私の感想～My Impression – ページ 63 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

137.Fukui Castle Part3

The castle ruins are still the center of Fukui Prefecture.

Features

Ruins of First Kitanosho Castle

I also recommend visiting the ruins of the first Kitanosho Castle which Katsuie Shibata built, about 300m away from Fukui Castle Ruins to the south. You can only see the base stones for the castle because Fukui Castle was built on the Kitanosho Castle Ruins.

The ruins of Kitanosho Castle in Echizen Province

These are the stone walls of Fukui Castle

The base stones of the first Kitanosho Castle

However, you can also see the statues of Katuie, his wife and his three daughters. These women are well-known in Japanese history. One of the daughters was the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s wife. Another was the wife of Hidetada Tokugawa who was a little brother of Hideyasu Yuki, the founder of Fukui Castle.

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Fukui Castle was abandoned. All the buildings of the castle were demolished and all its area except for the center of the castle was turned into the city area. In 1873, the former lord of the castle, the Matsudaira Clan opened Matsudaira Agricultural Experimental Station in the center of the castle until it was moved to another in 1921. Instead, The Fukui Prefectural Office was moved to the Main Enclosure in 1923. Since then, the castle ruins have been the center of the local government like the castle used to be.

Matsudaira Agricultural Experimental Station (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The buildings of the Fukui Prefectural Office (on the right) and Fukui prefectural police headquarters (on the left) at the Main Enclosure

My Impression

A Main Enclosure was usually the center of a castle. It often had the Main Tower and (or) the Main Hall to govern the area around in the Edo Period, like Fukui Castle. Many remaining Main Enclosures have now become historical parks, shrines, or facilities like a museum. However, the Main Enclosure of Fukui Castle is still used by the local government. I think this is the only example of the Main Enclosure being used for a prefectural office. Some people call it the strongest prefectural office in Japan.

The Main Enclosure of Fukuoka Castle (an example of being a historical park)

The Main Enclosure of Takaoka Castle (an example of being a shrine)

The Main Tower of the Main Enclosure of Osaka Castle (an example of being a museum)

The Fukui Prefectural Office which looks like the strongest

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 15 minutes away from Fukui IC on Hokuriku Expressway.
There are several parking lots around the ruins.
You can also use the underground parking lot of the prefectural office on weekdays.
(You need to have the parking ticket stamped at the reception counter.)
By public transportation, it takes less than 10 minutes walking from JR Fukui Station.
To get to Fukui Station from Tokyo: Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen super express, transfer to the limited express on the Hokuriku Line at Kanazawa Station.
From Osaka: Take the Thunderbird limited express.

Links and References

・Fukui Castle Ruins, Fukui Prefecture & Fukui Prefectural Tourism Federation

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

137.福井城　その３

この城跡は、今も福井県の中心地であり続けています。

特徴、見どころ

初期の北ノ庄城跡

福井城から約３００ｍ南の方にある、柴田勝家が築いた北ノ庄城跡も訪れてみることをお勧めします。その城に関しては石垣の基礎部分（根石）しか見ることはできません。福井城がその北ノ庄城跡地の上に築かれたからです。

しかし、他にも勝家、彼の妻（お市の方）、三人の娘（茶々、初、江）の銅像を見ることができます。この女性たちは日本の歴史で大変よく知られているのです。三姉妹の一人（茶々、後の淀殿）は天下人、豊臣秀吉の側室となりました。もう一人（江）は、福井城の創始者の結城秀康の弟、徳川秀忠の正妻となりました。

その後

明治維新後、福井城は廃城となりました。城の全ての建物は撤去され、城の中心部を除く区域は市街地となっていきました。1873年、元城主であった松平氏は城の中心部に松平試農場を開設し、1921年に他に移動するまでそこに存在していました。1923年には、代わりに福井県庁が本丸に移ってきました。それ以来、城跡はかつて福井城がそうだったように、地方政府の中枢となっているのです。

松平試農城、福井県文書館蔵 *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

私の感想

本丸は通常城の中心でした。そして江戸時代にはその周辺地を支配するために、そこには福井城のようにだいたい天守及び（または）御殿がありました。現存している本丸の多くは現在、歴史公園、神社、博物館のような施設のために使われています。ところが福井城の本丸は、今でも地方政府（県）によって使われているのです。私が思うに、本丸が県庁として使われている唯一の事例です。ある人は、このことを「日本で最強の県庁」と言ったりしています。

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：
北陸自動車道の福井ICから約１５分かかります。
城跡周辺にいくつか駐車場があります。
平日には県庁の地下駐車場を使うこともできます。
（県庁受付で駐車券にスタンプを押してもらうことが必要です。）
公共交通機関を使う場合は、ＪＲ福井駅から歩いて１０分以内で着きます。
東京から福井駅まで：北陸新幹線に乗って、金沢駅で北陸線の特急に乗り換えてください。
大阪からは：特急サンダーバード号に乗ってください。

リンク、参考情報

・福井城址、福井県公式観光サイト
・「結城秀康／志木沢郁著」学研Ｍ文庫
・「よみがえる日本の城８」学研

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

37.Ichijodani Castle Part3

A great medieval city was discovered.

Later History

After Ichijodani was burned, farmers used the ruins as fields. Some items of the ruins such as the Asakura Clan Hall Ruins have been well known among people, but they didn’t think such a large city was sleeping under the fields. The excavation of the ruins started in 1967. The excavation team first found garden ruins followed by foundations for many buildings, and household items from the Sengoku Period. The ruins were designated as a National Special Historic Site in 1971. Since then, over 1.7 million items have been discovered from the ruins. The restored streets and residences opened in 1984, which was considered as the first example of similar facilities in Japan.

The entrance of the restored streets and residences

My Impression

Takakage Asakura, the first lord of the clan, left his teachings to his descendants. The teachings say you should adopt your vassals by capacity and loyalty. You must not buy expensive swords, horses, and hawks without reason. You shouldn’t invite entertainers from outside paying high fees. I’m not sure if Yoshikage Asakura, the last lord of the clan, followed his ancestor’s teachings. However, I think the prosperity of Ichijodani might have caused Yoshikage’s misfortune.

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 10 minutes away from Fukui IC on Hokuriku Expressway.
There are several parking lots along the ruins.
By public transportation, it takes about 10 minutes walking from JR Ichijodani Station to the ruins of the Outbound Fortress Entrance, the edge of the whole ruins.
To get to Ichijodani Station from Tokyo: Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen super express, transfer to the limited express on the Hokuriku Line at Kanazawa Station, and transfer to the Kuzuryu Line at Fukui Station.
From Osaka: Take the Thunderbird limited express and transfer to the Kuzuryu Line at Fukui Station.

The signpost of the ruins in front of the Outbound Fortress Entrance

Links and References

・Ichijodani Asakura Family Site Museum

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