特徴～Features – ページ 95 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

16.Minowa Castle Part3

If you were a general, which way you would prefer?

Features

Remaining Stone Walls along Main Route

You can also walk on the Main Route up from the western side of the hill or down from the Second Enclosure. The route goes through the Third Enclosure where you can see the remaining stone walls here and there. It is thought that the builder, Naomasa Ii aimed to show his authority to the visitors passing the route. The Ii Clan later built Hikone Castle using much greater stone walls, but they built stone walls of Minowa Castle as much as they can at that time.

The map around the castle

The remaining stone walls of the Kaji Enclosure on the Main Route

Going to the Third Enclosure from the Kaji Enclosure

The remaining stone walls of the Third Enclosure

Later History

The ruins of Minowa Castle was designated as a National Historic Site in 1987. After that, the excavation was done widely between 1998 and 2006 by Takasaki City which owns the ruins. Since then, the city has been developing the ruins as a historical park.

The earthen walls and stone walls over the great artificial trench were also developed

The trail going on the bottom of the trench

My Impression

I was very impressed by Narimasa Nagano and his clan’s way of life to devote themselves to their master and territory. There were also other generals who had different ways of lives such as the Obata and Sanada Clans. If you were a general or warrior in the Sengoku Period, which way you would prefer? In addition, if we apply their lives in present times, the life of the Nagano Clan would be like working for the same company for a long time, the Obata Clan would be changing careers often, and the Sanada Clan would be starting a business. We can think about our own lives from learning about those generals in the Sengoku Period.

The wooden statue of Narimasa Nagano, owned by Chojunji Temple, quoted from the website of Takasaki City

Norizane Obata drawn in the “Battle of Nagashino” folding screens, exhibited by Kanra Town Museum of History and Folklore

The portlait of Masayuki Sanada, the successor of Yukitaka Sanada, who struggled to be independently, privately owned (licensed under Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

How to get There

I recommend using a car when you visit the ruins.
It is about a 30-minute drive away from Takasaki or Maebashi IC on the Kanetsu Expressway. You can park at several parking lots in the ruins.
If you want to use public transportation, you can take the Gunma Bus bound for Ikaho-Onsen from Takasaki Station and get off at the Shiroyama-Iriguchi bus stop. It takes about 5 minutes on foot from the bus stop to get there.
To get to Takasaki Station from Tokyo: Take the Joetsu Shinkansen super express.

The parking lot in front of the Back Route

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

16.箕輪城　その３

戦国時代の武将だとしたら、誰の生き方を選ぶでしょうか。

特徴、見どころ

大手道沿いに残る石垣

また、大手道を丘の西側から登っていくか、二の丸の方から下っていくこともできます。大手道は三の丸を通っていて、あちこちに現存する石垣を見ることができます。石垣を築いた井伊直政は、この道を通る人々に城主としての権威を示そうとしたのです。井伊氏は、後にもっと立派な石垣を使って彦根城を築くのですが、この時点では、彼らの持てるだけの力で箕輪城のこの石垣を築いたのです。

城周辺の地図

その後

箕輪城跡は1987年に国の史跡に指定されました。その後、1998年から2006年の間、城跡を所有する高崎市が発掘作業を広範に実施しました。それ以来、市によって歴史公園として整備されています。

私の感想

長野業政やその一族が、主君や自らの領地を守るために一心に尽くす姿に感銘を受けました。しかしその一方で、小幡氏や真田氏のようにまるで違う生き方をした武将たちも存在したのです。もしあなたが戦国時代の武将だったとしたら、どの生き方を選ぶでしょうか。ついでながら、その武将たちの生き方を現在に例えるならば、長野氏の人生は長い間同じ会社で働く人、小幡氏の場合は転職を繰り返す人、真田氏は自ら事業を起こす人といった具合でしょうか。戦国時代の武将たちの生き方を学ぶことで、現在の自分自身の生き方にも参考になるのではないでしょうか。

真田幸隆の後継者で独立を目指した真田昌幸の肖像画、個人蔵 (licensed under Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

ここに行くには

この城跡に行くのには、車を使われることをお勧めします。
関越自動車道の高崎ICか前橋ICから約３０分かかります。城跡にいくつか駐車場があります。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、高崎駅から伊香保温泉行の群馬バスに乗り、城山入口バス停で降りてください。バス停から歩いて約５分のところです。
東京から高崎駅まで：上越新幹線に乗ってください。

リンク、参考情報

・箕輪城跡（観光情報）　高崎市
・「箕輪城と長野氏／近藤義雄著」戒光祥出版
・「家康と家臣団の城／加藤理文著」角川選書

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

16.Minowa Castle Part2

You can see how the castle was developed at the site.

Features

Older part of Castle

Today, the ruins of Minowa Castle have been well developed for visitors. If you have a car, you can park at some parking lots for the visitors beside the ruins. The main parking lot is the eastern foot of the hill where the castle was located. You can walk up from the parking lot to the ruins on a gentle winding slope which was actually the Back Route. You will first reach the Second Enclosure, part of the main portion of the castle.

The map around the castle

The main portion consists of the Second, Main and Gozen Enclosures from south to north. These enclosures are basically surrounded by thick earthen walls and divided by deep dry moats, which are the oldest part of the castle. If you walk into the Main Enclosure where the hall of the lord was built, you can now see the recently restored wooden bridge connecting to the western part of the castle.

The stone monument of the castle in the Main Enclosure

The wooden bridge connecting to the western part of the castle

The earthen walls of the Main Enclosure and the dry moat beside it

If you go further, you will reach the Gozen Enclosure, the last part of the Nagano Clan. There is the well in the enclosure, which was discovered in 1927, where many memorial tablets of the clan were found from the bottom. That meant the episode when the clan had been defeated may have been confirmed.

The well where many memorial tablets of the clan were found

Vast Dry Moat

You can walk down the steep trail on the northern edge of the Gozen Enclosure to the bottom of the dry moat. If you turn right to the east, you will reach the Inari Enclosure that Naomasa Ii built. This enclosure had a water moat on the side in the past.

Walking down from the Gozen Enclosure to the bottom of the dry moat

The bottom of the dry moat beside the Gozen Enclosure

The Inari Enclosure and the former water moat beside it

If you turn left to the west, you can walk around the bottom and see how large and deep the moat is. You can also see the older stone walls surrounding the Gozen Enclosure, which the Nagano Clan might have built. If you go further to the south, you will arrive at the Second Enclosure.

The remaining stone walls under the Gozen Enclosure

Going back to the Second Enclosure through under the wooden bridge

Umadashi System is developed later

The Second Enclosure was the pivot of offence and defense, where the three main routes to the castle are all together. Other than the Back Route from the east, the Main Route comes from the west and the other route comes from the south. In particular, a great artificial trench called O-Horikiri is dug in the southern side of the enclosure to prevent enemies’ attacks.

The stone walls under the earthen bridge over the trench

Only the narrow earthen bridge is over the trench, connecting to the southern route. Moreover, a square stronghold called Kaku-Umadashi is sticking out of the Second Enclosure through the bridge. The Umadasi system is a unique defense system which the Takeda and Tokugawa Clans often used. This system in Minowa Castle was probably developed by Takeda and completed by Naomasa under Tokugawa. The two-story turret gate called Kaku-umadashi Western Entrance Gate was recently restored based on the achievement of the excavation, which had been the symbol of the castle.

The square stronghold called Kaku-Umadashi

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