ここに行くには～How to get There – ページ 54 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

183.Kurume Castle Part3

Kurume offers unique culture in Japan.

Later History

After the incident in 1871, Kurume Castle was abandoned. All the buildings of the castle were demolished or sold. Even the stone walls of the Main Enclosure were sold and about to be taken out. However, local volunteers were worried and bought them back. That’s why we can still see the great stone walls as the castle ruins. As a result, the Sasayama Shrine was established in the Main Enclosure in 1877. The ruins have been a Prefectural Historic Site of the Fukuoka Prefecture since 1983.

My Impression

Let me tell you about the other attractions in other places related to the Kurume Domain. The lord of the domain, like the others, possessed two residences, one in Kurume and one in Edo. The Suitengu Shrine was transferred from Kurume to the main residence in Edo. The shrine was open to the public and became very popular. This practice was rare at that time. Since then, the shrine has been a popular attraction in Tokyo.

Arima’s main residence in Edo, drawn on the right in a Ukiyoe painting, attributed to Hiroshige Utagwa　the Second, exhibited by the National Diet Library of Japan

The present Suitengu Shrine in Tokyo (licensed by tak1701d via Wikimedia Commons)

Yoriyasu Arima, the 15th lord of the clan, promoted sports such as horse race and professional baseball in the 20th Century. A major horse race in Japan called Arima Kinen was named after his contribution.

Yoriyasu Arima (licensed by tak1701d via Wikimedia Commons)

How to get There

If you want to visit the ruins by car, it is a few minutes away from Kurume IC on the Kyushu Expressway.
You can park in the parking lots for visitors below the eastern side of the Main Enclosure. That space used to be the Mikan-maru or the Mandarin Enclosure.
If you want to use public transportation, it takes about 20 minutes on foot from the Kurume Station.
To get to Kurume Station from Tokyo or Osaka:Take the Sanyo Shinkansen super express or fly to Hakata Station and from there take the Kyushu Shinkansen super express or the limited express.

The parking lot at the Mikan-maru Enclosure

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Kurume Castle Part1”
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183.久留米城　その３

久留米はユニークな文化を発信しています。

その後

1871年の事件（久留米藩難事件と呼ばれています）の後、久留米城は廃城となり、城の全ての建物は撤去されるか売られていきました。本丸の石垣でさえ売却され、持ち出されるところでした。ところが、地元の有志たちがこの状況を憂え、その石垣を買い戻したのです。そのおかげで、われわれが今日城跡の石垣を見ることができるのです。そして、1877年には本丸に篠山神社が設立されました。1983年以来、城跡は福岡県の史跡に指定されています。

私の感想

久留米藩に関連して、他の場所で見られる他の見どころを紹介させてください。久留米藩の藩主は、他の大名と同じように２つの住居を持っていました。一つは久留米にあり、もう一つは江戸です。水天宮が、久留米から江戸にあった藩邸に勧請されました。そして民衆にも公開され、大変な人気となりました。当時このようなことはとても珍しかったのです。水天宮は現在の東京でも人気のある観光地になっています。

浮世絵に描かれた久留米藩上屋敷、二代歌川広重「東都名所芝赤羽根増上寺」、藩邸は右側、出典：国立国会図書館

東京にある現在の水天宮 *(licensed by tak1701d via Wikimedia Commons)*

有馬頼寧（よりやす）は有馬家第１５代目の当主で、２０世紀に競馬やプロ野球（東京セネタースを設立）などのスポーツ振興に尽くしました。日本でメジャーな競馬レースである有馬記念は、彼の功績にちなんで名づけられました。

有馬頼寧 *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：九州自動車道の久留米ICから数分のところにあります。本丸の東側下に観光客向けの駐車場があります。その場所は、かつては蜜柑丸という曲輪でした。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、久留米駅から歩いて約２０分かかります。
東京または大阪から久留米駅まで：山陽新幹線に乗るか飛行機で博多駅まで行き、そこから九州新幹線か特急に乗ってください。

リンク、参考情報

・久留米城跡、久留米観光コンベンション国際交流協会
・「よみがえる日本の城２０」学研
・「日本の城改訂版第５０号」デアゴスティーニジャパン
・「知るっぱ久留米、久留米入城４００年」ドリームスＦＭ

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

88.Yoshinogari Ruins Part3

The ruins became the Yoshinogari Historical Park instead of an industrial park.

Later History

With the start of the Burial Mound Period in at the late 3rd Century, the Yoshinogari settlement rapidly decreased. Four keyhole-shaped burial mounds were built on the land of Yoshinogari. After a long time, local historians noticed that a lot of pieces of burial jars and earthenware were found in the area about 100 years ago. In 1986, Saga Prefecture decided to develop the area as an industrial park. As a result, before the development, there were some research on the buried cultural properties. Yoshinogari Ruins were meant to be destroyed after the research. However, the huge scale ruins were revealed in 1989. The media reported the ruins sensationally as if they were the Yamatai Country. Visitors suddenly rushed to the ruins, too. The prefecture reversed its decision and announced it would preserve the ruins instead. The ruins were designated as a National Special Historic Site in 1991. The Yoshinogari Historical Park finally opened in 2001.

The aerial photo of Hashihaka-kofun Tumulus, a representative keyhole-shaped burial mound in the 3rd Century in Nara Prefecture

Unearthed relics at Yoshinogari site, in the Exhibition Room

A distant view of the Yoshinogari Historical Park

My Impression

I think there are no other ruins like the Yoshinogari Ruins, which show the real image of the Yayoi Period. The ruins can be seen as a theme park rather than a historical park. You can see the settlements already had some elements of castles found in Japan later on. However, it’s up to you whether Yoshinogari Ruins should be considered are a kind of castle or not. I recommend visiting them and making your own impression.

The entrance of the North Inner Enclosure

The restored circular moats with fences at the Moat-Enclose Entrance Grounds

How to get There

If you want to visit the ruins by car, it is a few minutes away from Higashi-Sefuri IC on the Nagasaki Expressway.
You can park in the parking lots for visitors in the park.
If you want to use public transportation, it takes about 15 minutes on foot from the JR Yoshinogari-koen Station.
To get to Yoshinogari-koen Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the limited express from Hakata Station and transfer to the local train on the Nagasaki Line at Tosu Station, after using the Shinkansen super express or by plane.

Links and References

・Yoshinogari Historical Park

That’s all. Thank you.
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