特徴～Features – ページ 22 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

108.Tsurugaoka Castle Part2

Today, the ruins of Tsurugaoka Castle have been developed as Tsuruoka Park. The site seems to have a different atmosphere from other castles or castle ruins. One of the reasons may be that the castle originally had water moats and earthen walls but few stone walls, giving the park a more scenic look for the visitors.

Features

Site looks Scenic and Retro-Modern

The map around the castle

Another reason is that there are several historical modern buildings around the park, most of which are in the Chido Museum. The museum is in the former Third Enclosure of the castle, where the lord’s residence was built. That’s why there is the Sakai Clan Garden which probably originates from the residence inside. The garden has also been designated as a National Place of Scenic Beauty. In addition, the current residence beside the garden was part of the retreat for the 9th lord, Tadaaki Sakai during the end of the Edo Period. The modern historical buildings, such as the former Tsuruoka Police Office built in the Meiji Era, were collected from somewhere in the city. Surprisingly, the museum director is a descendant of the Sakai Clan, who still live in the city.

The Chido Museum on the left and the Tsuruoka Park on the right

Entrances of old and current site

The park consists of the Main Enclosure in the center and partially the second enclosure surrounding. It has five entrances, the same number as in the past, but each has a different appearance or location. For example, the eastern entrance of the park was the Main Gate in the second enclosure, which was protected by the Masugata system. However, the system was removed and turned into the city area. The current path from the entrance goes straight to the center but past visitors had to go around to Naka-no-mon Gate (meaning the Middle Gate) at the southern side of the Main Enclosure after crossing Naka-no-hashi Bridge (meaning the Middle Bridge) over the Inner Moat.

The part of the Main Gate in the miniature model exhibited by the Chido Museum

The eastern entrance of the park (the Main Gate Ruins)

Past visitors had to go around from the Main Gate on the right to Naka-no-mon Gate in the front, according to the miniature model above

Current visitors can go straight to the center using the approach to Shonai Shrine

Meanwhile, the current southern entrance may be similar to the original Naka-no-mon Gate, where you can go across a bridge over the moat like the visitors used to cross the Naka-no-hashi Bridge. There is another traditional and beautiful modern building, called Taihokan Museum, behind the bridge, which was originally built in 1915 as a commercial museum, but has now become another historical museum. Therefore, you may feel a retro-modern atmosphere rather than from the castle’s period.

The part of the Naka-no-mon Gate in the miniature model above

The current southern entrance of the park, *taken by FRANK211 from photo AC*

The Naka-no-hashi Bridge was built near the current bridge

The Naka-no-mon Gate was built at the current Taihokan Museum

Shonai Shrine and Corner Turret Ruins in Main Enclosure

There are no castle buildings in the park. Instead, Shonai Shrine is in the Main Enclosure, which worships four ancestors of the Sakai Clan including Tadakatsu Sakai, the founder of the Shonai Domain. The shrine was established in 1877 in a part of a trend at that time of establishing shrines at abandoned castle sites. If you want to see something of castle-like items, you can go to the back of the shrine at the northern side of the enclosure. There are still surrounding earthen walls and also the ruins of the Corner Turret which was the substitute for a Main Tower.

The earthen walls surrounding the Main Enclosure

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

108.鶴ヶ岡城　その２

現在、鶴ヶ岡城跡は鶴岡公園として整備されています。現地に行ってみると、他の城や城跡とは違う雰囲気を感じます。その理由の一つは、この城には元から水堀や土塁はありましたが、石垣はほとんどなく、訪れる人にのどかな印象を与えているからでしょう。

特徴、見どころ

長閑とレトロモダンな雰囲気が共存

城周辺の地図

もう一つの理由は、公園の周りにモダンな歴史的建造物があるからで、そのうちのほとんどは致道博物館（ちどうはくぶつかん）にあります。この博物館は、以前城の三の丸だった所にあり、かつては領主の屋敷がありました。そのために、博物館の中には屋敷だったときから存在していたと思われる酒井氏庭園があります。この庭園は、国の名勝にも指定されています。また、現在庭園に隣接する屋敷は、９代目藩主の酒井忠発（さかいただあき）が幕末に住んでいた隠居所の一部です。他にも、明治時代に建てられた旧鶴岡警察署庁舎などの近代の歴史的建造物が、市内の各所から集められています。驚いたことに、博物館の館長は藩主酒井氏のご子孫の方で、今でも市内に住んでおられるそうです。

かつてと現代の城への入口

公園の真ん中には本丸があり、二の丸が部分的にその周りを囲んでいます。公園には入口が５つありますが、その数は過去と一緒です。しかしそれぞれの外観や位置は異なっています。例えば公園の東入口は、かつては二の丸にあった大手門で、桝形によって防御されていました。しかし桝形は撤去されて、市街地になっています。その入口からは通路がまっすぐ中心部に伸びていますが、かつてはそこから回り込んで内堀を渡る中の橋を渡って、本丸南側の中の門に向かう必要がありました。

一方で、現在の公園の南入口は、オリジナルの中の門に近いかもしれません。かつて中の橋を渡ったように、堀の上の橋を渡っていきます。その橋を渡ると、もう一つの美しい外観の近代歴史建造物があります。大宝館（たいほうかん）という名前で、1915年に建てられ当初は物産陳列場として使われましたが、現在ではここも歴史博物館になっています。よって、この辺りは城の時代というより、レトロモダンな雰囲気を感じるかもしれません。

現在の公園南入口 *taken by FRANK211 from photo AC*

本丸にある荘内神社と角櫓跡

公園には城の建物はありませんが、本丸には荘内神社があり、庄内藩祖の酒井忠勝など、酒井氏の４人の先祖を祀っています。神社は1877年に設立されましたが、当時は廃城となった場所に神社を建てるのが流行っていたのです。城らしいものをご覧になりたいのでしたら、本丸の北側、神社の裏手の方に行ってみて下さい。本丸を今でも囲む土塁や、天守代用となった角櫓の跡があります。

「鶴ヶ岡城その３」に続きます。
「鶴ヶ岡城その１」に戻ります。

124.Shinagawa Batteries Part3

The ruins of Shinagawa Batteries are very useful for telling people about what happened in the past. Visual historical items are significantly better than only records or explanation boards.

Features

Looking around N0.3 Battery Ruins

The ruins of the No.3 Battery as the Daiba Park is connected to the seaside by a marine walkway. The walkway was added when the park was established, that means the battery had originally been isolated. As you get close to the battery, you will see its characteristic stone walls using the Hanedashi system. The system refers to all the stones on the top row are layered to prevent enemies from invading, which emulated European castles. This system is rarely seen in other Japanese castles only in Goryokaku, Tatsuoka Castle and Hitoyoshi Castle which were built or renovated at the end of the Edo Period. In fact, this is the only spot where you can see them close by because it is prohibited for visitors to approach the stone walls from the other sides.

The aerial photo of the No.3 Battery

The Hanedashi system of the No.3 Battery

You can’t approach other stone walls of the battery in other places

You can land at the battery by using steps like boarding a ship. You can next see a close view of the battery. It is a large square with one side being 160m long and its perimeter is higher than the center. There are few remaining original items, so some visitors might not notice that it is a ruin without the knowledge of its history. If you walk on the perimeter which is made with earthen walls from the entrance, the view is so nice. You can see Odaiba Seaside Park on the left, the Rainbow Bridge and the No.6 Battery on the right, and Tokyo Bay ahead.

You can land the battery by using these steps

Walking on the earthen walls of the perimeter

The No.6 Battery on the left and the Rainbow Bridge on the right

Ruins regarding Guns

There are two imitations of gun platforms on one side of the perimeter opposite the entrance. However, they are not actually real and should not be considered even as replicas, according to historians. In addition, there were thick and long earthen protective walls called “breastworks” in front of cannons, but they seem to have collapsed. There were also earthen side walls dividing the canons to protect gunners from blasts, but were removed after the battery being abolished. This side was definitely the front line against enemies.

The protective walls around the guns have been lost

The ruins of the gun powder magazines are facing downward inside the front side walls, which are surrounded by earthen banks. There was the building for the magazine inside the banks, but it was demolished. There is now a stone-made item like a cocking stove instead, but it is not original for the battery. In addition, the banks are partially supported by stone walls which were built to recover them from the damage of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.

These stone walls were built after the earthquake

The ruins of the ammunition chambers are at other sides. The chambers were solidly built with a stone hut and wooden racks deep in the earthen walls. This was because ammunition was the most dangerous item in the battery, which might have caused accidents or explosions. We can now see the stone hut ruins behind earthen mounds around which were added later than when the battery was active, maybe for preservation.

One of the ruins of the ammunition chambers

Ruins of Pier and Barrack

In the flat central part of the battery, there are only the stone foundations of the barrack. The barrack was a simple wooden building with no baths for the warriors to rest in. They would escape from the barrack if a battle happened before it would be burned.

The ruins of the pier are at the next corner to the current entrance. Visitors can not enter it, but only see it from the inside. The concreted part was worked in the later period, which might have been used when the park was developed.

There are also remaining earthen walls in front of the pier, which is called “Ichimonji-tsutsumi” (meaning the bank like the Chinese letter for one which is a horizontal line). This structure was made to ensure visitors could not see inside and the defenders could protect the battery from enemies’ attacks from the tier as the original entrance.

The remaining earthen walls called Ichimonji-tsutsumi

My Impression

I think the ruins of Shinagawa Batteries are very useful for telling people about what happened in the past. Visual historical items are significantly better than only records or explanation boards. The waterfront area of Tokyo has been very important for the economy of the whole country. All the batteries ruins could have been removed. The decision of Tokyo Metropolitan which owns the ruins was so great. Now, just one thing, I would like the government to replace the imitation of gun platforms at the site with realistic replicas to make visitors better understand what the battery would have looked like.

The two imitations of gun platforms on the No.3 Battery

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Shinagawa Batteries Part1”
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