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130.Takashima Castle Part2

The Main Enclosure of the castle was developed as a park.

Features

Main Enclosure as Park and rebuilt Main Tower

Now the ruins of Takashima Castle became the modern day Takashima Park. The park includes the Main Enclosure and the water moat of the northern and eastern sides of it. Other enclosures were turned into the city area. Suwa Lake is now about 400m away from the park, so it is difficult to imagine “the floating castle”. The stone walls of the enclosure and the moat are original, and some buildings such as the Main Tower were rebuilt.

The aerial photo around the castle

The rebuilt Main Tower is actually a modern building which looks similar to the original one. The building has a cooper plate roofing, not wooden strip roofing from the original, but they probably resemble each other. The inside of the tower is used as a historical museum and an observation platform. You can see a view of Suwa Lake in the distance from the top. You may also have a feeling of the passage of time.

Three Entrances of Main Enclosure

The Main Enclosure has three entrances. The Kabuki-mon Gate was rebuilt on the heavy stone walls at the northern side of the enclosure. It was also the front gate of it, connected to the Second Enclosure, and only high class people were allowed to use the gate.

The Kawado-mon Gate is at the western side of the enclosure. The remaining building was actually used as the back gate of the Main Hall at the Third Enclosure, and moved to the present position. When the castle was beside the lake, it was possible to take a ship to the lake from this gate.

The ruins of Tsuchido-mon Gate is at the southern side of the enclosure. It was the side gate for people who couldn’t use the front gate, Kabuki-mon.

The Main Hall for the lord was inside the enclosure where a Japanese garden and Suwa-Gokoku Shrine are now.

The Japanese garden in the Main Enclosure

Remaining items and Rebuilt ones

The remaining stone walls surrounding the Main Enclosure still look great today. Three turrets were originally on the stone walls, and only one of them, the Sumi-yagura or the Corner Turret was rebuilt.

The rebuilt Corner Turret on the remaining stone walls

You can see the combination of the Main Tower, the Kabuki-mon Gate, and the Sumi-yagura Turret with the water moat and bridge at the northern side of the enclosure. In my opinion, this is the best spot to take photos.

A view of the northern side of the Main Enclosure

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

130.高島城　その２

城の本丸が公園として整備されています。

特徴、見どころ

公園になった本丸と復興天守

現在、高島城跡は高島公園となっています。この公園は、本丸とその北側と東側の内堀からなっています。他の曲輪は市街地となりました。諏訪湖は今では公園から約４００ｍ離れたところにあります。そのため、「浮き城」であったことを想像するのは困難です。本丸の石垣と堀は元からあるものですが、天守などの建物は復興されたものです。

城周辺の航空写真

復興された天守は実際には近代的なビルであり、元あった天守に似せて作られました。その屋根は銅板葺きであり、元来の杮葺きではありません。それでも恐らく外観は似ています。天守の中は歴史博物館と展望台になっています。最上階からは遠くに諏訪湖の姿を眺めることができます。時の流れを感じるかもしれません。

本丸にある３つの入口

本丸には３つの入口があります。まず、冠木門が本丸北側の重厚な石垣の上に復興されています。この門は本丸の正門であり、二の丸とつながっていました。そして、身分の高い人しかこの門を通ることはできませんでした。

川渡門は本丸の西側にあります。現存するこの建物は実は三の丸にあった御殿の裏門で、現在の場所に移築されてきました。城が湖畔にあったときは、この門から船を乗り出すことができました。

土戸門跡は、本丸の南側にあります。この門は、正門である冠木門を使えない人たちのための通用門でした。

城主のための御殿が本丸の中にありましたが、現在は日本庭園と諏訪護国神社があります。

今に残るものと復興されたもの

現存する本丸を囲む石垣は今なお立派に見えます。元は３基の櫓が石垣の上にありましたが、その内の１基、隅櫓のみが復興されています。

本丸の北側では、天守、冠木門、隅櫓、水堀やそれにかかる橋とのコラボレーションを楽しめます。個人的には、ここが写真が映える場所だと思います。

「高島城その３」に続きます。
「高島城その１」に戻ります。

130.Takashima Castle Part1

A castle once at lakeside

Location and History

Suwa Area and Suwa Clan with Long History

Suwa Area of Nagano Prefecture is famous for its tourist spots like Suwa Lake and Suwa-taisha Shrine which are related to Takashima Castle. The shrine is said to have originated from a god in the oldest remaining history book called Kojiki. The god was also supposed to be the origin of the Suwa Clan that had been the lord of Suwa District of Shinano Province (same as now Suwa Area) and “Ohori” or the highest rank of the saints in Shinto at the shrine until the first 16th Century during the Sengoku Period. They still lived in other mountain castles.

The aerial photo around Suwa Lake

Suwa-taisha Shrine (licensed by Saigen Jiro via Wikimedia Commons)

Invasion by Shingen Takeda

Shingen Takeda, one of the greatest warlords of Kai Province next to Shinano Province, aimed to invade the province. He defeated the Suwa Clan in 1542 and governed Suwa District. The Takeda Clan was also defeated by Nobunaga Oda in 1582. However, there was a confusion in the district when Nobunaga was killed in the same year. People in the district invited one of the Suwa Clan’s relatives who remained as Ohori at Suwa-taisha Shrine as their new lord, Yoritada Suwa.

The ranges of Shinano Province and Suwa District (the highlighted part)

The portrait of Shingen Takeda, owned by Jimyo-in Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Takayoshi Hineno built Takashima Castle

When Hideyoshi Toyotomi gained the power at the end of the 16th Century, he sent his retainer, Takayoshi Hineno to Suwa District. Yoritada Suwa was regretfully transferred to another province however. Takayoshi built a new castle alongside Suwa Lake called Takashima Castle bringing advanced techniques for that time from western Japan. The castle had four enclosures in a line facing the lake. Only one route was accessible to the enclosure at the edge of the castle. That means the castle could be very defensive.

The layout of Takashima Castle (licensed by Fraxinus2 via Wikimedia Commons)

The Main Enclosure was surrounded by stone walls which must have been very difficult to build them on the lakeside. They were actually built on wooden rafts in order to be stable even on the soft ground. The Main Enclosure also had the three-story Main Tower which was rare for eastern Japan at that time. The tower had a wood strip roofing different from other castles which usually used roof tiles. This is because the wooden tiles made the weight of the tower lighter on the soft ground and were more durable against the cold climate of the area.

The Main Enclosure surrounded by the stone walls

The old photo of the original Main Tower, exhibited by Suwa Takashima Castle

Suwa Clan revived and maintained Castle

In 1601 after the Tokugawa Shogunate gained the power instead of the Toyotomi Clan, the Suwa Clan came back to Suwa District. They supported the Shogunate very well in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Yoritada Suwa’s son, Yorimizu became the lord of Takashima Domain and lived in Takashima Castle. In the peaceful time during the Edo Period, a view of the castle with Suwa Lake became a popular attraction in the area, called “the floating castle of Suwa”. Some Ukiyo-e artists such as Hokusai Katsushika drew paintings of the scenery for their Ukiyo-e or woodblock prints. On the other hand, the reclamation of Suwa Lake was done to make more farms and to prevent floods through the Edo Period. Takashima Castle was moving away far from the lake.

The Suwa Clan’s family crest, Suwa Kajinoha or Paper mulberry leaves of Suwa (licensed by Mukai via Wikimedia Commons)

”Suwa Lake in Shinano Province” from the series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” attributed to Hokusai Katsushika in the Edo Period (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Takashima Castle Part2”