Inohana castle was a
hirayama-style castle built on a flatland hill south of Miyako River. The mansion is instead thought to have been located in an area near Inohana hill, around the present-day Chiba District Court. However, the true location of the Chiba clan mansion is still unknown. It was only in the
Edo period that the old hill castle of Inohana was mentioned as the castle of the Chiba clan. In 1858, the "Illustrated Guide to Famous Places of Narita", produced at the time of the construction of the new main hall of
Narita-san temple, contains a section about Chiba Tsunetane. It includes a "Diagram of the Site of the Old Castle of the Chiba Clan", with Inohanayama in the center. In 1926, a monument commemorating the 800th anniversary of the founding of Chiba-
fu was erected at the site of Inohana Castle, referencing Chiba Tsuneshige's rule of the area in the late
Heian period. In 1976, a monument commemorating the 850th anniversary of the founding of Chiba-fu was erected.
Castle remains The name Inohana, literally pig's nose, is a reference to the shape of the hill where the castle was built on. North of the museum is a
Shinmei Shrine and a monument to the ruins of Inohana Castle. The area around the shrine is said to be the site of an observation platform, which once offered a full view of the
Tokyo Bay and the nearby Chiba Port. On the west side of the museum are remains of castle earthworks and dried moats that marked the inner citadel (
kuwara) and center of the castle. The ruins of Inohana Castle, has been designated as a cultural asset of the city. There is a well called "Ochanomizu" on the north side of the castle ruins. There is a legend that Chiba Tsunetane made tea with water drawn from this well and presented it to
Minamoto no Yoritomo. The stairs on the east side of the castle ruins were once called "Ikedazaka" and are said to have been the castle's back gate. == Chiba City Folk Museum ==