2023年1月 – ページ 3 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

47.Iga-Ueno Castle Part2

You may tremble when you stand by the top of the high stone walls.

Features

Fron City Area to Official Residence Ruins

Today, Iga-Ueno Castle is part of Ueno Park, which is located in roughly the Main Enclosure. Other enclosures including the Second Enclosure were turned into a suburban area. If you visit the castle from Ueno-shi Station nearby, the area around the station is the former Second Enclosure. For example, you can only see the signpost of the Eastern Main Gate near the station.

The map around the castle

The route straight from the station to the park was the former Eastern Inner Moat of the castle. Then, you can enter the eastern part of the park where Sadatsugu Tsutsui originally built the castle. However, only the signpost for the first Main Tower remains from Tsutsui’s rule. There are mainly the ruins of the official residence surrounded by stone walls from the Edo Period.

The road which was the Eastern Inner Moat

The eastern part of the park or the Main Enclosure

The Main Tower Ruins from Tsutsui’s rule (licensed by ブレイズマン via Wikimedia Commons)

The stone walls surrounding the residence

Rebuilt Main Tower with lots of Exhibitions

You can see the Rebult Main Tower on the remaining stone wall base for the second Main Tower in the western part of the park. The Rebuilt Tower is not original to the castle, and much smaller for the base probably because of budget limitations. However, it was made of wood in 1935 of the Showa Era, and has a traditional Japanese style. It exhibits lots of items about the castle and Takatora Todo, who improved it. You will even see a figure of a Ninja sticking to beams under the ceiling of the building.

The figure of a Ninja sticking to the beams

One of Greatest High Stone Walls in Japan

The highlight of this castle is definitely the remaining high stone walls with the Western Inner Moat at the western side of the park. These stone walls, which are 29.5m high, were said to be the highest single ones in all the castles of Japan. However, when researchers measured them, it was found that the highest stone walls are the ones of the Osaka Castle Main Enclosure’s eastern side, which are 32m high. (The stone walls of Osaka Castle were rebuilt by the Tokugawa Shogunate after those of Iga-Ueno Castle were built and the shogunate beat the Toyotomi Clan). People didn’t know about this because 6m of the lower part is below the surface of the water in the moat. By contrast, the 29.5m of Iga-Ueno Castle’s wall is all above the water’s surface. This may be the reason why people thought it was the highest, but it is still the highest based on appearance.

The high stone walls of the Osaka Castle Main Enclosure’s eastern side (taken by kimtoru from photoAC)

You can get close to the top of the stone walls to look down on them. However, make sure you watch your step very much because there are no guardrails. There are only some signposts that say “Danger” or “Caution” in Japanese, cones, and ropes.

The signpost which says “Danger” in Japanese

*The signpost which says* “Caution” in Japanese

It is dangerous to walk over the corns and ropes

If you stand on the edge of the stone walls carefully and look down, you may tremble, but will see how tall and well-built they are. In fact, the 29.5m is the length from the bottom to the top of the leaning stone walls. Their vertical height is 20.6m, but it’s more than high enough to be impressed by Takatora’s great work.

Getting closer to the edge of the stone walls

Looking down the stone walls from the edge

You may feel weak at the knees looking down the walls

To be continued in “Iga-Ueno Castle Part3”
Back to “Iga-Ueno Castle Part1”

47.伊賀上野城　その２

足がすくむような高石垣

特徴、見どころ

市街地から城代屋敷跡へ

現在、伊賀上野城は上野公園の一部となっていて、大体城の本丸が今の公園に該当します。二の丸を含む他の曲輪は、市街地になっています。もし近くにある上野市駅からこの城を訪れるのでしたら、その駅周辺はかつては二の丸の範囲内でした。例えば駅の近くには、ここに東大手門があったことを示す標柱のみが立っています。

城周辺の地図

駅から公園にまっすぐ伸びる道は、かつては城の東内堀でした。そして、公園の東側に入って行きますが、そこは筒井定次が最初に城を築いた場所でした。しかし現在は、そこに筒井時代の初代天守があったという標柱があるだけです。そこでは主に、江戸時代の石垣に囲まれた城代屋敷跡を見ることができます。

筒井時代の天守跡 (licensed by ブレイズマン via Wikimedia Commons)

復興天守と豊富な展示

公園の西側に行ってみると、二代目天守のための現存天守台石垣の上に復興天守が乗っているのが見えます。復興天守はオリジナルではなく、恐らくは予算不足のために天守台の大きさに比して、随分小さく作られています。しかし、昭和時代の1935年に建てられた伝統的な和式の木造建築です。その内部には、城や、城を改築した藤堂高虎に関する多くの展示物があります。天井下の梁にはアトラクションとして忍者のフィギアも張り付いています。

日本有数の高石垣

この城のハイライトは、間違いなく公園の西側面に西内堀とともにある、現存高石垣でしょう。この石垣は29.5ｍの高さがあり、日本の全ての城の中で一番高いと言われてきました。ところが調査の結果、日本一の高さの石垣は、大坂城本丸東側にあるものと判明したのです。それは32ｍの高さです（大坂城の現在の石垣は、伊賀上野城の石垣が築かれ、そして徳川幕府が豊臣氏を滅ぼした後に、幕府により再建されたものです）。その大坂城の石垣は下部の６ｍの部分が堀水の水面下に隠れていて、調査するまでは本当の高さが知られていなかったのです。対照的に伊賀上野城の29.5ｍの石垣は、ほとんどが堀の水面上に見えています。そのためにずっと日本一と言われていたのではないかと推察します。しかし見た目上はまだ日本一ということでもよいのではないでしょうか。

大坂城本丸東側の高石垣 *(taken by kimtoru from photoAC)*

その高石垣の頂上部分に近づいて行って、下を見下ろすこともできます。しかし、安全柵などはありませんので、十分に気を付けてください。そこには、「危険」「注意」と書いた看板や、ロープが張られたコーンがあるだけです（ロープを超えていくことは止めましょう）。

注意しながら石垣の端に立ち、見下ろしてみると、足がすくむような高さです。しかし、その高石垣が巧みに築かれていることも実際に見ることでわかります。ちなみに、その29.5ｍというのは、傾きがある石垣の底から頂上までの長さです。垂直上の高さは20.6ｍとのことです。それでも、高虎の素晴らしい仕事ぶりを実感するには十分な高さです。

「伊賀上野城その３」に続きます。
「伊賀上野城その１」に戻ります。

47.Iga-Ueno Castle Part1

The castle for protecting and attacking Osaka

Location and History

From Home of Ninja to Site for protecting Osaka

Iga-Ueno Castle was located in Iga Province which is now the western part of Mie Prefecture. Iga is probably more well known for being the home of Ninja than for the castle. Actually, before the castle was built in 1585, the province was divided among many small local lords. They gained special knowledge and techniques so that they could protect themselves. They were also often hired by larger warlords in other provinces as spies or Special Forces we now call Ninja. Unfortunately, they were conquered by Nobunaga Oda in 1581. When Nobunaga’s successor, Hideyoshi Toyotomi was organizing his unification of Japan, he sent Sadatsugu Tsutsui to the province as the lord.

The range of Iga Province and the location of the castle

The portrait of Sadatsugu Tsutsui, from a collection of Japanese poems called Giretsu-Hyakuninisshu, owned by National Institute of Japanese Literature (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Hideyoshi was based in Osaka Castle, so Iga Province was on the direct route from Osaka to eastern Japan. That’s why he sent Sadatsugu who first built Iga-Ueno Castle in 1585. Therefore, the castle was supposed to prevent enemies from attacking from the east. The three-level Main Tower of the castle was also built in the eastern part of it. Sadatsugu somehow survived when Ieyasu Tokugawa became the final ruler at the beginning of the 17th Century after Hideyoshi died. However, he was fired by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1608 due to a claim of misgovernment from his retainers. Historians speculate that the shogunate, in fact, wanted to remove Sadatsugu who was doubly loyal to both the shogunate and the Toyotomi Clan still at Osaka Castle.

Toyotomi’s Main Tower of Osaka Castle, from “The summer campaign of the siege of Osaka folding screens”, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The Portrait of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, attributed to Mitsunobu Kano, owned by Kodaiji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Takatora Todo renovated Castle for attacking Osaka

Instead, the shogunate transferred Takatora Todo from Imabari Castle in Shikoku Island to Iga province. Takatora was not a hereditary feudal lord, which meant he didn’t work under Ieyasu Tokugawa, who was the founder of the shogunate, for a long time. However, he was a well-known master of castle construction through having build Uwajima, Ozu and Imabari Castles. He also helped the shogunate build its famous castles such as Edo, Nagoya, and Nijo in Kyoto. That’s why he was trusted by the shogunate. They expected Takatora to build a strong castle to stand against the Toyotomi Clan at Osaka Castle in the west. Takatora accomplished this by renovating Iga-Ueno Castle. He thought that if the shogunate were to be beaten at Osaka Castle, he could accommodate Ieyasu in Iga-Ueno Castle.

The portrait of Takatora Todo, private owned (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Takatora extended the Main Enclosure, the center of the castle on a hill to the west, towards Osaka Castle. He invited a guild of craftsmen called Ano-shu to build the highest stone walls (at that time) at the western side of the enclosure. It was completed- Takatora’s biography praises him, saying the stone walls were greater then those of Osaka Castle. Takatora also started to build the five-level Main Tower behind the stone walls, however, the tower collapsed due to a windstorm in 1612. The Second Enclosure was built beside the hill in the south, which was used as warriors’ housing. It had two large Main Gates in its western and eastern parts. The construction was ongoing when the battles between the shogunate and the Toyotomi Clan happened in 1614. however, it halted after the shogunate beat the Toyotomi Clan in 1615.

*The illustration of Hachimanyama Castle and Town*, private owned (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The old photo of the Western Main Gate (*licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Homebase for Wartime

Takatora gave his younger brother Iga-Ueno Castle as his branch castle, and set Tsu Castle as his home base. Tsu Castle was located in a plains area near the sea in Ise Province which was another territory of his. He said that Tsu Castle would be his home base for peacetime while Iga-Ueno Castle would be the other one for wartime. After that, the senior vassals of the Todo Clan governed the castle and Iga Province in the peacetime of the Edo Period. They lived in the official residence where Sadatsugu Tsutsui originally lived. The first Main Tower, which Sadatsugu built, also remained for a while, but it is thought to have collapsed due to another windstorm in 1633 as well.

The ruins of the official residence of Iga-Ueno Castle

The official residence area drawn in the Kanei Era of the Edo Period, exhibited by Iga-Ueno Castle

To be continued in “Iga-Ueno Castle Part2”