Yashima Castle Site
castle
屋嶋城跡
Yashima Castle was built in 667 and was one of the earliest structures on the island.
Yashima Castle was built in 667 as part of a defensive network guarding against potential invasion by Tang China and Silla, an attack that never came. Mentioned in the Nihon shoki but not physically identified until 1998, it was built in a Korean fort style with roughly six-meter-high stone walls. About 90 percent of the perimeter used natural ridges and rock formations, with only 10 percent artificially constructed. The restored southern gate sits 2.5 meters above the approach and requires a ladder to enter, with a second entrance at right angles creating a defensive bottleneck. Some modern hiking trails on Yashima follow what were once fort ramparts.
Yashima is a flat-topped plateau rising 292 meters above Takamatsu, the site of the 1185 Battle of Yashima (one of the final engagements of the Genpei War between the Taira and Minamoto clans). Yashima-ji, Temple 84 of the 88-temple Shikoku pilgrimage, stands at the summit. The plateau overlooks the Seto Inland Sea with views of 44 islands on clear days. Wild tanuki (raccoon dogs) on the plateau approach visitors, a tradition that has continued for generations. The cable car from the base takes 5 minutes.
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