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177.Hiketa Castle Part3

The reason why the stone walls exist today

Features

Eastern Enclosure as Lookout

The other one is the Eastern Enclosure which was used as a lookout point. You can actually see a great view of Harima Sea from the enclosure. The primary function of this site was the lookout point. The warriors would have had to watch see transportation in the past. This enclosure was covered with something like rocks which might have been the leftover of the original stone wall.

Harima Sea seen from the Eastern Enclosure

Several meters down the enclosure is the Hiketa-hana light station. It was first built in 1954 which helped lead ships to safety.

Later History

After Hiketa Castle was abandoned, the Takamatsu Domain owned the ruins of the castle. They planted trees while the castle town was eventually turned into a port town and it prospered during the Edo Period. About 100 years ago during the Taisho Era, the ruins of the castle were developed as the Shiro-yama Park built with a hiking trail as well as observation platform. Higashi-Kagawa City which owns the castle ruins started to excavate them back in 2010 and found out the castle was very important in governing the area around. As a result, the ruins were designated as a National Historic Site back in 2020.

The ruins of the observation platform built in the Taisho Era

A view seen from the *ruins of the observation platform*

My Impression

I think that the ruins of Hiketa Castle are very good educational materials for visitors who want to learn what people at that time thought about castles with stone walls and other new structures. They would have felt things would change and a new era would come, otherwise, such stone walls would not have been built on such a mountain castle which basically did not need stone walls to protect it. That’s why the castle ruins which remain now is so valuable.

The remaining stone walls of the Main Enclosure

The remaining stone walls of the *Northern Second Enclosure*

On the other hand, I also think the ruins still have some other things to be improved on. For example, the latest official brochure doesn’t match what the signposts say at the site in several points. Visitors may get confused. I also hope that the original Main Route will be restored in the future, open to visitors.

“The Southern Enclosure” this signpost says isn’t written in the official brochure

In addition, the Hiketa Town still has old rows of merchants’ houses. They are another good place to visit. You can also buy souvenirs there such as local soy sauces and sweets made from refined sugar called Wasanbon.

The old rows of merchants’ houses at the Hiketa Town *(licensed by 663highland via Wikimedia Commons)*

Assorted sweets made from refined sugar called Wasanbon

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 10 minutes away from Hiketa IC on the Takamatsu Expressway.
You can park beside the Tanoura Campsite or Hiketa Port.
By train, it is about 30 minutes away from JR Hiketa Station on foot.
To get to Hiketa Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Tokaido or Sanyo Shinkansen super express and transfer at Okayama Station to the Seto-Ohashi Line. Take a train called the Marine Liner bound for Takamatsu, then transfer again at Takamatsu Station to the Kotoku Line.

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Hiketa Castle Part1”
Back to “Hiketa Castle Part2”

177.引田城　その３

この城の石垣が今日存在している意味は何でしょうか。

特徴、見どころ

見張り台としての東丸

もう一つは東丸で、見張りの場所として使われていました。この曲輪からは播磨灘の素晴らしい景色を眺めることができます。この地点の主な役割は、周りを監視することでした。かつては、武士たちはここから海上交通の様子を見張っていたことでしょう。この曲輪は岩のようなものに覆われていますが、もとからあった石垣の一部が残っているのかもしれません。

ここから少し下ったところには引田鼻灯台があります。この灯台は1954年に建てられ、船の安全な航行を助けています。

その後

引田城が廃城になった後、高松藩が城跡を所有していました。城跡は植林され、城下町はやがて港町となり、江戸時代の間繁栄を続けました。約１００年前の大正時代、城跡は城山公園として開発され、ハイキングコースや展望台が設置されました。現在城跡を所有している東かがわ市は、去る2010年に城跡の発掘を開始したところ、引田城がこの周辺の地域を治めるのに重要な役割を果たしたことが判明しました。その結果、城跡は2020年に国の史跡に指定されました。

私の感想

引田城は、その当時の人々が石垣や他の新しい構造をもった城に対してどう思っていたのか知るためのとても良い教材だと思うのです。人々は物事が変わり、新しい時代が来たことを感じたのではないでしょうか。そうでなければ、このような石垣が、このような山城には築かれなかったのではないでしょうか。基本的に山城には石垣がなくても城を守ることができたからです。この城跡が今に残っていることがとても貴重である理由は、そこにあるのです。

一方、この城跡で改善してほしい事もいくつかあります。例えば、最新の公式パンフレットに記載されている内容が、現地の標柱で表示している内容と一部合っていません。観光客は困惑してしまいます。あと、大手道を復旧し、観光客向けに開放していただきたいです。

余談ですが、引田の町には古い商家の街並みが残っています。ここも訪れてみてはいかがでしょうか。そこには、地元の醤油や、和三盆と呼ばれる上質な砂糖から作られる和菓子などのお土産物もあります。

引田の街並み *(licensed by 663highland via Wikimedia Commons)*

和三盆から作られた和菓子 *(taken by KOMI from photoAC)*

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：
高松自動車道の引田ICから約１０分かかります。
田の浦キャンプ場か引田港の近くに駐車できます。
電車の場合は、ＪＲ引田駅から歩いて約３０分かかります。
東京か大阪から引田駅まで：東海道新幹線か山陽新幹線に乗って、岡山駅で瀬戸大橋線に乗り換えてください。高松行きのマリンライナーに乗って、高松駅で高徳線に再度乗り換えてください。

リンク、参考情報

・「続日本100名城」スタンプラリーを実施中！～引田城～、東かがわ市
・萩原さちこの城さんぽ、第３５号引田城
・「日本の城改訂版第１５５号」デアゴスティーニジャパン
・「東かがわ市内遺跡発掘調査報告書、引田城址」東かがわ市教育委員会

これで終わります。ありがとうございました。
「引田城その１」に戻ります。
「引田城その２」に戻ります。

177.Hiketa Castle Part2

The great stone walls of the castle, the great view from the castle

Features

Becoming hiking trail now

Now, the ruins of Hiketa Castle has also become a hiking trail. There are two trails to the top of the mountain called the Tanoura Campsite side route and the Hiketa Port side route. If you drive to the castle ruins, it’s better for you to park beside the Tanoura Campsite side route.

The map around the castle

The location map of Hiketa Castle Ruins at the site

The trail is steep, but the top area is relatively flat. That meant it was a good point for a mountain castle as it was difficult to attack but easy to defend. You will first find the Northern Enclosure which has no stone walls. It was thought that the enclosure remained the same as what it had been before the Ikoma Clan came. However, the clan didn’t use it as their castle.

The entrance of the Tanoura Campsite side route

You can see the trail is very steep from above

Great stone walls of Northern Second Enclosure

You will now see the apex of the castle, the doubled tier stone walls which surrounded the Northern Second Enclosure. The upper tier is 2 to 3m high and the lower tier is 5 to 6m high. So together, they are almost 10m high in total. Though the upper one is unfortunately covered to prevent it from collapsing, even just seeing the lower one is great.

Approaching the Northern Second Enclosure

The upper tier of the stone walls of the Northern Second Enclosure

The lower tier of the stone walls of the Northern Second Enclosure

These stone walls are originally form the Ikoma Clan’s period which can’t be seen in other castles like Takamatsu and Marugame Castles. This is because both castles were improved and developed by other lords after the Ikoma Clan. Only the remaining old stone walls at the foot of Marugame Castle might have been built by the Ikoma Clan.

It was said that this enclosure had the Main Hall for the lord and there was the Main Gate under the enclosure. That is the reason why the great stone walls were built to show the authority of the lord to the visitors. Finally, the original Main Route to the Main Gate is not being used now.

The inside of the Northern Second Enclosure

Great view from Main Enclosure

From the Northern Second Enclosure, other enclosures spread into two directions which look like the letter U. One of them is the Main Enclosure in the south. It is long and narrow and faces the Hiketa Port. It also has some remaining stone walls and the ruins of the base for a Main Tower. Therefore, the enclosure would have stood out in the past. You can see a good view of the port and Hiketa town from the enclosure. That meant people in Hiketa would have looked up at the buildings and stone walls clearly in the past.

A view of Hiketa Port seen from around the base for the tower

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