特徴～Features – ページ 124 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

137.Fukui Castle Part2

A park and office buildings stay together in the castle ruins.

Features

Still active Main Enclosure front gate

Now, the ruins of Fukui Castle have been used as a park and the ground for official buildings including the prefectural office. The area of the ruins is inside the Inner Moat including the Main Enclosure.

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The aerial photo around the castle

The public workers commute by entering the front gate of the enclosure in the south, after crossing the Gohonjo Bridge over the Inner Moat, like the warriors of the Fukui Domain used to do. In the past, the front gate consisted of a defensive square space surrounded by two gate buildings and the stone walls, called Masugata. You can climb up to part of the remaining stone walls to look around the gate.

Going to the front gate of the enclosure by crossing the Gohonjo Bridge

The old photo of the front gate, from the signboard at the site

Climbing up to the top of the stone walls

The front gate seen from the top of the stone walls

Must-see Main Tower Base

You can walk around the inside of the Main Enclosure, but only outside the office buildings where the Main Hall was.

The ruins of the Main Enclosure are close to the office buildings

You should check out the remaining stone wall base for the Main Tower at the northwest corner of the enclosure. The base has two tiers, and the upper tier is for the large Main Tower and the small Main Tower. The stone walls look great but appear to have partially collapsed or are misaligned. This is due to the Fukui Earthquake in 1948.

The upper tier on which the large Main Tower was

The restored well, called Fuku-no-i or the Fortune Well, is still on the lower tier. In fact, some people say the name of the well may be the origin of the castle’s later name, Fukui.

Restored Gate and Bridge

At the western entrance of the Main Enclosure near the base for the Main Tower, the gate building called Yamazatoguchi-gomon and the roofed Passage Bridge called Oroka-bashi over the Inner Moat were restored recently in the original method.

The restored Yamazatoguchi-gomon Gate and Oroka-bashi Bridge

The lord of the castle passed the original bridge and gate from his residence called Gozasho outside the enclosure to the Main Hall in the enclosure to govern the domain.

The old photo of the gate and roofed Passage Bridge, from the signboard at the site

You can try walking on the restored bridge and gate as well as entering the second floor of the gate to see its interior and an exhibition for the castle.

The interior of the second floor of the Yamazatoguchi-gomon Gate

Remaining Inner Moat and Main Enclosure stone walls

How about walking around the outside of the Inner Moat as well?

The Main Enclosure seen from the outside of the Inner Moat

For example, you can see the great stone walls for the Tatsumi-Yagura Turret at the southeast corner of the Main Enclosure. It was a three-story turret which was considered the substitute for the Main Tower after the tower was burned. The Main Enclosure originally had the Main Tower or turrets for its four corners.

The stone walls of the Tatsumi-Yagura Turret

The old photo of the Tatsumi-Yagura Turret, from the signboard at the site

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

137.福井城　その２

城跡には、公園とオフィスビルが同居しています。

特徴、見どころ

今も現役の本丸入口

現在、福井城跡は史跡公園であると同時に、県庁を含むオフィスビルの敷地としても使用されています。城跡の範囲は、本丸を含む内堀の内側となります。

Leaflet|国土地理院

城周辺の航空写真

公務員の人たちが、福井藩の武士たちがそうしていたように、内堀にかかった御本城（ごほんじょう）橋を渡り、本丸南側の正門を通って通勤しています。過去においてはこの門は、２つの門の建物と石垣によって囲まれた防御のための四角い空間（桝形と呼ばれます）により構成されていました。今は部分的に残っている石垣に登って、門の周辺を見渡すことができます。

天守台石垣は必見

本丸の中を歩き回ることはできますが、かつては御殿があった場所にあるオフィスビルの外に限られます。

本丸の北西隅にある現存している天守台石垣は必見です。天守台は２段になっていて、上段の上に大天守と小天守が乗っていました。石垣は大変立派なのですが、所々崩れていたり、歪んだりしています。これは、1948年に発生した福井地震によるものです。

下段には、「福の井」と呼ばれる井戸が復元されています。実はこの井戸の名前が、後からついた城の名前である福井の由来であるという人もいます。

復元された門と橋

天守台近くでは、本丸の西側出入口に山里口御門という門の建物と、内堀にかかった御廊下橋（おろうかばし）という屋根付きの橋が、最近伝統的工法により復元されました。

城主は藩の政治を行うために、本丸外にある御座所と呼ばれる住居からこの橋と門を通って、本丸にある御殿に通っていたのです。

私たちも同じようにこの復元された橋を渡ることができます。また、門の二階に上がると、その内装と城に関する展示を見学することができます。

今に残る内堀と本丸石垣

また、内堀の外側を歩いて回ってみてはいかがでしょうか。

例えば、本丸の南東角にある巽（たつみ）櫓の石垣はすばらしいものです。巽櫓は３階建てであり、天守が燃えてしまった後は天守の代用と見なされていました。もともと、本丸の四つの角には天守もしくは櫓がそびえていたのです。

「福井城その３」に続きます。
「福井城その１」に戻ります。

37.Ichijodani Castle Part2

You can imagine and see the medieval city.

Features

Unending Ruins of Ichijodani

If you visit the ruins of Ichijodani Castle by driving or walking on the route along the valley, you will be surprised to see unending residence ruins on both sides of the route. The area of 278 hectares was designated as a National Special Historic Site named the Ichijodani Aasakura Clan Ruins. Over 2,300 unearthed items from the site were also designated as Important Cultural Properties.

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The aerial photo around the castle

You can also see the ruins of fortress entrances at both edges of the site. The ruins of the Outbound Fortress Entrance still have an alternate entrance using huge stones. The entrances resemble a castle gate. The Inbound Fortress Entrance was restored in 1990 and it is 105m long and 5m tall earthen walls.

The alternate entrance using huge stones

Restored Castle Town of Sengoku Period

Thanks to the achievement of excavation, you can visit the about 200m long restored streets and residences at the center of the ruins. If you stand in the streets, you will feel like you were in a real medieval city.

You can also enter these restored residences. For example, in a merchant house, the mannequins of merchants sell something like potteries.

The inside of the restored merchant house

In a warrior’s house, the male mannequins play Japanese chess in the Japanese style drawing room, while the servant mannequins prepare a meal in the kitchen. These items were all restored based on the relics from the site, the remaining pictures, and buildings in other sites.

The mannequins playing Japanese chess in the Japanese style drawing room

Asakura Clan Hall Ruins in Center

You should check out the ruins of the Asakura Clan Hall Ruins which is located on the opposite side of the restored streets separated by the Ichijodani River. The hall was largest building in Ichijodani, which was used by the lord of the clan. The ruins are about 120m square, and still have earthen walls and water moat surrounding them. The ruins also have a Chinese style gate building in front of them. The remaining gate is that of the Shounin Temple which was built on the ruins in the Edo Period after the hall was burned. The ruins and the temple gate fit in with each other very much.

The Asakura Clan Hall Ruins surrounded by the earthen walls and water moat

The Chinese style gate building at the ruins entrance

Inside the ruins, the location of each building is shown as a flat exhibition, so you can understand what buildings were built in the past.

A view of the hall ruins from the upper back side

Actual Special Places of Scenic Beauty Gardens

There are also several hall ruins for the Asakura Clan’s relatives. Moreover, four of the ruins of the clan’s gardens around the halls have also been designated as Special Places of Scenic Beauty since 1991. It is surprising that the gardens as they were in the 16th Century, still impress people in the present time.

The ruins of Nakanogoten Hall, one of the hall ruins for the Asakura Clan’s relatives

For example, Yudono Garden Ruins above the Asakura Clan Hall Ruins have the combination of wild rocks. It is said that the atmosphere of the garden is similar to that of the Sengoku Period.

It is said that Suwa Residence Garden, now called the Suwa Residence Garden Ruins, was originally built for Yoshikage Asakura’s wife. It is a beautiful waterfall garden made using huge stones. The largest stone in the garden is said to be the largest one for a waterfall garden in Japan.

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