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135.Masuyama Castle Part2

You can learn a lot about mountain castles there.

Features

Going to Castle Ruins through Uranagi Route

Today, the ruins of Masuyama Castle have been well developed for visitors. There are two trails to visit the ruins, but I highly recommend using the Uranagi Route. This is because there is an information center called Masuyama Jinya with a parking lot near the route. If you park there and walk to the entrance of the route, you will see an interesting modern facility. In fact, the Wada-gawa River which flowed around the castle was turned into the Wada-gawa Dam. You will walk through the crest of the dam looking at Masuyama Lake on the right and a hydroelectric plant on the left. Part of the ruins of the castle town is under the lake now.

Masuyama Castle[/leaflet-marker]

The information center called Masuyama Jinya

Featured Horikiri and following Enclosures

By now, you should be able to see the ruins at an altered gate called Kaburagi-mon beside a large signboard. The Uranagi Route goes up on a slope and eventually goes in a valley between the ridges on both sides. You will first see the enclosure called the F Enclosure whose name originates from the numbering system which historians used. it is therefore not known what the original name was. You should check out the ridges that are cut artificially, called Horikiri, in front of the enclosure which prevented enemies from attacking the ridges.

The Kaburagi-mon at the entrance of the Uranagi Route

The Horikiri in front of the F Enclosure

Above the F Enclosure, there is the Umanosego Enclosure which is shaped like a horse’s back. This is where the Uranagi Route and Nanamagari Route meet. The enclosure was an important spot for controlling visitors or enemies.

The map around the F Enclosure and the Umanosego Enclosure (from the location map at the site)

First Enclosure, pivot point of the defense

After that, the First Enclosure stands out in front of you. The cliff around the enclosure is cut vertically, which is called Kirigishi, however, it is impossible to climb it. Unfortunately, you will also have to walk around the cliff to reach the entrance of the enclosure. This location would have been where enemies were counterattacked from above. From there, you will see the remaining well called the Matabe-Shimizu which still filled fresh water to this day located near the entrance.

The map around the First Enclosure (from the location map at the site)

From the inside of the enclosure, you can see a good view of the area around the castle as well as a view of the route you went through. That means this enclosure would have been the pivot point of the defense.

To be continued in “Masuyama Castle Part3”
Back to “Masuyama Castle Part1”

135.増山城　その２

ここでは山城について多くを学べます。

特徴、見どころ

ウラナギ口から城跡へ

今日、増山城跡は観光客向けによく整備されています。城跡へ行くのに２つの登山道がありますが、ウラナギ口から行かれることをお勧めします。この登山口の近くに、増山陣屋という案内所があり、駐車場もあるからです。車をそこに停めて、登山道の入口に歩いて行くと、興味を引く施設が見えてきます。実は、城の周りを流れていた和田川は、現在では和田川ダムとなっているのです。ダムの堤頂部分を渡って行くと、右側に増山湖が見え、左側には水力発電所が見えます。城下町の遺跡の一部は、現在湖の底にあります。

城周辺の地図

注目の堀切と後に続く曲輪群

そうするうちに、大きな案内板のそばに模擬的に作られた冠木門が見えてきます。ウラナギ口からは坂を登っていき、そのうちに両側が峰状になっている谷底を通って行きます。最初に見えてくる曲輪はＦ郭と呼ばれていて、その名前は歴史研究者が使っていた命名方法によるものです。もともとの名前がわからなかったので、このような呼び方になりました。この曲輪の手前にある、峰を人工的に切った堀切は必見です。峰を伝って攻めてくる敵を防ぐためのものです。

Ｆ郭の上方には、馬の背のような形をした「馬之背ゴ」があります。ここはウラナギ口と七曲り口の道が合流する地点であり、訪問者を管理したり、敵を抑え込むのに重要な場所でした。

防御の要、一ノ丸

その後には、一ノ丸が目の前に立ち塞がります。この曲輪周辺の崖は垂直に削られていて、切岸と呼ばれます。とてもそこからは登れません。残念ですが崖を回り込んで曲輪の入口にたどり着くしかありません。この位置取りでは、敵が真上から反撃されることになります。そこから進むと、一ノ丸の近くにある又兵衛清水という現存する井戸があり、今日に至るまで清水に満たされています。

一ノ丸の内側からは、城周辺の地域の景色が見渡せ、またこれまで通ってきた道もよく見えます。この曲輪が防御の要であったことがよくわかります。

「増山城その３」に続きます。
「増山城その１」に戻ります。

135.Masuyama Castle Part1

An important mountain castle in Ecchu Province

Location and History

Ecchu Province in Sengoku Period

Masuyama Castle was a large mountain castle which was located in Ecchu Province (what is now modern day Toyama Prefecture). In the first 16th Century, Ecchu Province didn’t have a strong warlord, but was divided between the Jinbo Clan, the Shina Clan, the Ikkoshu Sect and others. The province had the Toyama Plain in the center, which was surrounded by hills in the south, the east and the west. They built a lot of mountain castles on the area of the hills to maintain their territories. Masuyama Castle was called one of the three greatest mountain castles in Ecchu Province followed by Moriyama Castle and Matsukura Castle.

The location of the castle

Masuyama Castle was located on the western edge of the hills sticking out of the Toyama Plain from the south. The Wada-gawa River flowed alongside the edge, so it could be a natural water moat. There were a lot of enclosures on the hill such as the First Enclosure and the Second Enclosure.

The relief map around the castle

The map around the castle

Defensive system of Masuyama Castle

To protect these enclosures, the castle had several defensive systems using natural terrains like ridges, cliffs and valleys. For example, some ridges were cut artificially to look like a trench, called Horikiri. Some cliffs were cut vertically, called Kirigishi. Some valleys were used as the dry moats called Karabori.

A typical defensive system of mountain castles (from the signboard at the site)

The soldiers could also get water from several wells easily in order to survive a long siege. Other castles such as Kameyama Castle were built on the hill next to Masuyama Castle so that they could work closely with each other. Even the castle town was developed on the foot of the mountain castle at its peak.

The imaginary drawing of Masuyama Castle

Kenshin Uesugi attacked it three times

It is uncertain when the castle was first built, but the Jinbo Clan owned the castle in the middle of the 16th Century during the Sengoku Period. In 1560, a great warlord by the name of Kenshin Uesugi invaded Ecchu Province and supporting the Shina Clan from Echigo Province (The east of Ecchu Province). The Jinbo Clan was sieged in Masuyama Castle to protect themselves. Kenshin wrote in his letter that Masuyama was an essentially dangerous place and impenetrable with lots of defenders. Kenshin attacked Masuyama Castle three times, and finally captured it in 1576.

上杉謙信肖像画、上杉神社蔵 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

After Kenshin died in 1578, Narimasa Sassa under the Oda Clan took over Masuyama Castle from the Uesugi Clan in 1581. After that, the Maeda Clan supporting the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi and the Tokugawa Shogunate later owned the castle. Some senior vassals from the Maeda Clan stayed in the castle. That meant Masuyama Castle was always an important castle to rule that area. However, the castle was finally abandoned in 1615 due to the Law of One Castle per Province created by the Tokugawa Shogunate. It was said that a wife of the senior vassal who was called Sho-hime was also a daughter of Toshiie Maeda, the founder of the Maeda Clan who managed the castle around the end of its history.

The portrait of Narimasa Sassa, owned by Toyama Municipal Folk Museum *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The portrait of Toshiie Maeda, the founder of the Maeda Clan, private owned (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Masuyama Castle Part2”