特徴～Features – ページ 17 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

29.Matsumoto Castle Part2

When you arrive at Matsumoto Castle, in the present time, the first thing you have to do is to enjoy its Main Tower. It is one of the only two remaining five-level Main Towers, followed by Himeji Castle, one of the five Main Towers of Japan’s National Treasures, and one of the twelve remaining Main Towers.

Features

Beautiful but Strong Main Tower

It may be a good idea to walk around the inner moat surrounding the main enclosure to enjoy a beautiful view of the tower before entering it. The width of the moat in front of the tower is about 60m. It would make enemies shooting up from the side ineffective but defenders shooting down from the tower more effective at that time. In addition, if the enemies could swim across the moat to the tower, they would be heavily counterattacked by the defenders through its defense systems such as machicolations and loopholes.

Leaflet|国土地理院

The aerial photo around the castle

The inner moat in front of the Main Tower

A machicolation and loopholes near the entrance of the tower

Reasons for Black Main Tower

The black-looking Main Tower of Matsumoto Castle (sometimes called “Crow Castle”) is often compared with the Himeji castle’s painted white clearly by contrast. Its black appearance comes from its wooden side walls covered with special Japanese lacquer, which could withstand harsh weathers. Himeji Castle is covered in plaster, which make it look white, and it is newer than Matsumoto Castle. It is said that using plaster on all walls of a castle would not effectively protect against the rain when Matsumoto Castle was built. That meant the improvements in wall painting techniques occurred between the building of the two castles. Another possible reason for the using the black walls is that wooden walls are stronger than plaster walls against the cold winter of inland area like the Matsumoto Basin.

If you look up at the Main Tower, you can see its each level is covered with plaster in the upper part and wooden walls in the lower part

Himeji Castle, a representative of white castles

Some also say black was a favorite color of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, while white was the color which Ieyasu Tokugawa often used for his castles when Himeji Castle was built. Anyway, these speculations are enjoyable to see the contrast.

*Hideyoshi’s Main Tower of Osaka Castle, from “The summer campaign of the siege of Osaka folding screens”, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons*)

Nagoya Castle, another representative of white castle, during Ieyasu’s period

Unique Lookout Tower

The Main Tower of Matsumoto Castle actually consists of the large main tower, the Inui small main tower, and three turrets (Watari Yagura, Tatsumi-Tsuke Yagura and Tsukimi Yagura) which are connected to each other. This is called “multiple attached style”. The large one is generally considered “the Main Tower”. The tower has five levels but six floors inside. This type of the tower is called the lookout tower type, which refers to a small lookout tower on a large turret. In the case of Matsumoto Castle, the turret part is the first and second floors and the fifth and top floors is the tower part, binding the middle part of the third and fourth floors. However, the third floor is built as the attic of the turret part, with no roof. That’s why the numbers of its levels and floors are different.

(From the left) The Inui small main tower, (simple) Watari Turret, the large main tower, Tatsumi Turret, and Tsukimi Turret)

In addition, the Main Tower has a striking appearance for a lookout tower. One of the reasons for this is that the top floor doesn’t have a veranda, which lookout towers usually had, and is covered with walls. The fact is that it had been first planned to have a veranda, but was changed to its current state during construction. As a result, the tower looks a little top-heavy.

The top level is covered with the walls, which looks a little top-heavy.

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

29.松本城　その２

現代の松本城に到着したら、まず何といっても天守を見て登って楽しむことです。この天守は、姫路城と並んで２基しか現存していない５層天守であり、国宝に指定されている５つの天守の一つであり、更には現存１２天守の一つとなります。

特徴、見どころ

現代の松本城に到着したら、まず何といっても天守を見て登って楽しむことです。この天守は、姫路城と並んで２基しか現存していない５層天守であり、国宝に指定されている５つの天守（上記２つに加えて、彦根城、犬山城、松江城）のうちの一つであり、更には現存１２天守の一つとなります。

美しいが強力に防御された天守

天守に登る前に、本丸を囲む内堀の周りを歩いて、その美しい姿を見てみるというのもいいかもしれません。内堀の天守手前部分は約６０ｍの幅があります。当時においては、堀脇から撃ちあげる敵の射撃を弱らせるが、天守から撃ちおろす守備兵の射撃は有効である距離だと言われています。また、もし敵が内堀を泳いで渡ることができても、守備兵は天守に備えられた石落としや狭間などから猛烈に反撃することができました。

Leaflet|国土地理院

城周辺の航空写真

黒い天守の理由

黒々とした外観の松本城天守（そのため「烏城」とも呼ばれます）は、よく白亜の天守を持つ姫路城と対比されます。この黒い外観は、特別な黒漆で塗られた側壁（「下見板張り」と呼ばれます）によるもので、荒天にも耐えられるようになっています。姫路城の方は漆喰で塗り固められていて、それが天守を白く見せています。姫路城の方が松本城より後にできたのですが、松本城が建てられた当時は、城の壁全てに漆喰を使う方法では雨に耐えられなかったと言われています。つまり、この２つの城の築造期間の間に、壁を作る技術に顕著な進化があったことになります。他に黒壁を使った理由として考えられるのは、板壁は漆喰壁より松本盆地のような内陸部の寒い冬に強いということです。

松本城天守を見上げると、各層の上部は漆喰、下部が黒い下見板張りになっているのがわかります

また、黒は豊臣秀吉が好んだ色で、白は姫路城が築かれた当時に徳川家康が自身の城によく使った色だという人もいます。いずれにせよ、この対照的な城を見ていろいろ想像するのは楽しいことです。

秀吉時代の大坂城天守、「大坂夏の陣図屏風」より、大阪城天守閣蔵 *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

独特の望楼型天守

松本の天守は実際には、大天守、乾（いぬい）小天守と３つの櫓（渡櫓、辰巳（たつみ）櫓、月見櫓）が互いに連結された構成になっています。これを連結複合式といいます。一般的に「天守」というときは大天守のことを指します。この大天守は５層ですが内部は６階です。天守そのもののタイプは望楼型で、大きな櫓の上に小さな望楼が乗っている形式です。松本城の場合は、櫓の部分は１階と２階で、望楼部分は５階と６階で、真ん中に３階と４階を挟んでいます。しかし３階は、櫓部分の屋根裏になっていて屋根がありません。そのため、屋根で判別する層の数と階数が異なるのです。

更には、この天守は望楼型にしてはすっきりした外見をしています。その理由の一つとして、最上階に高欄がなく、壁に囲まれているということが挙げられるでしょう。通常望楼型には高欄があるものです。事実として当初は高欄の建築が計画されたのですが、途中で現在の形に変更されたのです。その結果、天守は少し頭でっかちとなりました。

「松本城その３」に続きます。
「松本城その１」に戻ります。

186.Kaneda Castle Patr3

Features

Three Gate Ruins

There are branch paths from the first turning point of the main hiking course to other attractions of the castle ruins. The paths are not the former military road and are a little rougher than it. These are not as popular as the military road. However, it is worth to visit. If you walk down the path for a while, you will be at the junction of another path to the first and second gate ruins, and the other path to the third gate ruins.

The map around the castle

The junction is near a hill called Bingushi Mountain where the ruins of other buildings were discovered. These buildings are thought to have been used as barracks for the Sakimori soldiers.

*The diorama of Kaneda Castle Ruins, exhibited by the sightseeing information center Fureaidokoro Tsushima*, adding the branch paths (the red lines), and the places of the second gate (marked by the blue circle) and the third gate (marked by the yellow circle)

The path to the ruins of the first and the second gates

Around the Bingushi Mountain, you can see a rest station on the left

Around the Bingushi Mountain on the diorama

The three gates were built using stones at the eastern side as castle and water gates near the seaside. The stones used in the castle are mainly natural while part of the stones of the first gate are rectangular- processed. However, it is said that they were piled by the Tsushima Domain during the Edo Period to guard the coast. They’ve been restored and repaired so that visitors can see them as if they used to look.

The second gate ruins seen from the bottom

The types of the stones were different in the upper and lower parts of the first gate

Going to the third gate ruins after once returning the junction

Wonderful Stone Walls along Sea

After you visit the third gate ruins, you can return by the same route or by another path though the southeast stone fortress. If you take the latter, you will see the great long stone walls of the eastern side on the right and beautiful Aso Bay on the left. Please watch your step as the path is partially unstable.

Going towards the southeast stone fortress

There are great stone walls along the sea

The southeast stone fortress is really great, too! The corner of the fortress was protruded outward to build a salient with enhanced defense in preparation for an enemy’s attack. It looks like a Gusuku (Okinawan castle) or a small Great Wall of China. If you walk up along the fortress, you will return to the route you passed.

It’s a good contract of the fortress and the sea

Around the southeast fortress on the diorama

Later History

People alway knew about Kaneda Castle because it had been recorded in the Nihon-shoki chronicles, however, they didn’t know about where it was as it had been abandoned too early to remember. For example, trade with Korea was done at a shrine near the first gate during the Middle Ages and the Tsushima Domain used the gate during the Edo Period, but they didn’t notice it was a ancient mountain castle. There is no telling how the Imperial Japanese Army treated it. Historians discovered the ruins on the mountain in the Taisho Era (1910-1925) and they finally confirmed it as Kaneda Castle after World War II. As a result, the ruins were designated as a National Special Historic Site in 1982.

The ruins of Kaneishi Castle, the home of the Tsushima Domain

My Impression

I was very surprised to see that the Joyama Mountain has become dual historical sites of the ancient times and modern times. Both sites show us there were strained relations with foreign countries at those times. Other than that, Tsushima also had dramatic events such as during the Mongolian Invasions and the invasion of Korea by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. On the other hand, there were also peaceful relationships such as with the Korean Envoys. We can now see many tourists visiting Tsushima from Korea recently, too. There is no need to say which is better.

The figures of the Korean Envoys, exhibited by Kokura Castle Tower

How to get There

I recommend using a car to get there. It takes about 20 minutes from Tsushima Airport or about 30 minutes from Izuhara Port. There is a small parking lot at the starting point of the hiking course.

The small parking lot at the starting point of the hiking course

That’s all. Thank you.
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