English – ページ 127 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

145.Kokokuji Castle Part1

Is this castle a symbol of peace or of battles?

Location and History

Kokokuji Castle was located in what is now Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area of the city was in Suruga Province (now central part of Shizuoka Pref.) which many warlords tried to take over in the 16 Century during the Sengoku Period.

The location of the castle and the range of Suruga Province

The castle was on the southern edge of the hilly terrain of Ashitaka-yama Mountain. There was a marshland to the south, east and west of the castle which was as natural hazard that helped to protect the castle. The castle was built using the natural terrain of the mountain and marshland. The castle was also an important point for transportation. A road at the foot of the mountain called the Nekata Road passed beside the castle. In addition, the Takeda Road close to the castle ran from the Nekata Road to the Tokaido Road at the seaside.

A relief map around the castle

The two roads are still connected to the castle ruins

The castle mainly consisted of three enclosures on the hill in a terraced manner. The Main Enclosure was at the highest, and there was a large deep dry moat behind the enclosure to prevent enemies’ attacks from the north. The castle even had ports on both sides for ships on the marsh.

Part of the illustration of Shinkokuji Castle in Suruga Province, exhibited by the National Diet Library (It is supposed to be Kokokuji Castle)

The castle itself might have been simple but is well known for its history. This is because some history books say that Kokokuji Castle was the first castle for a famous warlord, Soun Hojo to govern. He was one of the earliest warlords in the late 15 Century who supported the Imagawa Clan in Suruga Province. He was given the castle by the clan in 1487. His success story starts at this castle, and he went on to capture a part of the Kanto Region. His descendants followed in his footsteps to capture the other parts of the Kanto Region.

*The replica of the portrait of Soun Hojo, owned by Odawara Castle (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

However, there is no other evidence of the castle existing at the same time as Soun. The first appearance of the castle in a public document can only be traced back to 1549. At that time, Yoshimoto Imagawa ordered that the Kokoku-ji Temple be moved to another location to make space for building a new castle there. What is the truth about the matter? A historian gives us an interesting hypothesis that the castle was a temple called Kokoku-ji when Soun owned it. Kokoku-ji is originally a name of temple (“ji” means temple in Japanese). Kokokuji Castle is thought to be named after the Kokoku-ji Temple.

The statue of Yoshimoto Imagawa at Okehazama Battlefield Park (*taken by HiC from photoAC)*

The historian suggests another speculation about why the castle was built. A period of peace once came to the area around Suruga Province with Imgawa, Hojo, and Takeda Clans when the castle was built. Castles were basically built for battles, but Kokokuji Castle might have been built for the meeting with the three clans or as a symbol of peace. It is said that the three clans had a conference for their alliance at the Zentokuji-Temple. The temple may have been Kokokuji Caste.

*The portrait of Shingen Takeda, the lord of the Takeda Clan at that time, owned by Jimyo-in Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons*)

Unfortunately, the alliance broke in 1568, while Kokokuji Castle was involved in war. The lords of the castle were rapidly changed several times from the Imagawa Clan to the Hojo, Takeda, Toyotomi, and Tokugawa Clans. As the number of the lords increased, the range of the castle seemed to become larger. In 1601, Yasukage Amano under Tokugawa became the last lord of the castle and the founder of the Kokokuji Domain. He governed the area well, but he ran away from the castle because of trouble between his citizens and others. The castle was finally abandoned when the domain was abolished in 1607.

Yasukage Amano from the *Battle of Komaki-Nagakute folding screens (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

To be continued in “Kokokuji Castle Part2”

24.Takeda Clan Hall Part3

One of the most popular tourist spots in Yamanashi Pref.

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, people in Yamanashi Prefecture started to honor the activities of Shingen Takeda. In addition, it was recommended to worship gods of war like Shingen in shrines after Japan’s victory in the Russo‐Japanese War in 1905. As a result, Takeda Shrine was established on the ruins of Takeda Clan Hall in 1919. The Shrine and Shingen have now become symbols of the prefecture and famous attractions for tourism.

My Impression

After I visited the ruins of Takeda Clan Hall, I understood the Takeda Clan, including Shingen, made great efforts to reinforce their home base. In fact, I think the hall was a bit small for a great warlord like Shingen. It could be because Shingen thought that a good offense is the best defense. Shingen tried to broaden his territory all through his life. I also think that the style of a castle is often reflected by the character of its founder or owner.

The statue of Shingen Takeda in front of Kofu Station *(licensed by そらみみ via Wikimedia Commons)*

The entrance of the West Enclosure of Takeda Clan Hall

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 30 minutes away from Kofu-showa IC on Chuo Expressway.
Takeda Shrine offers a parking lot near the shrine.
By public transportation, it takes about 30 minutes on foot or take the Yamanashi-kotsu Bus bound for Takeda-jinja (Takeda Shrine) from Kofu Station.
To get Kofu Station from Tokyo: Get the limited express Azusa or Kaiji at Shinjuku Station.

Links and References

・Visit Kofu (Official Tourism Website for Kofu City)

That’s all.
Back to “Takeda Clan Hall Part1”
Back to “Takeda Clan Hall Part2”

24.Takeda Clan Hall Part2

The legacies of Takeda and Tokugawa remain around the shrine.

Features

Center of Ruins becomes Takeda Shrine

Now, the center of the ruins of Takeda Clan Hall have become Takeda Shrine. If you visit there from JR Kofu Station, you have to go up through the gentle slope for about 2km. After that, you will see the entrance of Takeda Shrine with the front guard frame on the south of the shrine. In fact, the entrance is not original, and was built when the shrine was founded. You can also see the stone walls on both sides of the entrance, which were built by the Tokugawa Clan. The earthen walls and water moats surrounding the whole shrine were built by the Takeda Clan.

The stone walls built by the Tokugawa Clan

The earthen walls and water moat surrounding the shrine

The Main Shrine stands inside where the Main Hall of the Takeda Clan stood in the past. A circuit style garden was also built in front of the hall to host visitors. Next to the Main Shrine, there is the treasure hall where you can learn more about Takeda Clan Hall and see Takeda’s items such as a flag of Sun Tzu which shows Shingen’s motto and their armors.

The map around the castle

Eastern part developed as Park

There is another entrance on the east of the shrine called the Main Gate which was the original front gate. The stone walls around the gate are likely originally from Takeda’s period. In front of the Main Gate, there is the restored square stone mound to protect the gate. This is due to the achievement of the recent excavation, which was originally built by Tokugawa Clan. In fact, the ruin of the round Umadashi system by the Takeda Clan was found under the ruin of the square stone mound. That means Tokugawa replaced the Umadashi system with their stone mound. The excavation team found that another enclosure was also built on the east of the gate and the stone mound. It is thought that this enclosure was built probably by the Tokugawa Clan to protect the Main Gate as well. The entrance and earthen walls of the enclosure have been restored as a park area.

The restored enclosure on the east of the Main Gate

West Enclosure with Takeda’s atmosphere

On the west of Takeda Shrine, the West Enclosure remains. You can walk across the earthen bridge from the shrine to the enclosure. You can also see the exit to the enclosure with the stone walls on both sides, which may be Shingen’s period in origin. The inside of the enclosure is empty, and the halls for Shingen’s family and relatives were there. The antique earthen walls and water moats surrounding the enclosure highlight the mood at that time. In addition, the front entrance of the enclosure on the south also shows one of Takeda’s defense systems called Masugata. It has a square space inside the entrance surrounded by earthen walls like brackets to protect the enclosure.

Going to the West Enclosure form the shrine

The stone walls at the exit to the West Enclosure

The West Enclosure with an antique appearance

The southern entrance of the West Enclosure

The Masugata part surrounded by the earthen walls

To be continued in “Takeda Clan Hall Part3”
Back to “Takeda Clan Hall Part1”