Oda Castle Ruins
Oda Castle was the residence of the Oda clan, an incredibly influential family in the area from the 12th to 17th centuries. Currently, only the ruins of the castle remain.
At the time, the Imperial Court was divided into the Northern Court in present-day Kyoto and the Southern Court in present-day Nara Prefecture. The castle was the regional headquarters for the Southern Court during the Nanbokucho period (1336-1392), a time of conflict between the two courts, and is a designated national historic site.
During the 20th century, the center of the castle was bisected by the tracks of the Tsukuba Railway.
After Tsukuba Railway became defunct in 1987, almost the entire line was redeveloped into Tsukuba Ring Ring Road. The section of the tracks that bisected Oda Castle was modified to go around outside the ruins. However, the railway tracks remain a passage cut and feature a cross-section view of the castle earthwork.
The earthwo…