English – ページ 129 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

44.Nagoya Castle Part1

Do we really need a wooden Main Tower?

What is happening?

Nagoya City’s Policy

Nagoya Castle, which is located in Nagoya City, is very popular. Its Main Tower with the Golden Grampuses on the top is one of the most famous symbols of the city. The Main Tower is not original but was apparently restored in 1959. The original one was burned down due to the Bombing of Nagoya in 1945 during World War II.

The location of the castle

Takashi Kawamura, the mayor of Nagoya City has been suggesting the construction of a wooden Main Tower which would have the same design as the original one. The present Main Tower is over 60 years old and was found to have poor earthquake resistance. He stresses it is a good opportunity for replacing the present concrete Main Tower with an almost original wooden one. He also says the city can do this as it has a lot of pictures, drawings, and other records of the original one before it was burned down. He tells the citizens a wooden Main Tower gives great power to the city and boosts tourism. Many of the citizens support him, but it is not that simple.

A picture of the original Main Tower (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Claim of Agency for Cultural Affairs

Kawamura needs the approval of the Agency for Cultural Affairs before the launch of the replacement, because the castle has been designated as a Special National Historic Site. The agency claims that Nagoya City should investigate and repair the stone wall base for the Main Tower before the replacement. The base is original but has been left damaged from the fire of the bombing. It is more important for the agency to repair the base than to restore a wooden Main Tower.

The part damaged from the fire of the bombing

The present Main Tower is actually a modern building used as a museum with an elevator. If the building is replaced with a wooden building using the original design, this will not be able to have the elevator. Some groups of disabled people argue that the building must be accessable. In addition, the government will also not allow such a building to be used as the museum, even though the wooden building would have sprinklers to avoid fires, and reinforced woods to protect from earthquakes. It will also have regulations for visitors, such as an admission limit.

The present Main Tower has elevators outside and inside.

Other Opinions

Others suggest that the design of the wooden Main Tower should be changed even if it is different from the original one. It can have the elevator and emergency facilities. Some of the officials agree with it, but Kawamura says a new Main Tower must be built in the original design. Few people say that a wooden Main Tower is not needed, instead, the present Main Tower should be renovated for the anti-earthquake construction and the renewal of the museum. A wooden Main Tower will cost nearly 500 million US$, while the renovation would need about 65 million US$ (in the actual case of Osaka Castle). The present Main Tower itself can also be a cultural property. Indeed, the present concrete Main Tower of Osaka Castle became a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property recently and is 90 years old now.

The Main Tower of Osaka Castle which is a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property

To be continued in “Nagoya Castle Part2”

149.Komakiyama Castle Part3

The mountain and ruins protected by the Tokugawa Clan

Later History

After the battle in 1584, Komakiyama Castle was abandoned again. In the beginning of the Edo Period, parts of the huge stones were taken away for the construction of Nagoya Castle. You can see one stone which was divided but was not used in the construction. During the Edo Period, the Tokugawa Clan banned people from entering Mt. Komakiyama, because the place was the site of the ruins of their founder Ieyasu’s victory and fortune. For many years during the Modern Times, the mountain was privately owned by the Tokugawa Clan. It is said that it made the foundation of the castle very durable. The ruins were designated as a National Historic Site in 1927 after the Tokugawa Clan donated the mountain to the nation.

The stone which was divided but was not used in the construction for Nagoya Castle

The cross section of the earthen walls at the north entrance

My Impression

It was believed previously, that Komakiyama Castle was just a temporary position for Nobunaga to plan his next step. However, the achievement of the recent excavation made people change their ideas about the castle. I was actually surprised to see the remains of the huge stones and learned they came from Nobunaga’s ideas about castle building. I am looking forward to seeing new discoveries and studies in the future.

The remaining huge stones on the mountain

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 10 minutes away from Komaki IC on Tomei Expressway.
There are several parking lots around the mountain including the Komaki City Hall.
By train, it takes about 30 minutes on foot from Komaki Station on Meitetsu Komaki Line.
To get to Komaki Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen Super Express, get off at Nagoya Station, transfer to the Higashiyama Subway Line, transfer at Sakae Station to the Meijo Subway Line, and transfer at Heandori Station to Meitetsu Komaki Line.

Links and References

・Komakiyama, Komaki Civic Cultural Foundation

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

149.Komakiyama Castle Part2

You can see the legacies of Nobunaga and Ieyasu

Features

Mountain and Castle surrounded by Earthen Walls

Now we can still see Mt. Komakiyama covered with the green of the plants noticeable on the plain area. The building on the top is the Komaki City History Museum which looks like a Main Tower. Komaki City has been developing the whole of the mountain as a historical park. The city opened Komakiyama Castle Historical Site Information Center at the foot in 2019.

A view of Mt. Komakiyama from the city area

The aerial photo around the castle

When you get close to the mountain, you can find earthen walls and dry moats surrounding it. They were made by Ieyasu Tokugawa when the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute happened in 1584. From the Miyukibashi Entrance of the eastern side, you can enter the park across the wooden bridge through the alternate earthen walls. The bridge is not original but was built just for tourists to enter the park easily. Inside the walls, there are plain enclosures which were used for the houses of Nobunaga and his retainers, and also used as military posts of Ieyasu’s troops.

The mountain surrounded by the earthen walls

Main Road similar to Azuchi Castle

From the Main Entrance of the southern side, you can walk up the Main Route, which Nobunaga originally created, to the mountain. The route goes up straight to the mid-slope of the mountain and becomes zigzagged in the upper part. This formation is very similar to that of Azuchi Castle which was Nobunaga’s last home base. This meant he had his own ideas about building castles from an early age.

*The Main Route of Azuchi Castle* (above the mid slope)

Remaining Huge Stones and Stone Walls on Mountain

The Komaki City History Museum is on the top of the mountain where the Main Enclosure was. Around the top, you can see several huge stones lying down. In fact, these stones originally were built in the stone walls surrounding the Main Enclosure. Part of the stone walls still remain, and they were thought to be built by Ieyasu, not Nobunaga. However, the recent excavation found out that Nobunaga built these stone walls using huge stones. They were made into three tiers to demonstrate his authority. They are now recognized as a very early example of stone walls for a castle built in Nobunaga’s unique way.

The Komaki City History Museum *(licensed by Bariston via Wikimedia Commons)*

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