Most northern castle site in Hokkkaido. Several scenic walks including a torii gate at the top of the holy mountain. Reminder of no shoes in the guidance center. The floors are made of Japanese cypress wood.

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Very detail story about the castle…

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A facility where you can get an overview of Hokkaido’s history from the medieval period onward. The ruins of Katsuyama Tate, a mountain fortress built by the founder of the Matsumae clan, have been maintained. The main enclosure, traces of fences, earthworks, dry moats, and dividing trenches remain quite clearly. Mount Iou behind it looks like an ancient burial mound from a distance. The shrine building at the summit stands beyond stonework resembling a tomb passage. With the cluster of graves at its foot and the Matsumae lords’ regular visits to worship, this is a place holding little-known history of Ezo. A must-see for enthusiasts of medieval mountain fortresses. Hanazawa Tate is adjacent.

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2018年10月17日 Touring the 日本100名城 and 続日本100名城 castles in southern Hokkaido. Following Goryokaku and Shinoridai the previous day, I drove a rental car from Hakodate to visit Matsumae Castle that day, then moved on to Kaminokuni Katsuyama Tate. Before visiting Kaminokuni Katsuyama Tate, I got my stamp and looked around 「勝山館跡ガイダンス施設」. The caretaker told me a bear had appeared a few days earlier, which made me hesitate a little, but since I had come all this way, I decided to explore Kaminokuni Katsuyama Tate. The Katsuyama Tate Site Guidance Facility is an information facility developed to clearly introduce the history and excavation findings of 「勝山館（かつやま たて）」, a medieval Wajin fortified residence site in Hokuto City, Hokkaido. Exhibits and videos help visitors understand life at the time, the fortress’s structure, and its connections with Ainu culture before visiting the site. Inside, original artifacts excavated from the site, including ceramics, metal objects, and everyday utensils, are displayed. You can see valuable items showing that Katsuyama Tate prospered as a trading hub. A reconstructed model of the fortress and CG videos are also provided, helping visitors visually understand the overall fortress in ways that are difficult from the remains alone. Stopping here before walking around the Katsuyama Tate Site deepens your understanding of the highlights of the remains and their historical background, making the on-site experience even richer.

For this kind of paid facility, I think the content is a little sparse, but if you’re visiting the Katsuyama Tate Site, I think it’s worth seeing beforehand.

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