立地と歴史～Location and History – ページ 55 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

148.Hamamatsu Castle Part1

The Castle Ieyasu Tokugawa successfully built

Location and History

Home base of Ieyasu Tokugawa after his independence

Hamamatsu Castle was located in the center of Totoumi Province, which is now Hamamatsu City in the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture. The castle is known for the place where young Ieyasu Tokugawa, who would be the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, lived. This is one of the reasons why the castle is also called “Shusse Castle” which literally means “Success Castle”. The former Hamamatsu Castle was called Hikuma Castle which was built on a hill near the branch of Tenryu-gawa River. It is uncertain who first built it around the 15th Century. In the first 16th Century during the Sengoku Period, the Imagawa Clan, a great warlord which was based in Suruga Province (now the central part of Shizuoka Prefecture) owned the castle.

The range of Totomi Province and the location of the castle

The Portrait of Ieyasu Tokugawa, attributed to Tanyu Kano, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Ieyasu was originally based in Mikawa Province, the west of Totoumi, and worked under the Imagawa Clan. When the power of Imagawa decreased, Ieyasu got independent and aimed to invade Totoumi Province. In 1568, he succeeded in capturing Hikuma Castle to govern the province. However, this castle was not enough for Ieyasu, as he needed to prepare for possible battles with the Takeda Clan who invaded Suruga Province next to Totoumi. Ieyasu extended the castle to another hill in the west direction, renaming it Hamamatsu Castle. Hamamatsu Castle had several enclosures on the hill, and the old Hikema Castle became part of it. It is thought that these enclosures were made of soil with shingle-roofed buildings in them. This was because Ieyasu still didn’t have advanced techniques and craftsmen for building castles like Azuchi Castle which belonged to Nobunaga Oda, Ieyasu’s ally.

The relief map around the castle

The imaginary drawing of Hamamatsu Castle in Ieyasu’s period

The imaginary drawing of Azuchi Castle, exhibited by Gifu Castle Museum

One of Battlefields for Battle of Mikatagahara

The most impressive event for Ieyasu living in Hamamatsu Castle was the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1573. Shingen Takeda, one of the greatest warlords, invaded the territories of Ieyasu and Nobunaga and captured several Ieyasu’s branch castles such as Futamata Castle. Shingen lured Ieyasu in the castle to the field of Mikatagahara by demonstrating his troops around the castle. Ieyasu fell into Shingen’s trap and was totally defeated. He could somehow turn back to Hamamatsu Castle to survive. Shingen’s troops eventually withdrew after he died of disease in the next year. There have been some traditions about Ieyasu’s actions after his defeat. One says Ieyasu made the castle’s gates open when Shingen’s troops pursued. The troops doubted it and they thought it might be a trap, then withdrew. Another says Ieyasu made a fabric bridge over a deep valley called Saigagake and counterattacked Shingen’s troops to make them fall into the valley. However, it is unclear whether they really happened or not.

The portrait of Shingen Takeda, owned by Jimyo-in, in the 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The diorama of Ieyasu’s troops withdrawing from the battlefield. exhibited by the Saigagake Museum

Yoshiharu Horio improves Castle

After Ieyasu was transferred to Edo Castle (located in now Tokyo) by the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyoyomi in 1590, Yoshiharu Horio, who worked under Hideyoshi, governed the castle. He improved the castle by building stone walls and the Main Tower in the Main Tower Enclosure on the top. The remaining stone walls and stone wall base for the tower were built by him. However, it is quite unknown what the Main Tower looked like because there is no record for it. Only some roof tiles and the well for the tower were excavated. Historians speculate the tower might have looked like the remaining Main Tower of Matsue Castle which was built by the Horio Clan after they were transferred from Hamamatsu in 1600. Both stone wall bases for the towers were similar, so the clan might have used the design plans of Hamamatsu Castle when they built Matsue Castle.

The portrait of Yoshiharu Horio, owned by Shunkoin Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The imaginary drawing of Hamamatsu Castle in Yoshiharu’s period

Promotional track for hereditary feudal lords

Ieyasu got the power and founded the Tokugawa Shogunate at the beginning of the 17th Century. Since then, Hamamatsu Castle had been owned by nine hereditary feudal lord families during the Edo Period. The lords of the castle were often promoted to important roles of the shogunate such as a shogun’s council of elders. This is another reason the castle is called “the Success Castle”. For example, Tadakuni Mizuno, the lord of Karatsu Castle in the first 19th Century, applied to be the lord of Hamamatsu Castle. As a result, he succeeded to both owning the castle and imposing the Tenpo Reforms as the head of the shogun’s council of elders. As for the castle itself, the main tower had eventually been lost, only the Main Tower Gate remained on the top as the symbol of the castle. The center of it was moved to the Second Enclosure beside the hill, which had the Main Hall for the lord to govern the Hamamatsu Domain around the castle.

The portrait of Tadakuni Mizuno, owned by Tokyo Metropolitan University (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The imaginary drawing of Hamamatsu Castle in the Edo Period

To be continued in “Hamamatsu Castle Part2”

148.浜松城　その１

徳川家康の出世城

立地と歴史

徳川家康の独立後の本拠地

浜松城は遠江国の中心地にあった城で、現在の静岡県西部にある浜松市に当たります。この城は、後に徳川幕府の創始者となる徳川家康が若かりし頃住んでいた場所として知られています。このことが、この城が「出世城」とも呼ばれている理由の一つとなります。浜松城の前身は、引間（ひくま）城と呼ばれており、天竜川の支流の近くにあった丘の上に築かれました。１５世紀頃に築かれたようですが、誰が築いたかはわかっていません。戦国時代の１６世紀前半には、駿河国（現在の静岡県中部）を本拠地としていた有力戦国大名、今川氏がこの城を勢力下に収めていました。

遠江国の範囲と浜松城の位置

徳川家康肖像画、加納探幽筆、大阪城天守閣蔵 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

家康はもともと、遠江国の西の三河国を本拠地としていて、今川氏の配下となっていました。今川氏の力が衰えると、家康は独立を果たし、遠江国に侵攻しようとしました。1568年、家康は引間城及び遠江国を手に入れることに成功しました。しかし、家康はこの城に満足しませんでした。彼は、遠江国のとなりの駿河国に侵攻した武田氏との来たるべき戦いに備える必要があったのです。家康はこの城を西方にあった丘の方にまで拡張し、浜松城という名前に改めました。浜松城の拡張した方の丘にはいくつもの曲輪があり、古い引間城は新しい城の一部となりました。これらの曲輪は土造りで、そこにあった建物は板葺きであったと考えられています。その当時の家康は、家康の同盟者の織田信長が築いた安土城のような城を築く先進的な技術やそのための職人集団を持っていなかったからです。

城周辺の起伏地図

三方ヶ原の戦いの舞台

家康が浜松城に住んでいた時の最もインパクトがあった出来事は、何といっても1573年に起こった三方ヶ原の戦いでしょう。有力な戦国大名、武田信玄が家康や信長の領地に侵入し、二俣城などの家康の支城をいくつも奪取したのです。信玄は、浜松城の周りで示威行動を行い、家康を城から三方ヶ原におびき寄せました。家康は信玄の罠に引っ掛かり、完膚なきまでの敗戦を喫したのです。彼は、命からがら城に逃げ込みました。信玄の軍勢はやがて翌年の信玄の病死により引き上げていき、家康は事なきを得たのでした。この敗戦の後に家康のとった行動がいくつか伝えられています。一つは、信玄の軍勢が家康を追ってきたとき、家康は浜松城の門を開けたままにさせました。信玄の軍勢はこれを罠ではないかと怪しみ、引き上げていったというものです（いわゆる「空城の計」）。もう一つは、犀ヶ崖（さいががけ）と呼ばれる深い谷に布製の橋を渡し、信玄の軍勢に反撃を加えて、（本物の橋と誤認させることで）谷の底に突き落としたというものです。しかし、これらの話が本当のことだったかどうかはわかりません。

武田信玄肖像画、高野山持明院蔵、１６世紀 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

堀尾吉晴が城を改良

1590年に天下人の豊臣秀吉により家康が（現在の東京にある）江戸城に移されたため、秀吉配下の堀尾吉晴が浜松城を治めることになりました。吉晴は、丘上の天守曲輪に石垣と天守を築き、城を進化させました。現存している石垣と、天守台石垣は吉晴によって築かれたものです。しかし、天守がどのような姿をしていたかは全く不明です。それに関する記録がないからです。天守の屋根瓦と井戸が発掘されているのみです。歴史家は、1600年に堀尾氏が浜松から移された後に築いた松江城の現存天守のような姿をしていたのではないかと推測しています。双方の天守台石垣が似通っており、堀尾氏が松江城を築く際、浜松城の設計を参考にしたとも考えられるからです。

堀尾吉晴肖像画、春光院蔵 *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

譜代大名の出世コース

家康は１７世紀の初めに天下を掌握し、徳川幕府を創設しました。それ以来、浜松城は江戸時代を通じて９つの譜代大名家により受け継がれました。この城の城主は、度々老中などの幕府の要職の地位につきました。この城が「出世城」と呼ばれているもう一つの理由です。例えば、１９世紀初頭に唐津城主であった水野忠邦は、浜松城主になることを志願しました。その結果、彼は浜松城主になるとともに、老中首座として天保の改革を主導しました。城自体に関して言えば、天守はやがて失われ、丘上には天守門だけが城のシンボルとして残りました。城の中心部は丘の傍らにある二の丸に移りました。そこには城主のための御殿があり、そこから城がある地の浜松藩を統治しました。

水野忠邦肖像画、東京都立大学図書情報センター蔵 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

「浜松城その２」に続きます。

147.Takatenjin Castle Part1

The critical point between the Takeda and Tokugawa Clans

Location and History

Mountain being meant for Castles

Takatenjin Castle was located in Totomi Province which is the modern day the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture. It was a simple mountain castle made of soil, but it had a very good location for controlling the province. Many warlords wanted to capture this castle, as a result, what happened in the castle ultimately decided the destinies of both the Takeda Clan and Tokugawa Clan. The mountain where the castle was built on is only 132m high, about 100m from the foot. However, the ridges of it are complicatedly curved and its slopes are quite steep. Moreover, the top of it is not so large, and the view from the top is very clear. That means small defenders could easily protect this castle from attacks of large troops. This mountain was meant for castles.

The range of Totomi Province and the location of the castle

The relief map around the castle

The imaginary drawing of Takatenjin Castle, from the signboard at the site

Battles between Imagawa, Takeda and Tokugawa Clans

It is uncertain when the castle was first built, but the Imagawa Clan was the latest owner of the castle in the first 16th Century. After the Imagawa Clan’s power weakened, Ieyasu Tokugawa managed to capture the castle. Shingen Takeda, who was one of the greatest warlords, also wanted this castle, therefore attacked the castle in 1571. however, he failed to do so before his death in 1572. Singen’s son, Katsuyori Takeda tried to achieve this by building Suwahara Castle in 1573, the north region of Takatenjin Castle, as a foothold. Katsuyori assaulted Takatenjin Castle in 1574, then he managed to capture the castle because the defenders surrendered. He was probably at peak of his power having the largest territory and the highest reputation for the clan at that point.

The Portrait of Katsuyori Takeda, owned by Koyasan Jimyoin, in the late 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

However, the trend quickly changed after Katsuyori was completely defeated in the Battle of Nagashino near Nagashino Castle by the allies of Nobunaga Oda and Ieyasu in 1575. Ieyasu then started to counterattack in order to get the territory in Totomi Province which included Takatenjin Castle one by one. He first took Suwahara Castle away from Katsuyori in 1576. The castle had been the foundation of capturing Takatenjin Castle once for Katsuyori, but became the one for Ieyasu later on. Ieyasu next built a new castle called it Yokosuka Castle, in the west of Takatenjin Castle, in 1578 to supply his troops and avoid Takeda’s effort to supply to Takatenjin. On the other hand, Takeda improved Takatenjin Castle by building earthen walls, dry moats and ditches between enclosures in the western part of the castle. This was the only the part connected to other mountains. As a result, the castle became much stronger. The final battle was on the horizon.

Part of “Battle of Nagashino”folding screens, owned by Tokugawa Art Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Ieyasu’s careful attack

Unlike Katsuyori, Ieyasu didn’t assault the castle. He probably understood he couldn’t get the castle so easily. He took a long time building many other fortresses around the castle to besiege it. The Six Takatenjin Forts (Fort Ogasayama, Nogasaka, Higamine, Shishigahana, Nakamura, and Mitsuiyama) are well known, but in fact, there were as many as 20 fortresses built. Each fortress had a distinct role, such as supplying like Fort Nakamura or preventing from Takeda’s attack like Fort Higamine, and containing the castle like Fort Sannosan. Therefore, Takatenjin Castle was completely isolated.

The location of Takatenjin Castle, Six Takatenjin Forts and Yokosuka Castle

Ieyasu’s long-awaited attack of Takatenjin Castle started in 1580, while Katuyori had problems sending his reinforcement to the castle. This was because Katsuyori’s strength decreased and had to prepare for many other enemies. The starving defenders of the castle urged Ieyasu to surrender. However, the leader of the allies, Nobunaga couldn’t accept it, which was a rare case even during the Sengoku Period when many battles happened. In 1581, the defenders made one last desperate attack from the castle and but were eventually defeated before the castle fell in the end.

The portrait of Nobunaga Oda, attributed to Soshu Kano, owned by Chokoji Temple, in the late 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Turning point of destinies of Ieyasu and Katsuyori

It was said that Nobunaga aimed to ruin Katsuyori’s reputation by showing that Katsuyori couldn’t protect the castle until the last moment. As a matter of fact, when Nobunaga invaded Katsuyori’s territory the next year, almost all retainers of Katsuyori surrendered or escaped from their master without fighting any battles. The battle of Takatenjin Castle would eventually lead to the destruction of the Takeda Clan which may have been a trigger for Ieyasu to be the final ruler of Japan later on.

A distant view of the ruins of Takatenjin Castle

To be continued in “Takatenjin Castle Part2”