特徴～Features – ページ 125 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

136.Torigoe Castle Part2

Well developed ruins of a mountain castle

Features

Enclosures built using Natural Terrain

Today, the ruins of Torigoe Castle are well restored for visitors. If you drive to the ruins, you can easily go up to the parking lot near the top of the mountain. After parking, you can walk on the path to the center of the ruins. This path goes through the Rear Third Enclosure and the Rear Second Enclosure. These enclosures protected the Main Enclosure in the north. Similarly, the Third Enclosure and the Second Enclosure also protected the Main Enclosure in the south. Moreover, the Belt Enclosures surrounded the enclosures mentioned above for connection or a defense perimeter.

The aerial photo around the castle

For example, if you look at the Rear Second Enclosure, you can see it has a deep dry moat and is highly heaped. You can imagine the builders dug the moat and made the enclosure by heaping the soil from the moat on natural terrain. Some wooden fences were probably built along the enclosure. Some buildings were also built in the enclosure, where you can see the remnants of them now.

The Rear Second Enclosure seen from the Main Enclosure

Restored Buildings and Stone Walls

You can go further to the Central Enclosure in front of the Main Enclosure. Due to the achievement of the excavation, some buildings were restored. One of them is the Central Enclosure Gate, which may have been the front gate of the castle. Another is a barrack which is also currently used as the rest house.

The restored barrack and rest house for visitors

You can finally enter the Main Enclosure through the Masugata-mon Gate which is surrounded by the only stone walls in the castle. They were also restored in recent times, and originally built by Nobunaga Oda’s troops. This was because the castle was changing hands between the Kaga Ikko uprising and Oda during the conflict. Masugata refers to a square space inside or outside of the entrance, which has made it more defensive. In the back of the Masugata, there is, likewise, the restored turret styled Main Enclosure Gate, which was originally built by the Kaga Ikko uprising.

You can enjoy View and see Good Location

Inside the Main Enclosure, there were a lot of buildings discovered during the excavation. However, the purpose of them is still uncertain, so only columns and stone foundations are shown for visitors. In addition, some wooden fences on the earthen walls, a well, and large jars for storage are restored in the enclosure. From the enclosure, you can see a good view of both sides of the mountain in the east and west, being at a good location for lookout and protection.

A view from the Main Enclosure (the eastern side)

To be continued in “Torigoe Castle Part3”
Back to “Torigoe Castle Part1”

136.鳥越城　その２

よく整備された山城跡

特徴、見どころ

自然の地形を生かして作られた曲輪群

現在、鳥越城跡は観光客向けによく整備されています。もし車で来られるのでしたら、山頂近くの駐車場まで容易に登っていくことができます。車を停めた後、城跡の中心地まで小径を歩いて行くことができます。この道は、後三の丸と後二の丸の間を通っています。これらの曲輪は、本丸の北側を守っていたのです。同じように、三の丸と二の丸が本丸の南側を守っていました。その上に、腰曲輪が前述した曲輪群を囲んでいて、曲輪間の連絡のため、あるいは周囲の防御のために機能していました。

城周辺の航空写真

例えば、後二の丸を見てみると、そこには深い空堀があり、曲輪自体は高く盛り上げられています。築城者は、この空堀を掘って、その土を堀から自然の地形の上に積み上げて曲輪を築いたということが想像されます。曲輪の周囲には恐らく木の柵が巡らされていたでしょう。そして曲輪の中にはいくつか建物もありました。今はその痕跡を見ることができます。

復元された建物や石垣

更に進んでいくと、本丸の前にある中の丸に至ります。発掘の成果により、建物が復元されています。一つは、城の正門として使われた可能性がある中の丸門です。もう一つは兵舎で、現在では休憩所としても使われています。

そして、この城では唯一石垣に囲まれた桝形門を通って、ついに本丸に入っていきます。この石垣は現代になって復元されたもので、もともと織田信長の軍勢により築かれました。なぜかと言うと、この城は加賀一向一揆と織田軍の戦いの間、双方がこの城を占領したり、攻めたりしていたのです。桝形とは、城の入り口の内側または外側にある四角い空間で、これがあることで城の防御力を増すことができました。桝形の奥には、同じように復元された櫓形式の本丸門があります。こちらの方は元は加賀一向一揆側によって築かれました。

眺めを見てわかる立地の良さ

本丸の中は、発掘によって多くの建物があったことがわかっています。しかし、それら建物の用途はいまだにわかっていません。よって、復元されるのでなく、柱と礎石のみが観光客向けに展示されています。更には、土塁上の木の柵、井戸、貯蔵用の大甕が曲輪の中で復元されています。この曲輪からは、城がある山の東西両側の景色をよく見渡すことができます。見張りをしたり、城の防衛のためには絶好の立地だったことでしょう。

「鳥越城その３」に続きます。
「鳥越城その１」に戻ります。

36.Maruoka Castle Part2

The attractive Main Tower that is discussed by many, from then until now.

Features

Old looking Main Tower

Today, Maruoka Castle has only the remaining Main Tower on the hill at the site. The Main Tower is about 12m high with two levels and three stories, not so large compared with the other remaining Main Towers in Japan. However, it stands out when you see it from the area around. It has a 6m high stone wall base and is on a 27m high hill.

The map around the
castle

If you drive to the castle, you can park at the parking lot in the former Second Enclosure and walk to the Main Tower on the well-developed route for visitors.

The parking lot, former Second Enclosure

You may feel the Main Tower looks very old like many other people who feel the same way. This type of the tower is called the Lookout Tower Type, which refers to a small lookout tower on a large turret with the hip-and-gable roof. This type is considered the first one among the Main Towers in Japan. The top floor of Maruoka Castle’s Main Tower has a veranda, which is a feature of the early Lookout Tower Type. Its many wooden parts were left bare in the tower, which is also a feature of that type. In addition, the rooftiles of the tower are made of stone because of the cold climate in the winter around this area. This is the only case in the twelve remaining Main Towers. These rooftiles make the tower look older, too. For these reasons, many people expected the Main Tower of Maruoka Castle to be the oldest remaining one in Japan.

The old-fashioned Main Tower of Maruoka Castle

The stone rooftiles seen through the window of the second floor of the tower

Is Main Tower of Maruoka Castle Oldest or not?

On the other hand, some specialists argued that the Main Tower of Maruoka Castle is not as old as the other remaining ones. One of the reasons for it is that the veranda is not practical, just for decoration. Using verandas for decoration can be seen in castle buildings much later than the period the people, who wanted Maruoka Castle to be the oldest, expected. Other architects also argued that the structure of the tower can also be seen much later designs.

You can’t go out to the veranda at the top floor of the tower

The Main Tower of Maruoka Castle has been designated as an Important Cultural Property since 1950. Sakai City thought the tower would become a National Treasure if it was confirmed as the oldest Main Tower in Japan. In 2018, the city conducted research to find out when the tower was built with the latest technology. It was mainly done by the growth ring dating method to confirm when the wooden materials of the tower were cut. The result was that the materials were cut in 1620s, and the tower was built in the period or later. It was much later than what the city expected. Overall, the tower is thought to have been built after the Honda Clan became an independent lord of Maruoka Castle. That means the builder of the Main Tower, probably the Honda Clan, built the tower with the old style intentionally.

The Main Tower of Maruoka Castle is not the oldest

Interior of Main Tower

The Main Tower is not the oldest, but of course, it is worth visiting. You can climb up on the original stone steps to the first floor of the tower.

The floor is the large room in the turret part, and it has a lot of columns to support the weight of the tower including the stone rooftiles.

The floor also has loopholes for guns and bay windows used for machicolations along the walls to protect the tower.

You can also climb up the very steep stairway at 65 degrees to the second floor, with the rope to help you. The second floor is the attic of the tower part, but it has windows in the roof of the first floor.

Be careful when you go up to the top floor because the stairway to the floor is steeper at 67 degrees! The top floor has windows in all directions, so is open and bright. You can see a good view of the city area and the back of the ridge-end tiles made of stone from the floor.

To be continued in “Maruoka Castle Part3”
Back to “Maruoka Castle Part1”