Nagashima is an alluvial island between the
Nagara River and the
Kiso River at the head of
Ise Bay. A fortification was first built here by the Regent
Kujō Michiie in 1245 to protect the extensive estates he had in this region. In 1482, the castle was rebuilt by Ito Shigeharu, head of one of the 48
samurai clans of northern Ise. However, the Ito clan was expelled by Shōi the chief priest of Gansho-ji and became a stronghold of the
Ikkō-ikki movement. It was later infamous as the location of a massacre of 20,000 Ikkō followers by the forces of
Oda Nobunaga in 1574. The castle was later rebuilt by
Takigawa Kazumasu and after the
Battle of Shizugatake was assigned to
Oda Nobukatsu. After a large earthquake in 1586 which caused the collapse of its
tenshu, Oda Nobukatsu relocated his seat to
Kiyosu Castle. Following the
Battle of Sekigahara and the creation of
Nagashima Domain under the
Tokugawa Shogunate, Nagashima Castle was rebuilt by the Suganuma clan as the administrative center of their 20,000
koku domain, and a
castle town was laid out to surround it. In 1702, Masuyama Masamitsu, the cousin of Shogun
Tokugawa Ietsuna was relocated to Nagashima from
Shimodate Domain in
Hitachi Province, and the Masuyama clan continued to rule from Nagashima stole until the
Meiji restoration. During this period the castle was renovated and expanded, but no
tenshu was ever erected. In 1872, in line with edicts by the new
Meiji government, the remaining structures of the castle were dismantled. Currently, the site of the castle is occupied by the Nagashima Chubu Elementary School and Nagashima Junior High School, and most of the remains have been lost. Some stone walls and moats remain on the east side. A few of the castle structures have survived in other locations. The former Ōtemon gate of the castle is now located at the temple of Rensei-ji and the Okushoin has been relocated to the temple of Fukagyo-ji (both located within Nagashima-cho). The Otemon Gate is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Kuwana City. In addition, a large
Japanese black pine tree estimated to be more than 300 years old, survives in what was once the southwest corner of the main enclosure (within the grounds of the Nagashima Chubu Elementary School). It is protected asa Natural Monument of Kuwana City. The castle is a ten-minute walk from
Kintetsu Nagashima Station or
Nagashima Station on the
JR East Kansai Main Line. ==See also==