Hiratsuka-jo (Kita ward, Tokyo)｜Castle Ruins at Hiratsuka Shrine, Dedicated to Minamoto no Yoshiie

2026-05-162026-05-23

A Historic Site with Roots Dating Back to the Heian Period

Hello! Shin here.

Sunday, June 11, 2023.

After visiting Inetsuke-jo earlier that day, I also stopped by Hiratsuka-jo in Kita Ward, Tokyo. 🚙

As you can see from the Google Map above,

the castle ruins are located within Hiratsuka Shrine, just a short distance from JR Kami-Nakazato Station.

Hiratsuka-jo is said to have been built by the Toshima clan during the Heian period,

and it is also believed that Minamoto no Yoshiie stayed here during the Later Three Years’ War.

I also had a hard time finding a parking spot here,

though there was parking available within the shrine grounds.

Still, it might be difficult to use unless you’re actually visiting the shrine.

(In the end, I parked a little farther away and walked here instead…)

Entering the shrine grounds, the view looked like this.

There are parking spaces for several cars near the front area here.

Just like Inetsuke-jo,

there are no striking defensive structures or obvious castle remains to be seen here either.

Only the tradition remains that “a castle once stood here.”

👇Here’s the article about Inetsuke-jo👇

Even after walking around the area,

I couldn’t find anything that clearly looked like castle remains.

At the edge of the shrine grounds, there was a staircase like this.

Just like Inetsuke-jo, you can tell that Hiratsuka-jo was a hirayama-style castle（平山城）built on relatively elevated ground.

Still Too Inexperienced as a “Castle Enthusiast” to Discover Hidden Remains

Although I couldn’t find anything within the shrine grounds that clearly looked like castle remains,

searching for Hiratsuka-jo online shows that quite a few remnants have apparently been identified.

That said, this blog is mainly intended as a fun and enjoyable castle-walking guide for fellow castle enthusiasts,

so please forgive me if my exploration skills still have room for improvement.

This is the main hall of Hiratsuka Shrine.

It’s quite an impressive structure.

This is Sugawara Shrine, located within the shrine grounds.

For those who love castle keeps or want to closely examine defensive structures,

this place may feel far too modest.

Still, I think there’s a certain charm in visiting small, quiet shrines like this as well.

That’s exactly why I decided to feature it here on the blog.

Taking your feedback into account,

I hope to continue building a unique kind of castle blog unlike any other.

See you again!!

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