(13) Torigoe Castle

Torigoe Castle is near the top of the list of places in Japan I want to visit. The remains of Torigoe-Jo 鳥越城 are located in the remote town of Hakusan 白山市, Ishikawa Prefecture. The castle was under the control of the Ikko Ikki一向一揆, a group that presented significant opposition to the ruling landowning elite. The Ikko Ikki’s defeat in the 1580’s seems to have been a step that paved the way for the  250+ year Edo/Tokugawa period 江戸時代/徳川時代.

Torigoe Castle (source 1, source 2)

Some sources depicted the Ikko Ikki as the simple peasants and priests struggling against an uncaring landed elite, whereas others describe the Ikko Ikki as fanatic, lawless rebels. In their descriptions of Torigoe Castle we see:

• From Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark:  “The site of Torigoe Castle was a place of the final battle of the Ikko-ikki uprising, where samurai landlords fought in a final attempt to save their land from the Ikko sect of Buddhism…”
• From “Eye on Kanazawa“:  “The historical castle, Torigoe-Jo, was the last fort for the villagers during the resistance against Nobunaga Oda. The descendants are proud of this fact and dedicate the festival to their ancestors. It is interesting to see people in the old farmers’ fashion, marching around with torchlight.”

Timeline

Most available sources are in Japanese, so I don’t want to make any false statements. Basically, I think the castle was built in 1580, and there were some battles there in 1580 and 1582. I’ll refer you to various resources instead of making any statements that I’m not sure of:

• Japanese wiki
• とりごえじょう 鳥越城 制覇 別名 加賀鳥越城
• 鳥越城／石川県白山市 Torikoshishiro / Ishikawa Prefecture Hakusan
• かが・ふとげじょう 加賀・二曲城 Or not – suddenly withdraw from the castle Kaga and Futoge

Google Streetview

Here’s a wonderful photosphere from the top of the castle.

Other point(s) of interest

There is a nearby rest-stop named “Road Station Ikko village of riot” 道の駅一向一揆の里 (map)

Links:

• Torigoe Castle Remains (Tripadvisor)
• Torigoe Castle 鳥越城 (Japanese Wikipedia)
• Site of Torigoe Castle and Site of Futoge Castle (Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark)
• Torigoe Castle -Resistance base in deep mountain – Torigoe Castle – Resistance base in deep mountain (Japan Castle)
• 加賀一向一揆の城 Kaga Ikko Ikki castle (Japanese)
• GREAT PHOTOS: 加賀一向一揆最後の砦「鳥越城」に行った We went to Kaga Ikko Ikki last bastion “Torikoshishiro”
• Torigoe Castle Site 鳥越城跡附二曲城跡 Torigoe-jō ato tsuketari Futoge-jō ato (includes the nearby site of Futoge Castle)
• Agency for Cultural Affairs
• 落城 = rakujo = fall of a castle