特徴～Features – ページ 111 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

90.Hirado Castle Part2

A castle with a unique character

Features

Layout using Yamaga style

Today, if you are close to the present Hirado Castle and look at the Imitation Main Tower and some rebuilt turrets on the hill, you may feel that the arrangement of how they are placed is odd. In other castles in general, the Main Tower and turrets are placed along the natural terrain. However, those of Hirado Castle look like they are facing their own directions. This is probably because these buildings were built along the complex line of the stone walls surrounding the castle, based on the Yamaga style.

The Imitation Tower and rebuilt turrets on the hill

The aerial photo around the castle

If you drive to the castle, you can easily go up to the parking lot in the northern part of the hill near the top. After parking, you can walk on the path to the Main Enclosure on the top. The trail reaches the only remaining castle buildings, which are the North Entrance Gate and the Raccoon Dog Turret. The stone walls beside the gate rise with an acute angle to the neighboring turret called Jizozaka
Yagura. This interesting feature may have come from the Yamaga style as well. After passing the gate, you will go on the zigzagged route surrounded by stone walls to the Main Enclosure.

The path from the parking lot to the top

The stone walls rising to the Jizozaka Turret

Main Route to Kameoka Shrine as Approach

You can also access the castle from the south by walking on the Main Route. The route is also the approach to the Kameoka Shrine which is located in the Second Enclosure. The ruins of the Main Gate are on the route. These ruins still have a square space surrounded by strong stone walls, called Masugata, which were built for defense. If you go on to the Second Enclosure Gate’s wide stone steps
of the ruins, you will be in the Second Enclosure. There was the Second Enclosure Main Hall where the lord of the Hirado Domain lived. The three-story Inui Turret was rebuilt in the present time as a souvenir shop. The Kameoka Shrine is at the back of the enclosure below the Main Enclosure.

Castle, Town and Sea seen from Main Tower

The Main Enclosure has the Imitation Main Tower and two rebuilt turrets. The Main Tower was originally another turret called Okimi-Yagura. It is actually a modern building used as a historical museum and observation platform. From the top floor, you can enjoy a great view of the area around the castle, seeing Hirado Port in the north and Hirado Strait in the east both connect to the
Genkai-nada Sea, and there is the interesting shape of the enclosure below.

A view of the Main Enclosure seen from the Main Tower

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

90.平戸城　その２

独特な特徴を持つ城

特徴、見どころ

山鹿流によるレイアウト

現在の平戸城に近づいて行って、丘の上の模擬天守やいくつかある再建された櫓を見てみると、これらの建物の配置が少し変になっていると感じるかもしれません。他の城では通常、天守と他の建物は自然の地形に沿って配置されます。しかし、平戸城のそれらの建物は、それぞれがバラバラの方向に向いているように見えるのです。これは恐らくこれらの建物が、城を囲んでいる山鹿流軍学に基づく石垣の複雑なラインに沿って築かれているからでしょう。

城周辺の航空写真

もし車で城を訪れるのでしたら、頂上近くにある丘の北側部分にある駐車場まで登っていくことができます。車を停めた後、頂上にある本丸に至る通路を歩いて登っていきます。その通路は、城で唯一現存している建物である北虎口門と狸櫓のところに着きます。この門の脇にある石垣は、地蔵坂櫓という隣の櫓まで鋭角に立ち上がっています。この面白い特徴もまた、山鹿流によるものかもしれません。門を通り過ぎると、石垣に囲まれたジグザグの道を、本丸に向かっていきます。

大手道は亀岡神社の参道

城には南から大手道を通って向かうこともできます。この道はまた二の丸にある亀岡神社にも通じています。大手門跡はこの途中にあります。この門跡には今でも防御のために作られた、桝形と呼ばれる石垣に囲まれた四角い空間が残っています。そして、二の丸門跡の、幅が広い石段を進んでいくと二の丸に入っていきます。ここには、平戸藩主が住んでいた二の丸御殿がありました。三階建ての乾櫓が、現在では土産物屋として再建されています。亀岡神社は、本丸下の二の丸の奥の方にあります。

天守から見下ろす城、町、海

本丸には模擬天守と２基の再建された櫓があります。この天守がある所にはもとは沖見櫓というもう１基の櫓がありました。この模擬天守は実際には、近代的ビルであり、歴史博物館と展望台として使われています。最上階からは、この城周辺地域の素晴らしい景色を楽しめます。北の方には平戸港、東の方には平戸海峡が見えて、いずれも玄界灘につながっています。本丸の面白い形も眼下に見えます。

「平戸城その３」に続きます。
「平戸城その１」に戻ります。

87.Hizen-Nagoya Castle Part3

Was only Hideyoshi to the blame for the war?

Features

Let’s walk around “Back side of Castle”

You can also look down and admire the Yugeki-maru Enclosure and the Second Enclosure to the west from the Main Enclosure. The former one was used as the accommodation for the envoys from the Ming Dynasty. Its name “Yugeki” comes from the position of one of the envoys. The latter has the ruins of many stone steps called Aisaka, which were used by the soldiers to quickly climb up or down the stone walls.

The map around the Second Enclosure

Tthe Yugeki-maru Enclosure seen from the Main Enclosure

Tthe Secpmd Enclosure seen from the Main Enclosure

the ruins of many stone steps called Aisaka in the Second Enclosure

If you want to go there from the Main Enclosure, you need to go out from the Back Gate ruins and walk around passing through the Mizute Route and the Funate Route.

The route from the Main Enclosure to the Second Enclosure written on the picture of the miniature model of Hizen-Nagoya Castle exhibited by the Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum

the Back Gate ruins of the Main Enclosure

Below the Mizute Enclosure around the Mizete Route

The entrance of the Second Enclosure, around the Funate Route

If you look up the stone walls of the Main Enclosure from these enclosures, you can see the stone walls were destroyed like a V letter very well. This is because the officials restored them just after they were destroyed intentionally.

Looking up the Main Tower base of the Main Enclosure from the Yugeki-maru Enclosure

The stone walls are preserved as just after being destroyed

Later History

After Hizen-Nagoya Castle was abandoned, all the buildings were demolished. It is said that part of them was used for the construction of Karatsu Castle. Many parts of the stone walls were destroyed intentionally as mentioned above. Historians speculate the destruction occurred for the following reasons:
It may have been due to the Law of One Castle per Province by the Tokugawa Shogunate; the Shogunate might have broken the stone walls so they could not to be used by rebels against the Shogunate (like Shimabara Rebellion); or it might have been done to show a good partnership to the Korean envoys.
The ruins have been designated as a National Special Historic Site since 1955.

The destroyed stone walls of the Yugeki-maru Enclosure

My Impression

Many Japanese people now tend to avoid thinking of the invasion of Korea by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. They also think the war was caused by Hideyoshi’s own crazy idea, considering the current relationship with Korea. However, I think many Japanese people wanted to get more territory at that time. Even Hideyoshi was not able to build such a huge-scale castle without the people’s cooperation. I also think we cannot build a real friendship with foreign countries without sharing real history.
If you have time, I recommend visiting some of the ruins of other lords’ military positions around the castle. I regret I was only able to go to one of them after visiting Hizen-Natgoya Castle.

The ruins of the military position of Hideyori Mori

How to get There

I recommend using a car when you visit the ruins.
It is about 30 minutes away from Karatsu IC on the Nishi-Kyushu Expressway.
You can park at the parking lot of Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum.

The Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum

Links and References

・Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Hizen-Nagoya Castle Part1”
Back to “Hizen-Nagoya Castle Part2”