その後～Later History – ページ 26 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

97.Kagoshima Castle Part3

The last place where Samurais and Castles existed

Features

Melancholy Saigo Caves

Finally, please consider visiting the Saigo Caves which was the last place of Takamori Saigo and the Seinan War. This place is on the way to car road between the city area and the top of the mountain. Therefore, you can choose the timing of your visit either when you go to or return from the top. This is also another popular historical spot but there are just several caves in a line on the cliff. You may feel sad seeing them and imagining Saigo or his soldiers having to choose them as the last place, not a castle-like place.

The relief map around the castle

Later History

In the Seinan War, the remaining castle buildings of the Second Enclosure were also burned down. After that, the castle ruins at the foot of the mountain were used as schools like Kagoshima University. After the university moved to another location, the Reimeikan museum opened in the Main Enclosure in 1983. As for a historical site, the mountain part was first designated as a National Historic Site in 1931. In addition, the foot part is being added to the site based on the achievement of the recent excavation. Kagoshima Prefecture is also considering to restore other structures at Main Enclosure such as turrets and moats in the future.

The Reimeikan museum seen from the trail to Shiroyama Mountain

The illuminated Main Enclosure of Kagoshima Castle

My Impression

When I saw the Saigo Caves, I felt like Saigo had been in a guerrilla warfare. If he had fought in a final battle of the Sengoku Period, he would have stayed in a castle building such as the Main Tower, like the Toyotomi Clan used to do at Osaka Castle in the summer campaign of the siege of Osaka in 1615, or on the top of a mountain, like Masashige Kusunoki used to do at Chihaya Castle in the siege of Chihaya in 1333. However, the situation and technology had completely changed from those periods. I think Seinan War proved the end of the warriors as well as the end of Japanese castles.

The summer campaign of the siege of Osaka folding screens, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The illustration of Siege of Chihaya, attributed to Yoshikazu Utagawa, in the Edo Period, owned by Minatogawa Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle ruins by car, it is about a 20 minute drive away from Kagoshima-kita IC on the Kyushu Expressway. There are several parking lots around the castle ruins. You can also use the parking lot of Reimeikan if you enter the museum.
If you want to use public transportation, you can take the Kagoshima City-view Bus from Kagoshima-chuo Station and get off at the Satsuma-gishihimae bus stop or take the city tram bound for Kagoshima-ekimae from the station and get off at the Shiyakusho-mae stop.
From Fukuoka to Kagoshima-chuo Station: Take the Kyushu Shinkansen super express.
From Tokyo to Kagoshima-chuo Station: Take the express bus from Kagoshima Airport after using a plane.

The Shiyakusho-mae stop of the city tram

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

97.鹿児島城　その３

武士と城の時代が終わった場所

特徴、見どころ

物悲しい西郷洞窟

最後に、西郷隆盛と西南戦争の最後の場所となった西郷洞窟を訪れてみてはいかがでしょうか。この場所は、市街地と山の頂上を結ぶ車道の中間地点にあります。したがって、頂上まで行くときかそこから帰るときかどちらでもよいでしょう。ここも著名な史跡となっていますが、そこには崖に沿っていくつか洞窟が並んでいるだけです。洞窟を見ていると、西郷とのその兵たちが城のような場所でなく、このような場所を最後の地に選ばざるをえなかったことに悲しさを覚えるかもしれません。

城周辺の起伏地図

その後

西南戦争では、二の丸にあった城の現存建物も焼けてしまいました。その後、山麓の城跡は鹿児島大学のような学校施設として使われました。鹿児島大学が他の地へ移転した後は、1983年に本丸に黎明館が開館しました。史跡としては、城山の部分が1931年に最初に国の史跡に指定されました。更には、山麓の部分が最近の発掘の成果をもとに国の史跡に追加指定されました。鹿児島県は将来、櫓や堀（一部埋められていた部分）のような本丸の他の構造物の復元を検討しているところです。

私の感想

西郷洞窟を見たとき、西郷はまるでゲリラ戦をしたかのように感じました。もし西郷が戦国時代に最後の戦いをしようとしていたら、1615年の大坂城での大坂夏の陣の豊臣氏のように天守のような城の建物に籠城していたでしょう。または、1333年の千早城の戦いでの楠木正成のように山上に立てこもっていたでしょう。しかし、それらの時代からは状況や技術が大きく変わってしまっていたのです。西南戦争は、武士の時代の終わりとともに、（本来の使われ方という意味での）日本の城の時代の終わりを示していたのだと思います。

大坂夏の陣図屏風、大阪城天守閣蔵 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

千早城合戦図、歌川芳員筆、江戸時代、湊川神社蔵 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：九州自動車道の鹿児島北ICから約２０分かかります。城跡周辺にいくつか駐車場があります。黎明館に入館する方は、そこの駐車場を使うこともできます。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、鹿児島中央駅から鹿児島シティビューバスに乗って薩摩義士碑前バス停で降りるか、鹿児島駅前行きの市電に乗って市役所前停留所で降りてください。
福岡から鹿児島中央駅まで：九州新幹線に乗ってください。
東京から鹿児島中央駅まで：飛行機で鹿児島空港に行き、高速バスに乗ってください。

リンク、参考情報

・鹿児島県歴史・美術センター黎明館、鹿児島県
・「よみがえる日本の城１８」学研
・「日本の城改訂版第１２８、１５５号」デアゴスティーニジャパン
・「戦況図解　西南戦争／原口泉監修」サンエイ新書

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

190.Yatsushiro Castle Part3

The more I learn about the castle, the more I want to go back and visit again.

Features

Other Attractions than Main Enclosure

Other than the Main Enclosure, the others were turned into the city area. However, some traces of the castle can be seen in several places. For example, the former Second Enclosure, located in the east of the Main Enclosure, is used for modern buildings such as the city hall. The area is surrounded by low stone walls, which were probably re-piled using excavated stones. Some of them look new and very white!. It could be because they had been buried for a long time before they were found.

The map around the castle

Yatsushiro City Hall and the stone walls surrounding it

The Northern Enclosure, located in the north of the Main Enclosure, was used as the retreat residence of Sansai Hosokawa and the home of the Matsui Clan later. There are still some stone walls surrounding it, which look original. The inside of it is used as Matsui Srine which worships the clan’s ancestors.

The stone walls surrounding the Northern Enclosure

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Yatsushiro Castle was abandoned and all the castle buildings were demolished. Few of them were moved and remain in other places. Most of the castle land was turned into the city area with its moats being filled, while Yatsushiro Shrine was built in the Main Enclosure in 1884. As a result, the group of the three castles, which were called Yatsushiro Castle in each period, as Furufumoto, Mugishima, and present time Yatsushiro Castle, have been designated as a National Historic Site together since 2014.

The entrance of Yatsushiro Shrine, built in the Meiji Era

My Impression

I didn’t know about Yatsushiro Castle at all before my visit. I was first surprised to see the good combination of white stone walls and green water. Then, I understood the elaborate defense system, contributed by the Masugata space. Finally, I enjoyed the great view of the Main Tower stone wall base. After visiting, I learned the two other castles, called Yatsushiro Castle earlier on, and the history of land reclamation in Yatsushiro. In the Edo Period, white stone walls like the castle were built for embankments. I would like to visit the area again some day to see the three Yatsushiro Castles and the white stone walls somewhere.

The stone walls and the Inner Moat at the northern side of the Main Enclosure

Ruins of the land reclamation in Edo Period in Yatsushiro, called Kochuhi

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about a 6km drive away from Yatsushiro IC on the Kyushu Expressway. There is a parking lot beside the northeastern corner of the Main Enclosure.
If you want to use public transportation, you can take the Sanko Bus bound for Yatsushiro-Sanko from Yatsushiro Station and get off at the Yatsushirogu-mae bus stop to get there.
From Fukuoka to Yatsushiro Station: Take the Kyushu Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Kagoshima Line at Shin-Yatsushiro Station.

The parking lot of the castle ruins for visitors

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