ここに行くには～How to get There – ページ 46 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

144.Ogaki Castle Part3

Let us feel a water of city and an atmosphere of the castle town.

Features

Walking along Former Outer Moat

The map around the castle

If you want to know what a Water Castle is like, consider walking around Suimon-gawa River, the former Outer Moat. The river still surrounds the northern and western sides of the castle. If you walk from the north to the west along the flow of the river, you can understand how large the castle was in the past. You can also see the ruins of the Tatsunokuchi-mon Gate on the northern side and the ruins of the Takebashiguchi-mon Gate on the western side.

The illustration of the Tatsunokuchi-mon Gate in the past, from the signboard at the site

The ruins of the Takebashiguchi-mon Gate

In addition, there are the Spring of Ogaki at the northwest corner and the Suito Park at the southwest corner where you can see Ogaki is still a city of water.

Walking along Old Mino Road

If you arrive at the Suito Park, you can walk along the old Mino Road as the road still goes on the southern and eastern sides of the castle through the former castle town. The pavement of the road is painted in a different color (beige) from other roads, so you can easily follow it.

The road is painted in a different color from other roads

You will see some traditional items such as an old sweet beans jelly shop, the ruins of Honjin (officially appointed inn) of Ogaki-juku Station on Mino Road and the ruins of Toiyaba (administration office). You can still feel what the castle town was like there.

The elegant roof of the sweet beans jelly shop

The ruins of Toiyaba (administration office)

My Impression

Before the Battle of Sekigahara, there might have been a chance for Mitsunari to defeat Ieyasu. If Mitsunari stayed in Ogaki Castle for longer time, the number of his supporters, including his master Hideyori, could increase. However, I think Ieyasu was much superior to Mitsunari as a general. Ieyasu trapped Mitsunari by wining Mitsunari’s allies like Hideaki Kobayakawa over to Ieyasu’s side. Ieyasu made Mitsunari leave Ogaki Castle by choice. I think Ieyasu learned a lot from his lost in the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1573 when he was young. He was trapped by Shingen Takeda to leave his Hamamatsu Castle by himself and defeated. As a result, he did a similar way in Sekigahara to what he had been done in Mikatagahara.

The statue of Ieyasu Tokugawa at Hamamatsu Castle

The monument of the Battle of Mikatagahara

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about 15 minutes away from Ogaki IC on the Meishin Expressway. There are several parking lots around the park.
By public transportation, it takes about 10 minutes on foot from the JR Ogaki Station.
To get to Ogaki Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Tokaido Line at Nagoya Station.

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Ogaki Castle Part1”
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144.大垣城　その３

水の都と城下町の雰囲気を感じてみましょう。

特徴、見どころ

旧外堀を歩く

城周辺の地図

もし、水城のような大垣城がどんな感じだったのか知りたければ、元外堀であった水門川周辺を歩いてみてはいかがでしょう。この川は今でも城だったところの北側と西側を流れています。川の流れに沿って、北から西の方に歩いてみれば、過去における城の大きさを実感できると思います。例えば、北側には辰之口門跡がありますし、西側には竹橋口門跡があります。

他には、川の北西の角のところには大垣湧水がありますし、南西の角には水都公園があり、大垣市が今でも水の都だということがわかります。

旧美濃街道を歩く

水都公園にいらっしゃるのでしたら、そこから旧美濃街道を歩いていくことができます。この街道は、旧城下町の中を通っており、城の南側と東側に当たります。この街道の舗装は、通常の道路とは違う色（ベージュ）で塗装されているので、間違わずに道を歩くことができます。

街道沿いには、古くからある羊羹店、大垣宿の本陣跡、問屋場跡など伝統を感じさせる見どころがたくさんあります。城下町の様子がどうだったか想像できるのではないでしょうか。

私の感想

関ヶ原の戦いの前までは、三成が家康を倒すチャンスがあったのかもしれません。もし三成がもっと長く大垣城に留まっていたならば、彼の主君であった秀頼を含めて、彼に味方する人数はもっと増えたことも考えられます。しかし結局は、家康は三成より武将として一枚も二枚も上手だったと思うのです。家康は、小早川秀秋を味方に引き入れることで、三成に罠をかけたのです。そして、三成が大垣城を出なければならによう仕向けたのでしょう。家康は若かりし頃、1573年の三方ヶ原の戦いでの敗戦から多くを学んだのだと思います。家康はそのとき武田信玄に、居城であった浜松城から自ら出てくるよう仕向けられ、敗北を喫したのです。そして、三方ヶ原でやられたことを、今度は関ヶ原でやり返したのでしょう。

ここに行くには

車で行く場合は、名神自動車道の大垣ICから約１５分かかります。公園周辺にいくつか駐車場があります。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、ＪＲ大垣駅から歩いて約１０分のところです。
東京か大阪から大垣駅まで：東海道新幹線に乗って、名古屋駅で東海道本線に乗り換えてください。

リンク、参考情報

・大垣城、大垣市公式ホームページ
・「東海の名城を歩く　岐阜編／中井均　内堀信雄編」吉川弘文館
・「新説　戦乱の日本史」ＳＢ新書
・「よみがえる日本の城１６」学研
・「日本の城改訂版第６０号」デアゴスティーニジャパン

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

38.Iwamura Castle Part3

Be careful choosing your parking spot.

Features

Going to Main Enclosure, Center of Castle

The map around the Main Enclosure

From the Eastern Enclosure, you can enter the Main Enclosure by passing through two gate ruins and the Nagatsubone Enclosure between them.

The past Eastern Enclosure (front) and Nagatsubone Enclosure (back), *drawn in the signboard at the site*

The Nagatsubone-uzumi-mon Gate Ruins, the entrance of the Nagatsubone Enclosure

The long and narrow Nagatsubone Enclosure

The Front Gate Ruins of the Main Enclosure, the exit of the Nagatsubone Enclosure

The Front Gate Ruins seen from the inside of the Main Enclosure

The inside of the Main Enclosure is a square now. You can see from there views of the city area far away and the castle area around such as the Demaru Enclosure which also protected the Main Enclosure, but it is now used as a parking lot.

The past Main Enclosure, drawn in the signboard at the site

The past Demaru Enclosure, drawn in the signboard at the site

A view of the Demaru Enclosure seen from the Main Enclosure

You can also see the Uzumi-mon Gate Ruins which is the entrance from the Second Enclosure. It is interesting to see the stones on the steps are all cut in the shape of a triangle.

The past Uzumi-mon Gate, drawn in the signboard at the site

The stones on the steps cut in the shape of a triangle

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Iwamura Castle was abandoned and all the buildings of the castle excluding the Main Hall at the foot were demolished. The hall was also burned by a fire in 1881. Iwamura History Museum opened in 1972 at the site of the former hall and part of the hall was also restored in 1990. On the mountain side, Ena City, which owns the ruins, recently excavated and researched them to develop and preserve them. The city aims to someday make the ruins designated as a National Historic Site.

The partly restored Main Hall (taken by HiC from photoAC)

My Impression

When I visited the ruins of Iwamura Castle, I made a mistake choosing my parking spot. I wanted to walk around the ruins from the foot to the top. However, my car navigation system led me to the parking lot near the top automatically. Therefore, I had to climb down to the foot first, then I returned back to the top. For visitors who want to see the entire ruins should park at the foot. If you want to see only the great stone walls on the top, you can park at the Demaru Enclosure, which is few minutes on foot from the Main Enclosure on the top.

How to get There

I recommend using a car when you visit the castle ruins.
It is about a 20-minute drive away from Ena IC on the Chuo Expressway. There are two parking lots near the top and at the foot of the ruins
If you want to use public transportation, It takes about 30 minutes on foot from Iwamura Station on the Akechi Railway to arrive at the foot.
To get to Iwamura Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express, transfer to the Chuo Line at Nagoya Station and transfer to the Akechi Railway at Ena Station.

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