ページ 175 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

188.Hara Castle Part2

You can see the extensive castle ruins.

Features

Large hills and valleys in Castle Ruins

Today, the ruins of Hara Castle are still large with a perimeter of about 4km. The Main Enclosure has mainly been public owned and developed for visitors. The many other areas of the ruins, including the Second and Third Enclosures, are private owned and used as fields. If you walk around and look over the ruins, you can find the large hills and valleys and picture the castle remains. Generally, enclosures of many castles in Japan usually worked closely with each other. However, looking at the enclosures of Hara Castle, they seemed to work independently like a modern fortress. This may be the reason why that the uprising army fought had as equals with the shogunate.

The Main Enclosure has been developed as a historic site

The Second and Third Enclosures have become fields

Looking up the ruins from the bottom of a valley

Walking around Second and Third Enclosures

If you drive to the ruins, you will park at the parking lot between the Second and Third Enclosures beside the sea. You will have to walk for about 800m from the parking lot to the Main Enclosure. During the walk, you can see how large the castle was. If you turn right at the first intersection after passing the ruins of the Main Gate, you will reach the monument of Shigemasa Itakura at the Third Enclosure. He was shot and killed here in the first phase of the Shimabara Rebellion.

The map around the castle

The first intersection from the parking lot to the Main Enclosure

Going back to the route leading to the Main Enclosure, you will see the spacious Second Enclosure on the left and its Barbican on the right. Locals say the bones of as many as 20,000 uprising people are still buried under the fields.

The Second Enclosure Barbican is the right side of the valley

One of the Greatest Main Enclosure Entrances

As you approach the Main Enclosure, you will see its great stone walls still surrounding it. However, they were to be excavated after being almost buried by the shogunate. Even historians did not expect the castle had to have such great stone walls. Of course, the stone walls were much higher before the destruction.

The map around the Main Enclosure, the red line shows the estimated route in the entrance

The stone walls of the Main Enclosure, which were discovered by the excavation

Its entrance, called Koguchi, was also excavated and has been developed for visitors. In fact, this is where the bones of the killed uprising people, which were buried with the stone walls, were found. It had large connected square spaces, called Masugata, forming a maze protecting the entrance. Historians speculate that visitors in the past had to turn 5 to 10 times in the entrance to enter the enclosure. The excavation discovered that the Koguchi entrance of Hara Castle was one of the largest examples of those ever found in Japan.

The replica of the excavation site, exhibited by Arima Christian Heritage Museum

The ruins of the Uzumi-mon Gate inside the entrance

Inside of Main Enclosure has become Square

The inside of the Main Enclosure is basically a square now. There are the ruins of the Main Enclosure Gate, the Turret base, and the Ikejiri-guchi Gate along the perimeter. There are also the monument of the Shimabara Rebellion, the statue of Shiro Amakusa, and so on. This enclosure stands on the steep cliff by the sea, so you can enjoy a great view of Ariake Sea, and Mt. Unzen in the distance.

A view of Ariake Sea from the Main Enclosure

A view of the ruins and Mt. Unzen from the Main Enclosure

To be continued in “Hara Part3”
Back to “Hara Castle Part1”

188.原城　その２

広大な城跡を見ることができます。

特徴、見どころ

丘陵と谷が広がっている城跡

今日、原城跡はかなりの大きさを維持しており、その外周は約４ｋｍに及びます。本丸はその多くが公有地となっていて、観光客向けに整備されています。二の丸と三の丸を含む城跡の多くは私有地となっており、畑地として使われています。その城跡の地を歩き、見渡してみると、そこには広大な丘や谷があり、城の姿を想像することができます。通常、日本の多くの城の曲輪は緊密に連携しながら機能していました。ところが、原城の曲輪を見てみると、まるで近代的な要塞のように独立して運用されていたのではないかと感じます。このことが、反乱軍が幕府と互角に渡り合うことができた理由かもしれません。

二の丸と三の丸を歩く

もし車で城跡を訪れる場合は、二の丸と三の丸の中間の海際にある駐車場に車を停めることができます。その駐車場から本丸までは、約８００ｍ歩く必要があります。歩きながら、この城の大きさを実感することができます。大手門跡を通り過ぎた後の最初の交差点で右に曲がってみると、三の丸にある板倉重昌の記念碑に至ります。彼は島原の乱の初期段階において、ここで撃たれて亡くなりました。

城周辺の地図

本丸に向かう道に戻ってみると、左側には広大な二の丸が見え、右側には二の丸出丸が見えます。地元の人たちによると、２万人もの反乱軍の遺骨がいまだに畑地の下に埋まっているといいます。

日本有数の本丸虎口

本丸に近づくにつれて、今も本丸を囲む立派な石垣が見えてきます。しかし、この石垣は幕府によってほとんど埋められた後、発掘により姿を現したものなのです。歴史家でさえこのような石垣が城にあったと思っていませんでした。もちろん、この石垣は破壊される前はずっと高かったはずです。

本丸周辺の地図、点線はかつての虎口内の推定進路

虎口と呼ばれる本丸の入口も発掘され、観光客向けに整備されました。実はここは、殺された反乱軍の人たちの骨が石垣と一緒に埋められていた場所なのです。この入口は、桝形と呼ばれる四角い空間が連結され、この場所を防御するために迷路のようになっていました。歴史家によると、城があった当時は、本丸の中に入るまでに５回から１０回も曲がらなければならなかったのではないかとのことです。発掘により、原城の虎口は日本でこれまで見つかったものの中で最大級と判明しました。

広場になっている本丸内部

本丸の中は現在広場になっています。本丸の外周に沿って、本丸門跡、櫓台、池尻門跡があります。また、島原の乱の記念碑や天草四郎の銅像などもあります。本丸は、海沿いの急崖の上にあるため、有明海や、遥かに雲仙岳の素晴らしい眺めを楽しむことができます。

「原城その３」に続きます。
「原城その１」に戻ります。

188.Hara Castle Part1

The battlefield of the Shimabara Rebellion

Location and History

Arima Clan builds Castle in Shimabara Peninsula

Hara Castle is known as the place where the Shimabara Rebellion was stopped in 1638. The castle was built near the edge of Shimabara Peninsula, in the western part of the Kyushu Region. The Arima Clan, one of the warlords in the region, first built the castle at the end of 15th Century. Harunobu Arima, the lord of the clan in the late 16th Century, was known as a Christian feudal lord. The Shimabara Peninsula possessed an international trade port called Kuchinotsu Port where Portuguese missionaries started to work in 1563. Christianity spread around the peninsula greatly and the area also prospered from trading. Harunobu originally lived in Hinoe Castle which the clan built many years ago. He renovated Hara Castle at the beginning of the 17th Century, probably as his new home base. However, he was punished by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1612 before he moved to the castle. His son was also transferred to another place in 1614.

The location of the castle

The replica of the statue of Harunobu Arima, exhibited by Arima Christian Heritage Museum, the original statue is owned by Daiunji Temple

The statue of Father Valignano who came to Kuchinotsu to spread Christianity

Castle uses Natural Terrain and has Great Stone Walls

Hara Castle was built on several hills alongside Ariake Sea. The Main, Second and Third Enclosures were on different hills. These hills were by the sea with natural steep cliffs. They were divided by large and deep dry moats using the natural terrain as well. The side of the castle facing the land had a swamp. Overall, the castle could be very defensive. In particular, the Main Enclosure was all surrounded by stone walls. Its entrance, called Koguchi, was very large and had a zigzagging route using huge ornate stones. There was the Main Tower or a large turret inside the enclosure. These structures were thought to show the castle’s lord’s authority. The Second and Third Enclosures were made of soil and were probably used as warriors’ houses. The Matsukura Clan following the Arima Clan didn’t use Hara Castle and built a new castle, called Shimabara Castle, as their home base. Hara Castle was once abandoned in 1615, but at least its foundation, including the stone walls, remained.

A bird’s-eye view of the castle ruins, from the signboard at the site

The relief map around the castle

The remaining stone walls at the Main Enclosure

Shimabara Rebellion happens due to Matsukura Clan’s oppression

The Matsukura Clan oppressed the farmers and Christians in their territory. Being Christian had not been allowed by the Tokugawa Shogunate since 1612. 1n 1637, the people in Shimabara Peninsula, together with the people in Amakusa Islands over Ariake Sea who were in the same situation, rebelled against the Matsukura Clan and the shogunate. They were officially led by a charismatic Christian boy, Shiro Amakusa, but actually guided by the masterless warriors, called Ronin, who were former retainers of the Arima Clan and other Clans.
They first attacked Matsukura’s home base, Shimabara Castle, but failed. Then, they decided to be besieged in Hara Castle by themselves after they repaired it. Historians believe that they were waiting for reinforcements from Christians from other areas of Japan and Catholic countries like Portugal.

The imaginary portrait of Shiro Amakusa, owned by Shimabara Castle Christian Museum, from the exhibition of Arima Christian Heritage Museum

The flag from Shiro Amakusa’s encampment, owned by Amakusa Christian Museum, from the exhibition of Arima Christian Heritage Museum

Annihilation of rebellion after 3-month siege

The siege started with about 37,000 defenders including women and children in December 1637. The troops from the shogunate first assaulted the castle but failed. Even the commander of the shogunate, Shigemasa Itakura was killed by a shot from the castle, as the counterattacks were professionally instructed and the castle was strong. The shogunate changed its tactics to encircle the castle with over 120,000 soldiers. The siege lasted for nearly 3 months, however, the reinforcements for the uprising army didn’t come. At the end of February 1638, the shogunate attacked the castle in full force when the defenders ran out of food. The castle fell and the rebellion was annihilated.

The portrait of Shigemasa Itakura, owned by Itakura Studying the Past Association *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

One of the georamas of Shimabara Rebellion, exhibited by Arima Christian Heritage Museum

The survivors of the uprising army’s fate was extremely severe. Almost all of them, except for some runaways, were killed. It is said that many of the Christians hoped to be killed as martyrs. Hara Castle was completely destroyed and buried by the shogunate. The corpses of the executed people were also buried with the castle. The lord of the area, Katsuie Matsukura was executed due to his misgovernment. Shimabara Rebellion was one of the greatest tragedies and had a big impact on Japanese history. This incident accelerated the policy of the national isolation of Japan by the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Part of the folding screens of Shimabara Rebellion, owned by Asakura City Akizuki Museum, from the exhibition of Arima Christian Heritage Museum

To be continued in “Hara Castle Part2”