特徴～Features – ページ 105 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

183.Kurume Castle Part2

The stone walls of the castle are still intact.

Features

Great Stone Walls of Main Enclosure

Today, only the Main Enclosure remains as the ruins of Kurume Castle. The ruins have no castle buildings, but its stone walls are still mostly intact. The scale of the enclosure is not so large, about 150m from north to south and about 100m from east to west. It is surprising to imagine there were seven three-story turrets all connected by two-story row-style turrets in such a limited space. There is the Sasayama Shrine which worships the Arima Clan in the enclosure.

The map around the castle

The ruins of Kurume Castle now have only the Main Enclosure

Newer Stone Walls of Southern side

The front side of the enclosure is facing the south, which is also the entrance of the shrine. The only remaining water moat is located on that side. You can see the great high stone walls with a height of 15m. The stone walls of this side are constituted of piled, aligned square cut stones, in a method called Nuno-zumi. This method is newer than the one used in the rest of the castle, so it is thought that they were built by the Arima Clan.

The high stone walls of the southern side

The three three-story turrets; Tatsumi(Southeast), Taiko(Drum) and Hitsujisaru(Southwest) Turrets used to stand on the stone walls. In particular, the Tatsumi Turret was the largest, which meant it was the symbol and the substitute of the Main Tower of the castle.

The stone walls under the Tatsumi Turret Ruins

Inside of Main Enclosure

You can enter the enclosure through the ruins of the Kabuki-gomon Gate, on the paved route turning left. The route used to pass by a defensive square space called Masugata, but it is not visible clearly since the route was paved.

In the enclosure, there is the Arima Memorial Museum which exhibits the legacy of the Arima Clan, which the Sasayama Shrine isn’t a part of. The museum is on the ruins of the Hitsujisatu and Nishishita(West) Turrets. On or beside the ruins of the other turrets, there are several monuments about the local history. For example, there is the monument for remembering the sufferers of the incident in 1871 on the ruins of the Taiko Turret, where you can see its great stone walls close nearby.

the monument for remembering the sufferers of the incident on the Taiko Turret Ruins, on the right of the picture (licensed by そらみみ via Wikimedia Commons)

A view of the high stone walls from the Taiko Turret Ruins

There is also the monument for the 56th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Army beside the ruins of the Ushitora(Northeast) Turret, where you can see the Chikugo River.

The Older Stone Walls of Eastern side

You can also enjoy a great view of the stone walls at the eastern side of the enclosure. The surface of the stone walls is made of piled roughly processed stones with small stones filling the gaps. This method is called Uchikomi-hagi. On the other hand, their corners are made of piled processed rectangular stones alternately, following the method called Sangi-zumi. These methods are older than the one used at the southern side, so these stone walls might have been built by the Mori or Tanaka Clans.

The stone walls at a corner, made of piled processed rectangular stones alternately

There is another entrance with stone steps on this side, beside the ruins of the Tsukimi(Moon watching) Turret. It might had also been the front gate as this side had originally been the front side of the enclosure. You can see the Kurume University playground from the turret ruins, which was once a water moat of the castle.

The entrance of the eastern side beside the Tsukimi Turret Ruins

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

183.久留米城　その２

城の石垣がいまだに健在です。

特徴、見どころ

本丸に残る素晴らしい石垣

現在、久留米城跡として本丸のみが残っています。城跡には城の建物はありませんが、その石垣がいまだにほとんど元のまま残っています。この曲輪はそれ程大きくはなく、南北約１５０ｍ、東西約１００ｍの大きさです。このような限られたスペースに、７基もの三階櫓が全て二階建ての多聞櫓によってつながっていたことを想像するだけでも驚きです。今、この曲輪には有馬氏を祀る篠山神社があります。

城周辺の地図

南側の新しい石垣

この曲輪の正面は南を向いていて、神社の入口にもなっています。唯一残っている水堀がこの方角にあります。１５ｍの高さがある素晴らしい高石垣を見ることができます。この南側の石垣は、四角に成形された石を整然と積んで築かれており、布積みと呼ばれる方式です。この方式は、この城の他の石垣より新しいもので、有馬氏によって築かれたと考えられます。

この石垣の上には、３基の三階櫓（巽（たつみ）櫓、太鼓櫓、坤（ひつじさる）櫓）が立っていました。特に、巽櫓は最も大きく、城のシンボルとして天守の代わりとなっていました。

本丸の内部

舗装され左側に曲がる通路上にある冠木御門（かぶきごもん）跡を通ってこの曲輪に入っていきます。この通路の途中には、桝形と呼ばれる四角い防御のための空間があったのですが、この通路が舗装されたときに一部改変されてしまい、今でははっきりとは見ることはできません。

本丸には、篠山神社とは別に有馬記念館があり、有馬氏の事績を展示しています。この記念館は、坤櫓と西下櫓の跡地にあります。他の櫓跡の上または傍らには地元の歴史に関する記念碑があります。例えば、太鼓櫓跡には1871年藩難事件の犠牲者の追悼碑（西海忠士之碑｝があり、その周辺からは素晴らしい高石垣を間近に見ることができます。

太鼓櫓跡にある西海忠士之碑（右側 *(licensed by そらみみ via Wikimedia Commons)*

また、艮（うしとら）櫓跡の傍らには旧日本陸軍の「菊歩兵第五十六連隊記念碑」があり、その周辺からは筑後川を眺めることができます。

東側の古い石垣

本丸の東側でも、素晴らしい石垣を見ることができます。こちらの石垣は、粗く加工された石を積み、その隙間を小さい石を埋める方式で築かれました。この方式は打ち込みハギと呼ばれます。一方この石垣の角部分は、長方形に加工された石を互い違いに積む算木積みという方式で築かれています。これらの方式は、本丸の南側よりも古いものであり、これらの石垣は毛利氏か田中氏によって築かれたとも考えられます。

こちら側には月見櫓跡の傍らに、もう一つの入口が石段とともにあります。これもまた、こちら側がもともと本丸の正面だったときの正面口だったのかもしれません。櫓跡からは、かつては城の水堀であった、久留米大学のグラウンドが見えます。

「久留米城その３」に続きます。
「久留米城その１」に戻ります。

88.Yoshinogari Ruins Part2

The ruins look like a theme park.

Features

Ruins becomes Historical Park

Today, Yoshinogari Ruins have been well developed as the Yoshinogari Historical Park. The ruins are also one of the largest ones of the Yayoi Period in Japan, with over 100 hectares. The park has four entrances for visitors in all the directions. If you stand in front of the largest gate, the East Gate, it looks like a theme park. Many events are actually held in the park to attract visitors, including families and groups. Many buildings and structures of the Yoshinogari settlement were also restored after being excavated. The original excavated relics and items were buried again or taken to preserve them.

The East Gate of the Yoshinogari Historical Park.

The aerial photo around the castle

Moat-Enclose Entrance Grounds

If you enter the park through the East Gate and walk into the center, you will first be at the Moat-Enclose Entrance Grounds. There are restored circular moats around the wooden gate which looks like a shrine gateway. The moats are dug like a U letter (originally V letter), with fences on the earthen walls in front of them and abatises behind. This is where the real entrance of the settlement was in the past.

The restored circular moats with the earthen walls, fences and abatises around

The original cutout model of the circular moats like a V letter, shown in the Exhibition Room

South Inner Enclosure with people living

You will next find the South Inner Enclosure where people lived. There are also a turret gate, watch towers, a cooking house, a meeting room, and residences, surrounded by fences and moats. You can climb up to the platforms of these gate and towers to enjoy a view and understand how to protect the enclosure. They were also all restored based on the findings of the excavation.

The turret gate of the South Inner Enclosure

Beside the South Inner Enclosure, you can visit the Exhibition Room which shows the unearthed items and the history of the settlement. You should check out a lot of burial jars used as for tombs. A set of two jars were usually used in the tomb, with both rims put together to seal the body in. About 3,000 tombs were discovered at the site, and the total number is estimated to be about 15,000. This burial system is one of the features of the settlements in the Yayoi Period.

A lot of burial jars exhibited in the room

North Inner Enclosure, Center of Settlement

The highlight of the ruins should be the North Inner Enclosure, the center of the administration. The enclosure, which looks like a primitive castle, is surrounded by the doubled moats and dense wooden fences with an alternate gate. Of course, they were all restored as to what they had been. There are restored shrines, high-floored storehouses and houses, and watchtowers inside. You can see this is the special spot for the settlement at first sight.

A moat and fences surrounding the North Inner Enclosure

In particular, the Main Shrine is a building composed of two floors standing above high pillars. The first floor was supposed to be used as the meeting room for the leaders. The top floor was likely used to pray an oracle. Some figures are set in both floors to make visitors understand what the rooms were used for. The figure praying was probably made based on the impression of Himiko.

To be continued in “Yoshinogari Ruins Part3”
Back to “Yoshinogari Ruins Part1”