私の感想～My Impression – ページ 40 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

62.Wakayama Castle Part3

Why did the Main Tower was restored again?

Features

Western and Southern sides of Castle

There are also many other attractions at the western and southern parts of the park. The Sand Enclosure is a large one which was built later than other enclosures, on the natural sand dune at the western side. It has high stone walls which overlook the city roads. The inside of the enclosure was empty from the beginning, maybe because of that, it is now used as a ground and tennis courts.

The map around the castle

The Oimawashi-mon Gate is another remaining building of the castle, which is painted red. The reason for the color is said to be for the amulet against the unlucky southwest direction called Ura-kimon.

The Akazu-no-mon Gate Ruins are another entrance of the park, which is in front of the Southern Enclosure. Its turret stone wall base is the highest one in the castle, which is about 23m high.

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Wakayama Castle was abandoned. The main portion of it was owned by the Japanese Army, followed by Wakayama City, and turned into a park. The park had not only the remaining castle properties but also official facilities like a museum, a library, a school, a fire station, and the City Hall. However, the city has recently been developing it as a historical park by removing the facilities. It aims to restore the scenery of the castle at the end of the Edo Period. In addition, the site has been designated as a National Historic Site since 1931.

The restored Main Gate seen from the Second Enclosure

The long, old stone walls surrounding the central hill

My Impression

I didn’t think Wakayama Castle has so many attractions before my visit. I also noticed the importance of the Main Tower as the center point and symbol of the castle. If the tower was not there, such a large castle could be distracting. That could be the reason why people in Wakayama restored the Main Tower.

The Main Tower seen from the Second Enclosure

The Main Tower seen from the Sand Enclosure

The miniature model of the Main Tower, exhibited by Wakayama castle Museum of History

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about 15 minutes away from Wakayama IC on the Hanwa Expressway. There are several parking lots in or around the park.
By public transportation, It takes about 10 minutes on foot from Wakayamashi Station on the Nankai Railway. Or you can take the Wakayama Bus Route 0 or 25 from JR Wakayama Station and get off at the Wakayamajo-mae bus stop to get there.
To get to Wakayama Station from Tokyo: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Kuroshio limited express at Shin-Osaka Station.
Or it may be a good idea to fly to the Kansai Airport and take the JR train to Wakayama Station or the Nankai Railway to Wakayamashi Station.

The parking lot inside the Akazu-no-mon Gate Ruins

Links and References

・Wakayama Castle, Official Website

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Wakayama Castle Part1”
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62.和歌山城　その３

なぜ天守は再び再建されたのでしょうか。

特徴、見どころ

城の西側と南側

和歌山城公園の西側や南側部分にも、まだまだ見どころがあります。城の西側には元は砂丘だった所に、後から作られた砂の丸があり、かなり広い曲輪です。ここには高石垣が築かれており、ここから市内の道路を見渡すことができます。この曲輪の内部は最初から何もなくて、そのせいか現在ではグラウンドやテニスコートとして使われています。

城周辺の地図

追廻門（おいまわしもん）は現存する城の建物の一つであり、赤く塗られています。その理由として、裏鬼門と呼ばれる南西の方角に対する魔除けの意味があると言われています。

不明門（あかずのもん）跡は、もう一つの公園への入口で、南の丸の正面に当たります。ここにある櫓台石垣は城の中で一番高く、約２５ｍの高さがあります。

その後

明治維新後、和歌山城は廃城となりました。城の主要部は、最初は陸軍の所有となりましたが、その後和歌山市に引き継がれ公園となりました。公園には城の現存建物や構造物だけでなく、博物館、図書館、学校、消防署、市役所などの公共施設の敷地としても使われました。しかし、和歌山市は最近これらの施設を撤去したり移設したリして歴史公園として再開発しています。江戸時代末期頃の城の姿を再現するとのことです。なお、城跡としては1931年以来、国の史跡として指定されています。

私の感想

ここを実際に訪れるまでは、和歌山城にこんなにも見どころがあるとは知りませんでした。また、城の中心部やシンボルとしての天守の重要性にも気づきました。もし天守がそこになかったとしたら、このような大きな城では、焦点がぼやけてしまうのではないでしょうか。和歌山の人たちが天守を再建した理由として、こんなことも考えられるのではないかと思いました。

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：阪和自動車道の和歌山ICから約１５分かかります。公園の周辺にいくつか駐車場があります。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、南海鉄道の和歌山市駅から歩いて約１０分のところです。ＪＲ和歌山駅から来る場合は、和歌山バスの０系統か２５系統に乗って、和歌山城前バス停で降りてください。
東京から和歌山駅まで：東海道新幹線に乗って、新大阪駅で特急くろしお号に乗り換えてください。または、関西空港まで飛行機を使い、そこからＪＲで和歌山駅に行くか南海鉄道で和歌山市駅に行くのもいいと思います。

リンク、参考情報

・史跡　和歌山城、公式サイト
・「よみがえる日本の城１」学研
・「日本の城改訂版第２１号」デアゴスティーニジャパン
・「史跡和歌山城整備計画報告書（平成２８年度改訂版）」和歌山市産業まちづくり局観光国際部、和歌山城整備企画課
・「史跡和歌山城二の丸及び西の丸整備基本計画報告書」和歌山市産業交流局観光国際部、和歌山城整備企画課
・「週刊名城をゆく４４／和歌山城」小学館
・「築城の名手　藤堂高虎／福井健二著」戒光祥出版

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

167.Shingu Castle Part3

The ruins are still developing.

Features

Other Enclosures

Other than that, a small enclosure, called Demaru or Barbican, sticks out of the Main Enclosure towards the river. It looks sharp and cool. It was used to look outside. Because of it, a view of the Kumano-gawa River from around the enclosure is so great.

The map around the castle

You can also climb down to the Water Supply Enclosure beside the river from the Matsunomaru Enclosure if the path is open. It was recently excavated and discovered that it was used as a trade route of the charcoal product which have been known as Binchotan until now. The area around has been developed for visitors to walk around after the excavation.

The path to the Mizunote Enclosure from the Matsunomaru Enclosure

The whole view of the Water Supply Enclosure

The stone walls of The Water Supply Enclosure

The promenade along the Kumano-gawa River

Another attraction of the castle is the remaining stone walls of the Second Enclosure at the foot of the hill. The inside of it is used as a kindergarten, but you can see the stone walls outside, which still stands out among the city area. You should also check out the corner of the walls, which are piled using rectangular stones alternating each other in a method called Sangi-zumi.

The corner of the walls, piled using rectangular stones alternating each other

Later History

Shingu Castle was abandoned after the Meiji Restoration. All of the castle buildings were demolished. The ruins were eventually privately-owned, as a result, the Ryokan opened in the Kanenomaru Enclosure in 1952. Other amusement facilities, like a cable car and a beer garden, also opened around the Main Enclosure. The modification of the enclosure was probably done at that time. In 1980, Shingu City bought the ruins to make them to convert them into a park. The city has been researching and preserving the ruins since they were designated as a National Historic Site in 2003. The city is also thinking about restoring some castle buildings in the future.

The trace of the platform of the cable car below the Main Enclosure

My Impression

I think Shingu Castle Ruins has a big potential to be a great historical site, and soon this will happen. I also think that the city has a lot of things for visitors to do. It at least has to classify historical items and other items first in order to make people understand what they were. Then, it also has to preserve them in good condition before they start restoring some buildings. I would like to go back to the ruins again once the situation has improved.

The current situation of the Mian Enclosure

How to get There

It is about a 40-minute drive away from Kumano-Odomari IC on the Kumano-Owase Road. There is a parking lot halfway up the hill near the eastern entrance of the park to the Main Enclosure.
If you want to use public transportation, It takes about 15 minutes on foot from JR Shingu Station.
To get to Shingu Station from Tokyo: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express, and transfer to the Nanki super express at Nagoya Station.

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