Banna-ji

Banna Ji castle.

Banna-ji Castle was originally an early fortified residence in Japan, which was later turned into a temple.

History

Banna-ji castle was fundamentally a fortified residence. It was a very early construction, in the context of Japanese castles. The area is a square plot of land, surrounded by a moat. It is guarded with gates at the entrances. It was constructed by Minamoto no Yoshiyasu, the first head of the Ashikaga clan in the mid 1100's. The family temple of the Ashikaga was constructed on these grounds, in 1196 and the site eventually became Bannaji Temple.

Current site

The site currently is largely visually a temple. There are some defensive features on site, including earthen ramparts and a water moat enclosing, the main bailey of this site. There are four extant gates, which date to the 1500s.

Present site

The castle is largely now the Bannaji Temple/ Ashikaga Yakata .

External References

• http://www.jcastle.info/castle/profile/94-Ashikagashi-Yakata
• http://www.city.ashikaga.tochigi.jp/000index_data/200sanmeisyo/020bannaji/bannaji.html
• http://www.jref.com/articles/the-100-top-castles-of-japan.267/