特徴～Features – ページ 14 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

181.Kokura Castle Part3

In the morning of the 9th August of 1945, a US B-29 bomber, called Bockscar, was carrying the second atomic bomb to Japan. In fact, its first target was the arms factory of Kokura (in the third enclosure of Kokura Castle).

Features

Other Enclosures of Castle

The park still has other enclosures. Kita-no-maru (meaning the northern enclosure) was used as the lord’s family residence or retreat and is used as Kokura-Gion-Yasaka Shrine. It is connected to the main enclosure via Tamon-guchi-mon Gate where you can see the oldest stone walls in the castle around. The walls had been built by Katsunari Mori before Tadaoki Hosokawa came. There are also well-maintained stone walls and water moats around the Kita-no-maru Enclosure, so this is a good walking spot.

The aerial photo around the castle

The Kita-no-maru enclosure (the current Kokura-Gion-Yasaka Shrine)

The Tamonguchi-mon Gate, quoted from Kokura Castle Website

The stone walls and water moats surrounding the Kita-no-maru Enclosure

Matsu-no-maru (meaning the pine enclosure) is in the south of the main enclosure. It was used as Tadaoki’s father’s residence or warehouses when the castle was active; it is currently an event square. It was once used as the headquarters of the 12th Brigade like the main enclosure.

Third Enclosure including Monument for Atomic Bomb Victims

If you go further to the south, there is a modern park area which was the third enclosure used as the senior vassals’ residences. During World War II, there was a large arms factory, but now there is a monument for atomic bomb victims. The reason for it will be written in the next section.

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, the main portion of Kokura Castle was turned into military facilities and the other area became the city area of Kokura. It changed from a Samurai city to a military city. In the morning of the 9th August of 1945, a US B-29 bomber, called Bockscar, was carrying the second atomic bomb to Japan. In fact, its first target was the arms factory of Kokura. However, it could not focus on the target because of thick cloud and finally dropped the bomb into Nagasaki. As a result, people in Kokura were lucky, but they should not be pleased about it. That’s why the former factory site has the monument. After the the war, the occupation army used the castle site until 1957. The current Main Tower was rebuilt in 1959.

Bockscar, exhibited by National Museum of the United States Air Force *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The monument for the atomic bomb victims in the third enclosure

My Impression

I think that if the current Main Tower of Kokura Castle had kept the original design of the Western style, it would be more popular than now. This is because the design is very unique which would attract more current visitors. However, the people who wanted to rebuild the tower chose another direction. That was probably because they wanted a tower which was competitive with other castles. I don’t think the tower ever needs to be replaced with a new one with an original design because it would cost a lot and the current tower is also a historical item.

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car, it is about a 5-minute drive away from Katsuyama Exit on the Kitakyushu Expressway.
There is a parking lot in the park.
By public transportation, it takes about 15 minutes on foot from JR Kokura Station.
From Tokyo or Osaka to the station: take the Sanyo Shinkansen super express.

Links and References

・Kokura Castle Official Website

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

181.小倉城　その３

1945年8月9日の午前、アメリカ軍のＢ－２９爆撃機「ボックスカー」号が日本に投下する２発目の原爆を搭載し飛行していました。実は、その第１目標は小倉の陸軍造兵廠（小倉城の三の丸）でした。

特徴、見どころ

北の丸と松の丸

公園の中には他の曲輪もあります。北の丸は本丸の北側にあり、領主の家族の屋敷や、隠居所として使われました。今では小倉祇園八坂神社となっています。本丸とは多聞口門を通じてつながっていて、その周辺には城では最も古い石垣を見ることができます。細川忠興が小倉に来る前に、毛利勝信が築いたものです。北の丸の周りでは石垣と水堀がよく維持されていて、歩いてみるには丁度よい場所です。

城周辺の航空写真

本丸の南にある松の丸は、城の現役時代には忠興の父親（細川幽斎）の屋敷や倉庫として使われていました。今はイベント広場になっていますが、一時は本丸と同じように、第１２旅団の司令部として使われました。

原爆慰霊碑がある三の丸

更に南の方に行ってみると近代的な公園になっていますが、かつては三の丸として重臣たちの屋敷地になっていました。第二次世界短戦中には陸軍の造兵廠（兵器工場）がありました。現在公園の中には原爆犠牲者の慰霊碑があります。これについては、次に述べます。

その後

明治維新後、小倉城の主要部分は軍関係の施設に転用され、他の部分は小倉の市街地となりました。武士の都から軍都になったわけです。1945年8月9日の午前、アメリカ軍のＢ－２９爆撃機「ボックスカー」号が日本に投下する２発目の原爆を搭載し飛行していました。実は、その第１目標は小倉の陸軍造兵廠でした。しかし厚い雲のために目標を捕捉できず、第２目標地である長崎に投下することになったのです。結果的には小倉の人々は不幸を逃れたということになりますが、喜ぶべきことではありません。そのために造兵廠跡地である場所に慰霊碑があるのです。戦後は占領軍が城地を1957年まで使っていました。現在の天守が再建されたのは1959年のことです、

国立アメリカ空軍博物館に展示されるボックスカー号 *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

私の感想

もし現在の小倉城天守がオリジナルの南蛮造りのまま再建されていたら、今よりももっと人気が出ていたと思うのです。オリジナルの外観はとても独特であり、現在のビジターにとってはそちらの方が魅力的だったでしょう。しかし、現在の天守を再建したいと思った人たちは違う選択をしました。恐らく、他の天守がある城に負けないものにしたかったのではないでしょうか。とはいっても天守をオリジナルのデザインに替えた方がいいとまでは思いません。大変なお金がかかることですし、現在の天守もある意味では歴史的な建物になりうるからです。

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：北九州都市高速勝山出口より約５分のところです。公園内に駐車場があります。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、ＪＲ小倉駅より歩いて約１５分かかります。
東京または大阪から小倉駅まで：山陽新幹線に乗ってください。

リンク、参考情報

・小倉城　公式サイト
・「小倉城と城下町／北九州市立自然史歴史博物館編」海鳥社
・「よみがえる日本の城２０」学研
・「日本の城改訂版第９５号」デアゴスティーニジャパン
・「幕末維新の城／一坂太郎著」中公新書

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

181.Kokura Castle Part2

The design of the current Main Tower is very different from the original one which had simple roofs. The current tower apparently has many decorations like large hip-and-gables, which the original one didn’t have.

Features

Castle is near Kokura Station

Today, the current Kokura Castle is near Kokura Station, only about a 15 minute walk away from the station. Unfortunately, you can’t see the castle from the station because of the high buildings around. If you first reach a side of Murasaki River and walk on the promenade alongside it for a while, you can see the Main Tower of the castle among the buildings. This is the moment when you can understand the castle was developed together with the rivers.

The map around the castle

The main portion of the castle, including the tower, has been developed as Katsuyama Park. It was once surrounded and divided by many water moats, so there were few gates and bridges such as Tora-no-mon Gate and Nishi-no-mon Gate. However, few of the moats remain, so that’s why visitors can easily access the park now. For example, if you walk from the river to the park by passing the Kitakyushu City Hall beside Otesaki-mon Gate Ruins, you can get close to the Main Tower soon.

The original gates of the main portion (adding their English names by the red letters) in the Illustration of Kokura Castle in Buzen Province, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan

Current Main Tower is apparently very different from Original Tower

The current Main Tower, which was reconstructed in 1959, is 28.7m high, 5.9m higher than the original one. It is also the sixth tallest existing Main Tower in Japan. The total height including the original stone walls is 47.5m. If you stand by the inner moat surrounding the tower and the walls, they look really great; it is certainly a good viewing spot of the castle. However, there is a controversial issue about the tower. The design of the current Main Tower is very different from the original one which had simple roofs. The current tower apparently has many decorations like large hip-and-gables, Chinese styled gables and triangular shaped gables, which the original one didn’t have. It is said that the designer of the current one tried to build a tower with the same design as the original one but he couldn’t. That was because the sponsor requested him to use the current design. People at that time wanted a showy symbol which could attract many visitors.

The top 10 tallest Main Towers of castles in Japan, the No.1 is Osaka Castle on the very left, Kokura Castle is the 6th from the left, exhibited by Kokura Castle Tower

The miniature model of the original Main Tower, exhibited by Kokura Castle Tower

Several Gate Ruins of Main Enclosure

To enter the Main Tower, you have to go to the main enclosure by passing the great stone walls of the Main Gate Ruins. The walls have some huge ornamental stones and form a defensive square called Masugata.

An ornamental stone used at the corner of the stone walls of the Main Gate

After that, you only need to walk up a gentle slope to reach the enclosure and the tower. However, in the past, high-class warriors went through another gate called Keyaki-mon which remains as ruins. Meanwhile, low-class warriors had to enter Kurogane-mon Gate instead. These came from a clear discrimination of how to get the castle even among the warriors.

The Main Gate is marked by the red circle, the Keyaki-mon Gate is marked by the blue circle and the Kurogame-mon Gate is marked by the green circle, in the restored image by CG exhibited by Kokura Castle Tower

The path direct to the Main Tower for the current visitors

In the main enclosure, there was the main hall and there are the ruins of the Imperial Japanese army’s 12th division headquarters.

Renewed Interior of Main Tower

The Main Tower is used as a historical museum whose interior was recently renewed in 2019. Its top floor is used as an observation platform like the original one used to be. The appearance of the floor was also restored hanging out in the Nanban (Western) style, so its interior was built being wrapped in by the outer part.

A view of the Murasaki River from the floor

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