私の感想～My Impression – ページ 6 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

13.Shirakawa-Komine Castle Part3

Go along the former Oshu Road to the north until you get near Abukuma River, and look back to the left, you will see another great scenery. It is 180m long stone walls on a hill along the river, called Komine Castle Eastern Stone Walls.

Features

Walking around Main Enclosure

If you want to see other attractions of the castle, you can get out of the main enclosure through the ruins of Sakura-no-mon (meaning the cherry gate) to walk around the stone walls of the enclosure on the belt enclosure, the lower tier of the main portion. The ruins of Tsukimi-Yagura (meaning the moon viewing turret) are in front of the gate ruins of the enclosure, which look very strong with their remaining stone wall base.

The map around the main enclosure

The ruins of Tsukimi Turret seen from the second enclosure below

The belt enclosure surrounds the western and northern sides of the main enclosure. You can feel relaxed by walking on the belt enclosure, while enjoying looking at the great, long and high stone walls of the main enclosure. These stone walls look well-maintained. However, they collapsed heavily during Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and were repaired by Shirakawa City for the following eight years (completed in 2019).

The great stone walls of the main enclosure

The explanation board of the stone walls being destroyed by the earthquake and repaired later on

You will eventually reach the other gate ruins of the belt enclosure, called Ya (arrow)-no-mon. You can see a great view of the three-level turret at the northeastern edge of the main enclosure on the right. However, if you were an enemy, the defenders would attack you through the turret’s machicolations and loopholes facing you.

Going to Outside of Castle

Another recommendation for you is to visit the former third enclosure, which is the east of the main portion. It has turned into the city area mainly including public facilities. There is only one remaining castle building among the area, the Taiko-Yagura Turret, which was originally used beside the Taiko-mon Gate in the second enclosure. It was moved to a private sector, converted to a tea room, and finally moved to the current position where it has been since 1930.

The map around the castle

If you go further to the east until the National Route 294 (the former Oshu Road), go along the road to the north until you get near Abukuma River, and look back to the left, you will see another great scenery. It is 180m long stone walls on a hill along the river, called Komine Castle Eastern Stone Walls. In fact, they were recently discovered when the pine trees on the hill were cut down for the bypass road constructions. They must have been built to protect the castle from the threats from the north. These stone walls connect to the back gate of the castle, which opens to the north, but you can’t go directly to the gate due to the construction site between them.

Looking the stone walls from the bridge over the Abukuma River

No entry is allowed around the stone walls due to the constructions

My Impression

While visiting the well-remaining structures and restored buildings of Shirakawa-Komine Castle, I felt the strong intentions of Nagashige Niwa, the builder of them, to protect the castle from possible enemies from the north. He must have been one of the few lords to do it properly and quickly. I also think that the history during the Boshin War lets us to know that such a strong castle had a weak point and could not survive without enough soldiers and proper instructions

The three-level turret seen from Abukuma River, north of the castle

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car, it is about a 10-minute drive away from Shirakawa-Chuo Smart IC on the Tohoku Expressway.
There is a parking lot in the park.
By public transportation, the castle is very near the JR Shirakawa station. You can even see the nice view of the three-level turret from the platform.
From Tokyo to the station: Get the Tohoku Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Tohoku Line at Shin-Shirakawa Station. The destination will be the next station.

The castle ruins seen from the platform of the station

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Shirakawa-Komine Castle Part1”
Back to “Shirakawa-Komine Castle Part2”

13.白河小峰城　その３

旧奥州街道に沿って北の方に行き、阿武隈川が近くなってきたら、左の方に振り向いてみて下さい。素晴らしい光景を見ることができます。それは、小峰城東側石垣という、川に沿った丘の上に広がる１８０ｍもの長さの石垣です。

特徴、見どころ

本丸の周りを歩いてみる

城の他の見どころの場所にも行ってみましょう。本丸のもう一つの門であった桜之門跡から外に出て、城主要部分の下段にあたる帯曲輪を歩きながら、本丸石垣を眺めてみます。

本丸周辺の地図

月見櫓跡が帯曲輪の入口の脇にあるのですが、残っている石垣だけでもとても強力そうに見えます。

帯曲輪は、本丸の西側と北側を囲んでいます。本丸の長大ですばらしい石垣を眺めながら、リラックスした気分で歩いてみることができます。これらの石垣はとてもよく維持されているように見えるのですが、２０１１年の東日本大震災のときにはひどく崩壊してしまい、白河市はその後８年間もかかって修復したのです（２０１９年に修復完了）。

そうするうちに腰曲輪の、矢之門というもう一つの門の跡に着きます。右側には、本丸の北東隅にそびえる三重櫓の姿が目に入ってきます。しかし、もし敵がここを通ったとしたら、守備兵は櫓の石落としや狭間から猛烈な攻撃を加えていたことでしょう。

城の外側に行ってみる

もう一つのおすすめは、元三の丸だった所に行ってみることです。城の主要部分の東側に当たります。そこは既に市街地になってしまっていて、公共施設が多くあります。このエリアの中に、城の中で唯一現存している建物があります。元は二の丸の太鼓門の脇にあった太鼓櫓です。この建物は民間に売却され茶室に改造された後、1930年から現在の位置に移されているのです。

城周辺の地図

更に東の方に進んでいくと、国道２９４号線（旧奥州街道）にぶつかります。その国道に沿って北の方に行き、阿武隈川が近くなってきたら、左の方に振り返ってみて下さい。素晴らしい光景を見ることができます。それは、小峰城東側石垣という、川に沿った丘の上に広がる１８０ｍもの長さの石垣です。実はこの石垣は、バイパス工事を行うにあたって、丘の杉林を伐採したことにより最近発見されたものなのです。この石垣は、北方からの脅威から城を守るために建設されたに違いありません。またこの石垣は、北に向かって開いている城の搦手門につながっています。しかし残念ながら、工事現場が間にあるために、今石垣を眺めている位置からは、搦手門に直接行くことはできません。

私の感想

白河小峰城の、よく残されている基礎部分や復元された建物群を見てみると、北からの潜在的脅威から城を守り抜きたいという、築城者の丹羽長重の強い意志を感じました。長重は、当時でも数少ないそういったことを確実に短期間で成し遂げられる数少ない大名の一人だったのでしょう。また、幕末の戊辰戦争に起こった歴史は、そんな強力な城であっても弱点があり、十分な兵力と指揮能力がなければ生き残れないということを教えてくれていると思います。

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：東北自動車道の白河中央スマートICから約１０分かかります。
公園内に駐車場があります。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、ＪＲ白河駅からすぐ近くとなります。駅のホームからも三重櫓の姿がよく見えます。
東京から白河駅まで：東北新幹線に乗って、新白河駅で東北本線に乗り換えてください。目的地は次の駅です。

リンク、参考情報

・小峰城跡、白河市公式ホームページ
・「シリーズ藩物語　白河藩／植村美洋著」現代書館
・「人物叢書　松平定信／高澤憲治著」吉川弘文館
・「城を攻める城を守る／伊東潤著」講談社現代新書
・「よみがえる日本の城１７」学研
・「日本の城改訂版第１０３、１４５号」デアゴスティーニジャパン

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

今回の内容を趣向を変えて、Youtube にも投稿しました。よろしかったらご覧ください。

29.Matsumoto Castle Part3

There are defense systems along the passage of the first floor of the Main Tower- machicolations, loopholes (for guns and arrows), and lattice windows. For instance, as many as 117 loopholes were built in this tower. They are the genuine article!

Features

Supporting Systems of Main Tower

You can enter the tower after entering the main enclosure through Kuro-mon (the black gate). It weighs about 1,000 tons on the unstable ground at its base, so 16 thick wooden “main support pillars” stand inside the stone wall base and a ladder-type support foundation was laid across the top of them.

One of the 16 main support pillars was preplaced and is exhibited in the first floor

The layout of the 16 main support pillars, *exhibited in the first floor*

The illustration of the internal structure of the Main Tower (its lower part), exhibited in the first floor

Interior for Fighting

If you go into the first floor, you will see lots of other columns supporting the tower. The floor is separated into the central room, called “Moya”, and the surrounding defense passage, called “Musha-bashiri (directly means “warriors running”). The central room was used as storage and elevated about 50cm above the main passage. This is because the support foundation was doubled-up in this area.

The first floor (the defense passage), the central room on the left is elevated

There are defense systems along the passage – machicolations (devices for dropping stones), loopholes (for guns and arrows), and lattice windows. For instance, as many as 117 loopholes were built in this tower. They are the genuine article!

The first floor (the first level) seen from the outside

You can climb the steep steps to the next floor. The second floor is similar to the first one but brighter due to its wide latticed and non-latticed windows. It was used as a waiting place for warriors during an emergency. It is now used as Matsumoto Castle Gun Museum.

The wide latticed window on the second floor

An exhibition of the Matsumoto Castle Gun Museum

Each Floor has Unique Feature

In contrast, the third floor is dark because it is an attic with no windows. It is thought to have been used mainly for storage.

The fourth floor is also different from the others. It has fewer columns, high ceilings, and good lighting, so it is believed to have been the lord’s chamber. The steps from the fourth to the fifth are the steepest probably because of the high ceiling. Please be careful. (Taking photographs of the steps is prohibited in the tower, probably for safety and crowded-flow reasons.)

A side view of the steps to the fifth floor

The fifth floor looks interesting because the back sides of the gables are visible in all directions. It was used as a conference room for the senior vassals.

The fifth floor (the fourth level) seen from the outside

You will finally arrive at the top floor (6th), 22m above the ground. It was planned to have a veranda, but the plan was changed and the walls were built on there outside of the veranda. You can see the line where the veranda was intended to start on the floor. You can also see views of the outside through the wired windows between the walls. It was used as the headquarters of the lord during battle. If you look up at the underside of the roof, you will find the Nijurokuyashin god, which is believed to have saved this tower during the great fire during the Edo Period, worshiped on it.

The part which was supposed to be a veranda

The Nijurokuyashin god, worshiped on the underside of the roof

Later History

After the Meiji restoration, all of the castle buildings, excluding the Main Tower, were removed, and finally the tower was sold possible for scrap. Ryozo Ichikawa, a social campaigner came out, and asked the buyer to suspend the destruction of the tower. After that, he collected money by holding an exhibition and giving a detailed explanation in order to get it back, and was successful in the end. However, that was not enough for the tower. Such a large and old building is needed to do continuous maintenance to preserve it in the long term. In the middle of the Meiji Era, The tower began to lean at about six degrees due to the decay of the central columns, and bats began to live in it. Another savior, school head, Unari Kobayashi worked hard to repair the castle. At last, the tower was designated as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 1952. In addition, other primary gates of the castle, such as Kuro-mon and Taiko-mon have been restored. Matsumoto City is considering restoring the main gate as well.

The monument of Ryozo Ichikawa (on the left) and Unari Kobayashi (on the right), at the inside of the main enclosure

The photo of the Main Tower during the Meiji Era, owned by Matsumoto Castle Management Bureau (licensed under public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

My Impression

In conclusion, we can’t be completely sure exactly when and how the Main Tower was built. The history presented in this article is based on the official opinion of Matsumoto City. Some speculate that the Inui small main tower was first built, then, it was modified when the large main tower was added later because it looks like the newer multi-storied type. Others think that the large main tower originally had a different appearance from now, with the veranda on the top and more gables, and modified later. I think it is exciting for history fans to wonder which of these is the truth.

the Inui small main tower is on the left

The interior of the Inui small main tower, many logs are used for the tower, which is one possible explanation for the theory that the tower was first built

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car, it is about a 20-minute drive away from Matsumoto IC on the Nagano Expressway. There are few parking lots around the castle.
By public transportation, it takes about 15 minutes on foot from Matsumoto Station.
From Tokyo to the station: get Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train and transfer to the Shinonoi Line at Nagano Station. Or take the limited express Azusa at Shinjuku Station.

Links and References

・Matsumoto Castle, National Treasure of Japan, Official Website

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