リンク、参考情報～Links and References – ページ 33 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

88.Yoshinogari Ruins Part3

The ruins became the Yoshinogari Historical Park instead of an industrial park.

Later History

With the start of the Burial Mound Period in at the late 3rd Century, the Yoshinogari settlement rapidly decreased. Four keyhole-shaped burial mounds were built on the land of Yoshinogari. After a long time, local historians noticed that a lot of pieces of burial jars and earthenware were found in the area about 100 years ago. In 1986, Saga Prefecture decided to develop the area as an industrial park. As a result, before the development, there were some research on the buried cultural properties. Yoshinogari Ruins were meant to be destroyed after the research. However, the huge scale ruins were revealed in 1989. The media reported the ruins sensationally as if they were the Yamatai Country. Visitors suddenly rushed to the ruins, too. The prefecture reversed its decision and announced it would preserve the ruins instead. The ruins were designated as a National Special Historic Site in 1991. The Yoshinogari Historical Park finally opened in 2001.

The aerial photo of Hashihaka-kofun Tumulus, a representative keyhole-shaped burial mound in the 3rd Century in Nara Prefecture

Unearthed relics at Yoshinogari site, in the Exhibition Room

A distant view of the Yoshinogari Historical Park

My Impression

I think there are no other ruins like the Yoshinogari Ruins, which show the real image of the Yayoi Period. The ruins can be seen as a theme park rather than a historical park. You can see the settlements already had some elements of castles found in Japan later on. However, it’s up to you whether Yoshinogari Ruins should be considered are a kind of castle or not. I recommend visiting them and making your own impression.

The entrance of the North Inner Enclosure

The restored circular moats with fences at the Moat-Enclose Entrance Grounds

How to get There

If you want to visit the ruins by car, it is a few minutes away from Higashi-Sefuri IC on the Nagasaki Expressway.
You can park in the parking lots for visitors in the park.
If you want to use public transportation, it takes about 15 minutes on foot from the JR Yoshinogari-koen Station.
To get to Yoshinogari-koen Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the limited express from Hakata Station and transfer to the local train on the Nagasaki Line at Tosu Station, after using the Shinkansen super express or by plane.

Links and References

・Yoshinogari Historical Park

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Yoshinogari Ruins Part1”
Back to “Yoshinogari Ruins Part2”

88.吉野ヶ里遺跡　その３

遺跡は工業団地化を免れ、吉野ヶ里歴史公園となりました。

その後

３世紀後半の古墳時代の始まりとともに、吉野ヶ里集落は急速に衰退しました。吉野ヶ里の地には、４つの前方後円墳が築かれました。それから長い時間が経過し、郷土史家たちは約１００年前に、この地からは多くの甕棺や土器のかけらが見つかることに気が付きました。1986年、佐賀県はこの地域を工業団地として開発することを決定しました。その結果、その開発の前に埋蔵文化財の調査を行うことになりました。吉野ヶ里遺跡は、その調査の後は破壊されることになってしまったのです。ところが、1989年に巨大な遺跡が姿を現しました。マスコミは、まるでそれが邪馬台国であるかのようにセンセーショナルに報道しました。観光客も遺跡を見るために押し寄せました。県は工業団地化を撤回し、遺跡を保存していくことを発表しました。遺跡は1991年には国の特別史跡に指定されたのです。そして、ついには吉野ヶ里歴史公園が2001年にオープンしました。

３世紀の代表的な前方後円墳、奈良県箸墓古墳の航空写真

私の感想

弥生時代の姿をそのまま再現したものとして、吉野ヶ里公園の右に出るものはないと思うのです。また、この遺跡は歴史公園というよりもテーマパークのようにも見えます。更にこの集落は、後の日本の城で見られるいくつかの要素を既に持っていたようにも思います。しかしながら、吉野ヶ里遺跡を一種の城と見なすかどうかは、それを見た人の印象次第ではないでしょうか。実際にここに来てみて、自分なりの感想を持たれてはいかがでしょうか。

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：長崎自動車道の東脊振ICから数分のところです。公園の中にビジター用の駐車場があります。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、ＪＲ吉野ヶ里公園駅から歩いて約１５分かかります。
東京または大阪から吉野ヶ里公園駅まで：新幹線か飛行機を使った後、博多駅から特急に乗り、鳥栖駅で長崎本線の普通列車に乗り換えてください。

リンク、参考情報

・吉野ヶ里歴史公園
・「全集日本の歴史第１巻　列島創生記／松木武彦著」小学館
・「プロジェクトX挑戦者たち　王が眠る神秘の遺跡」ＮＨＫ出版
・「日本の歴史02　王権誕生／寺沢薫著」講談社学術文庫

これで終わります。ありがとうございました。
「吉野ヶ里遺跡その１」に戻ります。
「吉野ヶ里遺跡その２」に戻ります。

89.Saga Castle Part3

The functions of the castle changed.

Features

Remaining Outer Moat

If you have time, consider walking to the remaining Outer Moat from the Main Enclosure. If you walk along the edge of the enclosure, you will see the long line of the stone walls. Some of them were recently restored including the stone wall base of the Southwestern Corner Turret. The original appearance of the castle is returning little by little with the restoration. The Outer Moat is still filled with water and is over 50m wide. It can remind us that the castle was originally protected by many water moats and waterways.

The aerial photo around the castle

The long stone walls of the Main Enclosure

The restored stone wall base of the Southwestern Corner Turret

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Saga Castle was used as the Saga Prefectural Office. That’s why a battle in the Saga Rebellion occurred there. After the rebellion, the surviving Main Enclosure was used as schools. However, the Main Hall was demolished in 1920 while the residential room for the lord was moved to another park. The remaining Shachi-no-mon Gate was designated as an Important Cultural Property in 1957. In 1989, Saga Prefecture decided to restore the Main Hall as a historical museum. After the excavation and research. The official part of the hall, called Omote, was mainly restored combined with the residential room for the lord which returned to its original position. The Main Hall reopened as the Saga Castle History Museum in 2004.

The old photo of the original Main Hall in the Meiji Era *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The Main Hall has become the Saga Castle History Museum

The miniature models of the remaining or restored structures in the Main Enclosure, exhibited by *the Saga Castle History Museum*

My Impression

Saga Prefecture is trying to show what roles the Saga Domain had in the end of the Edo Period, in the restored Main Hall. There are also other attractions like the stone wall base for the Main Tower. If you compare these structures, you may find the functions of the castle have been changing. The water moats were entirely for defense. The Main Tower added to the castle its authority. The Main Hall was built for governing and residence. They composed the wide variety of functions at Saga Castle.

The Main Tower stone wall base showing authority

How to get There

If you want to visit the ruins by car, it is about 20 minutes away from Saga-Yamato IC on the Nagasaki Expressway.
You can park in the parking lots for visitors in the Main Enclosure.
If you want to use public transportation, you can take the Saga City Bus on the Sagajo-ato Line from JR Saga Station and get off at the Sagajo-ato bus stop.
To get to Saga Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the limited express from Hakata Station after using the Shinkansen super express or by plane.

Links and References

・Saga Castle History Museum

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