Shibaya Castle

Shibaya Castle (しばや巣; shibaya-kai) is an ancient castle situated in the village of Shibaya, Katouko-do, Shinsu Prefecture. The castle was originally built as a fortress for the defence of the Yazou Clan in the 15th century, but was abandoned after the area was conquered by Sukashi invaders in 1467.

History
The castle was built approximately 600 years ago by the Yazou Clan, who were a lineage of the powerful Masai Clan. Facing threat from the Yazou Clan, the family built a fortress in which they could live and operate, but remain safe and able to defend themselves. Originally, the castle was much larger, however after its seige the majority of the building was destroyed.

The fortress remained untouched for around 30 years, until the invasion of the Sukashi Clan in 1467. The Sukashi family were a growing power in the Shinsu region, and had already taken control of the closest city, Mandai (modern-day Namawa). They refused to send exports of food and clothing to Shibaya unless the Yazou surrendered and swore allegiance to them, an action which would essentially liquidate the clan. The Yazou family stood their ground, but could not prepare themselves for the seige which proceeded. After a week and three days, most of the castle had been burned and knocked down, and every member of the Yazou Clan had been beheaded.

The remains of the castle served briefly as residence of Buto Sukashi and his wife. However, their line failed and the castle fell back into abandonment after their deaths.

Features
Shibaya-kai is immediately recognisable as a Tenchi castle - built in the 1400s, it shares many similarities to other fortresses of this time. Its main feature is the tall watchtower or an-dawa, which serves as a vantage point and offers a view of the entire village. The castle also has a basement level, which was used as a storage area for food and materials.

What makes Shibaya-kai interesting is its lack of defence. For a castle that was built to keep out attackers, it only possesses a relatively shallow moat (which presumably held water), a guard-gate and front battlements. This evidently contributed to the success of the Sukashi seige.

Shibaya-kai also had its own blacksmith, a rather uncommon feature for any Tenchi keep.