私の感想～My Impression – ページ 14 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

18.Hachigata Castle Part3

I climbed Kuruma-yama Mountain to its top to confirm that the idea of the attackers firing upon the castle in the battle in 1590 would was realistic.

Features

Well-Restored Dry Moats

Zigzagged large dry moats with wooden fences between the Third and Second Enclosures, which allowed the defenders to attack enemies’ sides, have also been restored. Only two routes were available between them – the one via the Main Route and the other via the well restored Umadashi system. Also, if you compare the two enclosures, you will find the Third is higher than the Second. In other castles, the Second (which is closer to the Main Enclosure) is usually higher than the Third. However, in the case of Hachigata Castle, it is the other way around. In addition, the Third Enclosure had strong defense systems with four Umadashi which are originally designed by the Hojo Clan. That’s why author, Jun Ito says the Hojo Clan might have moved the center of the castle from the Main Enclosure to the Third in the final stages of the castle.

The aerial photo around the castle. the red markers indicates the four Umadashi systems

The dry moats between the Third and Second Enclosures

The Umadashi system connecting the Third and Second Enclosures

The Third Enclosure is higher than the Second one

Panorama of Main Enclosure

A paved car road goes between the Second and Main Enclosures, so it may be difficult to imagine what it used to look like. According to information at the Hachigata Castle History Museum, there used to be a large gate to the Main Enclosure and a wooden bridge over the deep dry moat in front of the gate.

The map around the castle

The paved car road between the Second and Main Enclosures

The part of the entrance to the Main Enclosure in the diorama

The enclosure has the other peak of the castle, standing beside a 30m tall cliff. no castle buildings remain, and it is purely made of soil, but the ground is still leveled so you can imagine the Main Hall for the lord as it was in the past. You can enjoy a great view of the Arakawa River and the surrounding area from the peak. You can also understand how the castle was naturally protected.

You will finally reach the Sasa Enclosure, near the tip, which is lower than the Main Enclosure. It is another entrance to the castle ruins, beside Shoki-bashi Bridge.

The Shoki-bashi Bridge beside the castle ruins

The tip area is a private area where visitors can’t enter, so you can only see this area from the opposite side of the river. If you cross to the opposite, you should check out another great view of the castle ruins on the cliff from the Tamayodo riverbed beside the bridge.

The tip area seen from the opposite side

The castle ruins seen from the Tamayodo riverbed

Later History

At the beginning of the Showa era (around 1930), the JR Hachiko line was planned to be constructed through the ruins. Locals argued the plan needed to be changed and asked the government to preserve the ruins. They were successful and the ruins was designated as a National Historic Site in 1932. Yorii Town excavated and researched the Second, Third and Sasa Enclosures between 1997 and 2001. Based on these achievements, the town developed the Hachigata Castle Park and restored some structures of the castle. It also opened the Hachigata Castle History Museum in 2004 to display and educate people about the history of the castle and the studies into it.

My Impression

I climbed Kuruma-yama Mountain to its top to confirm that the idea of the attackers firing upon the castle in the battle in 1590 would was realistic. It is widely accepted that General, Tadakatsu Honda brought large guns, fired upon the castle, and broke the Main Gate. The mountain is 227m above sea level and about 100m above the castle, which is about 1km away (the Third Enclosure). A view of the castle ruins from above was actually not good because of the trees surrounding. My conclusion is that not all of the wildly accepted lore is correct. I think the firing itself is the fact, because a large gun shell of several cm in diameter was excavated from the Outer Enclosure of the castle. However, I don’t think shooting from the mountain would have been useful. In the winter campaign of the siege of Osaka in 1614, Ieyasu Tokugawa borrowed the large Western guns and fired upon Osaka Castle from his stronghold on a river delta , about 500m away the castle. Considering this case, shooting at the castle using (probably) Japanese guns 24 years previously, from more than 500m away, even from a mountain could not be done. My speculation is that Tadakatsu put his stronghold on the mountain but fired upon the castle from a place much closer to it than the mountain.

The Kurumayama Mountain seen from around the southern entrance of the ruins

I could just see part of the Main Enclosure from the top due to the trees surrounding

The portrait of Tadakatsu Honda, owned by Ryogenji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The relief map around Hachigata Castle

The relief map around Osaka Castle, using the same reduced scale as above

How to get There

I recommend using a car when you visit the castle ruins because there are only a few buses available. It is about a 20-minute drive away from Hanazono IC on the Kanetsu Expressway. There are several parking lots in the park.
If you want to use public transportation, it takes about 30 minutes on foot to get there form Yorii Station.
From Tokyo to Yorii Station.: Take the Tobu-Tojo line from Ikebukuro Station, or take the Joetsu Shinkansen super express from Tokyo Station to Kumagata Station, and transfer to Chichibu Railway.

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

18.鉢形城　その３

1590年の戦いにおいて攻撃軍が車山から城へ砲撃したと伝わる話がありうることなのか確かめるために、実際に山の上まで登ってみました。

特徴、見どころ

よく復元されている空堀

三の曲輪と二の曲輪の間には、大規模な空堀が木柵とともに復元されています。堀のラインは折り曲げられていて、守備兵が敵の側面を攻撃できるようになっています。曲輪間を行き来できる場所は２ヶ所だけで、大手道から続く通路と、よく復元されている馬出しのところです。また、これら２つの曲輪を見比べてみると、三の曲輪の方が二の曲輪より高い位置にあることがわかります。他の城では通常、本丸に近い二の丸の方が三の丸より高いところにあります。しかし、鉢形城の場合はそうはなっていません。加えて、三の曲輪は北条氏により改修された結果、４つの馬出しがある強力な防御システムを持つに至りました。作家の伊東潤は、北条氏は城の最終段階において、城の中心部を本曲輪から三の曲輪に移したのではないかと言っています。

城周辺の航空写真、赤いマーカーは４つの馬出しの場所を示しています

本曲輪の素晴らしい景観

舗装された自動車道が二の曲輪と本曲輪の間を通っていて、この辺りが過去にどのようであったのか想像するのは難しいかもしれません。鉢形城歴史館での情報によると、その辺りには本曲輪に入っていくための大門があり、門の前には深い空堀があり、木橋が掛けられていたとのことです。

城周辺の地図

本曲輪は城のもう一つの高地で、３０ｍの高さの崖の上にあります。城に関する建物はありませんし、純粋な土造りの曲輪です。しかし、整地されていることが今でも見て取れるため、過去には城主の御殿があったのだろうと想像することができます。その高みからは、眼下の荒川とその周辺地域の素晴らしい景色が見えます。また、自然の要害により城が守られてきたことも理解できると思います。

そして最後には、崖の突端の近くの笹曲輪に到着します。ここは本曲輪より低い位置にあって、荒川に掛かる正喜（しょうき）橋のたもとにあり。城跡の入口にもなっています。

崖の先端は私有地になっていて立ち入りはできないので、川の反対側からしか見ることができません。もしその対岸に渡られたのでしたら、橋から下ったところにある玉淀河原から崖の上にある城跡の素晴らしい景色をご覧になってはいかがでしょうか。

その後

昭和時代の初期（１９３０年辺り）、ＪＲ八高線の建設が城跡を貫く路線で検討されていました。地元の人たちは、路線を変更することと、城跡の保存を政府に請願しました。この運動は成功を収め、城跡は1932年に国の史跡に指定されました。寄居町は1997年から2001年の間に二の曲輪、三の曲輪、笹曲輪の発掘調査を行いました。この成果に基づき、鉢形城公園がオープンし、城の構造物が復元公開されました。2004年には鉢形城歴史館が開館し、城の歴史や研究に関する展示があり、ビジターが見学できるようになっています。

私の感想

私は、1590年の戦いにおいて攻撃軍が車山から城へ砲撃したと伝わる話がありうることなのか確かめるために、実際に山の上まで登ってみました。攻撃軍の武将、本田忠勝が大鉄砲を山に引き上げ、城を砲撃し、大手門を破壊したというのです。車山は標高２２７ｍで、城からは約１００ｍ高いところにあります。そして、城の三の曲輪からは約１ｋｍ離れています。山頂から見る城の眺望は、周りに茂っている木々のためにあまりよくありませんでした。個人的な結論を申し上げると、この伝承の全てが本当とは限らないということです。砲撃を行ったというのは事実でしょう。数ｃｍの大きさの大鉄砲の弾が、城の外曲輪から発掘されているからです。しかしながら、それを山の上から行うことが有効であったとは思えません。1614年の大坂冬の陣において、徳川家康は西洋の大砲を借りてきて、川のデルタ地帯にあった陣地から大坂城への砲撃を行いました。城へは約５００ｍの距離がありました。この実績によって考えると、これより２４年前に恐らくは日本製の鉄砲を使って、５００ｍも余計に遠くから砲撃することは、たとえ山の上からとはいってもあり得ないという結論です。想像ですが、忠勝は山上に陣地を置いたけれども、ずっと城に近いところから砲撃を加えたのではないでしょうか。

本多忠勝肖像画、良玄寺蔵 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

鉢形城周辺の起伏地図

大坂城周辺の地図（上と同じ縮尺にしています）

ここに行くには

この城跡を訪れるには、車を使われることをお勧めします。バス便がほとんどないからです。関越自動車道の花園ICから約２０分かかります。公園の中にいくつも駐車場があります。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、寄居駅から歩いて約３０分かかります。
東京から寄居駅まで：池袋駅から東武東上線に乗るか、東京駅から上越新幹線に乗って、熊谷駅から秩父鉄道に乗り換えてください。

リンク、参考情報

・鉢形城公園案内、寄居町公式ホームページ
・「太田道灌と長尾景春／黒田基樹著」戒光祥出版
・「城を攻める城を守る／伊東潤著」講談社現代新書
・「北条氏康の子供たち／黒田基樹・朝倉直美編」宮帯出版社
・「北条氏邦と鉢形領支配／梅沢太久夫著」まつやま書房

これで終わります。ありがとうございました。
「鉢形城その１」に戻ります。
「鉢形城その２」に戻ります。

153.Kitabatake Clan Hall Part3

The enclosures on the northern ridge of Kiriyama Castle look isolated from the other mountains around, so it must have been the real final stronghold.

Features

Route to Kiriyama Castle

The route to Kiriyama Castle is much longer than that from the foot to the final castle. You have to climb ridges and valleys of the mountain for over 30 minutes. The castle was built on the northern and southern peaks of the mountain.

The map around the castle

The location map of the castle at the site, adding the red English letters

Bell Tower Ruins on Southern Ridge

You will eventually arrive at the southern one which is called the Bell Tower Ruins. As its name suggests, there was a bell tower, but there are no buildings now. The view of the area around is very good, so it might have had a lookout tower as well.

The aerial photo around the castle

There are also two other ridges (in the north and southernwest, or right and left from the southern ridge from where you came). You should choose the northern or right one to reach the northern peak which were the Main Enclosures. Please don’t go to the southwestern or left one, or you will be stuck at much harder mountain areas. You can see some artificial ditches in the direction to prevent enemies from even attacking under the severe conditions.

You should choose this path to the northern ridge

You shouldn’t choose this direction (southernwest)

The ditch for preventing the enemies from the southernwest

Main Enclosures on Northern Ridge

If you go on the northern ridge, which goes up and down steeply, you will finally arrive at the Main Enclosures on the top. The enclosures are divided by ditches into the Rice-granary ruins in the southwest, the Main Enclosure in the center on the top, and the Turret ruins in the northeast. They are all still surrounded by thick earthen walls.

The stone monument of the castle ruins at the Main Enclosure

The ditch between the Main Enclosure and the Turret Ruins

The Main Enclosure, in particular, looks like a bowl probably because the walls collapsed and the ground inside was filled with soil, which made their shape becomes round. These enclosures on the northern ridge look isolated from the other mountains around, so it must have been the real final stronghold.

Later History

After the invasion by the Oda Clan, Kitabatake Clan Hall, plus the final castle and Kiriyama Castle, were abandoned. A descendant of the Kitabatake Clan built a small shrine in the hall ruins, which worshiped his ancestors during the Edo Period, which is the origin of the current shrine. After the Meiji Restoration, the situation changed as the government decided that the Southern Court has been orthodox. Since then, the warriors and lords who had supported the Southern Court were focused on, one of which was the Kitabatake Clan. The shrine was developed being named The Kitabatake Shrine, and finally designated as an Imperial Shrine of Special Status in 1928, which worships loyal vassals. Similarly, the Kitabatake Clan Hall Ruins Garden and Kiriyama Castle Ruins were designated as a National Historic Site in 1936. This was probably reflected by the contributions of the clan. After the discovery of the old stone walls of the original hall, the hall ruins were added to the National Historic Site in 2006.

My Impression

When I first visited the Kitabatake Clan Hall Ruins as the current Kitabatake Shrine, I was honestly disappointed with them. This was because there were few castle-like items. I also found the introduction of Kiriyama Castle at that time, but I decided not to go there as I thought I didn’t have enough time to complete it. That’s why I tried to go to the castle ruins on another day and was satisfied. However, I can now say that if you don’t have enough time to see both ruins of Kitabatake Clan Hall and Kiriyama Castle, you can at least go to the final castle of the hall on the way to Kiriyama Castle in a short time.

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Kitabatake Clan Hall Part1”
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