Nirengi Castle

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Nirengi Castle (二連木城, Nirengi-jō^?) was a Japanese castle built in what is now the city of Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, during the Sengoku Period. There are no extant structures left; however, a park was built on the site where the castle once stood, and a stone monument and some explanatory signboards were erected by the city.

Nirengi Castle was built in 1493 by Toda Munemitsu, the Lord of Tahara Castle. During the tumultous years of the Warring States Period, the were many violent transitions regarding the castle, and the area had been the scene for a number of battles. Toward the close of that period, proprietary rights to the castle were to be transferred to the Kantō Region, then under Tokugawa Ieyasu. Nirengi Castle was finally abandoned by Toda Yasunaga, the last castle lord, in 1590.

Nirengi Castle was built on a terraced area near the banks of the Asakura River. The main courtyard (本丸, hon-maru^?) was about 600 square meters. The family's official residence was located in the North Courtyard. The Secondary Courtyard (二の丸, ni-no-maru^?) lay to the east of the Main Courtyard, and was bounded by the East and South Enclosures. Each of these sections were separated from the others by earthen ramparts and moats.

The area was named "Nirengi" for the great elm trees (連の木, ren-no-ki^?) that once grew abundantly in the region, and were especially used to make wooden pestles.

In 1911, the first mayor of Toyohashi, Ōguchi Yoshimutsu, acquired the land, and raised orchards on it. After the end of World War II, the Ōguchi Family lived for awhile on the land, in a small house (6 x 3 tatami mats) called "Kazaki-an" (風樹庵, ^?), which translates to something like "Wind-Among-the-Trees Hermitage". In 1961, the city acquired the property and established it as Ōguchi Park. In 1977, it was renovated, so that the park could be enjoyed in the spring for its plum trees, and in the autumn for its fragrant herbs.

Currently, the park is on the site of the Main Courtyard, and the Senior Citizens’ Welfare Center is on the site of the Secondary Courtyard. Remnants of the earthen ramparts can be seen around the Main Courtyard, and a portion of the original dry moat and its adjacent rampart remain at the base of the slope below the Main Courtyard.