特徴～Features – ページ 151 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

121.Motosakura Castle Part2

The castle ruins that look like a hill

Features

Now, the ruins of Motosakura Castle look like just a hilly area, but certainly exist with earthen foundation. For instance, if you go to Narita Airport on the Keisei line, you will see the castle ruins on the right about 10km short of the airport. If you visit the ruins by train, you have to get off the train at Osakura Station.

Leaflet|国土地理院

The aerial photo around the castle

Entering Main Enclosure through Higashi-yama

The castle ruins have some tiers. The front low tier is the Tokoji-byo Enclosure which faced the lakeside. That means the spacious rice field in front of it was a lake or waterlogged area in the past. Going to the east, you can enter the Inner Compounds of the castle through the Higashi-yama Entrance. The entrance is narrowly sandwiched by the Higashi-yama Enclosure and another one. The Higashi-yama Enclosure still stands like a wall, and you can walk up to the top easily and see a good view of a rice field on the north. The behind of the enclosure is a flat area which was used as a riding ground and is now used as a parking lot.

The entrance sandwiched by the Higashi-yama Enclosure

The parking lot behind the Higashi-yama Enclosure

Main Enclosure with Best Location

You can also walk up on the trail from there to the Main Enclosure, seeing the many imitation shields. The trail goes between the Main Enclosure and the Okuno-yama Enclosure, where a bridge was built above. Then the trail is divided into two branches for both enclosures. The branch to the Main Enclosure is windy and steep, which was for defense. The inside of the enclosure is empty, but it was found by the excavation that many buildings including the Main Hall and a turret were built in the past. You can overlook the plain area below and the Higashi-yama Enclosure on the opposite side from the enclosure. This means the lord of the castle could see visitors or enemies coming to the castle easily.

The point where the wooden bridge was built above

The two branches (to the Main Enclosure on the left, to the Okuno-yama Enclosure on the right)

*The Main Enclosure* (the point where the Shuden building was built)

Going to Dry Moat of Settei-yama Enclosure

You can also look around the Okuno-yama and Kura-ato Enclosures. After that, I recommend seeing the dry moat around the Settei-yama Enclosure. If you go out to the south of the Inner Compounds, go to the west for a while, you will find the edge of the dry moat. The moat is at maximum 16m deep, now covered with a bamboo forest. You will finally go back to the first position at the northern part of the castle, so the mort may have been used as a road. You can also enter the Settai-yama Enclosure and see the other dry moat of the opposite side from there.

The southern side of the Inner Compounds

The dry moat around the Settei-yama Enclosure

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

121.本佐倉城　その２

丘のように見える城跡

特徴

現在、本佐倉城跡はただの丘陵地帯のようにも見えるのですが、土造りの基礎が確かにそこにあります。例えば、京成線で成田空港に向かう場合、空港の１０ｋｍ手前の右側に城跡が見えてきます。電車を使って城跡に行こうとするならば、大佐倉駅で降りる必要があります。

Leaflet|国土地理院

城周辺の航空写真

東山から城の中心部に入る

城跡は階段状になっています。正面の低い段は東光寺ビョウで、かつては湖畔に面していました。現在その前に広がる水田は、過去においては沼地か湿地帯であったことになります。東の方に向かうと、東山の入口（虎口）を通って内郭の中に入って行くことができます。この入口は東山ともう一つの曲輪に挟まれて狭くなっています。東山は今だに壁のように立ちはだかっていて、その頂上には簡単に登って行くことができ、北側の水田のいい眺めを見ることができます。東山の背後は平地になっていて、馬場として使われていましたが、現在は駐車場になっています。

絶好の位置にある本丸

そこから本丸に向かう山道を登って行くこともでき、模擬楯がたくさん並んでいるのが見えます。山道は、本丸と奥ノ山の間を進んでいきます。この頭上には橋がかかっていました。山道は二つに分かれ、両方の曲輪に向かいます。本丸への道は防御のために曲がりくねって急坂となっています。本丸の内部は空き地になっていますが、発掘によれば、過去には御殿や櫓など多くの建物がありました。この曲輪からは、眼下の平地や、反対側にある東山を見下ろすことができます。城の主は、城にお客が来たのか敵が来たのか容易にわかったことでしょう。

セッテイ山の空堀へ

奥ノ山や倉跡を見て回ることもできます。その後は、セッテイ山を囲む空堀をご覧になることをお勧めします。内郭の南側に出て、しばらく西の方に行っていただければ、空堀の端が見つかります。この空堀は、最大で１６ｍの深さがあり、現在は竹林に覆われています。進んでいくうちに、城の北側の最初にスタートした地点に戻っていきます。この空堀は通路としても使われたのかもしれません。セッテイ山の内部にも入っていくことができ、反対側にあるもう一つの空堀を見学することもできます。

「本佐倉城その３」に続きます。
「本佐倉城その１」に戻ります。

160.Imori Castle Part2

This castle was covered with stone walls.

Features

Trail from Shijonawate Shrine

Now, the trails at the ruins of Imori Castle have become very popular for hiking. There are several trails to choose from when you visit the ruins. I will describe one of the trails from JR Shijonawate Station via Shijonawate Shrine. The shrine is dedicated to Masatsura Kusunoki, a warrior in the 14th Century during Northern and Southern dynasties. He was the son of Masasige Kusunoki. He supported the Southern dynasty and was beaten in the battle of Shijonawate in 1348 by the troop of the Ashikaga Shogunate. Ashikaga Shogunate supported the Northern dynasty which used their position at Imori-yama Mountain to defeat Masatsura.

Leaflet|国土地理院

The aerial photo around the castle

Northern Enclosures and Great Wide View

The trail behind the shrine is very long and steep. You need to climb nearly 300m up the mountain. All the trails are on the western side of the mountain, so you won’t see any of the stone walls until you get to the top of the mountain. At the top of the slope, you will reach the northern part of the castle. This part is narrow, and there are several small enclosures. You will suddenly see a great city-wide view of Kyoto and Osaka. You can also see some of the remaining stone walls on the eastern side of the mountain. However, you can’t go below the stone walls because the trails on that side are abandoned and dangerous. There is also the burial mound for Nagayoshi Miyoshi called Gotaizuka around there.

The remaining stone walls of the northern enclosures

Southern Enclosures – Main and Senjojiki Enclosures

As you go on the trail to the south, it is divided into two branches at the entrance of the southern part. The one on the right is for the Main Enclosure on the top of the mountain. There are several attractions for hikers on the top such as the observation platform, the statue of Masatsura, the ruins of the stand for hoisting the national flag before World War II, and the signpost of the castle. You can also see a great view again of Osaka Plain on the west. If you go on the other branch on the left, you can see a lot of stone walls on the eastern side of the Main Enclosure. New discoveries about the stone walls were recently found one after another.

The statue of Masatsura Kusunoki *(licensed by ブレイズマン via Wikimedia Commons)*

The ruins of the stand for hoisting the national flag

A view of Osaka Plain from the Main Enclosure

The remaining stone walls at the eastern side of the Main Enclosure *(quoted from the Daito City Website)*

On the south of the Main Enclosure, there is the largest enclosure in the castle, called Senjojiki, which means a hall of 1,000 mats. It is thought that it had the Main Hall for Nagayoshi, and now has a transmitting tower. The enclosure was guarded by the narrow earthen bridge on the north and the entrance with stone walls on the south. You can see both of these ruins onsite.

The Senjojiki Enclosure with the transmitting tower

The earthen bridge in the north of the enclosure

The ruins of the entrance in the south of the enclosure

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