93.Hitoyoshi Castle Part2

The supply of the water from the Kumagawa River provides specialties such as hot spring, Kuma-shochu spirit, and sweet fish while the water could sometimes cause flood damages.

Features

Today, if you get close to the ruins of Hitoyoshi Castle, you will see a grand view of the Kumagawa River which collects water from mountain areas around, where you can also see students in canoes.

A grand view of the Kumagawa River
The students in canoes in the river

The supply of the water from the river provides specialties such as hot spring, Kuma-shochu spirit, and sweet fish while the water could sometimes cause flood damages. There was recently the Kumagawa River flood disaster in July, 2020 which actually caused serious damage to the castle ruins beside the river. The ruins have already resumed to be seen by visitors, but the Hitoyoshi Castle History Museum at the site is still closed as of September, 2023.

A facility of Hitoyoshi hot spring
The closed Hitoyoshi Castle History Museum
The water reached the level of the bill

Mysterious Water Bath of Basement

The museum is in the lowest area of the riverside which was used as the Main Gate, the domain’s facilities, and the senior vassals’ residences. Some turrets and walls surrounding the area have been restored. In fact, the museum is exactly on the same residence ruins of Seibe Sagawa who was banished during the Edo Period.

The aerial photo around the castle

The ruins of warriors’ residences at the riverside
The ruins of the Main Gate
The restored row-style turret beside the Main Gate
The restored Corner Turret

An interesting thing about the residence was that a water bath made of stones was found in the basement of the ruins. The water comes from the river and the bath is over 2m deep. There are no other similar cases in Japanese castles so far. Some speculate that it might have been used as a bathing place of a Jewish chapel because the specs were similar. There were secret Christians in the Hitoyoshi area though being Christians was prohibited during the Edo Period. Some of them might have believed Judaism.

The discovered water bath of the basement, quoted from the Hitoyoshi City website

Stone Walls with Hanedashi system surrounding Main Hall

The next area is the former Main Hall for the lord, called Mitachi, which is used as the Sagara-Gokoku Shrine. Some items for the hall remain, such as a pond garden, the stone entrance bridge over the moat, and stone walls surrounding it.

The ruins of the Main Hall
The Sagara-Gokoku Shrine
The pond garden
The stone entrance bridge over the moat

In particular, the stone walls facing the riverside use the Hanedashi system which refers to all the stones on the top row are layered to prevent enemies from invading. That’s why it is also called Musha-gaeshi or the Repelling Warriors system. The system is rarely seen in other Japanese castles only in Goryokaku, Shinagawa Batteries, and Tatsuoka Castle which were built at the end of the Edo Period.

The stone walls with the Hanedashi system of Hitoyoshi Castle
The stone walls with the Hanedashi system of Goryokaku
The stone walls with the Hanedashi system of Shinagawa Batteries
The stone walls with the Hanedashi system of Tatsuoka Castle

In front of the stone walls, the ruins of Mizunote-mon or the Water Gate are open to the Kumagawa River, which proves that the castle was involved in water transportation.

The ruins of the Water Gate
The ruins seen from the outside

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

93.人吉城 その2

球磨川の豊かな水は、温泉、球磨焼酎、鮎などの土地の名産、名物を生み出すとともに、時には洪水の被害も引き起こします。

特徴、見どころ

豊かな恵みやときには水害をもたらす球磨川

現在、人吉城跡に近づいていくと、人吉盆地の周りの山々からの水を集めた球磨川の雄大な姿が目に入ってきます。そこでは学生たちがカヌーの練習をしているのも見えたりします。

雄大な球磨川
カヌーの練習に使われています

この川の豊かな水は、温泉、球磨焼酎、鮎などの土地の名産、名物を生み出すとともに、時には洪水の被害も引き起こします。最近の出来事としては、2020年6月に球磨川水害が発生し、実際に川沿いにある城跡に深刻な被害をもたらしたのです。城跡は既にビジターを受け入れるところまで復旧していますが、2023年9月時点で人吉城歴史館はまだ休館となっています。

「人吉温泉」の施設
休館中の人吉城歴史観
水がここまで来ました

謎の地下室水槽

歴史館は、城では一番低い川岸地区にあり、かつてそこには大手門、藩の施設、重臣の屋敷などがありました。櫓(隅櫓、大手門脇多門櫓)とこの地区を囲む白壁が復元されています。実は歴史館は、江戸時代に追放された相良清兵衛の屋敷と全く同じ場所にあるのです。

城周辺の航空写真

川岸地区の武家屋敷跡
大手門跡
復元された大手門脇多門櫓
復元された隅櫓

この屋敷について大変興味深いことがあるのですが、屋敷跡の地下室から石造りの水槽が発見されたのです。水槽の水は川から引かれていて、その深さは2m以上あります。今のところ、他の日本の城には類似した事例は見つかっていません。中には、これはユダヤ教の神殿の沐浴施設だったのではないかと考える人もいます。実際の施設とよく似ているとのことです。人吉地域にはキリスト教が禁止されていた江戸時代の間、隠れキリシタンの人たちがいました。そのうちの誰かがユダヤ教に関わっていたのかもしれません。

発見された地下室の水槽、人吉市ウェブサイトから引用

御殿跡を巡る跳ね出し石垣

となりの地区は、以前「御館(みたて)」と呼ばれる城主の御殿だったところです。現在では相良護国神社となっています。御殿に関連するものとしては、池泉庭園、入口のところの堀にかかっている石橋、そして御殿を囲んでいた石垣が残っています。

御館跡
相良護国神社
池泉庭園
入口の石橋と堀

特に、川に面した部分ある石垣は跳ね出し形式になっていて、最上部の列の石が飛び出して積まれ、敵が登って侵入してくるのを防いでいました。そのため、この仕組みは「武者返し」とも呼ばれています。日本の他の城でも滅多に見られないもので、江戸時代末期に築かれた「五稜郭」「品川台場」「龍岡城」に見られるのみです。

人吉城の跳ね出し石垣
五稜郭の跳ね出し石垣
品川台場の跳ね出し石垣
龍岡城の跳ね出し石垣

その石垣の手前の方には水の手門跡があって、球磨川の方に開いています。かつて城が水上交通にも関与していたことがわかります。

水の手門跡
川側から見た水の手門跡

「人吉城その3」に続きます。
「人吉城その1」に戻ります。

93.Hitoyoshi Castle Part1

The early stage of Hitoyoshi Castle was much larger than its later stage during the Edo Period which is what we call the castle ruins.

Location and History

Sagara Clan governs Hitoyoshi area long

Hitoyoshi Castle was located beside the Kumagawa River in the Hitoyoshi Basin in the southern part of Higo Province which is modern day Kumamoto Prefecture. The Sagara Clan, the builder of the castle was first sent to the Hitoyoshi area by the Kamakura Shogunate around 1200. They lived in their residence on a flat square space, surrounded by moats, in the area like other lords in other areas at that time used to do such as the Ashikaga Clan Hall. Some consider this is the origin of Hitoyoshi Castle, however, the residence was built in a different place and ways from the castle which would be built later on. The clan had continued to govern the area since their settlement and the government was allowed by the shogunate and the governor of the province, the Kikuchi Clan. The square residence was moved and rebuilt at least once, but it became a holy place where important ceremonies like recruitements for the clan were held.

The range of Higo Province and the location of the castle

The portrait of Nagayori Sagara, the founder of the clan, drawn in the Edo Period, owned by Sagara Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The location of the first residence of the Sagara Clan

Ashikaga Clan Hall

Nagatsugu Sagara builds Castle after his Overthrowing

However, it was not enough for them to maintain their territory and decide who would be their next successor. They were finally done by power and battles. In the middle of the 15th Century, Nagashige Nagatomi, a relative of the Sagara Clan, overthrew his superiors when the Bunan Internal Troubles happened and eventually became the lord of the clan, and he renamed it Nagatsugu Sagara. He first lived in Yamada Castle, a small mountain castle, located in the north of the previous lord’s residence. Then, he built and moved to Taka Castle which had several enclosures on the Shirasu plateau, near the residence, as he got more powerful. He probably made his retainers live in these enclosures to prepare for his taking over. It wss thought that he finally built Hitoyoshi Castle at the current place when he succeeded.

The transition of the home bases of Nagashige Nagatone

Hitoyoshi Castle was built along the southern side of the Kumagawa River in a similar way to that of Taka Castle on the Shirasu plateau, but was much larger than it. In fact, the early stage of Hitoyoshi Castle was also much larger than its later stage during the Edo Period which is what we call the castle ruins. The early one was actually a group of local castles, such as Uehara-jo, Nakahara-jo, Shimohara-jo, Nishino-maru, Sotomawari, and Uchi-jo. Each local castle was on one hill of the plateau which was separated from the others by dry moats. The lord of the clan lived in Uehara-jo which was the highest and largest castle among the group. An interesting thing about Uehara-jo was that it included the square space surrounded by its own moats which had been considered as the holy space for the clan. The important ceremonies seemed to continue to be held in the same space, which meant even the powerful new lord still wanted to follow the clan’s tradition and authority.

A distant view of Hitoyoshi Castle Ruins beside Kumagawa River

The relief map of the early Hitoyoshi Castle

Sagara Clan’s Success and Failure

The increasing force of the Sagara Clan flew out from the Hitoyoshi area to other areas in Higo Province. In particular, they wanted to get the Yatsushiro area beside the Yatsushiro Sea, which prospered from trading internationally. Nagatsugu’s son, Tametsugu started to invade the Yatsushiro area. Yoshishige, four generations after Tametsugu completed it and moved his home base from Hitoyoshi Castle to Furufumoto Castle which was called Yatsushiro Castle in 1534. The clan became one of the greatest warlords in the Kyushu Region and traded with foreign countries through the Ryukyu Kingdom, directly with the Ming Dynasty of China and even by smuggling. As a result, Hitoyoshi Castle was renovated as a branch castle of the clan. The Uchijo portion, which was used for the lord’s family residence, became the new lord’s residence which was called Miuchi.

The portrait of Yoshishige Sagara, the founder of the clan, owned by Sagara Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The ruins of Furufumoto Castle, quoted from the website of Yatsushiro City

However, the Shimazu Clan, which aimed to invade all of the Kyushu Region in the late 16th Century, forced the Sagara Clan to surrender and hand Yatsushiro Castle over to the Shimazu Clan. The Sagara Clan had to return to Hitoyoshi Castle but was able to maintain it and their territory while the unification of Japan by Hideyoshi Toyotomi and the Tokugawa Shogunate was happening. Hitoyoshi Castle was reduced to the Miuchi area and the other parts were abandoned. Instead, the remaining area was modernized such as by building stone walls.

Hitoyoshi Castle was drawn in the Edo Period in “The illustration of Kuma Castle in Higo Province”, exhibited by the National Diet Library Digital Collections
The current Hitoyoshi Castle Ruins

The Sagara Clan governed the castle and the area around all through the Edo Period as the Hitoyoshi Domain. There were some problems in the domain during the long period. For example, an internal comflict, called Oshita Rebellion, happened in 1640. A senior vassal, Seibe Sagara, who got the power to be equal to the lord among the domain, was banished by the lord. His relatives were besieged in their residences, called Oshita-yashiki, but were defeated and the residences were also burned down. There was a great fire called Torasuke Fire in 1862, which caused many of the castle to burn down. After that, some of the stone walls were restored using a new method called Hanedashi which emulated the European castles.

The Hanedashi stone walls of Hitoyoshi Castle

To be continued in “Hitoyoshi Castle Part2”