English – ページ 11 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

105.Shiroishi Castle Part2

The restored three-level Main Tower is on the corner of the stone walls of the main enclosure, which looks really great! Not only is it a symbol of the castle but also of the city. It could also had been seen as the authority of the lord as well as a threat to enemies when the original tower was there.

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Kuniori Katakura, the last lord of the castle moved to Hokkaido with his some retainers. All the castle buildings and stone walls were demolished and sold to earn their expenses. The vacant castle ruins were turned into Masuoka Park which has became famous for cherry blossoms for some time. In 1987, a NHK drama called “Dokuganryu (one-eyed hero) Masamune” aired and became very popular. The drama featured not only Masamune Date but also the Katakura Clan, so many visitors visited the Shiroishi Castle Ruins but were disappointed at the ruins with few historical items. The mayor of the city saw the situation and decided to restore the castle in 1988.

One of the most important topics about it was that the castle would be restored using the traditional wooden construction. However, there was a big problem with the law. The original Main Tower was 16.7m high. Meanwhile, Japan’s Building Standard Act basically doesn’t allow builders to build wooden buildings which are over 13m tall. According to this law, the tower would not be able to be built. After that, The city negotiated with the central government, and finally got an exemption by the competent minster to build the tower at its original height. The restoration was completed in 1997.

The restored Main Tower of Shiroishi Castle

Features

Many Historical Items in Main Enclosure

Today, the Shiroishi city area still has a traditional atmosphere of Shiroishi Castle and its castle town. This is probably because the Main Tower was restored on the hill and the old waterways are still intact in the city area. There were several enclosures on the hill in the past, but they were turned into shrines, parks, and playgrounds, excluding the main enclosure with the restored items.

Shinmeisha Shrine in the second enclosure

The Masuoka Park in the second enclosure

That’s why most visitors go to the main enclosure by walking on the eastern or northern slopes on the hill. If you take the eastern one, you will see the few remaining original stone walls at the base of the enclosure. The other stones above were all demolished and sold during the early Meiji Era. You will next see the restored stone walls which were piled up using natural large stones in Nozura-zumi method. They look mild rather than wild as most of the stones were round-shaped.

The map around the main enclosure

The walls were piled up using natural stones

Well restored Main Tower and Main Gate

The restored three-level Main Tower is on the corner of the stone walls, which looks really great! Not only is it a symbol of the castle but also of the city. It could also had been seen as the authority of the lord as well as a threat to enemies when the original tower was there. In fact, there were three-generation towers on the walls during the Edo Period, which meant it had been rebuilt twice, according to the excavations. The current tower was restored on the second stone foundations because they remain in the best conditions. In addition, the appearance of the tower came from the third generation which was drawn in some pictures. The second and third ones are probably almost the same or similar since the third one was restored in 1823 after the second one burned in 1819.

Part of the Illustration of Shiroishi Castle, attributed to Unyo Koseki, owned by Shiroishi City, exhibited in the Main Tower

The main gate of the enclosure was also restored at the same time as the Main Tower. The gate consists of two gates and stone walls, which form a defensive space called Masugata. The Masugata systems in other castles are usually a square and closed space but that of Shiroishi Castle is very unique. The first gate is always open with no doors (according to the excavations so far) and the space inside is half occupied by a corner of the stone walls of the enclosure. Visitors can’t clearly see the inside, because it is blocked by the walls. That may be the reason for the first gate having no doors.

The second gate is half blocked by the stone walls

The Masugata system seen from the Main Tower

Other Ruins in Main Enclosure

The inside of the main enclosure is empty with the signboard of the Main Hall which was built there. The other sides of the enclosure look like earthen walls which remained after the covering stone walls had been removed. There are the Back Gate Ruins on the opposite side of the Main Gate. There are also the ruins of Tatumi (southeastern) Turret and Hitsujisaru (southwestern) Turret at other corners of the enclosure.

The Back Gate is marked by the red circle, the Southeastern Turret is marked by the blue circle and the Southwestern Turret is marked by the green circle, in the miniature model exhibited by the Shiroishi Castle History Museum

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

105.Shiroishi Castle Part1

Each independent lord was not allowed to have castles, excluding the only one the lord lived in, by the shogunate. However, Shiroishi Castle, where the Katakura Clan as a retainer lived in, remained as an exemption. This was probably due to Date’s strong influence as well as Katakura’s contributions.

Location and History

Castle owned by Katakura Clan, Senior Vassal of Date Clan

Shiroishi Castle is located in modern day Shiroishi City at the southern edge of Miyagi Prefecture. It was also located in the southern edge of the Date Clan’s territory during the Edo Period. The lords of the clan had the area around the castle being governed by their trusted senior vassal family, the Katakura Clan all through the period. The castle had a three level turret called the Large Turret which was actually equivalent to the Main Tower. That’s why the castle looked like a symbol of an independent lord.

The range of MIyagi Prefecture, the range of the Sendai Domain was larger than the prefecture

The restored Main Tower of Matsumoto Castle

The founder of the Katakura Clan, Kagetsuna Katakura served his master, Masamune Date from his childhood because Kagetsuna’s older sister, Kita became Masamune’s foster mother. Since then, Kagetsuna contributed to Masamune becoming the greatest warlord in the Tohoku Region during the late 16th Century by joining many battles and being a diplomatic agent with other warlords. When the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi invaded the Kanto Region to complete his unification of Japan in 1590, Masamune was wondering if he should follow Hideyoshi or not. Kagetsuna advised Masamune to do so, and as a result, they were able to survive. Masamune eventually gave Kagetsuna the important Shiroishi area in 1602 after the Date Clan’s territory was fixed as the Sendai Domain by the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The portrait of Kagetsuna Katakura, owned by Sendai City Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Masamune Date, owned by Sendai City Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Kagetsuna’s son, Shigenaga was very active in the summer campaign of the Siege of Osaka in 1615 where the shogunate defeated the Toyotomi Clan. There is a heroic story about him and his rival, Nobushige Sanada. They once fought each other in the battle, but Nobushige sent a letter (affixed to an arrow) to Shigenaga, which asked him to accommodate Nobushige’s children before his death. Kagetsuna accepted it, and then, Oume, Nobushige’s daughter would be Shigenaga’s second wife and another son, Daihachi would be a retainer of the Sendai Domain. One theory seems to be that Shigenaga took Oume away from Osaka Castle when it was falling and accommodated the other children when they later visited her in Shiroishi Castle. In either case, Shigenaga must have been a man of great capacity.

The portrait of Shigenaga Katakura, drawn in a Ukiyoe-painting, attributed to Yoshiiku Ochiai (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The summer campaign of the siege of Osaka folding screens, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

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

Castle survives as exemption of One Castle per Province

Shigenaga’s successor, Kagenaga was also important for the domain. When an internal trouble of the Date Clan, called Date-sodo (feud), happened in 1671, the government of the domain got out of control due to a bloody affair at the shogunate court in Edo. Kagenaga stayed local to keep other retainers calm and kept the government. These events were decisive for the position of the Katakura Clan. In addition, each independent lord was not allowed to have castles, excluding the only one the lord lived in, by the shogunate. However, Shiroishi Castle, where the Katakura Clan as a retainer lived in, remained as an exemption. This was probably due to Date’s strong influence as well as Katakura’s contributions.

The ruins of Sendai Castle, the home of the Date Clan

Castle is completed by Gamo and Katakura Clans

As for Shiroishi Castle itself, it is uncertain when it was first built, but it was considered an important strategic location for transportation. After the unification of Japan by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Satonari Gamo, a senior vassal of the clan owned and modernized the castle by building stone walls and the Main Tower. He would later improve several other castles like Kasama Castle, which can be seen as a hidden master of castle constructions. The Katakura Clan lived and improved the castle more based on the essential structures Satonari built.

The castle had several enclosures on a hill. The Main Enclosure on the top had the main buildings of the castle, such as the three-level Main Tower, Main Gate, Back Gate, Main Hall, and two two-level turrets. They were exactly the same items as what other independent lords had. However, the Main Hall also had an interesting feature. The hall had two front entrances, one for locals and the other only for the lord of the Date Clan, the master of the Katakura Clan. The hall also had the rooms, called Onari-goten, where only the lord could stay.

The miniature model of Kasama Castle, exhibited by Shiroishi Castle History Museum

The miniature model of the main enclosure of Shiroishi Castle

The part of the Main Hall in the miniature model above, the entrance for the locals is marked by the blue circle and that only for the lord of the domain is marked by the red circle

The Katakura Clan also developed the castle town below the hill, where the retainers and other citizens lived in. Waterways were also developed in the town for defensive purposes and living. For example, there were Samurai residences in the Third Enclosure, part of the town, which was surrounded by the Sawabata River and the waterways. The residences were relatively smaller than other residences of independent domains. This was because the retainers under the Katakura Clan had lower incomes than those who served independent lords.

Part of the Illustration of Shiroishi Castle in the Sendai Domain, Oshu Region, the third enclosure along the Sawabata River is in the front, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan

The remaining Samurai residence along the Sawabata River

One of stages of Meiji Restoration

In 1868 during the Meiji Restoration, an important event happened to the castle again. Many domains against the New Government in the Tohoku Region held the Shiroishi Meeting in the castle. This was because the Sendai Domain was their leader and the castle could also be a hub for them. This event would be the trigger for the Boshin War between the government and the domains. However, the castle was eventually opened as its real master, the Sendai Domain had surrendered to the government.

To be continued in “Shiroishi Castle Part2”

114.Karasawayama Castle Part3

The stone walls of the main enclosure entrance are not so high, but use several huge ornament stones.
In addition, the entrance was recently researched and it was found that it had a turret gate. Overall, these structures made the castle stronger as well as more authorized.

Features

Great Stone Walls of Main Enclosure

The stone walls are around 8m high and about 40m long. They were built by piling natural or roughly processed stones in a way called Nozura-zumi. They look rough but really great! It was said that the last lord, Nobuyoshi Sano built them by inviting an excellent guild of stone craftsmen celled Ano-shu from western Japan.

The map around the castle

The stone walls seen from the second enclosure side

You will eventually enter the second enclosure just below the main enclosure. Therefore, you will see the entrance of the main enclosure, which was also surrounded by great stone walls. They are not so high (at 2.5m), but use several huge ornament stones, called Kagami-ishi (meaning mirror stones).
In addition, the entrance was recently researched and it was found that it had a turret gate. Overall, these structures made the castle stronger as well as more authorized.

The second enclosure in the front and the main enclosure in the back

The enclosure is on top of the mountain and is used for the shine buildings. It is unknown what buildings it had in the past, but it might have had buildings like the Main Hall and the Main Tower.

Defensive Spots in North and South

There is another enclosure, in the south of the main enclosure, called Nanjo (meaning southern castle). It was built to protect the southern ridge of the mountain where you can see stone walls and dry moats around. The shrine office is on the enclosure and this is another great viewing spot. If the weather is fine, you can enjoy a view of both Tokyo Sky Tree and Mt. Fuji. Nobuyoshi might have had no choice but to accept the shogunate’s close questioning that looking down on Edo Castle from the mountain would be rude.

The dry moats around the enclosure, called the First Moat

A view from the enclosure, it was clouded when I visited there

There is also other enclosures on the northern ridges, such as the Northern Castle. They are basically made of soil, divided by earthen ditches and connected by earthen bridges, which were older parts of the castle.

The double ditches between the Sugi and northern enclosures

Hiking Course has other Castle Ruins

For hikers, it is recommended to try part of Karasawayama Shuyu(Round) Course, from the castle to Imori-yama Mountain via the Kagami-iwa Rock, Byobu-iwa Rock and Gongen-do Hall Ruins. The course is on another ridge connected to the Karasawayama Mountain, which was a defense point for the castle.

The map around the mountain

The relief map around the mountain

That’s why you can see a set of a narrow bridge with artificial ditches on the way. You can also enjoy a great view of the whole Kanto Region on each peak of the ridge. The Imori Mountain is where Kenshin Uesugi and Masatsuna Sano fought against each other in their last battle in 1570.

Later History

After the Sano Clan was banished by the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Ii Clan which was a senior vassal family of the shogunate owned the Sano area as its detached territory during the Edo Period. The clan banned people from entering the mountain, the former castle area. That’s why the ruins of the castle have been preserved in a good condition. After the Meiji Restoration, locals established the Karasawayama Shrine in 1883. Establishing shrines on castle ruins was a popular way to maintain them at that time. The ruins also became part of Karasawayama Prefectural Natural Park in 1965. That’s why several approaches and hiking courses have been developed there. As for castle ruins, Sano City has been researching and studying them since 2007. As a result, they were designated as a National Historic Site in 2014.

My Impression

The current people often say Kenshin Uesugi attacked Karasawayama Castle and approached its main enclosure, but failed. Meanwhile, Kenshin himself wrote on his letter in 1567 when he owned the castle and was attacked by the Hojo Clan that “Only the Main Enclosure remained”. I’m not sure if similar things happened twice whether the people misunderstood Kenshin’s sides. Either way, Kenshin and the castle were closely involved. I think the people are still borrowing his name even today to explain about the strength of the castle.

The main enclosure of Karasawayama Castle

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle ruins by car, it is about a 10-minute drive away from Sano-Tanuma IC on the Kitakanto Expressway.
There are parking lots at the foot, the mid slope and top of the mountain.
By public transportation, it takes about 40 minutes on foot from Tanuma Station on the Tobu-Sano Line to the top.
From Tokyo to the station: take the train on the Joban Line from Tokyo or Ueno Stations, transfer to the Tobu-Isesaki Line at Kitasenju Station, and transfer to the Tobu-Sano Line at Tatebayashi Station.

The parking lot on the way of the hiking course

That’s all. Thank you.
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