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Ogaki Castle (Mino Province/Gifu Prefecture)
It is said that the foundations of Ogaki-jo was built on flat land by Yasusada Miyagawa in the 4th year of Tenmon era (1535). Naomoto Ujiie (Bokuzen Ujiie), one of the Mino Three, became its ruler in the 2nd year of Eiroku era (1559) and expanded the castle. Hideyoshi Toyotomi appointed Naosue Hitotsuyanagi as the ruler in the 13th year of Tensho era (1585), and the castle tower was built then. In the 18th year of Tensho era (1590) Naosue died fighting the Kanto Hojo clan, and was replaced by Sukemori Ito. Sukemori died in the 4th year of Keicho era (1599), leaving his son Morimasa to succeed him. The next year in the battle of Sekigahara, Morimasa offered the castle to Mitsunari Ishida and the west forces. Mitsunari chose to observe the battle with Ogaki-jo as the base, but as the east forces closed in, moved to Sekigahara to take them on in a final battle. The castle was watched over by Nagataka Fukuhara, and surrounded after the west forces were defeated, turning it effectively into a cage. It was subsequently infiltrated and lost to the east forces. After the battle of Sekigahara, Ieyasu's vassal Ienari Ishikawa's son, Yasumichi, was made ruler of the castle. Yasumichi died before his father, making Ienari the ruler again, and his grandson Tadafusa after that. Tadafusa performed well in the Siege of Osaka and was relocated to Bungo Hita with reward in the 2nd year of Genna era (1616). Then the Matsudaira clan took over, followed by Okabe clan and then back to Matsudaira clan. In the 12th year of Kan'ei era (1635), Ujikane Toda was made ruler, and the Toda family continued to do so until the late Tokugawa Shogunate. The castle tower was not destroyed even during the Meiji restoration, but it was burnt and destroyed in an air raid during the Pacific War, and the castle tower that is now standing was restored in 1959.
(2009/5/17 、2017/12/21 )
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