私の感想～My Impression – ページ 60 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

90.Hirado Castle Part3

Hirado City is trying a unique promotion.

Features

Rare loopholes through Stones

If you are interested in the Yamaga military style, you can find the loopholes through stones near the Raccoon Dog Turret. Loopholes for guns were usually built through only mud or plaster walls in other castles. However, in Hirado Castle, they were built through the stone walls as well, which is a very rare feature in Japanese castles. It is thought that they were built using the Yamaga style.

An example of normal loopholes for guns from Himeji Castle

a loophole through Stones of Hirado Castle, exhibited by Hirado Castle

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Hirado Castle was abandoned, and most of the castle buildings were demolished. The ruins became Kameoka Park. In 1962, the Imitation Main Tower and four turrets were rebuilt and opened to the public as the new Hirado Castle. Hirado City recently started a new and unique promotion with private companies offering visitors one of the turrets, called Kaiju-Yagura,
to be remodeled and operate as a hotel.

The Kenso Turret, one of the rebuilt turrets in the castle

The Kaiju Turret which is also used as a hotel

My Impression

The present Hirado Castle is not what I had expected before my visit because I thought the castle still kept its old style from the 16th Century. I was convinced of that after learning the history of the castle prior to my visit. I think the castle has a unique atmosphere which probably originates from the Yamaga military style. If you want to learn more about its history, I recommend visiting the restored Dutch Trading House or Matsura Historical Museum near Hirado Port.

The unique shape of the Main Enclosure of Hirado Castle

The restored Dutch Trading House seen from the Main Tower

How to get There

I recommend the use of a car when you visit the castle. It is about 30 minutes away from Matsuura IC or Saza IC on the Nishi-Kyushu Expressway. You can park at the parking lots at Kameoka Park.
If you go there from Tokyo or Osaka, I recommend going to either Fukuoka or Nagasaki Airports by plane. After that, it’s better to rent a car as it takes a lot more time to visit the castle by using public transportation to get there.

The parking lot seen form the Main Tower

Links and References

・Hirado Castle Website
・Matsura Historical Museum

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

90.平戸城　その３

平戸市は、ユニークな取り組みを行っています。

特徴、見どころ

珍しい石の狭間

もし、山鹿流軍学に興味がおありでしたら、狸櫓の近くにある石の狭間を探してみてはいかがでしょう。通常他の城では鉄砲狭間は、土塀や白壁をくり抜いて作られました。ところが、平戸城では石垣を通しても作られました。日本の城の中ではとても珍しい例です。これも、山鹿流を採用したことで作られたものです。

その後

明治維新後、平戸城は廃城となり、ほとんどの城の建物が撤去されました。城跡は亀岡公園となりました。1962年には模擬天守と４基の櫓が再建され、新しい平戸城として一般に公開されました。平戸市は最近、民間企業と共同で新しくユニークな取り組みを始めました。櫓の一つである懐柔（かいじゅう）櫓をホテル施設として観光客に利用してもらおうとするものです。

私の感想

現在の平戸城は、私が訪れる前に想像していたものとは異なっていました。私は、平戸城には１６世紀以来の古いスタイルが残っていると思っていたのです。しかし、城の歴史を学んだ後は納得できました。この城には、恐らくは山鹿流軍学に由来する独特な雰囲気があります。もし、城の歴史をもっと知りたければ、復元されたオランダ商館や松浦史料博物館に行ってみることをお勧めします。

ここに行くには

この城を訪れる際は、車を使われることをお勧めします。西九州自動車道の松浦ICか佐々ICから約３０分かかります。亀山公園の駐車場を使うことができます。
東京か大阪から来られる場合には、飛行機で福岡空港か長崎空港に行き、レンタカーを借りた方がいいと思います。そこから公共交通機関を使うと、相当な時間を要するからです。

リンク、参考情報

・平戸城公式ウェブサイト
・松浦史料博物館
・「よみがえる日本の城２１」学研
・「日本の城改訂版第１１７号」デアゴスティーニジャパン
・「海賊の日本史／山内譲著」講談社現代新書
・「江戸幕府はなぜオランダを選んだのか／姉崎慶三郎著」まんがびと

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

87.Hizen-Nagoya Castle Part3

Was only Hideyoshi to the blame for the war?

Features

Let’s walk around “Back side of Castle”

You can also look down and admire the Yugeki-maru Enclosure and the Second Enclosure to the west from the Main Enclosure. The former one was used as the accommodation for the envoys from the Ming Dynasty. Its name “Yugeki” comes from the position of one of the envoys. The latter has the ruins of many stone steps called Aisaka, which were used by the soldiers to quickly climb up or down the stone walls.

The map around the Second Enclosure

Tthe Yugeki-maru Enclosure seen from the Main Enclosure

Tthe Secpmd Enclosure seen from the Main Enclosure

the ruins of many stone steps called Aisaka in the Second Enclosure

If you want to go there from the Main Enclosure, you need to go out from the Back Gate ruins and walk around passing through the Mizute Route and the Funate Route.

The route from the Main Enclosure to the Second Enclosure written on the picture of the miniature model of Hizen-Nagoya Castle exhibited by the Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum

the Back Gate ruins of the Main Enclosure

Below the Mizute Enclosure around the Mizete Route

The entrance of the Second Enclosure, around the Funate Route

If you look up the stone walls of the Main Enclosure from these enclosures, you can see the stone walls were destroyed like a V letter very well. This is because the officials restored them just after they were destroyed intentionally.

Looking up the Main Tower base of the Main Enclosure from the Yugeki-maru Enclosure

The stone walls are preserved as just after being destroyed

Later History

After Hizen-Nagoya Castle was abandoned, all the buildings were demolished. It is said that part of them was used for the construction of Karatsu Castle. Many parts of the stone walls were destroyed intentionally as mentioned above. Historians speculate the destruction occurred for the following reasons:
It may have been due to the Law of One Castle per Province by the Tokugawa Shogunate; the Shogunate might have broken the stone walls so they could not to be used by rebels against the Shogunate (like Shimabara Rebellion); or it might have been done to show a good partnership to the Korean envoys.
The ruins have been designated as a National Special Historic Site since 1955.

The destroyed stone walls of the Yugeki-maru Enclosure

My Impression

Many Japanese people now tend to avoid thinking of the invasion of Korea by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. They also think the war was caused by Hideyoshi’s own crazy idea, considering the current relationship with Korea. However, I think many Japanese people wanted to get more territory at that time. Even Hideyoshi was not able to build such a huge-scale castle without the people’s cooperation. I also think we cannot build a real friendship with foreign countries without sharing real history.
If you have time, I recommend visiting some of the ruins of other lords’ military positions around the castle. I regret I was only able to go to one of them after visiting Hizen-Natgoya Castle.

The ruins of the military position of Hideyori Mori

How to get There

I recommend using a car when you visit the ruins.
It is about 30 minutes away from Karatsu IC on the Nishi-Kyushu Expressway.
You can park at the parking lot of Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum.

The Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum

Links and References

・Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Hizen-Nagoya Castle Part1”
Back to “Hizen-Nagoya Castle Part2”