English – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

27.Ueda Castle Part2

Features

Introduction

This article will start from Ueda Station which the bullet trains stop and it is a very popular destination. The center of Ueda Castle has become Ueda Castle Ruins Park, about 1km away from the station. However, the castle was larger than the park, which means we will see other attractions of the castle on the way from the station. Atter arriving at the park, we will next see the main enclosure with the remaining turrets and natural hazards for the castle such as “Amagafuchi”. We will finally visit some sites regarding the battles of Ueda; Toishi Castle Ruins and Kangawa River, which are little far away from Ueda Castle.

Attractions in the Town

Let us first go along the street in front of the station after you exit the Oshiro-guchi exit of the station.

Turn left at the “Chuo-Nichome” intersection, then you will walk on the Ote-dori Street.

You will soon see the street winding down, which is the ruins of the main gate. This spot is said to have been one of the battle grounds during the battles of Ueda. It used to be surrounded by stone walls and moats, forming a defensive square space, called Masugata during the Edo Period. However, it was also said that the gate didn’t have buildings because of the cancelation of the reconstruction by Tadamasa Sengoku.

The ruins of the main gate; I recommend crossing the street to access the small park. Please be careful when crossing the street since there are no traffic lights

The display of the third enclosure which had the main gate; The sign says this is the 3rd enclosure of Ueda Castle where The Battle of Ueda took place

There are the ruins of the residence for the lords of the Ueda Domain since Nobuyuki Sanada was in power, which is now used as a high school. Its front gate and earthen walls and water moats have survived. However, if you look at the corner of the earthen walls, you will notice the corner lacks an edge. The reason for this will be explained in the later parts.

The ruins of the residence (the remaining gate); Unfortunately, the gates were closed that day because it was a holiday. Normally the gates are open for high school students

The remaining earthen walls and water moats; When it’s spring, or summer you will see lotus flowers on the water

As we continue to walk towards the park, there are the ruins of another residence, called Naka-yashiki. It has been turned into an elementary school, where only the base of the residence has survived. Historians point out that the residence might have been used by Masayuki Sanada, the founder of the castle.

When you get close to the park, you will also find the ruins of the domain school, called “Meirindo”.

Visiting the Second and Main Enclosures

Let us go across the bridge over the moat to enter the eastern entrance of the second enclosure, which is also the park entrance.

If you look at the inside, you will see the turrets of the main enclosure on the left over there. Visitors can go straight there through the second enclosure today. However, visitors in the past were not able to do so due to the Masugata system at the entrance. In addition, there was a large moat, called “Sanjikken-bori” and the waiting area for the warriors, called “Musha-damari”, in the enclosure to avoid the visitors from walking straight. The officials are currently researching the areas in order to restore the Musha-damari in the future.

The entrance which had the Masugata system; The front used to be the old location for the Masugata. In the back where you see red cones will be the future location of the Musah-damari

The Musha-damari area which is being researched

The displays about the future restoration

The eastern entrance of the main enclosure has become a viewing spot of the castle. There is the restored turret gate between the remaining southern turret on the left and northern turret on the right.

The southern turret on the left, the turret gat on the center, and the northern turret on the right; The sign on the left have cutouts for faces where visitors can stick their head out and pretend to be a samurai

There is also the largest stone of the castle beside the gate, called “Sanada-ishi(stone)”. its name came from a folklore which says when Nobuyuki Sanada wanted to leave the castle with this stone, but it was too heavy for him to carry. However, historians speculate that the stone walls including it were built by Tadamasa Sengoku.

If you enter the gate, you will eventually see the Sanada Shrine in the front. The shrine worships not only the Sanada Clan but also the Sengoku and Matsudaira Clans.

You can also see the other remaining western turret in the back of the shrine. It was once the only remaining building of the castle. It looks like it is still hanging on the cliffs. If you stand by the turret, the view with the cliffs opens up so that you will better understand the location of the castle.

Let us next got to the center of the main enclosure. There were no buildings in the center from the beginning.

Autumn leaves in the enclosure; In the Spring, visitors will be able to see cherry blossoms instead of the Japanese maple tree

There were 7 turrets around the enclosure. In fact, there were 2 turrets at the northeastern corner of the enclosure. These two were built close to each other but unfortunately, they didn’t survive. The method was not effective for the defensive system. In addition, no one knows their original names.

The ruins of the first turret at the comer

The ruins of the second turret at the comer

There was one turret at the northwestern corner of the enclosure. The rooftiles with golden leaves were found in the moats nearby. That means there might have been the main tower there during the Sanada Period.

The rooftiles were found around the corner

Let us go out of the enclosure and walk around it in order to solve the question of why there were two turrets at the northeastern corner. We will go through the western entrance of the enclosure. It also had the Masugata system. If you walk along the water moat of the enclosure, you will notice the enclosure is the highest enclosure in the castle.

The western entrance of the main enclosure

The water moat of the main enclosure at its northwestern corner

When we arrive at the northeastern corner of the moat, you will find the corner of the main enclosure lacks an edge. This system is called “Sumi-otoshi” which means “lack of the corner”. It is said that the system originated from a tradition that misfortunes come from the northeastern direction. People believed that the shape of the northeastern corner would avoid the misfortunes. The system is one of the features of Ueda Castle. The lacking of the edge of the corner of the residence ruins we saw also came from it. If you look at the illustration of the castle during the Edo Period, you will notice several areas lacking edges at the same direction.

The “Sumi-otoshi” system at the northeastern corner of the main enclosure

Part of the illustration of Ueda Castle in Shinano Province, exhibited by National Archives of Japan

The remaining Natural Hazards

Let us next visit where we can see the castle was built using natural hazards. We will walk down from beside the bridge we first entered to the bottom of the dry moat under the bridge. The bottom has been converted to a good straight pavement which originates from a railway during the Showa Era. If you turn right at the edge of the pavement, you will come the cliff area of the southern part of the castle. The cliffs faced a branch of Chikuma River, called “Amagafuchi”. They are about 12m high and 3 layered. The layers have different terrains which were made from volcanic activities and river flows, which make the cliffs vulnerable.

The tunnel under the bridge to the entrance of the park

The cliffs on the southern part of the castle

We will eventually arrive at a large square where the branch of Chikuma River flowed. You will be able to see the entire cliff area from there. It was said that after the great flood in 1732, the main flow of Chikuma River might have flowed there, too. The Ueda Domain built the remaining stone walls covering the cliffs in order to maintain them and protect the shore. The river was moved to its original position and the Amagafuchi area turned dry due to the modern constructions during the Taisho Era.

For example, if you look at the stone walls under the southern turret of the main enclosure, you will notice they have three tiers. The upper tier was first built as the turret base. The lower tier was built next as the shore protection. The middle tier was finally built in order to maintain the cliffs. However, the surface of the cliffs is not flat, so the builders were not able to cover all of them. In addition, the builders also had to rebuild the walls several times because they kept collapsing. The original cliffs are partially covered with mortar by the recent repairs.

We will next walk towards the western part of the cliffs. You can see the western turret of the main enclosure is still errected alone on the cliffs.

Three are other natural hazards around the castle such as the former large moats. One of them is the ruins of Hiro-hori, which means “large moat” outside of the ruins of the western entrance on the second enclosure. However, the moat has been turned into a baseball field.

The other moat was outside of the northern entrance of the second enclosure. The entrance still has stone walls. The walls were restored recently using the few remaining original stones.

The northern entrance of the second enclosure; You’ll notice the stone walls have a blue color because of recent modern construction

The moat was called Hyakken-bori, which means “180m wide moat”. (Hyaku = 100, ken = 1.8m, a traditional Japanese measurement unit, and bori = moat) It has become a huge playground. These grounds had originally been rivers and were turned into the moats.

The places related to Battles of Ueda

Let me introduce other few places related to the battles of Ueda. One of them is the ruins of Toishi Castle. The site is about 7km away from Ueda Castle, so it may be better for you to use a car to get there. Nobuyuki Sanada used Toishi Castle during the first battle of Ueda. His brother, Nobushige used it as well during the second battle of Ueda. The castle has always been important, even before their time. For example, Shingen Takeda wanted to capture the castle where Yoshikiyo Murakami lived. However, Shingen was defeated badly, this was often referred to as “Toishi-kuzure” which means “collapsing at Toishi”. After that, Yukitaka Sanada, who was the founder of the clan and began working under Shingen, managed to quickly capture the castle by conspiracy. This incident enabled the clown to prosper later on.

Toishi Castle was very large, in fact, it was the aggregate of 4 smaller castles: Komeyama, Toishi, Honjo and Masugata. This time, let us visit one of them, the small Toishi Castle because it is the highest of the 4 smaller castles where we would see Ueda Castle clearly.

The explanation of the 4 smaller castles on the signboard at the site; On the map, you’ll noticed dotted lines that show you the hiking trail

From the parking lot at the foot of the mountain, we will next enter the imitation turret gate to go on the trail.

After climbing for a while, we will arrive at the fork to the Komeyama Castle and Toishi Castle. This is where you turn right.

We need to continue to climb long steep slopes to get there. The slopes were probably part of the castle’s defensive system.

We will eventually see something like a gate and steps which are made of stones. They are likely to have been an entrance of the mountain castle.

We will soon get there.

We have reached the top!

Can we see Ueda Castle from the top?

I think Ueda castle is in the area covered with trees in front of the chimney of the waste treatment facility.

The area around Ueda Castle; It’s hard to see, but in the distance, you will see a chimney with smoke coming out, this is basically Ueda Castle Park

We will finally visit the area around Kangawa River where the severe battle happened during the first battle of Ueda. There is also Shinano-Kokubunji Temple where Nobuyuki Sanada of the Eastern Allies along his father, Masayuki of the Western Allies met during the second battle of Ueda.

The stone monument of the meeting between Nobuyuki and Masayuki

We have reached Kangawa River but unfortunately it’s getting dark. The river flows from the area near Toishi Castle to Chikuma River. That meant it was one of the most important defensive lines for Ueda Caste although it looks nothing special now.

That’s all. Thank you.

Back to “Ueda Castle Part1”

27.Ueda Castle Part1

Ueda Castle, which was located in the current Ueda City in Nagano Prefecture, is very famous because of the Sanada Clan. When the clan owned the castle, they repelled the invasions from the Tokugawa troops twice. However, the castle was destroyed by the Tokugawa Shogunate after the battles. After that, other clans rebuilt and maintained the castle, but they are not popular for the general people. Therefore, this article will describe not only about the Sanada Clan, but also the other clans (Sengoku and Fujii Matsudaira) regarding the castle.

Location and History

Introduction

The current Ueda Castle, the entrance of the main enclosure

From building Ueda Castle to the First Battle of Ueda

Masayuki Sanada, who first built the castle, was born in 1547 as the third son of Yukitaka Sanada. Yukitaka was a lord in Shinano Province (the current Nagano Prefecture) and became a senior vassal of Shingen Takeda, one of the greatest warlords at that time. In his later life, Yukitaka invaded the western area of the Kozuke Province (the current Gunma Prefecture). Masayuki eventually followed the invasion after he became the successor of his father. In 1579, he captured Numata Castle, one of the most important points of the province. Masayuki was still one of the Takeda’s retainers, but he behaved as if he was an independent lord.

The portrait of Masayuki Sanada, privately owned (licensed under Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

In 1582, the Takeda Clan, which was Masayuki’s master, was defeated by Nobunaga Oda, who was soon killed in the Honnoji Incident as well. That meant the large territories, which the Takeda Clan owned, became unoccupied area for other great warlords around. The Tokugawa, Hojo, and Uesugi Clans immediately started to invade the area. However, the area included Masayuki’s territories. He first allied with the Uesugi Clan but later on switched to the Hojo Clan, then finally the Tokugawa Clan in order to maintain his territories.

The portrait of Kagekatsu Uesugi who was the lord of the clan at that time, owned by Uesugi Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Ujimasa Hojo who was the lord of the clan at that time, owned by Odawara Castle (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The Portrait of Ieyasu Tokugawa, who was the lord of the clan at that time, attributed to Tanyu Kano, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

He lived in Toishi Castle which was built on a mountain at the Ueda area. Ueda Castle would be built on a plain land near the mountain castle when Masayuki was at the Tokugawa’s side. This was because this spot was very important for the intersection of roads and Chikuma River. It was also the border of the Tokugawa and the Uesugi Clans. Therefore, the castle would be the strong frontline of the Tokugawa Clan against the Uesugi Clan. Historians speculate that the construction of the castle was completely supported by the Tokugawa Clan. Kagekatsu Uesugi, who was the lord of the clan, ordered his retainers to halt the construction. The Tokugawa Clan also had to protect it.

The ruins of Toishi Castle; Be careful when climbing the stairs because it’s very steep

Even though the castle was built on a plain, it was protected by natural hazards. For example, it had natural steep cliffs to the south, which were created by a branch of the Chikuma River, called “Amagafuchi”. The builders also used other rivers to protect the castle. The flow of Yadesawa River was changed to build the natural outer moat to the north and the west, which faced the Uesugi’s territories. The original flow was used to make inner moats surrounding the castle. The center of the castle on a hill was turned into several enclosures, such as the main and second enclosures. The east of the castle was still waterlogged; however, it was partially used as residential areas. The construction was done between 1583 and 1585. You can see the drawing of the castle during that time, inside the Ueda City Museum.

The current southern side of the castle; The bottom of the castle wall used to be a river, but it is now dry and used as a walkway that leads to the park

The ruins of one of the inner moats, called Hyakken-bori

The drawing of the castle during its first stage, exhibited by the Ueda City Museum

Just after the castle was completed, Masayuki switched sides from the Tokugawa to the Uesugi Clan again. This was because Ieyasu Tokugawa, who was the lord of the clan, promised to give the Hojo Clan Kozuke Province in order to make peace. That meant Masayuki would have to give up his Numata Castle in the province. He couldn’t stand giving up the castle. However, this decision caused him to fight against the two great warlords (the Tokugawa and Hojo Clans) at the same time. The Hojo Clan had been wanting to capture Numata Castle for a long time. Ieyasu was also very angry about Msayuki’s decision. Ieyasu expected Masayuki to give up Numata Castle after he had given him Ueda Castle, but this was not the case. Therefore, Ieyasu ordered his retainers to destroy the Sanada Clan, which triggered the first battle of Ueda.

The number of the Tokugawa troops was about 7,000 while that of the Sanada Clan was only 2,000. In addition, Ueda Castle was more vulnerable to the east which faced the Tokugawa’s territories, compared to the other directions. There were only protective fences facing the eastern direction. Masayuki’s plan was to divide his few soldiers between Ueda Castle and other branch castles. He also ordered them to ignore the important defensive lines to the east, Kangawa River and Someya Castle. That meant the Tokugawa troops could easily attack Ueda Castle, and they actually did it. However, many of the Tokugawa soldiers were inexperienced and overconfident. Once the Tokugawa side reached the second enclosure of the castle, the Sanada troops suddenly counterattacked. The Tokugawa Troops were very confused and withdrew but they were blocked by the fences behind them. Miraculously they managed to get to get back to Kangawa river, but the other remaining Sanada troops attacked them. Many of them were killed, which resulted in the Tokugawa’s lost.

The second enclosure of Ueda Castle, which is the current entrance of the castle park

This battle would eventually lead to the independence of the Sanada Clan with their honor. This stunt can only be done by Masayuki.

The Castle is improved under the Toyotomi Government until the 2nd Battle of Ueda

Masayuki’s choice after the 1st battle was to try to serve under Hideyoshi Toyotomi who was the new ruler of Japan. Hideyoshi called Masayuki “a man like the two sides of the same coin” and tried to defeat him. However, for some reason, Hideyoshi accepted Masayuki saying in his letter “I’ll forgive you just this time”. Masayuki had to work under Ieyasu again due to Hideyoshi’s order. Ieyasu also accepted the Sanada Clan by marrying Nobuyuki, Masayuki’s son with his adopted daughter. That meant the two biggest lords recognized the strength and threat of the Sanada Clan. This is how the clan became an independent lord family under the Toyotomi government. Numata Castle, one of the most important castles of the clan, was once given to the Hojo Clan by Hideyoshi’s order. However, the castle was soon returned to the Sanada Clan due to the Battle of Odawara, where the Hojo Clan was defeated.

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

Ueda Castle was improved as one of the important castles under the Toyotomi government. Some believe that the castle had the main tower during the improvement. However, it is still uncertain as followed.

Supporting opinions:
The rooftiles with golden leaf and grampus rooftiles at that time were excavated from the moats of the main enclosure. Other important castles nearby, using the same or similar rooftiles, had their main towers, such as Matsumoto, Takashima, and Komoro Castles. An old map of Ueda Castle during the Edo Period says there were the ruins of the main tower. Therefore, Ueda Castle must have had its own main tower.

One of the excavated rooftiles with golden leaf, exhibited by the Ueda City Museum

The old map including the ruins of the main tower, supported by *Ueda City Multimedia Information Center*

Opposing opinions:
In the case of Ueda Castle, rooftiles with golden leaf were also excavated at other enclosures aside from the main enclosure. That means main halls or other turrets might have used them. In addition, no trace of the main tower base was ever found in the main enclosure at all. The main tower of Ueda Castle did not necessarily exist.

So far, we can say the castle at least had luxurious buildings in it with these rooftiles. Historians speculate if the castle had the main tower, it was not so large that it might have only been 3 levels.

The castle was also fortified to make its eastern area more defensive. For example, the third enclosure, including the main gate, was built in the area. The castle town was also built outside the enclosure. Many temples gathered in the town because they would become the positions for soldiers when battles happened.

The ruins of the main gate; This modern-day road used to exhibit a Masugata system (a special design that forced enemies to turn at a right angle in order to attack the castle)

Gessoji Temple, which was built outside the castle

After Hideyoshi died, the decisive battles happened in 1600. The Sanada Clan first tried to join Ieyasu Tokugawa’s troops which would be called the Eastern Allies. They were going to the east to destroy the Uesugi Clan which was against Ieyasu. However, once the clan received the letter of impeachment to Ieyasu from the magistrates of the Western Allies, it made their decision tougher. One order was for Nobuyuki to stay with the Eastern allies,while Masayuki and Nobushige, who was Nobuyuki’s little brother, would join the Western Allies. It is thought that this decision came from Masayuki’s experiences so that some of the clan would survive no matter which allies won.

“Inubushi Mitsudan-zu”, the picture showing the secret meeting before their parting, *supported by the Ueda City Museum*; On the right is Masayuki, on the left are his sons Nobuyuki and Nobushige

Ieyasu went back to the west to destroy the Western Allies through Tokaido Road along the seaside. He also sent about 38,000 soldiers, led by Hidetada Tokugawa, Ieyasu’s successor, through Nakasendo Road along the mountain areas. He then ordered Hidetada to capture Ueda Castle, which Masayuki and Nobushige were holding, on the way to the west. The second battle of Ueda would occur. The number of the soldiers in the castle was only about 3,000, so the plan of Masayuki this time was to delay the Eastern Army as followed.

The Portrait of Hidetada Tokugawa, owned by Saifukuji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The timeline of the 2nd battle of Ueda

September 2nd (according to the lunar calendar): Hidetada arrived at Komoro Castle, about 20 km away from Ueda Castle to the west.
September 3rd: Masayuki made an offer to surrender to Hidetada through Nobuyuki.
September 4th: Hidetada went to battle because Masayuki did not do what he had said.
Nobuyuki’s troops went to Toishi Castle which Nobushige held to capture it.
September 5th: Nobushige went back to Ueda Castle without fighting.

Their first battle was on September 6th, but its details are uncertain. This is because some records say it was a skirmish while others say Masayuki’s troops won like he used to do in the first battle of Ueda. At the very least, what I can say for sure is that Hidetada didn’t do a full-scale attack as followed.

September 8th: Hidetada received a letter from Ieyasu, telling Hidetada to immediately leave to go to the west.
September 11th: Hidetada left Komoro Castle for the battlefield to fight against the Western Allies.

As a result, Hidetada spent about 10 precious days without capturing Ueda Castle and was not able to join the battle of Sekigahara on September 15th. Masayuki’s plan was successful again. However, the Eastern Allies won on that day. Masayuki and Nobushige were eventually placed under house arrest at Kudoyama in Kii Province (the current Wakayama Prefecture). Masayuki died there after 11 years, and but Nobushige managed to escape to became famous during the sieges of Osaka Castle between 1614 and 1615.

The portrait of Nobushige Sanada, owned by Ueda City Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Ueda Castle finally belonged to Nobuyuki, but the center of the castle was destroyed by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Its moats were buried, and its enclosures were turned into farms. Nobuyuki stayed in his residence at the third enclosure. You can see the drawing of the castle during that time, inside the Ueda City Museum. He was eventually promoted and moved to Matsushiro Castle in 1622.

The portrait of Nobuyuki Sanada, privately owned *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The old map showing the buried moats, and the farm which was the former enclosures, exhibited by the Ueda City Museum

Tadamasa Sengoku reconstructs Ueda Castle

Ueda Castle was mostly abandoned before Tadamasa Sengoku came to the castle as the new lord of the Ueda Domain in 1622. He had been the lord of Komoro Castle, so he joined the second battle of Ueda as well. It was said that when he became the lord of Ueda Castle, Hidetada Tokugawa, who was the shogun at that time, told him as followed. “You may reconstruct Ueda Castle however you like as I will pay for the expenses.” Hidetada was the person who suffered from the castle during the second battle of Ueda earlier on. However, it is still a mystery why he was allowed to reconstruct the castle as well as why he was given money for the castle. The reconstruction started in 1626 after it was formally permitted by the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The portrait of Tadamasa Sengoku, owned by the Ueda City Museum (licensed under Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Tadamasa gave his detailed instructions to the construction builders. According to the instructions, it seemed like he tried to restore the castle during the Sanada’s period. For example, they say that if the moats of the old castle had distortions, he ordered the build to dig to widen the moats than they were in order to make them straight. That meant the layout of the castle would be similar to the old castle. However, the remaining stone walls you see now at the castle were all built by the Sengoku Clan. Part of them, which look very old, might have been built by the Sanada Clan. If so, the Sengoku Clan might also have rebuilt the stone walls by using the old stones.

One of the stone walls which the Sengoku Clan originally built

One of the old stone walls which the Sanada Clan might have originally built

Although the main tower was not built in the main enclosure, the enclosure had seven turrets and two gates along its perimeter. However, it had no buildings in the center, like the main hall. That meant the purpose of the castle was only for reconstruction. Tadamasa planned to construct other buildings in the second enclosure, but it was canceled because of his death in 1628. The structure of the castle, built by Tadamasa, was maintained by the following lords of the Ueda Domain until the end of the Edo Period. You can see the illustration of the castle after the reconstruction, exhibited by National Archives of Japan. So, what did Tadamasa think about Ueda Castle? He might have admired the castle because of the activities of the Sanada Clan.

The Government under the Fujii Matsudaira Clan

In 1706, Tadachika Matsudaira became the lord of the Ueda Domain in place of the Sengoku Clan. His clan was sometimes referred to as the Fujii Matsudaira Clan in order to classify many Matsudaira Clans. It is one of the 18 Matsudaira which had been the relatives of the shoguns before Ieyasu Tokugawa was born. (In fact, Ieyasu himself was one of them.) The reason for the replacement would be that Tadachika was a close vassal of the 5th shogun, Tsunayoshi Tokugawa. He may have been given a closer territory than that he had had in the Izushi Domain (in the current Hyogo Province) by the shogun. The clan also maintained Ueda Castle and the government which the other clans had made.

The armor Tadachika had, exhibited by the Ueda City Museum

However, the most serious problems for the castle were caused by natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, and fires. In 1732 during Tadachika’s son, Tadazane’s period, a heavy flood from Chikuma River destroyed the cliffs of the southern side of the castle. Tadazane had to rebuild stone walls on the cliffs to protect them from the river for the next 4 years. We can still see the stone walls on the cliffs now. The clan also had to repair and maintain other stone walls of the castle many times due to harsh weathers and deteriorations.

Let me introduce Tadakata Matsudaira, the 6th lord of the Fujii-Matsudaira Clan during the end of the Edo Period. He was less popular than other politicians at that time like Masahiro Abe, Masayoshi Hotta and Naosuke Ii. However, he was one of the politicians who devoted themselves to opening the country to other western countries. When he became the lord of the Ueda Domain, the domain often suffered from famines because of the cold weathers. Therefore, he encouraged people to boost the sericultural industry (the process of breeding silkworms in order to produce silk fabrics) which was more stable. These experiences may have led his policy towards opening the country to the western countries. When the U.S. fleet led by Matthew Perry arrived at Japan in 1853, he was a member of the shogun’s council of elders. He insisted that Japan should open the country as well as allow trading with other countries. Masahiro Abe, who was the head of the members, decided to finally open the country. Ater that, Masayoshi Hotta and he negotiated with the U.S. consul, Townsend Harris about the trade treaty. Tadataka insisted again that Japan would immediately conclude the treaty despite not having the proper permission by the emperor, against Masayoshi and Naosuke Ii’s advice who thought they would need the permission. Tadataka strongly believed that the trade with foreign countries must have resulted in the national interests. After he quit the post of the members, he began selling the silk fabrics from his domain by exporting them to the countries.

The armor Tadakata had, exhibited by the Ueda City Museum

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Ueda Castle was eventually abandoned, and its lands and buildings were sold. As a result, the lands became farms. A rich merchant, named Heihachiro Maruyama appeared under such a situation. He earned his money by selling wooden materials and silk, maybe thanks to the policies of Tadakata Matsudaira. He bought the land of the main enclosure and donated it for the shrine which would worship the Fujii- Matsudaira Clan, the former lord family of the castle. The shrine became the current Sanada Shrine in the enclosure, which now worships the Sanada, Sengoku, and Matsudaira Clans. Then, in the second enclosure, there was once a prison and an isolation hospital before Ueda City bought the land back. The city turned the main and second enclosures into Ueda Castle Ruins Park. The park was also designated as a National Historic Site in 1934. As for the castle’s buildings, there was once the only remaining building as the western turret at the site. Other turret buildings, called the northern and southern turrets, were used in the pleasure district of Ueda. When these buildings were going to be sold again, the citizens in Ueda were worried about it. Therefore, they decided to bay the buildings and restored them back to the original positions in 1949. The gate between the turret buildings was restored as well in 1994. The city is now considering restoring the other 4 turret buildings in order to complete the 7 turrets which Tadamasa Sengoku had built for the castle.

The Sanada Shrine; Even though this shrine is called Sanada Shrine, the Sengoku and Matsudaira are worshipped in the same shrine

The remaining southern and northern turrets and restored gate

The miniature model of the main enclosure with the 7 turrets

To be continued in “Ueda Castle Part2”

70.Okayama Castle Part2

Let me first introduce you two courses going towards the current Okayama Castle. The first one is the course going to the front side of the castle from Okayama Station. The second one is that going to the back side along the riverside of Asahigawa. After reaching the castle, let us enter the restored main tower of the castle. By going to The Okayama Korakuen Garden, you will feel like the lord of the castle.

Features

The statue of Momotaro in front of Okayama Station, Momotoro “Peach Boy” is a mythological folklore

The Course to the Front side from Okayama Station

It takes about 2km from Okayama Station to the castle. Therefore, it may be a good idea for you to use the city tram or a rental bicycle.

If you go straight along Momotaro-Odori Street from the station, you will eventually find the area around the street turning into the city area. However, you will also find some explanation panels which say there were the outer moat or the middle moat.

You will eventually arrive at the end of the street, which was inside the inner moat in the past. I recommend you turn to the right because you will soon see the Nishite Turret on the western enclosure, which is one of the few remaining buildings of the castle. It has been designated as a National Important Cultural Property. The turret stood facing the moat.

The end of the street, Going left or right will lead you to the castle, but I highly recommend turning right in order to see the turret

The Nishite Turret on the western enclosure

Let us next walk around the western enclosure along the current roads. You will see the remaining stone walls of the enclosure along them. The roads you are walking on were the moats around the enclosure. You will eventually reach the ruins of Ishiyama-mon Gate. Its gate building was unfortunately burned down during World War II. The entrance of the gate was connected by a bridge on the moat to the outside in the past.

The stone walls of the western enclosure

If you go further, you will see the birthplace of the castle, called “Ishiyama-no-shiro” (which means Ishiyama Castle). However, the stone walls around it were built during the period of the Ikeda Clan, which was much later than when it had been born. If you go around it to the eastern entrance, you will notice it is used as a parking lot now. An interesting thing there is the view of the main tower from the west, which looks very narrow.

The Ishiyama Castle, just behind the stone walls is Ishiyama Castle. The top of the walls is also used as parking lot

The eastern entrance of the Ishiyama Castle, Notice the incline leading up to the castle

You will finally arrive at the main enclosure of the castle. You can go across the bridge over the inner moat, called “Meyasu-Bashi”. The front gate, called “Uchigeba-mon” has a square space being surrounded by its stone walls, called Masugata, though its building didn’t survive.

The main enclosure has three tiers. They are called Hondan, Naka-no-dan, and Shita-no-dan from the top. The Naka-no-dan (which means the middle tier) has been extended during the Kobayakawa and Ikeda Periods. Therefore, the tier has mixed stone walls coming from both periods. If you walk on the lowest tier, the Shita-no-dan (which means the low tier), you will see the stone walls of Onando Turret. They were built during the Kobayakawa Period. The stone walls of the Hondan (which means the main tier) were also modified. When you see their connecting part to the middle tier, you will notice they look very complex. This was because the Kobayakawa and Ikeda Clans renovated them.

The stone walls of the middle tier seen from the lower tier

If you walk up on the ruins of Kurogane-mon gate, you will be at the middle tier. You will also see Akazu-no-mon Gate, the entrance of the main tier nearby.

The entrance to the middle tier on the left and the main tier on the right

The Course to the Back side along Asahigawa River

Our next course will start from Kyobashi Bridge over Asahigawa River. The bridge was first built during the period of Hideie Ukita.

The piers of the Kobashi Bridge which were used during the Edo Period and are exhibited near the current bridge

If you go on the riverside, you will see the ruins of the eastern gate and Soken-yashiki Turret. They are over 500m away from the center of the castle, so you can imagine how large the castle was. You will then find other ruins of a turret, which was located in a senior vassal’s residence at the second enclosure. The total number of the turrets were 30! You will eventually see the distant view of the main tower.

The ruins of the eastern gate,the ruin is not surrounded by a gate, so you might be tempted to step on the ruin. Please don’t because it could be dangerous

The ruins of Soken-yashiki Turret, I wonder what the number on the ground mean.

The ruins of the turret, which was located in the senior vassal’s residence

You should check out the amazing stone walls when you reach the main enclosure. They are called the high stone walls of the southeastern part of the main tier. They were piled up using natural stones in the method called Nozura-zumi during the Ukita period. Their height is about 15m which was one of the highest stone walls at that time. They look like those of Azuchi Castle, whose method was probably mimicked by Okayama Castle.

The high stone walls of the southeastern part of the main tier.

The stone walls of Azuchi Castle; Notice the similarities between the corners of each wall having similar pilled up pattern

If you go further along the river towards the main tower, you will eventually find the joint section of the stone walls of the Ukita and Kobayakawa Periods. The sizes of the stones used during the Kobayakawa Period were smaller than those used in the Ukita Period. The reason for it is uncertain however, but it might have come from an urgent construction by the Kobayakawa Clan. You will eventually arrive at the stone wall base of the main tower after passing a gate which was built during the Ikeda Period.

The left side was built during the Ukita Period, and the right side of these stone walls were built during the Kobayakawa Period

The gate which was built during the Ikeda Period, Notice the partial metal gate sitting at the bottom of the stairs

Many of the stones of the base look burnt. This was because the original main tower collapsed on this side when it was burned down by a US Air Raid during World War II. These stone walls are a living witness to the Japanese history.

The stone wall base of the main tower; Notice the top layer of the stone wall has a different color. This top layer was added when the castle was renovated

You will soon enter the rebuilt back gate of the main enclosure, called Roka-mon, near the main tower. The inside of the gate is the middle tier of the enclosure.

Visiting the Main Tower and the Main Enclosure

Let us next enter the main tier of the main enclosure through the Akazu-no-mon Gate (which means the closed gate). The main tier was exclusive to the residences of the lord, so the gate was usually closed, which was the origin of its name. You will see the stone foundations of the original main tower, which are exhibited on the tier. They were moved to the current positions when the current tower was built.

The stone foundations of the original main tower

The current main tower has apparently been restored and is used as a historical museum. It was recently renovated as well. For example, the room for the lord, which had been built in the original main tower, was recreated in the current tower. There are also interesting exhibitions about the three lord families, called “Sekigahara for each”. They were all involved with the Battle of Sekigahara. The Ukita Clan joined the Western Allies, and the Ikeda Clan joined the Eastern Allies. Meanwhile, the Kobayakaya Clan switched from the Western to the Eastern Allies. Their different positions are exhibited using different theme colors.

The recreated room for the lord on the 2nd floor, on the left side is the Tokonoma (Alcove)

The Ukita Clan’s part of the Sekigahara exhibitions, represented by the color green

The Kobayakawa Clan’s part of the Sekigahara exhibitions, represented by the color red

The Ikeda Clan’s part of the Sekigahara exhibitions, represented by the color purple

If you go up to the 5th floor of the tower, you will see the grampus rooftile with golden leaf, which is the same size as the one used outside. This tower has 8 grampus rooftiles, one of which can be seen from the floor. On the top (6th) floor, you can also see views around the tower, including Okayama Korakuen Garden. In addition, you can take a break at the café space located on the 1st floor, where you can learn more about the castle using the explanation videos with English subtitles. For example, the videos explain a day in the life of the lord.

The grampus rooftile with golden leaf, exhibited on the 5th floor, It was believed that the grampus rooftiles were represented by a fish, because the lords of the castle believed the fish could put out accidental fires

One of the grampus rooftiles on the roofs, seen from the 5th floor

Okayama Korakuen Gaden seen from the top floor

After getting out of the tower, it might be worth re-experiencing the day in the life of the lord. The lord usually went down from his residences at the main tier to the middle tier through another exit after he woke up. We will also leave the tier through the same route as the lord. The exit is beside the main tower which leads to the middle tier. The lord usually walked on the passage of the Roka-mon Gate (Roka means passage) while we will walk down on another slope.

The entrance of the passage of the Roka-mon Gate

The lord entered Shounkaku room of the government office, called “Omote-shoin” to work. His work usually finished in the morning, so he would move to another room called “Minami-zashiki” to enjoy creating art. These rooms didn’t survive; however, their flat arrangements are exhibited on the middle tier. Therefore, we can easily imagine how he spent his days in the past. If he needed to discuss about important issues with his senior vassals, they would gather at the tearoom.

The middle tier in the front, the main tower in the back, and the Roka-mon gate on the left

The ruins of the Omote-shoin office, there was the Shounkaku room in the back and the Minami-zashiki room in the front

The ruins of the tearoom, the square figure sitting in the middle is a tea kettle

Another interesting item of the tier is the excavated stone walls of the Ukita Period. You need to walk down on the steps to see them. The walls are supposed to have been used as part of a gate. That means the middle tier was smaller than that of the Ikeda Period during the Edo Period.

By Visiting Okayama Korakuen Garden, You will feel like the Lord

Before going to the garden, let us check out the Tsukimi Turret, the other remaining building of the castle, on the middle tier. It was built during the Ikeda Period, so it has a different appearance from the main tower which was originally built during the Ukita Period. In addition, the turret looks more elegant when you see it from the inside of the tier, but it looks different when you see it from the outside. It has machicolations on its outside to attack enemies. You will find gun holes on the stone walls next to the turret. These stone walls were piled up using well-processed stones in order to avoid enemies from climbing them. The walls of the turret are covered with thick white plaster to avoid them from burning from fires as well. That’s why it looks white in contrast to the black walls of the main tower. Some say it survived the air-raid during World War II unlike the black tower which burned. It has been designated as a National Important Property as well.

The Tsukimi Turret (inside), Notice the wooden curtain on the top floor, which are used to cover the windows

Then, we will next go to Okayama Korakuen Garden.

In this garden, natural scenery outside is used as the background for it, which includes Okayama Castle.

Natural scenery with the background of Misaoyama Mountain in the distance located in the center of the picture

Natural scenery with the background of Okayama Castle

Some red-crowned cranes are kept in the cage of the garden. However, they were let loose around the garden in the past. They are currently let loose around it on some days in autumn and winter.

The red-crowned cranes are kept in the cage

This is the living room for the lord, called “Enyotei”. The original one was burned down during the World War II but was eventually restored.

There was also the guest house, called Kakumeikan (which means cranes’ crying voice hall) next to the Enyotei room, but it was burned down at the same time. After that, the residence the Kikkawa Clan had used at Iwakuni was moved to the current position and used as the current Kakumeikan.

The artificial hill in the center of the garden, called “Yuishinzan”, was built by Tsugumasa Ikeda who was the successor of Tsunamasa Ikeda, the founder of the garden. You can see the grass and ponds in the garden very well from the top. You may also find a small rice farm, called “Seiden”. It is said to be the remains of what the garden originally looked like when the founder first built it.

The Seiden rice far, Notice part of the rice farm is occupied by water lilies

There is also a rest house, called “Ryuten”, which is one of the few remaining original buildings of the garden. You can sit and rest there while looking the scenery of the garden. Renchiken is another remaining building which looks like a farmer’s house. Tsunamasa liked it very much and often stayed there and sometimes invited his excellent retainers for ceremonies.

That’s all. Thank you.

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