middle of the gate passage, which is a unique structure that is unique to "Kinojo Castle."

Remains of the warehouse and administration building in the center of the castle

Going forward from the North Gate, there is a path that descends to the left. If you go down this, you will soon reach the group of cornerstone buildings on the right. Here, the foundation stones of an administration building and the remains of warehouses have been put in place after excavation. A little further down, a group of warehouses that are thought to have been used to store food have been excavated and put in place. As an aside, nearly 20 years ago, when I attended an on-site briefing for the excavation of these cornerstone buildings, the outline of the round pillar that had been on top of the foundation stone was still clearly visible immediately after it was unearthed (it can no longer be seen), and I recall feeling a sense of ancient romance. Now, let's make a U-turn from here and head to the remains of the corner tower, our goal.

We've reached the goal, the corner tower!

We arrived at the corner tower. This completes the tour around Kinojo Castle. Right next to it is the west gate, where we started. This corner tower is also a rare defensive facility that is unique to Kinojo Castle. The top image was taken from the top of the corner tower. This time, we took our time to tour all of Kinojo Castle's highlights, enjoying lunch along the way, and completed the tour in about 3 hours. Experienced hikers would likely complete the tour in about 70 minutes.

Maintenance of the vast castle grounds is also difficult

During our visit, repair work was taking place on the castle wall to the east of the West Gate, so we were given special permission to take a look inside. Maintaining the restored sections is also a difficult task. Over the years, the elements have deteriorated and become damaged due to wind and rain, which is just as true today as it was back then. In order to carry out repair work each time this happens and to ensure the scenery and safety of visitors, the relevant agencies of Soja City, Okayama Prefecture, and the national government work together with local businesses to carry out maintenance work.

When I went back after the repair work was finished, I found that a beautiful tamped earthwork was completed with many layers of earth. When I spoke to the contractor, he said, "The area that was repaired this time was about 7m wide, but it's hard to imagine that this earthwork was built 2.8km in circumference when the castle was built." When you look at the well-maintained earthworks with that in mind, you can really get a sense of the grandeur of "Kinojo Castle."

Conclusion

This time, we explored the castle grounds of Kinojo Castle, which is also very popular as a hiking course with magnificent views of the ancient Kibi region below, while also enjoying the historical site. Around the west gate, the only part that has been restored, we were able to get a close-up look at what it was like back then, and it was a fun trip full of ancient romance, as we thought to ourselves that we were walking on paving stones that were made 1,300 years ago. Why not visit Oni-no-jo Castle, the land of the Momotaro legend?

Kinojo Castle

Okusaka, Soja City, Okayama Prefecture 719-1101

One of Japan's 100 Famous Castles. An ancient mountain castle said to have been built by the Yamato Imperial Court for the defense of the country. Kinojo Castle is not mentioned in any history books, and its history remains a mystery. Currently, historical sites are being surveyed, maintained, and restored, and you can visit the ruins of the corner tower and castle gate. The panoramic view from the restored west gate is spectacular. In front of the summit, there is the Soja City Kinojo Visitor Center, which introduces the restoration process and what the ruins looked like when they were excavated. We also recommend the 2.8km long walking course that follows the castle walls.