立地と歴史～Location and History – ページ 65 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

137.Fukui Castle Part1

The center of Echizen Province

Location and History

It starts as Kitanosho Castle

Fukui Castle was located in what is now Fukui City, the prefectural capital of Fukui Prefecture. The name of the city originates from this castle. However, the castle was originally named Kitanosho Castle (Kitanosho means like the Northern Manor). Katsuie Shibata under a great warlord, Nobunaga Oda, first built the castle in 1575 when they conquered Echizen Province (now part of Fukui Prefecture).

The location of the castle

The portrait of Katsuie Shibata, from the signboard at the site

When Hideyoshi Hashiba, who would become the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, attacked the castle in 1583, he wrote in his letter that the castle had a nine-leveled Main Tower. It’s quite uncertain if the castle really had the nine-leveled Main Tower because the word nine-leveled also means just “have many levels” in Japanese. Katsuie was unfortunately defeated by Hideyoshi, while Kitanosho Castle was burned and destroyed.

The Portrait of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, attributed to Mitsunobu Kano, owned by Kodaiji Temple, licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

The imaginary drawing of the first Kitanosho Castle, from the signboard at the site

Hideyasu Yuki rebuilds it as Lord of large domain

In 1601, Hideyasu Yuki, the son of the final ruler, Ieyasu Tokugawa, rebuilt Kitanosho Castle as the founder of the Kitanosho Domain. Hideyasu was a big brother of Ieyasu’s successor, Hidetada Tokugawa, but he was sent to Hideyoshi, and the Yuki Clan later to be adopted. It could be because he was not loved by his father, Ieyasu. However, Hideyasu was distinguished in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 before his father became the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Ieyasu finally accepted Hideyasu and allowed him to have a large role in the shogunate. Hideyasu became a lord who had the second largest territory excluding the shogun in Japan with 750,000 kokus of rice. He was also allowed to use the family name “Matsudaira” which means the relatives of the shogun. Echizen Province was very important spot for the shogunate to be near Kyoto, the capital of Japan, and next to the owners of the largest territory, the Maeda Clan.

The statue of Hideyasu Yuki at the ruins of Fukui Castle

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

It is said that Hideyasu’s father, Ieyasu designed part of the layout of Kitanosho castle. The Main Enclosure was the center of the castle, which had the four-leveled Main Tower and the Main Hall and was surrounded by the stone walls and the Inner Moat. The Second Enclosure, the Third Enclosure, and the Outbound Enclosure were built around the center concentrically. These enclosures were divided by the water moats. As a result, the castle was surrounded by quadruple or quintuple water moats. The castle had over 10 turrets and 40 gates. The size of the castle reached about 2km square.

The imaginary drawing of the Main Enclosure of Fukui Castle, from the signboard at the site

The range of Fukui Castle in the Edo Period shown on the present map, from the signboard at the site

Echizen-Matsudaira Clan prospers

The castle was completed in 1606 after Hideyasu died in 1604. The Matsudaira Clan, renamed from the Yuki Clan governed the castle and domain until the end of the Edo Period, while the name of the castle and domain were changed from Kitanosho to Fukui by the third lord, Tadamasa. The Main Tower was unfortunately burned down by a fire in 1669 and not restored. The 14th lord, Shungaku Matsudaira was active in the central government during the end of the Edo Period and the Meiji Restoration.

The portrait of Tadamasa Matsudaira, exhibited by Fukui City History Museum, licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

The photo of Shungaku Matsudaira, owned by Fukui City History Museum, licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

In addition, Hideyasu’s descendants prospered greatly. The branch families which started from Hideyasu’s sons became the lords of several castles by the end of the Edo Period, such as Tsuyama Castle, Matsue Castle, Maebashi Castle and Akashi Castle. They are often called the Echizen-Matsudaira Clan including the lord of Fukui Castle. We can say Hideyasu’s efforts were rewarded good enough.

To be continued in “Fukui Castle Part2”

137.福井城　その１

越前国の中心地

立地と歴史

北ノ庄城としてスタート

福井城は、福井県の県庁所在地である現在の福井市にありました。この都市の名前は、この城に由来しているのです。しかし、この城はもとは北ノ庄城と名付けられていました（北ノ庄とは、北にある荘園といった意味でしょうか）。有力な戦国大名、織田信長の部将であった柴田勝家が1575年に最初にこの城を築きました。現在の福井県の一部にあたる越前国を征服したときでした。

城の位置

後に天下人、豊臣秀吉となる羽柴秀吉が1583年にこの城を攻撃したとき、彼は書状にこの城には九層の天守があると記しました。しかし、本当に九層の天守だったかどうかは全く分かりません。当時の日本語では、九層という言葉は単に「多層である」ことを意味していたからです。勝家は不幸にも秀吉により倒されてしまい、北ノ庄城は燃やされ、破壊されてしまいました。

豊臣秀吉肖像画、加納光信筆、高台寺蔵 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

結城秀康が大藩の藩主として再建

1601年、最終的に天下人となった徳川家康の息子、結城秀康が北ノ庄藩の創始者として北ノ庄城を再建しました。秀康は、家康の後継者となった徳川秀忠の兄でした。ところが、彼は秀吉の元に（実質的には人質として）送られ、後には結城氏の跡継ぎ養子となりました。この理由は、彼が父親である家康から愛されていなかったからとも言われています。それでも秀康は、その父親が徳川幕府の創始者となる契機となった、1600年に起こった関ヶ原の戦いで大いに貢献したのです。家康はついに秀康を受け入れ、幕府における重要な役割を任せたのです。秀康は、幕府そのものを除いて、日本で２番目に大きな領地を治めることとなり、その石高は７５万石に及びました。彼はまた、将軍の親戚であることを表す「松平」という姓を使うことも許されました。越前国は幕府にとってとても重要な地点であり、日本の首都である京都に近く、最大の領地を持つ前田氏に隣接していました。

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)

秀康の父親、家康が北ノ庄城の一部の縄張りを行ったと言われています。本丸は城の中心部であり４層の天守と御殿があり、石垣と内堀に囲まれていました。二の丸、三の丸、外郭がその中心から同心円状に築かれました。これらの曲輪群は水堀によって隔てられていました。その結果、この城は４重場所によっては５重の水堀に囲まれることになったのです。この城には１０基の櫓、４０基の門が備わっていました。城の大きさは、約２ｋｍ四方に達しました。

繁栄した越前松平氏

1604年に秀康が亡くなった後の1606年に城は完成しました。結城氏から改めた松平氏は、城と藩を江戸時代の終わりまで統治しました。その間、城と藩の名前は、第３代藩主の忠昌（ただまさ）によって「北ノ庄」から「福井」に改められました。天守は不幸にも1669年の火災により焼け落ちてしまいましたが、再建はされませんでした。第１４代藩主の松平春嶽は、幕末と明治維新の頃、中央政府で活躍しました（幕府の政事総裁職、新政府の議定などを歴任）。

松平忠昌肖像画、福井市立郷土歴史博物館による展示 *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

松平春嶽写真、福井市立郷土歴史博物館蔵 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

ちなみに、秀康の子孫は大いに繁栄しました。秀康の息子たちから始まる分家の当主は江戸時代末までに、津山城、松江城、前橋城、明石城の城主となりました。これらの分家は、福井城の城主を含めて、しばしば越前松平氏と呼ばれています。秀康の努力は、十分報われたと言えるのではないでしょうか。

「福井城その２」に続きます。

37.Ichijodani Castle Part1

The castle started and ended with the Asakura Clan.

Location and History

Integration of Castle and Castle Town

Ichijodani Castle was located in Echizen Province (now Fukui Prefecture) which the Asakura Clan governed during the Sengoku Period. People usually consider this castle as a fortified city the Asakura Clan built. The city was integrated with a castle and castle town parts. Because of that, people at that time called the castle, just “Ichijodani”. People in the present time call it the Ichijodani Aasakura Clan Ruins.

The location of the castle

The Asakura Clan originally served the Shiba Clan, the family of the governor of Echizen Provence. Takakage Asakura was distinguished in the Onin War in Kyoto in the late 15th Century to support the Ashikaga Shogunate. As a result, the Shogunate assigned him the governor of Echizen Provence instead of the Shiba Clan. After that, the Asakura Clan governed the province over five generations for about 100 years. The clan chose a long narrow valley called Ichijodani as their home base, not the flat area called Fuchu which the Shiba Clan lived. The reason for the Aasakura Clan’s choice is thought that the clan had to continue fighting with the Shiba Clan and others like the Ikkoshu Sect.

The portrait of Takakage Asakura, owned by Shingetsuji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The relief map around the castle

The valley was about 3km long from the north to the south, and about 500m wide. It was protected by several mountain castles on the mountains in the eastern and western side of the valley. “Ichijo-dani Castle” was one such castle but provided a limited amount of protection. Both edges of the valley also had fortress entrances built using earthen walls and water moats called the Inbound Fortress Entrance and Outbound Fortress Entrance. The area between the entrances, where Ichijo-dani River flowed, was called the Inside of the Entrances. The castle town was built along the narrow area, including the Asakura Clan Hall, the warriors’ houses, the merchants and craftsmen area, and temples.

The entrance to “Ichijo-dani Castle” as a mountain castle

The miniature model of the castle town, exhibited by the Restored Town area

One of Largest City in Sengoku Period

Ichijodani greatly prospered. Echizen Province was basically wealthy and the Asakura Clan earned lots of profits from trading by ships. The clan also united with their relatives and retainers to prevent enemies, like the Ikkoshu Sect, from invading their territory. These made the people in Ichijodani rich. The hall of the clan was very similar to that of the shogun’s deputy in Kyoto and had a gorgeous Japanese garden. The clan accommodated many nobles, high priests, and intellectuals from Kyoto, which was devastated after the Onin War. Warriors played Japanese chess inside their houses and priests enjoyed tea ceremonies. Trading and production were actively done in the town. The population of Ichijo-dani was said to reach about 10,000. The city became one of the largest cities in Japan, sometimes called a Little Kyoto.

The miniature model of the Asakura Clan Hall, from the signboard at the site

Destroyed by Nobunaga Oda

In 1567, Yoshiaki Ashikaga, who would be the last shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate, visited Yoshikage Asakura, the last lord of the clan, in Ichijodani. Yoshiaki asked Yoshikage to take Yoshiaki to Kyoto and defeat his enemies. Yoshikage rejected it, so Yoshiaki left Ichijodani and visited Nobunaga Oda in Owari Province (now part of Aichi Pref.). Nobunaga went to Kyoto with Yoshiaki who became the shogun in 1568. They ordered Yoshikage to go to Kyoto and serve them. Yoshikage rejected it again and finally became an enemy of the shogun in 1570. Nobunaga and Yoshikage fought against each other for three years. The unity of the Asakura Clan collapsed after the long battle. Yoshikage had to escape from Ichijo-dani and was defeated in the end. Nobunaga’s soldiers attacked Ichijodani without its master. The city burned for three days and ended its history in 1573. The castle was destroyed.

The seated statue of Yoshiaki Ashikaga, owned by Tojiin Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Yoshikage Asakura, owned by Shingetsuji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

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)

To be continued in “Ichijodani Castle Part2”