English – ページ 106 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

78.Marugame Castle Part2

Great stone walls, great view and the remaining Main Tower

Features

Today, Marugame Castle is open to the public as Marugame Castle itself or the Kame-yama Park. The range of the park is inside the Inner Moat. When you stand in front of the moat, you would be surprised to see the amazing high stone walls with the remaining Main Tower on them. The high stone walls are about 60m which is said to be the highest stone walls among other multiple tiers in Japan. (the highest in single tier is the stone walls of Osaka Castle which is about 33m high).

The aerial photo around the castle

From Main Gate to Third Enclosure

Visitors usually enter the castle through the remaining Main Gate after crossing the bridge over the moat from the north. This gate has a typical defensive gate building style called Masugata. It consists of a square space surrounded by two gate buildings, mud walls, and stone walls.

Then, you will walk up on the long steep slope called Mikaeri-zaka or the Look-back Slope to the eastern direction. On the way of the slope, you will see the highest single tier stone walls in this castle which is 22m high of the Third Enclosure. In particular, the corner of the stone walls is very beautiful called the Slope of a Folding Fan which means its lower part is not steep, but its upper part becomes vertical.

The high stone walls of the Third Enclosure

You will eventually arrive at the eastern part of the Third Enclosure. You can see a great view of the Sanuki-Fuji from the ruins of Tsukimi-Yagura or the Moon Watching Turret.

The ruins of the Moon Watching Turret at the Third Enclosure

A view of the Sanuki-Fuji from the ruins of the Moon Watching Turret

From Second Enclosure to Main Enclosure

After that, you will enter the Second Enclosure between the Main and the Second Enclosures. The enclosure once had several turrets connected with mud walls like the Main Enclosure, now has a square with cherry trees and which local people are familiar with.

You will finally enter the Main Enclosure at the highest in the castle. A 360-degree view from there is so great. You can see not only the Sanuki-Fuji but also the islands and the Great Seto Bridge on Seto Inland Sea.

A view of Marugame City area and Seto Inland Sea from the Main Enclosure

The Great Seto Bridge on Seto Inland Sea

Devised Remaining Main Tower

The enclosure now has only the Main Tower, one of the twelve remaining main towers in Japan. It is a kind of three-story turret and, in fact, the smallest one among the twelve main towers.

The back side of the remaining Main Tower that can be seen from the Main Enclosure

However, it was improved in some points to look bigger than it is when looking up it from the foot of the mountain. The first point is the reduction rate to the top of the tower is relatively large. The second one is that the decorations of the tower like the hip-and-gable roof and the Chinese styled gable are facing outside. They help the Main Tower looks big from below.

The front side of the remaining Main Tower that can be seen from the foot of the mountain

You can also enter the tower and may feel it was made practical as a turret. The steps to upstairs are very steep. It equips machicolations and loopholes for battles. It also exhibits the historical explanation and miniature model of the castle now.

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

78.Marugame Castle Part1

A castle covered with great stone walls with advanced technology

Location and History

It starts as Branch of Takamatsu Castle

Marugame Castle was located on a mountain called Kame-yama which means tortoise mountain in the western part of the Sanuki Plain of Sanuki Province (what is now Kagawa Prefecture). The part of the plain has several mountains that stood out like a projection, for example, Ino-yama Mountain is known for its beautiful appearance as Sanuki-Fuji. Kame-yama Mountain is one of the mountains and much lower than the Sanuki- Fuji ( 66m vs 422m), but was more convenient for the warriors to build a castle on it.

The location of the castle

The relief map around the castle

It is said that the Nara Clan first built a fortress on Kame-yama Mountan, but a castle named Marugame Castle was built on the mountain by the Ikoma Clan in 1597. The Ikoma Clan governed Sanuki Province under the Toyotomi Clan and the Tokugawa Shogunate later between 1587 and 1640. Marugame Castle was a branch castle of Takamatsu Castle which was the home base of the Ikoma Clan. However, Marugame Castle was once abandoned in 1615 in accordance with the Law of One Castle per Province by the Tokugawa Shogunate. The castle had unfortunately been destroyed as we found the wreckage of the old stone walls when the excavation was done.

The portrait of Chikamasa Ikoma, the founder of the clan, owned by Kokenji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Rebuilt by Yamazaki Clan and Kyogoku Clan

After the Ikoma Clan was transferred to another due to their internal trouble in 1641, the Yamazaki Clan was given the western part of Sanuki Province by the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Yamazaki Clan was allowed to rebuild Marugame Castle for their new home base. They built the high stone walls with three tiers covering all around Kame-yama Mountain. The stone walls were also built with advanced technology and very valuable because building a new castle was basically not allowed at that time. The re-construction continued for 30 years. The Yamazaki Clan was unfortunately fired by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1657 during the construction because they had no successor. The Kyogoku Clan following the Yamazaki Clan completed the construction building the Main Tower by 1663.

The Main Tower and high stone walls of Marugame Castle

The portrait of Takakazu Kyogoku, who was transferred to Marugame Castle, owned by Marugame Municipal Archives Museum *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

It looks like Stone Fortress

The final appearance of Marugame Castle was as the following. The Main Enclosure, the Second Enclosure and the Third Enclosure were on the mountain. All the enclosures were surrounded by the stone walls making the very high ones stick together. The Main Enclosure, which was at highest, had the Main Tower and the four Corner Turrets connected with the roofed passages called Tamon or the mud walls. The Second and Third Enclosures were below the Main Enclosure and they also had several turrets. The Inner Moat surrounded the mountain, the Main Gate was just inside the moat in the north, and the Back Gate was in the south. In addition, warriors’ houses were built outside the Inner Moat and were also surrounded by the Outer Moat.

The miniature model of Marugame Castle, exhibited by Marugame Castle Main Tower

The Main Gate and Inner Moat of Marugame Castle

Part of the illustration of Marugame Castle in Sanuki Province, in the Edo Period, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan

The Kyogoku Clan governed Marugame Castle and the Marugame Domain until the end of the Edo Period. In fact, the lord of the castle lived in the Main Hall at the foot of the mountain. That was a common way for the lords of the castles in peaceful time. Anyway, Marugame Castle must have looked like a stone fortress.

The ruins of the Main Hall at the foot of the mountain (taken by あけび from photoAC)

To be continued in “Marugame Castle Part2”

135.Masuyama Castle Part3

Tonami City develops the ruins very well.

Features

Second Enclosure, Center of Castle

You will finally reach the Second Enclosure which had the only stone walls in the castle. They are more difficult to see now with the signpost saying the ruins of the stone walls.

The enclosure is the largest and the highest positioned enclosure in the castle, and it is surrounded by the thick earthen walls. For these reasons, historians have often speculated that this enclosure was the main one of the castle, though it is traditionally called “The Second Enclosure”.

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

The earthen walls surrounding *the Second Enclosure*

The enclosure also has a mound called Shorodo or the ruins of the Bell Tower where a miniature version of the bell is built now. A turret was most likely there. You can see the next enclosure called the Ajichi Residence over the large deep dry moat form the mound.

The Ajichi Residence that can been seen over the large deep dry moat

Later History

After Masuyama Castle was abandoned, the Kaga Domain owned the ruins of the castle and planted cedar trees during the Edo Period. The cedar trees have been known as the Masuyama Sedars. Tonami City which now owns the ruins started to investigate them in 1987 and excavated them between 1997 and 2003. As a result, the ruins were designated as a National Historic Site in 2009. The city has been developing the ruins as a historical site so that visitors can visit them more easily.

The miniature model of the castle ruins, exhibited by Tonami City **History and Folklore Museum**

My Impression

I think that the ruins of Masuyama Castle are very good study materials for visitors to learn more about what mountain castles were. If ruins of a mountain castle were left alone, it would return to its natural form. Trees and bushes would grow thick and the structures of the castle would collapse. That means visitors are often not sure what the mountain castle looked like or visiting the ruins can be dangerous. However, in the case of Masuyama Castle, Tonami City has developed the ruins to make it easier for visitors to learn more information. For example, bushes are always cut alongside the route. Simple wooden fences and the signboard are built at each enclosure. Therefore, visitors can understand what the layout of the castle would have been and how the defenders would have protect themselves. That’s why I recommend visiting the ruins.

The wooden fences built in the F Enclosure

Looking down the F Enclosure from the Umanosego Enclosure

How to get There

I recommend using a car when you visit the ruins.
It is about 20 minutes away from Tonami IC on the Hokuriku Expressway.
You can park at the information center (Masuyama Jinya).
If you want to use public transportation, you can take a taxi from Tonami Station.
To get to Tonami Station from Tokyo: Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen super express and transfer at Shin-Takanoka Station to the Johana Line.

That’s all. Thank you.
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