内容～Content – ページ 204 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

36.Maruoka Castle Part1

A castle in the northern part of Echizen Province

Location and History

Katsutoyo Shibata builds Castle in Sengoku Period

Maruoka Castle was located in the northern part of Echizen Province, which is now Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture. The castle has one of the twelve remaining Main Towers in Japan. The castle was first built in 1576 during the Sengoku Period by Katsutoyo Shibata when his relative, Katsuie Shibata owned the province. After the Shibata Clan was defeated by Hideyoshi Hashiba in 1583, several clans such as the Matsudaira Clan owned the castle. The details of the early history of the castle are uncertain, but it is thought that it had the first Main Tower from that period. This is because the remaining stone wall base for the first Main Tower is older than the present Main Tower.

The location of the castle

The remaining Main Tower of Maruoka Castle

Narishige Honda becomes independent as Maruoka Domain

In 1624, Narishige Honda who was a senior vassal of the Matsudaira Clan became an independent lord of Maruoka Castle as the founder of the Maruoka Domain. He started to renovate the castle, including rebuilding of the present Main Tower. The renovation was completed in the period of Narishige’s son.

The illustration of Narishige Honda (in the left, the right one is his father, Shigetsugu Honda), exhibited in the Main Tower

The Main Enclosure with the Main Tower was on a hill. The Second Enclosure with the Ninomaru Main Hall was on a flat area beside the Main Enclosure. These enclosures were surrounded by the Inner Moat like a pentagon. It is said that the shape of the moat was meant to make enemies confused when they would attack the castle. In addition, the Third Enclosure with the warriors’ houses and the Outer Moat surrounded the Inner Moat.

The miniature model of Maruoka Castle, the Main Enclosure on the left, the Second Enclosure on the right

Part of the illustration of Maruoka Castle in Echizen Province, in the Edo Period, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan

Arima Clan governs Castle until end of Edo Period

In 1695, the Honda Clan was fired by the Tokugawa Shogunate due to the clan’s internal trouble. As a result, the Arima Clan became the lord of Maruoka Castle and the Maruoka Domain. The clan maintained the castle and governed the domain until the end of the Edo Period.

The family crest of the Arima Clan called the Arima Gourd (licensed by Fraxinus2 via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Maruoka Castle Part2”

36.丸岡城　その１

越前国北部にあった城

立地と歴史

柴田勝豊が戦国時代に築城

丸岡城は、現在の坂井市にあたる、越前国の北部にありました。この城には日本に１２基ある現存天守のうちの一つがあります。この城は、最初は戦国時代の1576年に柴田勝豊によって築かれました。彼の親族である柴田勝家が越前国を領有しているときでした。1583年に柴田氏が羽柴秀吉に倒された後は、松平氏などいくつかの氏族がこの城を所有しました。この城の初期の頃について詳細は分かっていませんが、その頃から初代の天守がそこにあったと考えられています。初代天守のために作られた現存する石垣が、現在ある天守より古いものだからです。

城の位置

本多成重が丸岡藩として独立

1624年、松平氏の家老であった本多成重（なりしげ）が丸岡藩の創始者として、独立した丸岡城城主となりました（彼の父、本多重次が家族に宛てた手紙が「日本一短い手紙」として有名であり、現在の丸岡城でも顕彰されています）。彼は城の大改修を始め、現在ある天守の再建築などを行いました。この改修は、成重の息子の代になって完了しました。

天守がある本丸は丘陵の上にありました。二の丸御殿がある二の丸は、本丸脇の平地にありました。これらの曲輪は、内堀に囲まれていましたが、その内堀は五角形のような形をしていました。この堀の形は、敵が攻めてきたときに、その敵を混乱させるためにこのようになったと言われています。また、武家屋敷があった三の丸と外堀が、内堀の更に外側にありました。

有馬氏が幕末まで統治

1695年、本多氏はお家騒動のために徳川幕府により改易となってしまいます。その後、有馬氏が丸岡城と丸岡藩の領主となりました。有馬氏は、江戸時代末期まで城を維持し、藩を統治しました。（キリシタン大名として有名な有馬晴信の家系に当たります。）

有馬氏の家紋、有馬瓜 *(licensed by Mukai via Wikimedia Commons)*

「丸岡城その２」に続きます。

137.Fukui Castle Part3

The castle ruins are still the center of Fukui Prefecture.

Features

Ruins of First Kitanosho Castle

I also recommend visiting the ruins of the first Kitanosho Castle which Katsuie Shibata built, about 300m away from Fukui Castle Ruins to the south. You can only see the base stones for the castle because Fukui Castle was built on the Kitanosho Castle Ruins.

The ruins of Kitanosho Castle in Echizen Province

These are the stone walls of Fukui Castle

The base stones of the first Kitanosho Castle

However, you can also see the statues of Katuie, his wife and his three daughters. These women are well-known in Japanese history. One of the daughters was the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s wife. Another was the wife of Hidetada Tokugawa who was a little brother of Hideyasu Yuki, the founder of Fukui Castle.

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Fukui Castle was abandoned. All the buildings of the castle were demolished and all its area except for the center of the castle was turned into the city area. In 1873, the former lord of the castle, the Matsudaira Clan opened Matsudaira Agricultural Experimental Station in the center of the castle until it was moved to another in 1921. Instead, The Fukui Prefectural Office was moved to the Main Enclosure in 1923. Since then, the castle ruins have been the center of the local government like the castle used to be.

Matsudaira Agricultural Experimental Station (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The buildings of the Fukui Prefectural Office (on the right) and Fukui prefectural police headquarters (on the left) at the Main Enclosure

My Impression

A Main Enclosure was usually the center of a castle. It often had the Main Tower and (or) the Main Hall to govern the area around in the Edo Period, like Fukui Castle. Many remaining Main Enclosures have now become historical parks, shrines, or facilities like a museum. However, the Main Enclosure of Fukui Castle is still used by the local government. I think this is the only example of the Main Enclosure being used for a prefectural office. Some people call it the strongest prefectural office in Japan.

The Main Enclosure of Fukuoka Castle (an example of being a historical park)

The Main Enclosure of Takaoka Castle (an example of being a shrine)

The Main Tower of the Main Enclosure of Osaka Castle (an example of being a museum)

The Fukui Prefectural Office which looks like the strongest

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 15 minutes away from Fukui IC on Hokuriku Expressway.
There are several parking lots around the ruins.
You can also use the underground parking lot of the prefectural office on weekdays.
(You need to have the parking ticket stamped at the reception counter.)
By public transportation, it takes less than 10 minutes walking from JR Fukui Station.
To get to Fukui Station from Tokyo: Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen super express, transfer to the limited express on the Hokuriku Line at Kanazawa Station.
From Osaka: Take the Thunderbird limited express.

Links and References

・Fukui Castle Ruins, Fukui Prefecture & Fukui Prefectural Tourism Federation

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