Look at Hachigata Castle, and you see 114 years of Japanese history.
Latest
History
Reading what happened at the castle gate, from Nagao Kageharu's revolt to Hojo Ujikuni's bloodless surrender.
People
Facing Toyotomi's great army, Ujikuni wrote to Hideyoshi again and again from Hachigata Castle. What was he trying to protect at the end?
People
Known as the man of Edo Castle, why did Dokan argue that the Kanto Kanrei should be based here?
Perspective
At the entrance to the Sengoku era, the Hojo founder lowered taxes and moved toward a system that would not let commoners starve.
Perspective
How the five articles left by the third Hojo lord connect to Ujikuni's final decision.
Perspective
Looking ten years ahead, this article considers the realism of dramatizing Hojo Ujikuni as the central figure.
Five Categories
Hachigata Castle's 114 years and the Sengoku history of Eastern Japan, read through events, dates, and change over time.
02 PeopleFive generations of castle lords and related warriors: Nagao Kageharu, Uesugi Akisada, Ota Dokan, and Hojo Ujikuni.
03 PerspectiveGovernance without fighting, righteous ruin, and Ise Soun's four-to-six tax principle, read through a modern lens.
04 VisitWalking the castle ruins on the right bank of the Arakawa in Yorii: access, half-day routes, and nearby context.
05 EventsYorii Sengoku Bar, talks, and Hachigata Castle tours: what is happening now and what is being prepared.
Essays
People
The final chapter of Ujikuni, who objected to the Odawara strategy and returned alone to Hachigata.
People
Dokan's argument elevated Hachigata into the headquarters of the Kanto Kanrei.
Perspective
Soun's politics moved toward a system that would not let people starve in an age when six-to-four taxation was normal.
Walking Yorii
Walking the Castle
A guide to entering Hachigata Castle through the flow of people recorded in historical sources.
Highlights
Hachigata's appeal lies not in buildings, but in the overlap of terrain and memory.
Events
A planned place to understand Hachigata Castle little by little while sharing a drink.
Read by Theme
Go There
Hachigata Castle stands near the center of Yorii, a town in northwestern Saitama between the Chichibu mountains and the Kanto plain. Its location on the cliff above the right bank of the Arakawa explains why it became the headquarters of the Kanto Kanrei and later Ujikuni's base in northern Musashi.
View access and basic informationAbout
Hachigata Castle Journal is a blog that rereads Eastern Japan's Sengoku history through Hachigata Castle and Hojo Ujikuni. It presents the people and decisions around this 114-year castle site as long-form essays grounded in historical sources.
About this journal
Hachigata Castle Journal on note
In-depth articles are planned every other week.