私の感想～My Impression – ページ 17 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

14.Mito Castle Part3

After seeing the restored Main Gate and Corner Turret, I would like the city to restore the Three-level Turret as the Main Tower of the castle as well.

Features

Only Remaining building in Castle

Back to the central street, you can go further to the Main Enclosure. You may be surprised to see, in front of the enclosure, another but much deeper (22m) dry moat. It is now used as a ground for the Suigun Railway Line. Of course, it is the castle’s original. The enclosure has the only remaining building of the castle, Yakui-mon Gate which was said the Satake Clan had built. If it’s true, the gate might have been used as their Main Gate. Please make sure you don’t enter the school to stay where you are allowed to see it on the designated area around after crossing the Honjo-bashi Bridge over the moat.

The map around the castle, the broken red line shows the Sugiyama Slope and the broken blue line shows the Sakumachi Route

The large dry moat in front of the Main Enclosure

Its bottom has become a ground for the Suigun Railway Line

Going to the Main Enclosure over the bridge

The Yakui-mon Gate, the only remaining building of Mito Castle

Other Attractions in Second and Third Enclosures

There are two original back routes from the Second Enclosure, which we can still use, the Sugiyama-zaka Slope in the north and the Sakumachi Route in the south. Both routes have restored gates called Sugiyama-mon and Sakumachi-Sakashita-mon. If you walk down on the southern route to go back to Mito Station, you will see the large scale plateau on your right side, which is covered by concrete panels today. There was also the large Senba Lake on the left in the past, but it was reclaimed and reduced to the original western part around the Kairakuen Garden.

The restored Sakumachi-Sakashita-mon Gate

If you have time, you should consider visiting the large outer dry moat of the Third Enclosure, at the root of the plateau. It remains as it was and only the earthen walls go across the moat to the prefectural office which was the senior vassals’ residences. Overall, the castle was protected by the three huge moats.

The aerial photo of around the castle

The earthen bridge has become the entrance of the prefectural office

Later History

Even after the severe events in the early Meinji Era, the Three-level Turret in the Second Enclosure of Mito Castle, which was so great that it was once called “One of the 20 remaining main towers in Japan”, had still remained until World War II, but it was burned down by the Mito air raids in 1945. After World War II, the Kodokan area was designated as a Special National Historic Site in 1952. The other items, the earthen walls, dry moats, and Yakui-mon Gate has been designated as historic sites of Ibaraki Prefecture. Mito City has recently restored some castle buildings as we can see now.

The remaining earthen walls around the Yakui-mon Gate at the Main Enclosure

My Impression

After visiting the ruins of Mito Castle, I realized that strong castles don’t always need stone walls. This was proven not only by the past battles, but also by the two dry moats being used for the current transportation. In addition, seeing the restored Main Gate and Corner Turret, I would like the city to restore the Three-level Turret as the Main Tower of the castle as well. This is because the 8 Main Towers, which had been burned down mostly during World War II, were restored except for that of Mito Castle. However, there is no plan for it yet.

A view of the earthen walls and the dry moat in front of the Second Enclosure from the Main Bridge

The explanation board of the Three-level Turret is at a different place from its original position

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car, it is about a 15 minutes drive away from Minami-Mito IC on the Kitakando Expressway or a 30 minutes drive away from Mito IC on the Joban Expressway. There is a parking lot beside the Main Gate.
By public transportation, it takes about 10 minutes on foot to get there from JR Mito Station.
From Tokyo to Mito Station: Take the Hitachi limited express at Tokyo Station.

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Mito Castle Part1”
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14.水戸城　その３

大手門や隅櫓が復元されているのを見てしまうと、どうしてもこの城の天守としての御三階櫓も復元できないものかと思ってしまいます。

特徴、見どころ

本丸にある唯一の現存建物

二の丸の中央の通りに戻ると、更に本丸の方に行くことができます。その本丸の手前では、もっと深い（２２ｍ）別の空堀があって、ちょっとびっくりされるかもしれません。この空堀の底は、鉄道の水郡線の敷地になっています。もちろん空堀は城の時代からあったものです。本丸には、城の唯一の現存建物である薬医門があり、佐竹氏が建てたものだと言われています。もしそれが本当なら、佐竹氏の時代には大手門だったのかもしれません。堀を渡る本城橋を渡ってからは、ビジターは指定された範囲から門を見学することになりますので、注意してください。

本丸周辺の地図、赤破線は杉山坂、青破線は柵町口

二の丸、三の丸の他の見どころ

二の丸からは元から２つの裏道があり、今でも通ることができます。北側の杉山坂と南側の柵町（さくまち）口です。両方の道にはそれぞれ、杉山門と柵町坂下門という復元された門があります。南側の道を下って水戸駅の方に戻っていくと、右側には巨大な台地が目に入ってきます。現在では崩落を防ぐためコンクリートパネルで覆われています。過去には左側にこれも大きな千波湖が見えていたはずですが、現在では干拓され、偕楽園周辺に元あったうちの西側部分のみに縮小しています。

もしお時間があるようでしたら、三の丸の外側の大空堀も見に行ってください。ここは台地の根っこの部分に当たります。この空堀はそのままの状態で残っていて、土橋のみが堀を渡って茨城県庁三の丸庁舎に通じています。ここは過去は重臣の屋敷地や弘道館の一部でした。まとめて言うと、水戸城は三重の巨大な堀により守られていたことになります。

城周辺の航空写真

その後

明治初期に悲しい出来事があった後でも、水戸城二の丸にあった三階櫓（さんがいろ）は、その素晴らしさから現存２０天守の一つとされ、第二次世界大戦までは残っていました。しかし、1945年の水戸空襲により燃えてしまいました。戦後になって弘道館地区は、1952年に国の特別史跡に指定されました。他の土塁、空堀、薬医門といったものは茨城県の史跡に指定されています。水戸市は最近、これまで見てきたように城の建物を復元しています。

私の感想

水戸城跡を訪れてみて、改めて強い城というものは、必ずしも石垣を必要としないことがよくわかりました。このことは、過去の戦争だけではなく、２つの空堀が現在でも交通のために使われていることでも証明されています。また、大手門や二の丸角櫓が復元されているのを見てしまうと、どうしてもこの城の天守としての三階櫓も復元できないものかと思ってしまいます。第二次世界大戦の前後で焼けてしまった８つの天守は、水戸城を除いて皆復元されているからです。しかし、その計画はないそうです。

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：北関東自動車道の南水戸ICから約１５分かかります。大手門脇に駐車場があります。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、ＪＲ水戸駅から歩いて約１０分です。
東京から水戸駅まで：東京駅で特急ひたち号に乗ってください。

リンク、参考情報

・水戸城跡、水戸観光コンベンション協会
・「よみがえる日本の城１５」学研
・「シリーズ藩物語　水戸藩／岡村青著」現代書館
・「城を攻める城を守る／伊東潤著」講談社現代新書
・「徳川斉昭と弘道館／大石学編著」戒光祥出版
・「天狗争乱／吉村昭著」新潮文庫
・「逆説の日本史１６　江戸名君編・水戸黄門と朱子学の謎／井沢元彦著」小学館

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

今回の内容を趣向を変えて、Youtube にも投稿しました。よろしかったらご覧ください。

192.Tsunomure Castle Part3

There are many stones lying on the Main Enclosure. This is because officials are repairing the stone walls of the enclosure, which Takamasa Mori built.

Features

Is Main Enclosure being improved?

However, the Main Enclosure on the top looks different. Around the Main Enclosure there are no stone walls, but it has the Vertical Cliffs which were artificially cut, made of soil. This method had also been used in the castle before Takamasa Mori came. You will walk around the natural-like path to the enclosure (the straight path for the repair work to it should not be used).

The map around the castle

The Vertical Cliffs around the Main Enclosure

The straight path for the repair work to the Main Enclosure

The path to the Main Enclosure going around the mountain

There is the observation platform on the way, where you can enjoy a great view of the Kusu area with lots of mesas or buttes, which look very beautiful.

When you arrive at the top of the Main Enclosure, you will see many stones lying on it (as of May of 2023). This is because Takamasa built stone walls only at northern side of the enclosure. The official are repairing them after they collapsed. Maybe Takamasa was also improving the Main Enclosure until he was transferred.

The stones for the stone walls being repaired

Attractions of Mori Domain

You can also visit the attractions of the Mori Domain which the Kurushima Clan established at the foot of the mountain. The lords of the domain lived in an encampment which was turned into a park. The clan also built a pond garden with a circular promenade beside a hill next to the encampment, which remains now.

The pond garden the Kurushima Clan created

There is a 7m tall monolith standing in front of the garden, called Dowa-hi or the Monument of Fairy Tales. This was not originally part of the encampment, but it was originally used as a stone for the harbor at a river nearby when the domain was thriving. The monolith was moved to the current position and reused as the monument in 1949, named after a famous writer of fairy tales, Takehiko Kurushima who was a descendant of the lord’s family.

The clan also built a tea room on stone walls, called Seihoro, on the hill, which also remains. It is said that the room was built as a substitute for a Main Tower which was not allowed to be built by the lord of the clan.

The Seihoro tea room *(licensed by ムカイ via Wikimedia Commons)*

Later History

The research of Tsunomure Castle was launched in 1993. It found that the ruins still have an example of the Ano-zumi stone walls in a good condition, which Hideyoshi’s retainers built in many areas during his unification of Japan. It also found that the ruins show the process of castles’ improvement from the Middle Ages to the Edo Period. As a result, the ruins were designated as a National Historic Site in 2005. Kusu Town promoted itself as the hometown of fairy tales and having a castle with the Ano-zumi stone walls.

The Ano-zumi stone walls of Tsunomure Castle

My Impression

When I visited the Kusu Area, I felt the area has a very unique atmosphere because it is surrounded by mountains, and the small mountains or hills inside are a little strange, which I would learn are called mesas or buttes. These natural features of the area created folk tales about its history, so the town’s nick name, the hometown of fairy tales may be related to them. Tsunomure Castle also came from the area’s features and people from the outside made it more unique. I recommend visiting the Kusu area and Tsunomure Castle Ruins if you travel around there.

The stone walls of the Third Enclosure of Tsunomure Castle

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car, it is about a few minutes drive away from Kusu IC on the Oita Expressway. There are several parking lots around the ruins (in the Third Enclosure on the mountain or in the park at the foot of the mountain…).
By public transportation, take the Oita-Kotsu bus bound for Kajiwara from JR Bungomori Station and get off at the Kami-Fushihara bus stop at the foot of the mountain. You can climb the trail to the top from there.
From Tokyo or Osaka to the Station: it may be better to rent a car from Oita Airport or Fukuoka Airport after using a plane.

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