is a Japanese castle located in the city Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. For most of the Edo Period, it was the administrative center of Kishū Domain, which was controlled by a cadet branch of the Tokugawa clan. Due to its size and status, Wakayama Castle was ranked as one of the most important castles under the Tokugawa shogunate. The castle was designated a National Historic Site in 1931, and its Nishi-no-Maru Garden was designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 1987.
History
During the Muromachi period, Kii Province was ruled by the Hatakeyama clan, which also controlled neighboring Kawachi and Izumi provinces; however, the political situation in Kii Province was complex, with large portions of the province under the effective control of armed monks under the control of Negoro-ji or followers of the Saiga Ikki, local followers of the Ikkō-ikki movement, who sought to overthrow the feudal system and establish a theocratic republic. The Saiga Ikki constructed Ōta Castle on a site near what later became Wakayama Castle as their headquarters. Oda Nobunaga, allied with the Negoro-shū invaded Kii Province in 1577 and attacked the Saiga Ikki, who had allied with his arch-enemy, Ishiyama Hongan-ji temple. Due to their strength with matchlock guns and guerrilla tactics, Nobunaga was unable to defeat the Saiga Ikki; however, the campaign was resumed by his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In 1584, Hideyoshi constructed Kishiwada Castle to defend Osaka, and the following year invaded Kii Province with a large army, annihilated Negoro-ji and laid siege to Ōta Castle. He ordered the building of dams on three sides of the castle, focusing the rainwaters and diverting the river to ruin the castle. As hunger set in, the samurai, monks, and peasants inside Ōta surrendered, and after a month fifty warrior monks led a final suicidal charge against Hideyoshi's army, after which the castle surrendered.
Hideyoshi awarded the province to his younger brother, Toyotomi Hidenaga, who was already ruler of Yamato Province. Hidenaga close to keep Wakayama as the seat of his power in Kii Province, as its location was convenient for trade and strategically close to the former strongholds of Negoro-ji and the Saiga Ikki, who still had many sympathizers in the area. With the assistance of Tōdō Takatora, who was noted for castle architecture, he began rebuilding a small fortification on Torafusayama hill which had been a relic of Hatakeyama rule, with low stone walls aligned with the natural terrain, and the central bailey located next to the current central bailey area. Hidenaga appointed Kuwayama Shigeharu as castellan, and remained at Kōriyama Castle in Yamato. Following the Battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu reassigned the province in 1600 to Asano Yoshinaga.
Asano greatly expanded Wakayama Castle, constructing a three-story tenshu connected to three corner yagura by corridors. This tenshu had the same shape as the current tenshu, but was black instead of white. The overall dimensions of the castle were expanded to the northeast and the daimyō residence was relocated to this new enclosure, which was further protected by a double series of moats, utilizing the nearby Kinokawa River. In 1615 the castle was attacked by forces loyal to Toyotomi Hideyori, who were trying to end the siege of Osaka. Ono Harunaga, Hanawa Naoyuki and Okabe Noritsuna led 3000 men from Osaka against the castle which was held by Asano Nagaakira with 5000 men, In the Battle of Kashii Hanawa and Okabe were killed, and Ono was forced to flee back to Osaka. After the final defeat of the Toyotomi clan, the Asano clan was transferred to Hiroshima Domain, which had been confiscated from Fukushima Masanori in 1619.