立地と歴史～Location and History – ページ 59 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

82.Ozu Castle Part1

Many clans developed Ozu Castle and the area around.

Location and History

Utsunomiya Clan first builds Castle

Ozu Castle was located in the southern part of Iyo Province on Shikoku Island, which is now Ozu City in Ehime Prefecture. The castle was first built on a hill called Jizogadake by the Utsunomiya Clan in the 14th Century. This location was near the intersection of Ozu-Uwajima Road and Hijikawa River, an important point for transportation. The Utsunomiya Clan eventually became one of the local warlords in the province during the Sengoku Period in the late 15th to the 16th Century.

The range of Iyo Province and the location of the castle

Takatora Todo modernizes Castle

After Hideyoshi Toyotomi achieved his unification of Japan, Takatora Todo, who worked under Hideyoshi owned Ozu Castle in 1595. He was based in Uwajima Castle, but he modernized both Ozu and Uwajima Castles. The details of improved Ozu Castle by Takatora are uncertain, because the ruins of it are under the current Ozu Castle. However, it is thought that the basic structure of the castle was completed by him. The Main Enclosure was on the hill beside Hijikawa River flowing from the east to the north of the castle. The Second Enclosure was below the hill on the opposite side of the river. Both enclosures were surrounded by the Inner Mort in the south and west. The Third Enclosure and the Outer Moat were also outside of them. The water of the moats was from the river, so the castle is also called a River Castle.

The portrait of Takatora Todo, private owned (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The illustration of Ozu Castle in Iyo Province, exhibited by the National Diet Library of Japan

Yasuharu Wakizaka builds Main Tower?

In 1609, Yasuharu Wakizaka, was transferred from Sumoto Castle to Ozu Castle as the founder of the Ozu Domain. It is said that he built the four leveled Main Tower in the Main Enclosure. Some historians also speculate that he might have moved the Main Tower of Sumoto Castle to Ozu. This is because the sizes of the stone wall bases for both castles are almost the same, according to the recent research. The two two-story turrets called Daidokoro-Yagura and Koran-Yagura were built at both sides of the Main Tower, connected by the Passage Turrets. Many other turrets were also built in the important positions of each enclosure.

The portrait of Yasuharu Wakizaka, owned by Tatsuno Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The stone wall base for the Main Tower and the imitation Tower of Sumoto Castle

The old photo of the Main Tower and the Daidokoro-Yagura Turret of Ozu Castle, from the signboard at the site

Kato Clan maintains Castle

In 1617, the Kato Clan was transferred from Yonago Castle to Ozu Castle, which governed the castle and the Ozu Domain over 13 generations until the end of the Edo Period. The domain didn’t have a large territory (60 thousand rice of koku) which meant they were not rich. However, it promoted industries such as Tobe pottery, Japanese papers and Japan wax. It also founded the domain school called Meirinkan to educate warriors. At the end of the Edo Period, one of the warriors, Ayasaburo Takeda learned the Western military science after graduation. He lastly built the first Western style castle called Goryokaku in Hakodate, Hokkaido Island, he also worked as the instructor of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The portrait of Sadayasu Kato, the first lord of the clan, owned by Ozu City Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Ayasaburo Takeda (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

As for Ozu Castle, the Second Enclosure became the center of the castle in the peaceful time, having the Main Hall, warehouses surrounded by the Main Gate and some turrets.

The Second Enclosure drawn in the Illustration of Ozu Castle in 1692, exhibited in the castle

To be continued in “Ozu Castle Part2”

82.大洲城　その１

多くの大名たちが大洲城とその地域を発展させてきました。

立地と歴史

宇都宮氏が最初に築城

大洲城は、四国の伊予国の南部（南予地方）にあった城で、その場所は現在の愛媛県大洲市にあたります。この城は最初は１４世紀に宇都宮氏によって、地蔵ヶ嶽と呼ばれた丘の上に築かれました。この立地は、大洲宇和島街道と肱川（ひじかわ）との結節点の近くであり、交通の要衝でした。宇都宮氏は、やがて１５世紀後半から１６世紀にかけての戦国時代には伊予国の戦国大名の一つとなります。（その後中国地方の毛利氏の四国出兵により、大名の地位を追われました。伊予国は毛利氏の親族、小早川隆景が一時治めました。）

伊予国の範囲と大洲城の位置

藤堂高虎が近代化

豊臣秀吉が天下統一を果たした後、秀吉の家臣であった藤堂高虎が1595年に大洲城（を含む南予地方）を領有しました。彼は宇和島城を本拠地としていましたが、大洲・宇和島両方の城を近代化したのです。高虎によってどのように大洲城が近代化されたのか詳細はわかっていません。その遺跡は現在の大洲城の地下にあるからです。しかし、高虎が城の基本的な構造を作り上げたと考えられています。本丸は、城の東から北へ向かって流れていた肱川沿いにありました。二の丸は、川の反対側の丘の麓にありました。本丸・二の丸両方の曲輪は、南側と西側を内堀に囲まれていました。また、三の丸と外堀がそれらの外側にあったのです。堀の水は、肱川から引かれており、そのため、この城は川城というべきものでした。

藤堂高虎肖像画、個人蔵 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

脇坂安治が天守築造か

1609年、脇坂安治（わきざかやすはる）が洲本城から大洲城に移され、大洲藩の初代藩主となりました。彼が本丸に四層の天守を建てたと言われています。また、歴史家の中には安治が洲本城の天守を大洲に移したのではないかと考えている人もいます。最近の調査によると、双方の天守台の大きさがほとんど同じだったからです。台所櫓と高欄櫓という２基の二階建て櫓が天守の両側に建てられ、渡櫓によって連結されていました。他にも多くの櫓がそれぞれの曲輪の重要地点に建てられました。

脇坂安治肖像画、龍野神社蔵 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

加藤氏が幕末まで継承

1617年、加藤氏が米子城から大洲城に転封となり、城と大洲藩を１３代に渡って江戸時代末期まで統治しました。大洲藩は大藩ではなく（石高６万石）、裕福ではありませんでしたが、産業振興に努めました。例えば、砥部焼、和紙、木蝋などです。また、藩校の明倫館を設立し、藩士の教育を行いました。幕末の頃には、藩士の一人、武田斐三郎（あやさぶろう）が藩校修了の後、西洋軍学を学びました。彼はついには北海道の函館に、日本で初めての西洋式城郭である五稜郭を建設しました。そこで徳川幕府の指揮官として活躍したのです。

加藤氏の初代、加藤貞泰肖像画、大洲市立博物館所蔵 *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

武田斐三郎 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

大洲城に関しては、平和の時代には二の丸が城の中心部となり、御殿や倉庫が建てられ、大手門やいくつかの櫓によって囲まれていました。

「大洲城その２」に続きます。

83.Uwajima Castle Part1

Takatora Todo built and the Date Clan maintained the castle.

Location and History

Takatora Todo builds Castle

Uwajima Castle is located in Uwajima City in the southern part of Ehime Prefecture which was called Iyo Province in the past. The province was divided by many warlords during the Sengoku Period between the late 15th and 16th Century. The Saionji Clan lived in Itajima-Marugushi Castle on the mountain where Uwajima Castle would be built later. When Hideyoshi Toyotomi was processing his unification of Japan, Takatora Todo who served under Hideyoshi, became the lord of the southern Iyo in 1595. For Takatora, who would be known for a master of castle construction, that was the first time to be an independent lord. He chose the mountain, the former Itajima-Marugushi Castle as his home base, and started to build Uwajima Castle on it in 1596.

The range of Iyo Province and the location of Uwajima Castle

Itajima-Maruguchi Castle had been a simple mountain castle. Takatora changed it to a modernized castle using advanced technology and his ideas. The mountain faced Uwajima Bay in the north and west, then he built moats filled with sea water also in the south and east. The line of the seaside and moats were shaped like a pentagon, which might have made enemies upset when they would attack the castle. He also built stone walls like covering the mountain, and some castle entrances using Masugata style which had a square space to prevent enemies’ attack. Moreover, the three-leveled Main Tower was built on natural rocks at the top. The castle construction was completed in 1601.

The illustration of Uwajima Castle and Town in 1703, owned by Uwajima Date Bunka Hozonkai, from the signboard

On the other hand, the castle had many small enclosures on the mountain, such as Main, Second, Third, and Nagato-maru. This is one of the features old mountain castles including Itajima-Marugushi Castle had, which Uwashima Castle had to follow. The Main Tower, which was built using waste materials, became too old about 60 years after completion. According to Takatora’s biography, the Main Tower of Kagomori Castle, a branch castle of Takatora’s territory, was moved to Uwajima Castle in 1604 and used as a turret. Considering these situations, Takatora might not have had enough resources to complete his ideal castle. He eventually moved to Imabari Castle in his new territory in 1600.

The location map of the gathered enclosures around the mountain, from the signboard adding comments by myself

Main Tower is replaced

In 1614, the Date Clan became the lord of Uwajima Castle and the Uwajima Domain until the end of the Edo Period. The second lord, Munetoshi Date renovated the castle in the 1660s because of aging and the damage from an earthquake. In particular, the Main Tower was replaced completely with a new one. The new Main Tower had three levels same as the old one, but its appearance was very different. The old one was the lookout-tower type, while the new one was the multi-storied type. However, the most important point of the new one is that it was built in the peace time. It was built on the stone wall base at the center of the Main Enclosure independently, not connected to other buildings. It had many decorations just for appearance, and had few equipment for battles. Overall, it has often been called “Main Tower for the symbol of peace time”, which we can now see.

The old tower on the right and the new tower on the left, from the signboard

The remaining Main Tower of Uwajima Castle

Many talented people together in Uwajima

The eighth lord, Munenari Date was very active in Japanese politics at the end of the Edo Period. With the arrivals of strong Western steam warships to Japan, which was a treat to the country, Munenari tried to build his domain’s own steamship. He invited people with unusual power to achieve this, such as Zoroku Murata, a doctor who would be the leader of the first Japanese Army, Choei Takano, another doctor, who were running away from the Tokugawa Shogunate, and low-class craftsmen. He finally succeeded. He might have thought Uwajima Castle was not suitable in that situation and create the steamship like a moving castle to deal with the new situation.

The photo of Munenari Date, from a Japanese book “徳川慶喜公伝” *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The portrait of Zoroku Murata from a Japanese book called Kinsei Meishi Shashin vol.2 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Choei Takano, owned by Choei Takano Memorial Hall *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

To be continued in “Uwajima Castle Part2”