59.Himeji Castle Part2

The castle and the town are united as one.

Features (From Himeji Station to the Main Towers)

When you go out of the north (Himeji-jo) exit of Himeji Stataion, you can see the Main Towers towards the main street in front of the station in the distance. You get the feeling that the castle and the town are united as one. The Outer Moat was built around this area. The Main Towers are still over 1.5 km away. On the way to the castle along the street, you will see the stone walls of Nakanomon Gate Ruins on the left, where the Middle Moat existed. The area around there has become the city area now, but the street looks like the approach to the castle.

The aerial photo around the castle

Himeji Castle that can be seen from Himeji Station
The ruins of Nakanomon Gate

Soon, you will reach the front of the Inner Moat. The inside of the moat is the main portion of the castle called “Naikaku”. The Main Gate called Sakura-mon is the entrance of Naikaku, which is accessible after walking across the bridge. The gate was once demolished but was restored. You can see a large empty square called the Third Enclosure where many halls once stood. You can now get to see the Main Towers on Himeyama mountain up close.

The restored Sakura-mon Gate (the Main Gate)
The Third Enclosure Square
The Main Tower on Himeyama Mountain

The ticket office is at the back of the square. After buying the ticket, you will enter Hishinomon Gate, the entrance of the Second Enclosure. You can go to both the Main Towers on Himeyama mountain and Nishinomaru Enclosure on Sagiyama mountain from the gate because it is located in the valley between the mountains. Inside the gate, you can also see Sangokubori Moat which is said to once be a water reservoir. The Main Towers start to look bigger.

Hishinomon Gate
Sangokubori Moat  (taken by わゆすけ from photoAC)
The Main Tower is looking bigger

To reach the Main Towers, you will need to go through many gates in front of you. In fact, the shortcuts to the Main Towers are set on the right of Sangokubori Moat, but the routes can be hard to find for visitors. That meant enemies could be led to the difficult route easily. You can see a lot of loopholes on the plaster walls along the route. The loopholes have several interesting shapes, but they were also a threat to enemies.

The map around the castle

The route to the Main Tower
The loopholes on the plaster walls

The farther you go, the closer the Main Towers get; however, the route suddenly changes direction before the Ninomon Gate. In addition, the entrance of the gate is very low and narrow under the turret building for the gate. Enemies would have been very confused to see such a defense system. You will enter the Main Tower Enclosure after passing the next gate called Honomon. You can see a mud wall on the right, which looks different from the castle’s other white plaster walls. It is called “Abura-kabe” or the Oil Wall and said to derive from Hideyoshi’s period. The wall actually hid other gates to the Large Main Tower. You will need to go through five more gates to reach the tower! The three Small Main Towers are along the route to protect the Large Main Tower.

Ninomon Gate  (licensed by そらみみ via Wikimedia Commons)
The Oil Wall (licensed by 663highland via Wikimedia Commons)
The Small Main Towers protecting the Large Main Tower

To be continued in “Himeji Castle Part3”
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145.Kokokuji Castle Part3

A good place to visit in Numazu City

Later History

After Kokokuji Castle was abandoned, the area was turned into farm. In 1857, people founded the Homi Shrine at the ruins for prosperity after a large earthquake and famine. Numazu City has been investigating and excavating the ruins since 1982. The ruins were designated as a National Historic Site in 1995. The city is thinking about developing the ruins as a historical park with restored water moats.

Homi Shrine
The dry moat
The development plan of Numazu City on the signboard at the site

My Impression

I thought that Kokokuji Castle was just the castle for Soun Hojo to make his first career. However, the castle had the history of over 100 years after him. That was because the castle was at a very important area and had a good location. I think that the ruins of Kokokuji Castle are a good place to visit in Numazu City. If the weather is fine, you can also see the top of Mt. Fuji from the ruins.

The remaining stone walls
The Main Enclosure surrounded by the earthen walls
You can also see the top of Mt. Fuji

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 20 minutes away from Numazu IC on Tomei Expressway.
There is a parking lot in the ruins.
By public transportation, it takes about 30 minutes on foot from Hara Station. Or take the Fujikyu City Bus bound for Higashi-Hiranuma or Fuji-eki from Numazu Station, and get off at the Higashi-Nekoya Bus Stop.
To get Hara Station or Numazu Station from Tokyo: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen Super Express, and transfer to the Tokaido Line at Mishima Station.

Links and References

Kokokuji Castle Ruins (Numazu City Official Web Site)

That’s all.
Back to “Kokokuji Castle Part1”
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145.Kokokuji Castle Part2

The earthen walls and the dry moats are outstanding.

Features

Going to Main Enclosure from Third Enclosure

Now, the marshland around Kokokuji Castle has been turned into the city area. Only the ruins of the castle remain. The modern Nekata Road goes through the ruins. If you visit the ruins by car, you can park at a parking lot in the Third Enclosure, the lowest one out of the three main enclosures. You can walk up from the parking lot to the top Main Enclosure along a gentle slope. The middle tier is the Second Enclosure which looks flat and empty, but it had a round-shaped moat in the past.

The aerial photo around the castle

The entrance of the castle ruins
The Third Enclosure with a parking lot
The Second Enclosure which had a moat

Main Enclosure and its Earthen Walls

The Main Enclosure is still surrounded by large high horseshoe-shaped earthen walls. It’s a fine sight. Inside of the enclosure, there are the monuments of Soun Hojo and Yasukage Amano, and the Homi Shrine which was founded in the Edo Period. The earthen walls on the back of the enclosure are 6m high, and you can walk up to the top by the steps. You can also see the stone walls partly built under the top. There are also foundation stones on the top which are considered the ruins of the base for the Main Tower, but it is thought that a kind of turret was there. You can see a view of the town area with Izu Pninsula on the south from the top.

The earthen walls surrounded by the horseshoe-shaped earthen walls
The monuments of Soun Hojo and Yasukage Amano
The Homi Shrine
The stone walls under the top
The stone foundation for “the base for the Main Tower” on the top
A view from the top

The Dry Moat of Main Enclosure and Northern Part

The large deep dry moat also remains behind the Main Enclosure. You can walk down from the top to the bottom of the moat by the steps as well. It is 18m deep where you can look up the top. You may wonder about the several earthen holes in the walls which were built as air-raid shelters during World War II. The edge of the moat leads to the side of the ruin of the castle which was part of the marshland in the past.

The dry moat behind the Main Enclosure
The air-raid shelters built during World War II
The western side of the ruins

There is also the North Enclosure over the dry moat on the north. Another round-shaped moat was over there, and it was turned into the railway track of Tokaido Shinkansen Super Express. Historians speculate that the set of the round-shaped moats were built by the Takeda Clan or the Tokugawa Clan who used to build similar systems in other castles.

The Main Enclosure seen from the North Enclosure
The railway track of Tokaido Shinkansen Super Express which was a moat

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