私の感想～My Impression – ページ 9 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

105.Shiroishi Castle Part3

Features

My Impression

Interior of Main Tower

You can enter the Main Tower from the inside of the enclosure by climbing the roofed stone steps. In fact, the steps were used only for the lord of the domain, the Date Clan, like their private rooms in the Main Hall of the enclosure. The others used the side entrance in the connecting tower next to the Main Tower.

The Main Tower seen from the inside of the main enclosure

The miniature model of the tower also has the roofed steps

The tower has three floors, which were all wooden in a traditional manner. Its columns are made of Japanese Yoshino cypress which would be usable for about 250 years. The design of the first floor was discovered by the excavations, so the floor has the storage space in the center and the surrounding defense passage. Defense systems like machicolations, loopholes, and lattice windows, are built along the passage or on the walls.

A lattice window on the left and a machicolation on the right

The steps to the upstairs are very steep, but more gentle than the original and you can use modern handrails for support. The second and top floors are designed by the builder’s assumption because there was no evidence of them, but are orthodox. The top floor was built as a lookout position, which is probably a fact and a good viewing spot for the current visitors.

A view of the main enclosure and the city area from the top

Attractions of Castle Town

You can also visit other attractions regarding Shiroishi Castle in the former castle town. First of all, there is a remaining Samurai Residence in the former third enclosure, in the north of the castle. The residence was confirmed to be built in 1730. The Koseki Clan, one of the middle-class warriors under the Katakura Clan, lived in it for a long time. Their descendants also lived in it until 1991 before they donated it to the city. The city restored it to its original conditions and opened it to the public the following year.

The aerial photo around the city area

The residence is small and simple with a thatched roof and four rooms ( 2 wooden floors, 1 earthen floor, amd 1 Tatami matted floor). This was probably because the warriors in Shiroishi had lower incomes than those who directly served the Date Clan. However, the Sawabata River flows along two sides of the residence, which is a very good location.

The living room (one of the wooden floors)

The Tatami room (probably for the master)

The Japanese garden beside the residence

The Sawabata River flows around the residence

Other than that, you can walk along the waterways and find the two moved castle gates in Toshinji and Enmeji Temples.

A gate moved from the castle to the Toshinji Temple

Another gate moved from the castle to the Enmeiji Temple (under repairing)

My Impression

Overall, Shiroishi Castle survived thanks to the two exemptions. One is that of the Law of One Castle per Province (or the lord’s territory) by the shogunate during the Edo Period. The other is that of Japan’s Building Standard Act in the present time. In addition, I think we would not be able to see the Main Tower of the castle without the great contributions of the Katakura CLan and the current Shiroishi people.

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car, it is about a 10-minute drive away from Shiroishi IC on the Tohoku Expressway.
There is a parking lot at the eastern foot of the hill called “Joka-hiroba”.
By public transportation, it takes about 15 minutes on foot from JR Shiroishi Station or it takes about 5 minutes by taxi from Tohoku Shinkansan Shiroishi-Zao Station.
From Tokyo to Shiroishi Station: take the Tohoku Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Tohoku Line at Fukushima Station.

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Shiroishi Castle Part1”
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105.白石城　その３

旧城下町のエリアにも、白石城に関する見どころがいくつもあります。まず挙げられるのは、城の北側の三の丸にある武家屋敷です。この武家屋敷は、1730年に建てられたことが確認されています。

特徴、見どころ

天守内部

天守の中へは、本丸の内側から覆屋におおわれた石段を登って入っていきます。実はこの石段は、本丸御殿の「御成御殿」と同じように、藩主の伊達の殿様専用でした。他の藩士は天守のとなりの附櫓（つけやぐら）にあった通用口から出入りしていました。

天守は三階建てで、全て木材による伝統的工法で復元されました。柱は吉野檜で、約２５０年持つということです。一階のレイアウトは発掘によって明らかになり、中央部分が武具の保管庫、その周りが武者走りとなっています。武者走りと壁沿いには、石落とし、狭間、格子窓などの防御システムが備えられています。

上層階への階段はとても急ですが、オリジナルよりは緩やかで、補助の手すりも付いています。二階と三階のレイアウトは資料がなくて不明であるため、想定復元されていますが、オーソドックスな作りになっています。最上階（三階）は物見台になっていて、恐らくそれが正しいでしょう。現在ではビジターにとって快適な展望台となっています。

城下町の見どころ

旧城下町のエリアにも、白石城に関する見どころがいくつもあります。まず挙げられるのは、城の北側の三の丸にある武家屋敷です。この武家屋敷は、1730年に建てられたことが確認されています。片倉氏の配下で、中級クラスの武士であった小関氏が長い間住んでいました。その子孫の方も1991年まで住んだ後、白石市に寄贈したのです。市は住居をかつてあった状態に復元し、翌年一般公開しました。

市街地周辺の航空写真

茅葺屋根の小さく簡素な屋敷で、部屋が４つあります（板間の茶の間と納戸、土間の台所、畳間の座敷）。建物が小さいのは恐らく、白石の藩士が伊達家に直接使える藩士に比べて比較的収入が少なかったからと思われます（小関家の場合は石高換算で１５．５石、伊達家で中級とされたのは少なくとも３０石以上だったようです）。それでも、沢端川が屋敷の２面を流れていて（屋敷の角で曲がっています）とてもよい立地です。

それ以外には、街の中を水路沿いに歩いてみたり、當信寺（とうしんじ）や延命寺（えんめいじ）では移築された城門を見学することができます。

私の感想

振り返ってみると、白石城は２度の例外適用によって生き残ってきたことになります。一度目は江戸時代に幕府によって発布された一国一城令のときです。二度目は現代の権鞠基準法に関するものです。それに加えて、片倉氏や現在の白石の人たちの大いなる貢献がなければ、城の天守を目にすることはなかったと思うのです。

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：東北自動車道の白石ICから約１０分かかります。
城がある丘の東側に「城下広場」があり、駐車場として使用できます。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、ＪＲ白石駅から１５分程度歩くか、東北新幹線の白石蔵王駅からタクシーで約５分かかります。
東京から白石駅まで：東北新幹線に乗って、福島駅で東北本線に乗り換えてください。

リンク、参考情報

・白石城　公式ホームページ
・「日本の城改訂版第５０号」デアゴスティーニジャパン
・「よみがえる日本の城１７」学研
・「よみがえる白石城」碧水社
・「仙台藩の武士身分に関する基礎的研究」堀田幸義（宮城教育大学）の論文

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

114.Karasawayama Castle Part3

The stone walls of the main enclosure entrance are not so high, but use several huge ornament stones.
In addition, the entrance was recently researched and it was found that it had a turret gate. Overall, these structures made the castle stronger as well as more authorized.

Features

Great Stone Walls of Main Enclosure

The stone walls are around 8m high and about 40m long. They were built by piling natural or roughly processed stones in a way called Nozura-zumi. They look rough but really great! It was said that the last lord, Nobuyoshi Sano built them by inviting an excellent guild of stone craftsmen celled Ano-shu from western Japan.

The map around the castle

The stone walls seen from the second enclosure side

You will eventually enter the second enclosure just below the main enclosure. Therefore, you will see the entrance of the main enclosure, which was also surrounded by great stone walls. They are not so high (at 2.5m), but use several huge ornament stones, called Kagami-ishi (meaning mirror stones).
In addition, the entrance was recently researched and it was found that it had a turret gate. Overall, these structures made the castle stronger as well as more authorized.

The second enclosure in the front and the main enclosure in the back

The enclosure is on top of the mountain and is used for the shine buildings. It is unknown what buildings it had in the past, but it might have had buildings like the Main Hall and the Main Tower.

Defensive Spots in North and South

There is another enclosure, in the south of the main enclosure, called Nanjo (meaning southern castle). It was built to protect the southern ridge of the mountain where you can see stone walls and dry moats around. The shrine office is on the enclosure and this is another great viewing spot. If the weather is fine, you can enjoy a view of both Tokyo Sky Tree and Mt. Fuji. Nobuyoshi might have had no choice but to accept the shogunate’s close questioning that looking down on Edo Castle from the mountain would be rude.

The dry moats around the enclosure, called the First Moat

A view from the enclosure, it was clouded when I visited there

There is also other enclosures on the northern ridges, such as the Northern Castle. They are basically made of soil, divided by earthen ditches and connected by earthen bridges, which were older parts of the castle.

The double ditches between the Sugi and northern enclosures

Hiking Course has other Castle Ruins

For hikers, it is recommended to try part of Karasawayama Shuyu(Round) Course, from the castle to Imori-yama Mountain via the Kagami-iwa Rock, Byobu-iwa Rock and Gongen-do Hall Ruins. The course is on another ridge connected to the Karasawayama Mountain, which was a defense point for the castle.

The map around the mountain

The relief map around the mountain

That’s why you can see a set of a narrow bridge with artificial ditches on the way. You can also enjoy a great view of the whole Kanto Region on each peak of the ridge. The Imori Mountain is where Kenshin Uesugi and Masatsuna Sano fought against each other in their last battle in 1570.

Later History

After the Sano Clan was banished by the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Ii Clan which was a senior vassal family of the shogunate owned the Sano area as its detached territory during the Edo Period. The clan banned people from entering the mountain, the former castle area. That’s why the ruins of the castle have been preserved in a good condition. After the Meiji Restoration, locals established the Karasawayama Shrine in 1883. Establishing shrines on castle ruins was a popular way to maintain them at that time. The ruins also became part of Karasawayama Prefectural Natural Park in 1965. That’s why several approaches and hiking courses have been developed there. As for castle ruins, Sano City has been researching and studying them since 2007. As a result, they were designated as a National Historic Site in 2014.

My Impression

The current people often say Kenshin Uesugi attacked Karasawayama Castle and approached its main enclosure, but failed. Meanwhile, Kenshin himself wrote on his letter in 1567 when he owned the castle and was attacked by the Hojo Clan that “Only the Main Enclosure remained”. I’m not sure if similar things happened twice whether the people misunderstood Kenshin’s sides. Either way, Kenshin and the castle were closely involved. I think the people are still borrowing his name even today to explain about the strength of the castle.

The main enclosure of Karasawayama Castle

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle ruins by car, it is about a 10-minute drive away from Sano-Tanuma IC on the Kitakanto Expressway.
There are parking lots at the foot, the mid slope and top of the mountain.
By public transportation, it takes about 40 minutes on foot from Tanuma Station on the Tobu-Sano Line to the top.
From Tokyo to the station: take the train on the Joban Line from Tokyo or Ueno Stations, transfer to the Tobu-Isesaki Line at Kitasenju Station, and transfer to the Tobu-Sano Line at Tatebayashi Station.

The parking lot on the way of the hiking course

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