Kurujima castle

• Built: 1419, Murakami Yoshifusa
• Japanese: 来島城 (Kurujima-jou)

Kurujima castle sits on a tiny island in the Inland Sea, just off the north coast of the "mainland" of Ehime prefecture, Shikoku. The castle compound encompasses the entire island.

The castle was built in 1419, during the time of Murakami Yoshiaki (grandson of Murakami Yoshihiro), by Murakami Yoshifusa, the youngest of three brothers who split off and created new branch families of the Murakami clan of Iyo province. During the Sengoku period, his descendants, the "Kurujima Murakami," based at Kurujima castle, allied with the descendants of his brothers, the Noshima Murakami and In-no-shima Murakami, and formed the Santôsuigun (lit. "Three Islands Navy"), which became a prominent force on the waves of the Inland Sea.

Today, a radio tower stands on the former site of the castle's honmaru. Some other ruins exist, but among the chief elements which can be seen are the post-holes all along the northern side of the island where wooden piers once stood.

References

• Terada Shôichi (ed.). Meijô wo aruku 3: Iyo Matsuyama-jô. Tokyo: PHP Kenkyûsho,　2002.