ここに行くには～How to get There – ページ 36 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

128.Yogaiyama Castle Part3

More needs to be done to improve this historical site

Features

Strong defense in Back side

If you have time, you should check out the back side of the castle. This is because the ridge on the back is very narrow, so original trail and the ruins along it seem to remain as it was. The Main Enclosure and the enclosure behind it are divided by an artificial ditch to prevent enemies from attacking form the back. The ditch is partly supported by stone walls to avoid collapsing, which is rare in Japanese castles.

The ditch using stone walls divides the Main Enclosure and the back

The map around the castle

Moreover, two earthen lookout platforms are in line on the ridge at the back of these enclosures. They are also partly supported by stone walls or stone mound, which are also uncertain who built or improved it.

The trail gets thin between the platforms

The trail goes beside the platforms and between them, which was made thin cut by vertical moats both sides. That meant the defenders on the platforms would see and counterattack enemies easily.

Looking up the platform from the thin trail

Later History

In the Edo Period, a stone statue of the Takeda Fudoson or Acala, which worshiped Shingen Takeda, was built in an enclosure between the Gate Ruins No.2 and No.3. It has since been called the Fudo Enclosure. After the Meiji Restoration, the castle site continued to deteriorate, so local people built the stone monument of the birthplace of Shingen Takeda in 1929 to preserve them. The title of the monument was written by Heihachiro Togo, a famous admiral of the Japanese Imperial Navy. The castle ruins have been designated as a National Historic Site since 1991.

The stone monument for the birthplace of Shingen Takeda at the Main Enclosure

My Impression

I recommend visiting both ruins of Yogaiyama Castle and Takeda Clan Hall at the same time because you will be able to see how the Takeda Clan protected their home base. They must have been like one castle or a set. On the other hand, let me ask one thing to Kofu City. In the ruins of Takeda Clan Hall, excavations and studies are often being done in recent years. However, why have the ruins of Yogaiyama Castle not been developed? More explanations is needed for historical fans at the site. Some parts of the ruins are covered with bushes. I hope in the future that the city will develop this mountain castle ruins as a set with Takeda Clan Hall.

A Masugata entrance of Takeda Clan Hall (The northern entrance of the Western Enclosure)

Excavations are ongoing at Takeda Clan Hall Ruins

How to get There

I recommend using a car when you visit the castle ruins because there are few buses to visit them.
It is about a 20-minute drive away from Kofu-minami IC on the Chuo Expressway. There is a parking lot in front of the trail entrance to the castle ruins.
If you want to use public transportation, you can take the Yamanashi-Kotsu Bus bound for Sekisuiji Temple from JR Kofu Station and ride to the end. It takes about 15 minutes on foot from the bus stop to get the entrance.
To get to Kofu Station from Tokyo: Take the limited express Azusa or Kaiji at Shinjuku Station.

The parking lot in front of the trail entrance

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Yogaiyama Castle Part1”
Back to “Yogaiyama Castle Part2”

128.要害山城　その３

よりよい史跡にするためにやっていただきたいこと

特徴、見どころ

強力な城の後方の防御

お時間があれば、城の背後の側も見ていただきたいです。それは後方の峰はとても狭まっていて、オリジナルの城の通路や遺跡が峰に沿って昔ながらのごとく残っているからです。主郭とその後方にある曲輪は、人工的に作られた堀切によって隔てられていて、後方からの敵の攻撃を防げるようになっていました。その堀切は崩れないように部分的に石垣によって支えられていて、日本の城では稀な事例です。

城周辺の地図

その上、２つの土造りの物見台が、堀切で区切られた後方に、峰に沿って並んでいました。物見台台もまた一部が石垣あるいは石積みによって支えられていましたが、これもまた誰が築いたか、または改修したのか分かっていません。

通路は物見台の脇と間を通っていて、見張り台の間を通っている部分は両側が竪堀によってカットされていてとても細くなっています。物見台の上の守備兵は、敵が攻めてきても容易に捕捉し、反撃できたことでしょう。

その後

江戸時代には、武田不動尊の石像が２番目と３番目の門跡の間にある曲輪の場所に作られました。それ以来、その曲輪は不動曲輪と呼ばれるようになりました。明治維新後、城があった場所はますます荒廃していきました。そこで地元の人たちは、城跡を保存するため、1929年に「武田信玄公誕生之地」の石碑を建てました。石碑の題字は、旧日本海軍の有名な提督、東郷平八郎が揮毫しました。城跡は1991年以来、国の史跡に指定されています。

私の感想

要害山城を訪れる時には、武田氏館と両方同時にご覧になることをお勧めします。両方見ることによって武田氏がどのようにその本拠地を守ろうとしていたのか理解できるからです。この２つの城はセットで１つの城のように機能していたのです。ただ、1つだけ甲府市にお願いしたいです。武田氏館においては、ここ最近発掘や研究が頻繁に行われています。ところが、要害山城に限っては同じように発掘や研究が進んでいるようには思えません。現地においても、歴史ファン向けにもっと説明板などが必要ではないでしょうか。また、遺跡一部はかなり草木に埋もれたりしてわかりにくくなっています。武田氏館とセットであるものとして、将来この山城についても整備を進めていただきたいです。

ここに行くには

この城跡を訪れるには車を使われることをお勧めします。バスの本数がとても少ないからです。
中央自動車道の甲府南ICから約２０分のところです。城跡への入口の手前に駐車スペースがあります。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、ＪＲ甲府駅から積翠寺行きの山梨交通バスに乗って終点で降りてください。バス停から歩いて約１５分で城跡入口に着きます。
東京から甲府駅まで：新宿駅から特急あずさ号か、かいじ号に乗ってください。

リンク、参考情報

・要害山、甲府市
・「武田信玄　伝説的英雄からの脱却／笹本正治著」中公新書

これで終わります。ありがとうございました。
「要害山城その１」に戻ります。
「要害山城その２」に戻ります。

152.Tsu Castle Part3

You can see part of the castle ruins even in the city area.

Features

Northern side

This side is the most likely to show what the castle looked like because the high stone walls and the Inner Moat remain well. However, the original moat was over twice as wide as the current one.

The aerial photo around the castle

This road seemed to be part of the Inner Moat

Two three-story turrets were built on both edges of the walls in the past, in addition, Tamon-yagura Turret, like a long row house, was also built between them. These structures must have looked great and been a threat to enemies.

The old photo of the two turrets on the stone walls in the past, from the signboard at the site

The stone walls which had the long row house on them in the past

The stone wall base for the Northeast Turret, one of the two turrets

The stone wall base for the Northwest Turret, the other of the two turrets

You can also go and walk on the top of the walls from the inside of the Main Enclosure. There is enough space to walk and rest as it was the ground for those buildings. You can look down the walls and moat and see how tall and large they are.

The Inner Moat seen from the Northwest Turret Ruins

Overlooking the stone walls and the Inner Moat

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Tsu Castle was abandoned. The moats were eventually filled and the castle buildings were demolished accordingly. Tsu City became the capital of Mie Prefecture in the first Meiji Era, so the former castle plain land was a likely place to meet the demand of office buildings. The city finally bought some castle ruins area and opened it as a park in 1958. The city is now checking the condition of the remaining stone walls to prevent them from collapsing as they are aging and being damaged by tree roots. They will consider how to preserve and develop them as a historic site.

My Impression

We usually can not see any trace of the castle in the current city area of Tsu. However, when an excavation was done in the former castle area, some castle items were found. Examples of them can be seen in the spot beside a bank head quarters building, over 100m away from the park entrance. There is an exhibition for stone walls at the edge of the Inner Moat, which were excavated nearby. You can really understand the moat was 80 to 100m wide in the past, seeing it. I think this is another way to enjoy visiting castles.

The excavated stone walls of the Inner Moat which are exhibited beside the bank

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about 10 minutes away from Tsu IC on the Ise Expressway. There is a parking lot in front of the main entrance of the park.
By public transportation, it takes about 10 minutes on foot from Tsu-Shinmachi Station.
To get to Tsu-Shinmachi Station from Tokyo: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express, transfer to a limited express on the Kintetsu-Nagoya Line at Nagoya Station and transfer to a local train at Tsu Station.

The parking lot in front of the main entrance of the park

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Tsu Castle Part1”
Back to “Tsu Castle Part2”