Japanese Castle guide in Japan castle Historical site Statue Introduction.

[Castle name]
Kurume Castle
a castle where Toyouji Arima contributed 210,000 Goku to win the rulership after Hidekane Mori and Tadamasa Tanaka were terminated

[Description]
Kurume Castle was on a hill in Sasayama-machi Kurume-shi, Fukuoka.

In the early Sengoku era, there was a small fort called Shinohara Castle. Sorin Otomo from Chikuzen, Chikugo and Takanobu Ryuzoji from Hizen fought over the castle. Once Hideyoshi Toyotomi ruled the entire land of Kyushu, Hidekane Mori, the ninth son of Motonari Mori, was rewarded Kurume Castle (70,000 Goku) for his father’s contribution at the battle.

Hidekane Mori’s lands were taken away because he was supporting the Ishida force which surrendered at the Battle of Sekigahara.

Yoshimasa Tanaka, who had ruled a partial land of Suruga, was given Yanagawa Castle by contributing 325,000 Goku, and made Kurume Castle as a backup since there was no one to succeed to the castle after Yanagawa Castle. When Tadamasa Tanaka, a son of Yoshimasa, passed away, the Tanaka clan needed to give up the title of chief.

In 1621, Toyouji Arima, former ruler of Fukuchiyama Castle in Tanba, relocated to Kurume Castle with 210,000 Goku. As for Yanagawa Castle, Muneshige Tachibana contributed 115,000 Goku to come back as the chief. (Muneshige was forced to give up Yanagawa Castle because he supported the West force led by Mitsunari Ishida.)

Toyouji Arima was a daimyo originally from Settsu (area around today’s Arima Hot Spring). He was not from the Omura clan who had owned regions around Omura, Nagasaki. The Arima clan established an administrative office at Kurume Castle, and kept the rulership within their family through Meiji Restoration.

[Address,access]
444 Sasayama-machi Kurume-shi, Fukuoka 830-0021

[Map]