特徴～Features – ページ 101 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

82.Ozu Castle Part2

You can enjoy both the restored Main Tower and the remaining turrets.

Features

From Entrance to Second Enclosure

Today, Ozu Castle is open to the public as the Shiroyama Park. The range of the park is the Main Enclosure and part of the Second Enclosure. The water moats, which was one of the most important features of the castle, were unfortunately reclaimed. This is so, the entrance of the park faces the public road. However, you can see the Main Tower, which had been scraped in 1888, but was restored in almost the same way in 2004.

The aerial photo around the castle

You can also walk on the road, which was probably one of the moats, into the park. You will pass the ruins of the Main Gate with some remaining stone walls, then you will be in the Second Enclosure. The enclosure had the Main Hall and lots of warehouses, and the only warehouse that remained is called” Shimo-daidokoro”.

The ruins of the Second Enclosure Main Gate

Restored Main Tower and Remaining Turrets at Main Enclosure

After that, you will climb on the hill which is the Main Enclosure. The enclosure has the lower and higher tiers. The lower tier has the ruins of a large well, so it was also called the Well Enclosure in the past. The higher tier is the highest and the center of the castle. It was surrounded by the gates, walls and turrets, but now you can easily enter the main enclosure. The restored Main Tower with the two remaining turrets both sides still stand out, which are definitely the highlight of the castle.

The stone walls around the Well Enclosure

Going to the higher tier of the Main Enclosure

The restored Main Tower (in the center), the remaining Kitchen Turret (on the right), and Handrail Turret (on the left)

These buildings are connected to each other by the other restored Passage Turrets. Visitors enter the entrance of the Kitchen Turret or Daidokoro Yagura, one of the remaining turrets. It is thought that this turret was used for a kitchen like the name as there are lots of lattice windows for ventilation. You will next go to the restored area. The materials of the area still look new unlike those of the remaining area. However, you may not feel strange because both areas were built in the same way using wooden materials. You will enter the Main Tower after going through the Passage Turret.

Interior of restored Main Tower

The Main Tower has four floors. The central part of the first and second floors is made in the open beam ceiling. For that, you can see lots of wooden pillars and how they are combined wisely. The wooden materials for the pillars were provided by many local organizations or individuals, which are shown on the panels in the tower. The panels also explain the history of the castle.

The open beam ceiling between the first and second floors

You can go up to the top floor by climbing the steep stairways but which is considered safe, using handles. You can enjoy a view of Hijikawa River from the top through a lattice window made in the original way.

The stairway from the third floor to the top floor

Handrail Turret with good views

You can also go to the other remaining turret called the Handrail Turret or Koran Yagura from the back of the Main Tower through the other Passage Turret. The turret has a veranda with the handrail at the second floor like the name. You can climb up to the floor using the original stairway. Actually, you can’t go out to the veranda probably to preserve the place. However, you can feel the floor is open and enjoy a view of the outside. The lord of the castle must have used the turret for viewing.

From the Main Tower to the Handrail Turret

The interior of the first floor of the turret

The interior of the second floor of the turret

To be continued in “Ozu Castle Part3”
Back to “Ozu Part1”

82.大洲城　その２

復元天守と現存櫓のコラボレーションを堪能できます。

特徴、見どころ

城の入口から二の丸へ

今日、大洲城は城山公園として一般公開されています。公園の範囲は、本丸と二の丸の一部です。城の最も重要な特徴の一つであった水堀は残念ながら埋められてしまっています。そのため、公園の入口は公道に面しています。しかし、1888年に解体されたが2004年にほとんど元通りに復元された天守を見ることができます。

城周辺の航空写真

公園に入るには、恐らく元は堀の辺りだったであろう道路を通って行きます。石垣が部分的に残っている大手門跡を通り過ぎます。入った周辺が二の丸となります。この曲輪には御殿と多くの倉庫がありました。今は下台所という倉庫が唯一残っています。

本丸にある復元天守と現存櫓

その後、本丸がある丘の方に登っていきます。本丸は下段と上段に分かれています。下段には大井戸跡があり、そのためここはかつては井戸丸と呼ばれました。上段は最も高い所にあり、城の中心部です。かつては門、塀、櫓によって囲まれていましたが、今では簡単に中に入ることができます。復元天守とその傍らの２基の現存櫓は、今でも際立っています。正にこの城の最大の見どころと言えるでしょう。

これら３つの建物は、これも復元された渡櫓によって連結されています。観光客は、現存櫓の一つである台所櫓の入口から中に入っていきます。この櫓は、その名前の通り台所として使われたと考えられています。換気のために多くの格子窓が備えてあるからです。その隣からは復元されたエリアとなります。そこで使われている部材は、現存している部分とは違って随分新しく見えます。しかし、双方とも木材を使い同様の伝統的工法で建造されているため、そんなに違和感は感じないかもしれません。渡櫓を通り過ぎた後はいよいよ天守に入ります。

復元天守の内部

天守は４階建てです。一階と二階の中心部分は吹き抜け構造となっています。そのため、多くの柱と、それらがうまく組み合わされているのを見学することができます。これらの柱に使われた木材は、多くの地元の団体や個人から提供されました。天守の中でその提供者の名前がパネルに表示されています。また、別のパネルでは、城の歴史が説明されています。

最上階には急な階段を登っていきますが、手すりがあるので安全です。最上階では、元の天守と同じ工法で作られた格子窓を通して肱川などの景色を眺めることができます。

眺めがよい高欄櫓

また、天守の奥からはもう一つの渡櫓を通って、もう一つの現存櫓である高欄櫓に行くことができます。この櫓の二階には、その名前の通り、回り縁に取り付けられた高欄があります。オリジナルの階段を登って二階に行きます。恐らくは保護の観点から、実は回り縁には出ることはできせん。しかし、このフロアは開放的であり、外の景色をよく眺めることができます。昔の城主もきっとこの櫓からこの眺望を楽しんだはずです。

「大洲城その３」に続きます。
「大洲城その１」に戻ります。

83.Uwajima Castle Part3

Uwajima City is attracting people.

Features

Interior of Main Tower

You can enter the inside of the Main Tower. Its interior is basically made for living, not for fighting. For example, the first and second floors are divided into the central room and the defense passage around by paper screen doors called Shoji. The floor of the central room is boarded now, but was Tatami-matted in the past. Shoji and Tatami mat are typical items for traditional Japanese living room. There are not any loopholes for guns and machicolations other Main Towers usually had. That’s why this is called the Main Tower of peace time.

The central room of the 1st floor, there is the miniature model of the tower made in the Edo Period for repairing

However, it actually has minimum defense system that each lattice window has a gun rest and the floors are set properly to shoot the guns from the windows.

A set of lattice window and gun rest on the defense passage at the 2nd floor

The stairway to the 2nd floor, the ceiling of the 1st floor is high to set the 2nd floor properly

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, many of the castle buildings were demolished and the moats were filled. The former lord, Date Clan continued to maintain the few remaining buildings and the mountain until the clan donated them to Uwajima City in 1949. Unfortunately, the Main Gate was burned down by the Uwajima air raid in 1945. Only the Main Tower and the Nobori-tachi-mon Gate on the back route remain. The Main Tower has been designated as an Important Cultural Property since 1950.

The remaining Nobori-tachi-mon Gate *(licensed by Saigen Jiro via Wikimedia Commons)*

My Impression

Uwajima City is warm all the year around and has a lot of affordable delicious food. A writer, Akira Yoshimura who has written about Choei Takano and Ine Kusumoto, the first woman doctor in Japan who also visited Uwajima. He came to love Uwajima through the data collection for his the novels. He visited there over 40 times in his life. This city is likely to have both a local laid-back atmosphere and a tolerance to accept others. I feel the same way and would like to visit there many times.

Ine Kusumoto *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about 30 minutes away from Seiyo-Uwa IC on the Matsuyama Expressway. There is a parking lot at the entrance of the castle.
By public transportation, it takes about 15 minutes on foot from the JR Uwajima Station.
If you go there from Tokyo or Osaka, I recommend traveling by plane or using an express bus.

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