特徴～Features – ページ 140 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

25.Kofu Castle Part3

Castle ruins which should be more popular

Features

Other Attractions outside Castle ruins

Two restored gates called Uchimatsukage-mon Gate and Kaji-kuruwa-mon Gate are open to the public road at the western foot of the hill. they look like the entrances of the castle, but they were the gates between other enclosures, which means the castle was so large in the past.

The map around the castle

The miniature model of the main portion of Kofu Castle, adding the location of the two gates (an exhibition in the Inari Turret)

Finally, I recommend walking outside the eastern side of the hill to have a better look of the high stone walls. The walls are 17m high which are one of the highest ones in eastern Japan. The method of piling the stones is called Nozura-zumi using natural stones, so they look very natural. The method became popular when the castle was built. You can see them close by from the road alongside them which was part of the Inner Moat.

The high stone walls at the eastern side

The present route goes alongside the stone walls

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Kofu Castle was abandoned and all the buildings of the castle were demolished. The ruins were turned into the industrial experimental station such as for silk making and brewing. After that, the ruins partly became a park, but the rest was turned into the city area. They were first designated as a Prefectural Historic Site in 1968. Yamanashi Prefecture has been developing the park investigating the ruins and restoring the castle buildings. They were finally designated as a National Historic Site in 2019.

A picture of the castle ruins about 100 years ago (licensed by 江戸村のとくぞう via Wikimedia Commons)

Part of the castle ruins were turned into the Yamanashi prefectural office

The tower in this picture is the Shaon-to Tower built in 1922

My Impression

I think Kofu Castle may not be so popular for its potential. It could be because people usually think Kofu City is a legacy of the Takeda Clan. Kofu Castle was built after Takeda. However, if you visit and learn about the castle, you will find that the city was clearly developed based on the castle. The restored castle buildings look good, and the remaining stone walls are particularly great. The stone walls look rough, but are piled wisely. We can enjoy seeing the contrast everywhere in the castle.

The stone walls of Kofu Castle (in the central part)

The stone walls of Kofu Castle (in the eastern part)

The Main Enclosure that can be seen from the base for a Main Tower

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 15 minutes away from Kofu-Showa IC or Kofu-Minami IC on the Chuo Expressway.
There are several parking lots around Kofu Station.
By train, it is very close to Kofu Station.
To get to Kofu Station from Tokyo: Take the limited express Azusa or Kaiji at Shinjuku Station, and get off at Kofu Station. It takes about 1 hour and a half.

Kofu Station that can be seen from the base for a Main Tower

The limited express Azusa (licensed by MaedaAkihiko via Wikimedia Commons)

Links and References

・Kofu Castle, Kofu City

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

25.甲府城　その３

もっと人気が出てよい城跡

特徴

城跡の外側の見所

復元された内松陰門と鍛冶曲輪門が丘の西麓で公道に向かって開いています。これらは城の入口のようにも見えるのですが、曲輪と曲輪をつなぐ門だったのです。それだけこの城は過去には大変大きかったのです。

城周辺の地図

最後に、丘の東側面の外側を歩いて、素晴らしい高石垣をご覧になることをお勧めします。この石垣は１７ｍの高さがあり、東日本ではもっとも高い石垣の一つです。この石の積み方は、野面積みと言われ、自然石を積み上げたものです。とても野性的に見えます。この城が築かれたときに主流だった方法でした。昔は内堀であって、石垣に沿った道路から間近に見学することができます。

その後

明治維新後、甲府城は廃城となり、全ての城の建物は撤去されました。城跡は勧業試験場となり、製糸場や醸造所が作られました。その後、城跡は部分的に公園になりましたが、それ以外は市街地になっていきました。城跡は最初は1968年に県の史跡に指定されました。山梨県は公園を整備し、城跡を調査し、城の建物を復元してきました。城跡は2019年についに国の史跡に指定されました。

約１００年前の城跡の写真 *(licensed by 江戸村のとくぞう via Wikimedia Commons)*

私の感想

甲府城は、その潜在能力に比べると有名でないかもしれません。それは人々が通常、甲府市は武田氏の遺産であると思っているからではないでしょうか。甲府城は武田の後に築かれました。しかしながら、もしこの城を訪れ、この城のことを学んだなら、この都市は明らかにこの城を基礎にして発展したことに気づくでしょう。復元された城の建物も素晴らしいですが、現存している石垣はもっと素晴らしいと思います。石垣は粗野にも見えますが、実は緻密に積まれています。そんな対比を城の至る所で見ることができます。

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：
中央自動車道の甲府昭和ICか甲府南ICから約１５分かかります。甲府駅周辺にいくつか駐車場があります。
電車の場合は、甲府駅のすぐ近くとなります。
東京から甲府駅まで：新宿駅で特急あずさかかいじに乗り、甲府駅で降りてください。約1時間半の道のりです。

特急あずさ *(licensed by *MaedaAkihiko* via Wikimedia Commons)*

リンク、参考情報

・甲府城、甲府市
・「よみがえる日本の城１１」学研
・「日本の城改訂版第３０、５７号」デアゴスティーニジャパン

これで終わります。
「甲府城その１」に戻ります。
「甲府城その２」に戻ります。

25.Kofu Castle Part2

The great stone walls remain with restored castle buildings.

Features

The ruins of Kofu Castle is just close to Kofu Station. The ruins are the eastern part of the main portion, and the western part was turned into the city area such as the Yamanashi prefectural office. Moreover, the ruins are divided between north and south by the station and the railway. That’s why the station is so close.

The aerial photo around the castle

Restored Yamanote-mon Gate in North of Station

In the north, you can visit the Yamanote-mon Gate which was restored as the Kofu City Historic Park in 2007, using the original way. It is one of the three entrances of the castle, and the only one that we can see now. It has a typically gate style usually found in castles of the Edo Period called “Masugata”. The style has a square space inside sandwiched by two gate buildings facing different directions, which serves as defensive wall.

*The miniature model of the main portion of Kofu Castle, the front of the photo is the Yamanote-mon Gate (an exhibition in the Inari Turret)*

Center of Castle “Maizuru Castle Park” in South of Station

Crossing the railway through the station to the south, you will stand in front of the Inari Enclosure with the restored Inari Turret. This is where the entrance of Maizuru Castle Park is. Maizuru is a nickname of Kofu Castle, which comes from the castle looking like a flying crane in the past. You might think it’s the castle’s entrance, but you are already in the castle area for the reasons mentioned above. The turret is on the Inari Enclosure located on the northeast corner of the mid slope of the hill.

The map around the castle

You can see the center of the castle (Maizuru Castle Park) over the train line from around the Yamanote-mon Gate

The entrance of Maizuru Castle Park from the station

The restored Inari Turret (from the outside of the park)

The Inari Enclosure (inside the Inari Turret)

You can walk around the eastern side of hill to the south through the Sukiya Enclosure. You will eventually arrive at the Kaji Kuruwa at the southern foot of the hill. You can see the stone walls still cover the whole hill by the walk.

Going to Main Enclosure

Part of the Inner Moat remains only at the southern foot of the hill. There is a wooden bridge over the moat as the entrance of the park which was built in the present.

The only remaining part of the Inner Moat

You can walk up to the top of the hill through the zigzagged route surrounded by stone walls. The restored Kurogane-mon Gate is in front of the Main Enclosure where the main enclosure turret used to be located. There was also the Bishamon-do Hall built in Yanagisawa’s period which remains at another place in Kofu City called the Keko-in Temple.

The map around the castle

Mysterious Base for Main Tower and Great View

The stone wall base for the Main Tower remains next to the Main Enclosure. In fact, it is still uncertain if the base had a Main Tower or not. There has been no evidences for the tower such as drawings and other records, while ridge-end tiles with golden leaf and roof tiles with a clan’s family crest which might have been used for a Main Tower were found by excavations. Anyway, you should check out a great 360-degree view of Kofu City from the top of the base. The city in on the Kofu Basin which is all surrounded by the mountains. For example, You can see Mt. Fuji on the south and the South Alps on the west if the weather is fine.

The stone wall base for a Main Tower that can be seen from the inside Main Enclosure

A view in the south of the base (Mt. Fuji can slightly be seen )

*A view in the west of the base (the South Alps)*

*The stone wall base for a Main Tower that can be seen from the outside Inari Enclosure*

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