English – ページ 103 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

164.Sumoto Castle Part2

Great stone walls remain on the mountain.

Features

Castle Entrance was strictly protected

Now, the ruins of Sumoto Castle on the mountain are developed for visitors and maintain their original stone walls. If you drive to the ruins, you can easily park near the top of Mikuma-yama Mountain. The mountain has steep slopes in all directions except for the southeast direction where the diving route is on a gentle slope. For the castle, such a slope could be a weak point, so the strongest defense system in the castle was developed in this direction such as the Main Gate. In fact, the parking lot you can park was one of the enclosures called Umaya or the Stable, which protected the gate. You can also see a great view of Kii Channel to the south from here. That’s why this enclosure could have been used as an observation platform.

The map around the castle

From the parking lot to the center of the castle, you will first have to walk on the narrow route along the stone walls of the Eastern Enclosure on the right, and in front of the stone walls of the Southern Enclosure. Then, you will enter the ruins of the Southern Gate of the Eastern Enclosure

The map around the castle

The narrow route to the center of the castle

The entrance is surrounded by the stone walls

The ruins of the Southern Gate of the Eastern Enclosure

If you climb up these stone walls after entering the gate, you can clearly look down the route you passed and understand how such a system protected this spot in the past.

In the case looking down from the stone walls of the Eastern Enclosure

*In the case looking down from* the ruins of the Corner Turret of the Southern Enclosure

The ruins of the Corner Turret of the Southern Enclosure

After that, you can reach the Main Enclosure by passing the Second Enclosure which is also surrounded by the stone walls.

Main Enclosure, symbol of Authority

The Main Enclosure has the greatest and highest stone walls in the castle. It has the front side in the south with the Large Stone Steps and the front entrance called Koguchi. The entrance has a square space inside surrounded by the stone walls, which is also called Uchi-Masugata. You can also climb up the surrounding stone walls and look down the entrance and see the shape of the square space. It is thought that a turret gate building was built on the stone walls, which made the entrance more defensive and displayed the authority of the lord.

The map around the castle

The Large Stone Steps of the Main Enclosure

The Koguchi Entrance of the Main Enclosure

Imitation Main Tower, Symbol of Present Castle

The Main Enclosure also has the imitation Main Tower on the original stone wall base for the Main Tower. It was built to celebrate the enthronization of Emperor Showa in 1928 as a modern observation platform. However, it cannot be used for observation now because it has aged and could prove to be quite dangerous. Therefore, it is used as just a symbol of the castle or a landmark of the city. You can even see a great view of Sumoto city area – the former castle town, and Osaka Bay to the north under the tower. You will once again understand why this was a good location for the castle, which served to protect it and overlook the area around.

The name plate installed when the tower was built

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

164.Sumoto Castle Part1

A great castle on Awaji Island

Location and History

Castle built in Independent Awaji Province

Sumoto Caste was located on Awaji Island which is between the main island of Japan and Shikoku Island with two narrow straits. Awaji Island is also surrounded by the Harima Sea, Osaka Bay and Kii Channel. The island was also near Kyoto, which was considered the center of Japan. Awaji was regarded as an important location before the Modern Times, especially for controlling and monitoring water transportation.

The location of the castle

As a result, it became an independent province and was called Awaji Province (what is now part of Hyogo Prefecture). In the 16th Century during the Sengoku Period, the Atagi Clan under the Miyoshi Clan first built Sumoto Castle for commanding navy forces. However, the Atagi Clan surrendered to the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi in 1581. Hideyoshi finally sent his retainer, Yasuharu Wakizaka, to Sumoto Castle in 1585. Yasuharu governed the castle as the lord of the Sumoto Domain for 24 years until 1609 when he was transferred to Ozu Castle.

The portrait of Yasuharu Wakizaka, owned by Tatsuno Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Yasuharu Wakizawa improved Castle significantly

Sumoto Castle was originally a simple mountain castle made of soil on Mikuma-yama Mountain where the sea area around can be seen from the top. Yasuharu renovated Sumoto Castle by building stone walls and many turrets including the Main Tower on the mountain. These structures came from the typical method for building castles used by Hideyoshi and his retainers. This building method spread across the whole country during Hideyoshi’s unification of Japan. They made their castles stronger which made people recognize their authority. Yasuharu also built his main hall and the castle town at the foot of the mountain. He finally constructed a direct route made with terraced stone walls called Nobori-Ishigaki or the Climbing Stone Walls. The stone walls connected the foot and the top of the mountain. This is one of the few remaining examples of it which some lords, including Yasuharu, developed during the Imjin War in Korea for transmission or defense. He applied it to Sumoto Castle after he returned to Japan. Sumoto Castle was then considered completed.

The relief map around the castle

Castle is once abandoned

However, Sumoto Castle was not used by other lords after Yasuharu was transferred. This was because Awaji Province became part of their territories and they used other castles as their branch castles in the province. Moreover, the castle was once abandoned after The Law of One Castle per Province by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1615. All the buildings on the mountain were demolished by the Hachisuka Clan which governed Awaji Province and Awa Province (what is now Tokushima Prefecture) at that time. According to a theory, the Main Tower for Sumoto Castle was moved to Ozu Castle by Yasuharu before Sumoto Castle was abandoned. The style of the Main Tower at Ozu Castle matches one of the popular methods for main towers when Yasuharu was at Sumoto Castle.

The location of branch castles in Awaji Island

Stone walls maintained as branch of Hachisuka Clan

In 1631, the Hachisuka Clan restored Sumoto Castle as their branch castle in Awaji Province for reasons unknown. They sent their senior vassal, the Inada Clan to the castle to govern it. However, the center of the castle was set at the foot of the mountain by re-building the main hall for the lord. The mountain part had just the maintained stone walls which the Wakizaka Clan built, with few new gates added. This is probably because Sumoto Castle was a branch of Hachisuka Clan, not their home base called Tokushima Castle, but needed as a place for emergency on the mountain. This unique design was kept until the end of the Edo Period in the middle of the 19th Century.

Part of the illustration of Sumoto Castle and the castle town, in the Edo Period, exhibited by the National Diet Library, Only the stone walls already remained on the mountain

The castle ruins of the foot of the mountain(licensed by Reggaeman via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Sumoto Castle Part2”

77.Takamatsu Castle Part3

Will the Main Tower be restored?

Features

Remaining Stone Walls in City Area

If you have more time, how about visiting the eastern area of the park, the former Eastern Enclosure? The area was turned into a city area, but part of the original stone walls remain among modern buildings. The remaining Ushitora-Yagura Turret was originally built in this area.

The aerial photo around the castle

The remaining stone walls among modern buildings

The Ushitora-Yagura Turret was built on these stone walls

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Takamatsu Castle was abandoned, most of its buildings including the Main Tower were demolished, and many parts of it were turned into the city area. However, the former lords of the castle, the Matsudaira Clan bought the remaining primary part of the castle and lived in it. The part finally became the public Tamamo Park in 1955. The remaining turrets and gate were also designated as Important Cultural Properties in 1950.

The Hiunkaku Hall where the Matsudaira Clan lived after the Meiji Restoration

In addition, Takamatsu City is collecting records to restore the Main Tower. The tower had three-layers and four-stories. Its appearance was very rare, with the first and forth floors overhanging, called Nanban-zukuri or the Western Style. The city has confirmed its external appearance while its interior is still largely unknown. It is asking the citizens to offer old pictures and documents, even offering rewards.

The present stone wall base for the Main Tower

The old photo of the Main Tower, from the signboard at the site

The external view of the restored Main Tower, from the signboard at the site

My Impression

I’m very interested in the plan to restore the Main Tower of Takamatsu Castle. If the restoration is done, the castle may look like a floating castle on the waves again. However, the essential value of castle ruins belongs to the remaining items. In the case of Takamatsu Castle, I like the remaining Tsukimi-Yagura Turret the best, but it doesn’t stand out like it used to. I hope the officials also think about how the turret looked in the past.

The reclaimed land in front of the Tsukimi Turret

How to get There

If you want to visit by car:
It is about 20 minutes away from Takamatsu IC on the Takamatsu Expressway.
You can park at Tamamo Park.
By train, it is few minutes away from JR Takamatsu Station on foot.
To get to Takamatsu 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.

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