The Ruins of Arai Castle
The land around Arai Castle coverd an area of approximately
128 hectares. It was utilized as a natural fortress
for the castle which later saw the fall of the entire
Miura clan.
While most of the area around Arai Castle just out and
is surrounded by the Sagami Bay, it is also sandwiched
between the Koajiro and Aburatsubo bays. It faces in
three directions with cliffs, and the overland route
goes about three kilometers to the north. With just
the one bridge for travel, if it were to fall, there
would be no way to get to the castle.
Later the bridge was named Hikibashi. The Miura faction
of Iseshin Kurou (Houjyou Souen) tore the bridge down,
and faction of Iseshin Kurou (Houjyou Souen) was unable
to go into the area.
Due to the Great Kanto Earthquake the appearance of
the area has changed and the land protrudes. Back at
that time, however, large numbers of troops wanted to
fight their way into the castle, but because of the
natural and difficult wall protecting the castle only
a handful of troops were necessary to keep the castle
safe for three years. It was also a struggle for the
Miura clan, but thanks to the structure and the area
around the castle, they were able to be protected.
The ruins of the Arai Castle of the Muromachi Period,
mainly the main enclosure, were used as a dry moat and
for earth work for the people inside to be able to endure. |