2023年11月 – ページ 6 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

153.Kitabatake Clan Hall Part3

The enclosures on the northern ridge of Kiriyama Castle look isolated from the other mountains around, so it must have been the real final stronghold.

Features

Route to Kiriyama Castle

The route to Kiriyama Castle is much longer than that from the foot to the final castle. You have to climb ridges and valleys of the mountain for over 30 minutes. The castle was built on the northern and southern peaks of the mountain.

The map around the castle

The location map of the castle at the site, adding the red English letters

Bell Tower Ruins on Southern Ridge

You will eventually arrive at the southern one which is called the Bell Tower Ruins. As its name suggests, there was a bell tower, but there are no buildings now. The view of the area around is very good, so it might have had a lookout tower as well.

The aerial photo around the castle

There are also two other ridges (in the north and southernwest, or right and left from the southern ridge from where you came). You should choose the northern or right one to reach the northern peak which were the Main Enclosures. Please don’t go to the southwestern or left one, or you will be stuck at much harder mountain areas. You can see some artificial ditches in the direction to prevent enemies from even attacking under the severe conditions.

You should choose this path to the northern ridge

You shouldn’t choose this direction (southernwest)

The ditch for preventing the enemies from the southernwest

Main Enclosures on Northern Ridge

If you go on the northern ridge, which goes up and down steeply, you will finally arrive at the Main Enclosures on the top. The enclosures are divided by ditches into the Rice-granary ruins in the southwest, the Main Enclosure in the center on the top, and the Turret ruins in the northeast. They are all still surrounded by thick earthen walls.

The stone monument of the castle ruins at the Main Enclosure

The ditch between the Main Enclosure and the Turret Ruins

The Main Enclosure, in particular, looks like a bowl probably because the walls collapsed and the ground inside was filled with soil, which made their shape becomes round. These enclosures on the northern ridge look isolated from the other mountains around, so it must have been the real final stronghold.

Later History

After the invasion by the Oda Clan, Kitabatake Clan Hall, plus the final castle and Kiriyama Castle, were abandoned. A descendant of the Kitabatake Clan built a small shrine in the hall ruins, which worshiped his ancestors during the Edo Period, which is the origin of the current shrine. After the Meiji Restoration, the situation changed as the government decided that the Southern Court has been orthodox. Since then, the warriors and lords who had supported the Southern Court were focused on, one of which was the Kitabatake Clan. The shrine was developed being named The Kitabatake Shrine, and finally designated as an Imperial Shrine of Special Status in 1928, which worships loyal vassals. Similarly, the Kitabatake Clan Hall Ruins Garden and Kiriyama Castle Ruins were designated as a National Historic Site in 1936. This was probably reflected by the contributions of the clan. After the discovery of the old stone walls of the original hall, the hall ruins were added to the National Historic Site in 2006.

My Impression

When I first visited the Kitabatake Clan Hall Ruins as the current Kitabatake Shrine, I was honestly disappointed with them. This was because there were few castle-like items. I also found the introduction of Kiriyama Castle at that time, but I decided not to go there as I thought I didn’t have enough time to complete it. That’s why I tried to go to the castle ruins on another day and was satisfied. However, I can now say that if you don’t have enough time to see both ruins of Kitabatake Clan Hall and Kiriyama Castle, you can at least go to the final castle of the hall on the way to Kiriyama Castle in a short time.

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Kitabatake Clan Hall Part1”
Back to “Kitabatake Clan Hall Part2”

153.北畠氏館　その３

霧山城跡の北峰曲輪群は、周辺の山々から隔絶しているように見えます。そこは本当に最後の陣地として築かれたのでしょう。

特徴、見どころ

霧山城への道のり

霧山城への道のりは、麓から詰めの城までのものよりずっと長いです。山の峰筋や谷筋を進むこと３０分以上かかります。霧山城は、山の北峰と南峰のそれぞれ頂点の場所に築かれました。

城周辺の地図

鐘楼があった南峰

まず着くのは南峰の方で、鐘撞堂跡と呼ばれています。その名前が示す通り、かつては鐘楼がありましたが、今は建物はありません。そこから周りの眺めはとても良いです。物見台のようなものもあったかもしれません。

城周辺の航空写真

そこからもう２つの峰が伸びています（南峰から見て、右側の北方向にあるものと、左側の南西方向にあるもの）。ここでは、主郭群があった北峰の頂上に行くために、右側の北方向に選ぶべきで、決して左側の南西方向には行かないようにしてください。もっと険しい山地帯にはまり込んでしまいます。そのような厳しい状況の場所でさえ、人工的な堀切が設けられていて、南西方向から攻めてくる敵を防げるようになっていました。

北峰にある主郭群

北峰の方に進んでいくと、峰は上下しながら、ついには頂上の主郭群に到着します。主郭群は堀切により区切られ、南西部の米倉跡、中心部の本丸、北東部の矢倉跡に分かれています。これらの曲輪は今でも厚い土塁に囲まれています。

特に、本丸はお椀のようになっていて、恐らく周りの土塁が崩れて、中の平らな部分を埋めたことで、丸みを帯びた形になったのでしょう。北峰の曲輪群は、周辺の山々から隔絶しているように見えます。そこは本当に最後の陣地として築かれたのでしょう。

その後

織田氏による侵攻があった後、北畠氏館、及び詰めの城と霧山城は廃城となりました。江戸時代になって、北畠氏の子孫の一人が館跡に先祖を祀るために小さな神社を建てました。それが現在の神社の起源となりました。明治維新後にその状況が変化します。政府が南朝を正統な皇統であると宣言したのです。それ以来、南朝を支えた武士や領主たちが脚光を浴び、その一つが北畠氏でした。神社は拡張され北畠神社となり、ついには1928年に、忠臣を祀る別格官幣社の一つに指定されました。同じように、北畠氏館跡庭園と霧山城跡が1936年に国の史跡に指定されました。これもまた、北畠氏の貢献が影響したのでしょう。オリジナルの館の古い石垣が発見された後は、2006年に館跡が国の史跡に追加指定されました。

私の感想

最初に、現在は北畠神社になっている北畠氏館跡を訪れたときは、正直がっかりしました。城らしいものがほとんどなかったからです。そのとき、霧山城への案内も見つけたのですが、そこに行って帰ってくる十分な時間がなかったため断念しました。その後、別の日にもう一度行って城跡を訪れ、それで満足しました。しかし今から考えると、北畠氏館跡と霧山城跡両方を見学する時間がない場合でも、少なくとも霧山城に行く途中の詰めの城までは、短時間で行って来られると思います。

リンク、参考情報

・多気北畠氏遺跡の概要、津市
・「伊勢国司北畠氏の研究／藤田達生編」吉川弘文館

これで終わります。ありがとうございました。
「北畠氏館その１」に戻ります。
「北畠氏館その２」に戻ります。

153.Kitabatake Clan Hall Part2

Regarding the ruins of Kitabatake Clan Hall, visiting them starts from when you enter the Taki area. If you go on the steep Nigaki Mountain Pass to the ruins, it may give you a good understanding of how the hall was protected by this natural hazard.

How to get There

Regarding the ruins of Kitabatake Clan Hall, visiting them starts from when you enter the Taki area. The current roads to the area have been developed and paved for the convenience of transportation, but some of them are narrow and winding mountain passes. For example, if you want to visit the ruins going on National Road 368 (the former Ise Main Road) by car from the west, it is easy because the road has been developed through Kaisaka Tunnel into the mountain beside the area.

The map around the Taki area with the current 7 entrances

The old Ise Road to the steep Kaisaka Mountain Pass goes along it

However, if you go from the east, you may find it troubling. The road still goes on the steep Nigaki Mountain Pass and becomes narrow and zigzagged. It may give you a good understanding of how the hall was protected by this natural hazard. Please be careful when passing each other. It about an hour or 40km drive away from Matsusaka IC on the Ise Expressway. The severe mountain pass area is about 5km long. If you want to go on an easier route from the IC, you can take the Mie Prefectural Road 43 from the north to the ruins.

The National Road 368 on the Nigaki Mountain Pass

If you want to use public transportation, take the Tsu City Community Bus (the Misugi-higashi or Misugi-junkan route) from Ise-Okutsu Satation and get off at the Kitabatake-jinja-mae bus stop. Be careful the buses only run on weekdays and there few of them.
From Tokyo to Ise-Okutsu Station: take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express, transfer to the Mie rapid train or the Kintetsu Railway at Nagoya Station, and transfer to the JR Meisho Line at Matsusaka Station.

Features

Hall becomes Kitabatake Shrine

The ruins of Kitabatake Clan Hall has turned into the Kitabatake Shrine since the Edo Period. The shrine was built on where the hall had been built, so it looks like a typical shrine, not a hall or castle. The only remaining item of the hall is the Kitabatake Clan Hall Ruins Garden in the southern part of the shrine. The garden is a pond garden with a circular promenade which is said that Takakuni Hosokawa, the shogun’s deputy designed and Harutomo Hatakeyama, the seventh lord of the clan first built. It looks very beautiful and sophisticated and is considered one of the three greatest Samurai gardens and was designated as a National Place of Scenic Beauty.

The map around the hall

it doesn’t look like hall or castle ruins.

Ichijodani Asakura Clan Garden, another greatest Samurai garden

Earliest Stone Walls used for Warriors’ Halls during Middle Ages

There is a signboard which shows the excavated stone walls of the original hall and says they are the earliest example of stone walls used for warriors’ halls during the Middle Ages. However, we can’t look at them directly, as they have been buried again after they were excavated. The stone walls were first built around the upper tier of the hall’s land where the Main Hall for the lord was probably built. In fact, the stone walls were buried by the Kitabatake Clan themselves to extend the tier. The Main Hall was rebuilt on the tier, which would be the final version of the hall. That means the stone walls ruins are just inside of the current shrine so that visitors usually can’t see them.

The explanation board for the stone walls

Final Castle Ruins

If you want to see what looks like castle ruins, you should consider visiting the final castle of the hall and/or Kiriyama Castle. They are on the same route and the final castle is not so far from the hall. Therefore, you can choose which one or both depending on your schedule. If you walk on the path south of the shrine, you will find the starting point of the route to the ruins. There is a zigzagging trail to the mountains, so you will need to hike.

You will first reach the ruins of the final castle, on the mountain about 80m above the shrine (the former hall). The ruins simply have the main enclosure and the belt enclosure around. You can see the top of the shrine and the area around there. You will understand the place must have been the refuge shelter for the people living in the hall. The trail goes beside the belt enclosure to Kiriyama Castle Ruins ahead over the western ditch.

You can see the roof of the shrine below on the way

To be continued in “Kitabatake Clan Hall Part3”
Back to “Kitabatake Clan Hall Part1”