私の感想～My Impression – ページ 55 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

179.Kagomori Castle Part3

A great leaning opportunity for visitors and local people

Later History

The full-scale research of Kagomori Castle started in 1991. The excavation team found that the castle had been improved during its long history and it still has some mysteries like whether or not it had a Main Tower. After that, the ruins were designated as a National Historic Site in 1997. Based on the results of the research, Matsuno Town has been developing the castle ruins as a historical site since 1999. For example, some castle buildings were eventually restored in the Main, Western 10th, and Kojo Enclosures. Some earthen walls were also restored, but part of them was built lower than the original in order to accommodate better viewing.

The restored barrack at the Western 10th Enclosure

The earthen walls of the Western 10th Enclosure were restored, but part of them was intentionally built lower

The town also carries out other businesses using the castle ruins. For instance, local primary school children learn about the castle in the school’s outdoor classes at the site. The children that visit this castle can make their own theory after reading the detailed information which is easy for visitors to understand.

Some explanation panels by the children are exhibited at the barrack

My Impression

I was very impressed by the explanation panels the local children made at the site. I think the contents of the panels are very useful for visitors as well as for local society. The children and other local people can know about the castle and its local history through this activity. Moreover, the children will be proud of their home town and be more willing to tell people in other areas about the castle when they get older. I also believe every castle has its own unique features because every castle was built under different times, regions and situations.

This is the explanation panel for the well

How to get There

If you want to visit the ruins by car, it is about 15 km away from Mima IC on the Matsuyama Expressway. The castle ruins offer a parking lot.
By public transportation, it takes about 15 minutes on foot from the JR Matsumaru Station on the Yodo Line.
If you go there from Tokyo or Osaka, I recommend traveling by plane or using an express bus.

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Kagomori Castle Part1”
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179.河後森城　その３

観光客も地元の人もここで学べます。

その後

1991年に河後森城の全面調査が開始されました。この調査により、この城がその長い歴史の中で改良され続けたことがわかり、その一方で天守があったかどうかといった謎も残りました。その後、城跡は1997年に国の史跡に指定されました。調査の結果に基づき、松野町は1999年以来、城跡を史跡として整備してきました。例えば、本郭、西第十曲輪、古城では城の建物がいくつか復元されました。土塁も復元されたのですが、その一部は景観を配慮してオリジナルよりも低く作られています。

松野町はまた、城跡を使った別の取り組みも行っています。一例として、地元の小学校の児童がこの場所で野外学習を行い、城のことを学んでいます。この城を訪れた児童は、詳しい情報を調べた後、自分たち独自の説明パネルを作り、観光客に提供しています。

私の感想

この城跡のために地元の子どもたちが作った説明パネルに感銘を受けました。その内容は観光客にとっても地元のコミュニティにとっても有益だと思います。それは、子どもたちも他の人たちもこの活動を通じてこの城のことや地元の歴史を知ることができるからです。その上に、その子どもたちが自分の郷土に誇りを持ち、大きくなって他の地域の人にこの城のことを語るようになるのではないでしょうか。また、城に関して言えば、全ての城には異なる時代背景、地域、状況があるため、それぞれが固有でユニークな特徴を持っていることを改めて思った次第です。

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：松山自動車道の三間ICから約１５ｋｍのところにあります。城跡に駐車場があります。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、予土線の松丸駅から歩いて約１５分かかります。
東京または大阪から来る場合：飛行機か高速バスを使って来られることをお勧めします。

リンク、参考情報

・河後森城のページ、松野町ホームページ
・「日本の城改訂版第２１，１５３号」デアゴスティーニジャパン
・「築城の名手　藤堂高虎／福井健二著」戒光祥出版
・「河後森城天守のモデリングにあたって」松野町

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

80.Yuzuki Castle Part3

The castle ruins were saved by the decision of Ehime Prefecture.

Features

Great View from Top of Hill

Of course, you can climb up to the top of the hill, which is called the Hondan (like the Main Enclosure) which is now used as the observation platform. You can find a few explanations of the castle there because the excavation team didn’t find any relics. However, you can enjoy a view of Matsuyama Castle and the Dogo Spring Spot Town from the same platform. In fact, in the first 17th Century, Takatora Todo, who shared Iyo Province with his rival, Yoshiaki Kato, once used the abandoned Yuzuki Castle to monitor Matsuyama Castle which Yoshiaki built. Takatora would have seen the same view as we see now from Yuzuki Castle.

The aerial photo around the castle

The top called Hondan with the observation platform

The portrait of Takatora Todo, private owned *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Later History

In 1888 during the Meiji Era, Ehime Prefecture opened the Dogo Park at the ruins of Yuzuki Castle. The park became popular when a zoo opened in the park in 1953. However, the zoo was moved to another site in 1987 because of two issues. One was because of the bad odor, and another was because of the noise in the city area. The research of the Yuzuki Castle Ruins was done in the former area of the zoo before being turned into a modern Japanese garden. Plenty of relics were discovered in a good condition. Therefore, the prefecture reversed its decision to turn the ruins into a historical park in 1990. The restoration of Yuzuki Castle started in 1998 based on the results of the excavation and the examples of other sites like Ichijodani Castle before its eventual completion in 2001. the ruins were finally designated as a National Historic Site in 2002.

The remaining Inner Moat surrounded by the earthen walls

The flags of Yuzuki Castle at the entrance

My Impression

I didn’t know if Yuzuki Castle would have survived because of its severe history. I’m grateful for the prefecture’s decision to preserve them because no one would have remembered the history of Iyo Provence before Matsuyama Castle. The Dogo Park including the ruins has a good atmosphere. I recommend walking around the park as well as the town of the Dogo Hot Spring nearby where you can see other traditional buildings such as the Isaniwa Shrine and the Dogo Onsen Honkan bathhouse.

The Isaniwa Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

How to get There

If you want to visit the ruins by car, it is about 20 minutes away from Matsuyama IC on the Matsuyama Expressway. The Dogo Park offers parking lots.
By public transportation, take the tram in front of JR Matsuyama Station and get off at the Dogo-koen station.
If you go there from Tokyo or Osaka, I recommend traveling by plane or using an express bus.

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