If you were a general, which way you would prefer?
Features
Remaining Stone Walls along Main Route
You can also walk on the Main Route up from the western side of the hill or down from the Second Enclosure. The route goes through the Third Enclosure where you can see the remaining stone walls here and there. It is thought that the builder, Naomasa Ii aimed to show his authority to the visitors passing the route. The Ii Clan later built Hikone Castle using much greater stone walls, but they built stone walls of Minowa Castle as much as they can at that time.
The map around the castle
The Main RouteThe remaining stone walls of the Kaji Enclosure on the Main RouteGoing to the Third Enclosure from the Kaji EnclosureThe remaining stone walls of the Third EnclosureStone walls of Hikone Castle
Later History
The ruins of Minowa Castle was designated as a National Historic Site in 1987. After that, the excavation was done widely between 1998 and 2006 by Takasaki City which owns the ruins. Since then, the city has been developing the ruins as a historical park.
The developed Kaku-Umadashi strongholdThe earthen walls and stone walls over the great artificial trench were also developedThe trail going on the bottom of the trench
My Impression
I was very impressed by Narimasa Nagano and his clan’s way of life to devote themselves to their master and territory. There were also other generals who had different ways of lives such as the Obata and Sanada Clans. If you were a general or warrior in the Sengoku Period, which way you would prefer? In addition, if we apply their lives in present times, the life of the Nagano Clan would be like working for the same company for a long time, the Obata Clan would be changing careers often, and the Sanada Clan would be starting a business. We can think about our own lives from learning about those generals in the Sengoku Period.
The wooden statue of Narimasa Nagano, owned by Chojunji Temple, quoted from the website of Takasaki CityNorizane Obata drawn in the “Battle of Nagashino” folding screens, exhibited by Kanra Town Museum of History and FolkloreThe portlait of Masayuki Sanada, the successor of Yukitaka Sanada, who struggled to be independently, privately owned (licensed under Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
How to get There
I recommend using a car when you visit the ruins. It is about a 30-minute drive away from Takasaki or Maebashi IC on the Kanetsu Expressway. You can park at several parking lots in the ruins. If you want to use public transportation, you can take the Gunma Bus bound for Ikaho-Onsen from Takasaki Station and get off at the Shiroyama-Iriguchi bus stop. It takes about 5 minutes on foot from the bus stop to get there. To get to Takasaki Station from Tokyo: Take the Joetsu Shinkansen super express.
The parking lot in front of the Back RouteThe parking lot near the Main Route
