特徴～Features – ページ 135 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

34.Nanao Castle Part2

The main portion of the castle is still outstanding.

Features

From Parking lot to Main portion of Castle

Today, you can access the main portion of the ruins of Nanao Castle directly by car. The ruins, however, don’t have castle buildings now, but their foundation remains intact. There is a parking lot on one of the enclosures under the Cho Residence. You can walk on the well developed trail to the Main Enclosure from the parking lot.

The map around the castle

You can also see the large deep ditch called Horikiri between the Main Enclosure and the Cho Residence followed by the vertically cut cliff called Kirigishi of the Main Enclosure along the trail. They are, however, artificial.

The large deep ditch between the Main Enclosure and the Cho Residence

The vertically cut cliff under the Main Enclosure

You will first reach the Chodo-maru which was the place where weapons were prepared under the Sakura Riding Ground. The original Main Route also reached the Chodo-maru in the past.

The imaginary drawing of Chodo-maru (from the signboard at the site)

Wonderful stone walls

Next, you will see the large five-tier stone walls piled up naturally called Nozura-zumi when you walk up to the Sakura Riding Ground. The stone walls look beautiful because of the moss that covers it. They were built by Toshiie Maeda and are one of the highlights of the castle.

The five-tier stone walls Toshiie Maeda built

From the front of the Sakura Riding Ground, you can go straight to the Main Enclosure through the Yusa Residence. However, this route was not original. It was said to have been built when the Shiroyama Shrine was established on the enclosure about 80 years ago. Thanks to that, you can also see the great three-tier stone walls of the enclosure which is close by.

The entrance of the Sakura Riding Ground

The three-tier stone walls of the Main Enclosure

Main Enclosure was well protected

The enclosure was protected well by the stone walls and the vertically cut cliff in the past. The original route zigzagged and went around the back of the enclosure, guarded by the other square space called Soto-Masugata which was put on the outside of the enclosure.

The stone walls and vertically cut cliff protecting the Main Enclosure

The square space outside the original entrance of the Main Enclosure

The inside of the Main Enclosure is basically empty and the monument of the castle remains standing. The shrine is on the ruins of the Main Tower. The tower is thought to have a cypress bark roof or shingled roof, because no roof tiles were ever found during the excavation. The view from the enclosure is amazing. If the weather is nice, you will be able to see the whole view of Nanao City along the Nanao Bay and Noto Peninsula.

The monument stands an the Main Enclosure

The Shiroyama Shrine on the ruins of the Main Tower

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

34.七尾城　その２

城の主要部はいまだに際立っています。

特徴、見どころ

駐車場から城の主要部へ

現在、車を使えば七尾城跡の主要部分に直接乗り入れることができます。城跡には今は城の建物はありませんが、城の基礎部分は健在です。長屋敷の下にある曲輪が駐車場になっています。駐車場からは、よく整備された道を歩いて、本丸の方に行くことができます。

城周辺の地図

そのときには道すがら、本丸と長屋敷の間を隔てる大きく深い堀切や、本丸にある切岸と呼ばれる垂直に切り落とされた崖も見ることができます。これらは人工的に加工されたものです。

最初に、桜馬場の下にある調度丸（ちょうどまる）に着きます。ここは武具が準備されている場所でした。もとあった大手道もまた調度丸に着くようになっていました。

素晴らしい石垣群

次は桜馬場に登っていく途中に、大規模な五段積みの石垣が見えてきます。野面積みと呼ばれる自然石を積み上げる方法で作られています。表面が苔に覆われていてとても美しく見えます。前田利家により築かれたもので、この城の呼び物の一つです。

桜馬場の正面からは、遊佐屋敷を通ってまっすぐ本丸に行くことができます。しかしこの道は元からあったものではなく、約８０年前に本丸に城山神社が創建されたときに作られたと言われています。そのおかげで、本丸の立派な三段の石垣を間近に見ることもできるわけです。

よく防御されていた本丸

本丸は、過去にはこの石垣と垂直に切り立った崖により、よく守られていました。元の本丸への道は、曲がりくねって裏側の方から回り込んでいました。そして、本丸の外側に配置された外桝形と呼ばれる四角い空間によって、防御されていました。

本丸の内部は、基本的には空になっていますが、城の記念碑が立っています。神社は天守跡にあります。天守は檜皮葺きか杮葺きであったと考えられています。発掘によっても瓦が発見されなかったからです。本丸からの眺めは素晴らしいです。もし天気がよければ、七尾湾と能登半島を含む七尾市の全景を見渡すことができます。

「七尾城その３」に続きます。
「七尾城その１」に戻ります。

103.Namioka Castle Part3

The ruins were featured as those for the Southern Court.

Features

House in Aomori-shi Middle Ages

On the way of the ruins from Namioka Station, you can also visit the House in the Aomori-shi Middle Ages to learn more about the castle. It is a historical museum which exhibits the findings about the castle from the excavation and the study. For example, you can see the restored high-class reception hall called Kokonoma in the Main Hall for the lord, the miniature model of the North Enclosure, and the unearthed traded items such as
Luzon Pots.

The restored interior of the high-class reception hall, exhibited by the House in the Aomori-shi Middle Ages

An unearthed Luzon Pot, exhibited by the House in the Aomori-shi Middle Ages

Later History

After Namioka Castle was abandoned, the ruins were used as farms in the Edo Period. In the Meiji Period, the Kitabatake Clan was featured because the clan devotedly served the Southern Court which the government decided as orthodox. The study for the castle was accordingly started. The monument to honor the Kitabatake Clan was built and cherry trees were also planted since then . The castle ruins were designated as a National Historic Site in 1940, which was the first case for Aomori Pref. The excavation of the castle was launched in 1977. Finally, the ruins were open to the public as a historical park in 1998.

The monument to honor the Kitabatake Clan, which was built in the Meiji Era at the Inner Enclosure

The ruins of Namioka Castle covered with cherry blossoms, exhibited by the House in the Aomori-shi Middle Ages

My Impression

Visiting the ruins of Namioka Castle, I have learned that the castle was rather a symbol of peace than the fortress for battle even when many battles happened in the 15th and 16th Centuries called the Sengoku Period. I think that the ruins of this castle are very important site which shows that fact. In addition, the best season for visiting there is definitely in the spring, as the cherry blossoms around the ruins bloom. On the other hand, you should probably try to avoid visiting there in the winter, as the park is basically closed and you sometimes have to walk in the snow to see the ruins, like what happened to me when I visited the castle in winter.

The Information Center is also closed in the winter

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 10 minutes away from Namioka IC on the Tohoku Expressway.
There is a parking lot beside the Information Center in the eastern part of the ruins.
By train, it is over 30 minutes away from Namioka Station on foot.
I recommend using a taxi from the station to avoid getting lost. You can go directly to the Inner Enclosure though the western entrance of the ruins by the taxi.
To get to Namioka Station from Tokyo: Take the Tohoku Shinkansen super express and transfer at Shin-Aomori Station to the Ohu Line.

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