English – ページ 30 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

161.Kishiwada Castle Part1

The reconstructed Main Tower of the castle can be seen among the city area. However, the scenery of the castle was different from the current one before its long history.

Location and History

City is known for Kishiwada Danjiri Festival

Kishiwada City is known for Kishiwada Danjiri Festival which is held in the city every September. Danjiri means traditional Japanese floats which are pulled around the city area in the festival. The city originates from the castle town of Kishiwada Castle. It is said that the festival also came from a celebration event which a lord of the castle, Nagayasu Okabe held for building a new Inari Shrine in the castle in 1703. The reconstructed Main Tower of the castle can be seen among the city area, for instance, from a train you ride on the Nankai Line between Osaka and Kansai Airport or Wakayama City. However, the scenery of the castle was different from the current one before its long history.

A scenery of Kishiwada Danjiri Festival (licensed by Kounosu via Wikimedia Commons)

*The portrait of Nagayasu Okabe, owned by Senkoji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Rulers take over Castle from Local Lords

Osaka Prefecture was roughly divided into three provinces in the past; Settsu, Kawachi and Izumi. The Kishiwada area belonged to Izumi Province which was the southern part of the prefecture and had the border with Kii Province in the south. It is still unknown when and how the castle was first built, but historians speculate that a local clan, the Kishiwada Clan had the old Kishiwada Castle sometime during the Middle Ages and moved to the current Kishiwada Castle in the first 15th Century during the Sengoku Period. The castle was followed by other local clans, the Matsura and the Terada Clans. They were able to maintain their castle and territory by serving the persons of power of the time such as the Hosokawa and the Miyoshi Clans.

The range of Izumi Province and the location of the castle

However, the situation didn’t allow them to do so when the rulers as Nobunaga Oda and Hideyoshi Toyotomi processed their unification of Japan in the late 16th Century. They used Kishiwada Castle as the front line against a group of local lords called Saika-shu which owned Kii Province. They also sent their retainers to the castle to govern it directly. For example, Kazuuji Nakamura who worked under Hideyoshi became the lord of the castle and repelled the attacks from the Saika Goup in 1584. Kishiwada Castle was originally a simple soil-made castle on a hill beside Osaka Bay. It is thought that Kazuuji improved it by building the Main Tower and high stone walls. That’s also why the castle managed to survive until today while the other castles in Izumi Province were all abandoned by the rulers.

*The portrait of Kazuuji Nakamura, owned by Tokyo University (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons*)

Development of Castle and Town

Hideyoshi replaced Kazuuji with Hidemasa Koide, a relative of Hideyoshi in 1585. Hidemasa developed the castle town and the Kishu Road through the town below the Second Enclosure in the west. The tide had actually reached there until then. The Main Gate was also moved from the eastern side to the northern side near the town. It is also thought that he improved or replaced the Main Tower in the Main Enclosure, which had five levels according to the drawing submitted to the Tokugawa Shogunate later on. The shogunate replaced the Koide Clan with Yasushige (Matsui) Matsudaira in 1619, who completed the castle and town. He built new stone walls outside the town in the west to expand it. The castle had probably been small with only the Main Enclosure in the east and the Second Enclosure in the west, but it became larger by adding several enclosures and moats around.

The miniature model of Kishiwada Castle, viewed from the south, the Main Gate (called the Northern Main Gate) is in the red circle, exhibited by Kishiwada Castle

The Main Tower in the drawing, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan

*The remaining stone walls of the castle town (licensed by Hironoyama via Wikimedia Commons)*

*The portrait of Yasushige Matsudaira (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The castle was finally followed by Nobukatsu Okabe in 1640 and his clan governed the castle and the area around as the Kishiwada Domain until the end of the Edo Period. The clan originally came from Suruga Province which is the modern day central part of Shizuoka Prefecture. They served the Imagawa, the Takeda and finally Ieyasu Tokugawa who was the founder of the shogunate. Their government was basically stable in the peaceful Edo Period like the launch of Kishiwada Danjiri Festival. However, the Main Tower was unfortunately burned down by an lightning fire in 1827. After that, the domain planned to restore the tower with the permission from the shogunate, but the periods of warriors and castles ended by the Meiji Restoration before it was done.

*The portrait of Nobukatsu Okabe, owned by Senkoji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

*The illustration of Kishiwada Cassle in Iaumi Province, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan*

To be continued in “Kishiwada Castle Part2”

194.Saiki Castle Part3

People can climb Saiki Castle Ruins on the mountain any day, because the ruins are near the city area.

Features

Northen Enclosure and Two Reservoirs

Let us visit the Northern Enclosure on the northern ridge of the mountain, which spreads from the Main Enclosure as well. Its top area is also surrounded by low stone walls being lined up neatly. It is separated from the Main Enclosure by an altered gate with stone walls and has the exit to the Back Route (also called Wakamiya Route) nearby.

The mountain part of the castle

The long Northen Enclosure on the northern ridge

The stone walls surrounding the top of the Northern Enclosure

If you get out of the exit and climb down the trail on the route, you will eventually reach the two major reservoirs on the back valley, the upper Male Pond and the lower Female Pond. They are also surrounded by stone walls, which were probably considered the lifeline of the castle.

If you go up the trail a little, you can walk around the mid slope of the northern ridge where you can see some base stone walls beside the trail. The Northern Enclosure is supported by both of the stone walls around the top and the base. As you walk around, you will also see the great four-tiered stone walls supporting the Main Enclosure, which were recently discovered in 2009.

The path around the mid slope of the northern ridge

The stone walls supporting the base of the northern ridge

Defensive spot of Castle

There is also the Western Enclosure on the western ridge, which is next to the Second Enclosure, opposite the Main Enclosure. It is separated from the Second Enclosure by a narrow gate with stone walls and has the end point of the Suimei Route from the foot of the mountain. This was the defensive spot of the castle’s western side which is another viewing spot of the city area. You can also see round-shaped stone foundations there, which do not belong to the castle, but are the ruins of an anti-aircraft gun position during WWII.

The gate between the Second and Western Enclosures

The turret ruins at the Western Enclosure

The ruins of the anti-aircraft gun position

Remaining Main Hall Gate

The bottom part has the Third Enclosure Turret Gate, the only remaining building of the castle. This gate was the one for the Main Hall for the lord in the enclosure. The inside of it behind the gate is an empty space now. Saiki City Historical Museum is another attraction of the castle where you can learn about the history of the castle and city, including Takamasa Mori, the founder of the castle. You can also enjoy a view of the mountain with great stone walls on the top, from the front of the museum.

The map around the castle

The remaining Third Enclosure Turret Gate

The inside of the Third Enclosure is empty

The entrance of Saiki City Historical Museum

A view of the castle ruins from the front of the museum

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Saiki Castle was abandoned and all the buildings on the mountain were demolished. The mountain part was eventually used as a park and Mori Shrine. Saiki City started to excavate the mountain in 2009. The excavation team found that the castle was a newly built mountain castle in the Edo Period which was very rare in Japan. As a result, the castle ruins on the mountain were just designated as a National Historic Site in 2022. The bottom part had part of the Main Hall with its gate as an official building or a school for a long time, however the final remaining entrance of the hall was move to another place in 1969 for the construction of the Saiki Cultural Hall. The only remaining gate has been designated as a tangible cultural property of the city.

The photo of the entrance of the hall before being moved, exhibited by Saiki City Historical Museum

My Impression

I think people in Saiki City are proud of their home town and its history. For example, in their daily life, if they have time and the weather is not bad, they can climb Saiki Castle Ruins on the mountain any day, because the ruins are near the city area. As a result, they can enjoy beautiful scenery, get good health, and learn their local history. I wish I could live in an area like Saiki City.

A full view of the castle ruins (the mountain and foot)

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle ruins by car, it is about a 15 minute drive away from Saiki IC on the Higashi-Kyushu Expressway. There is a parking lot for visitors in front of the castle ruins.
If you want to use public transportation, you can take the Oita bus from JR Saiki Station and get off at the Ote-mae bus stop. It takes a few minutes on foot to get there.
For visitors from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the express bus to Oita Station from Oita Airport after using a plane, and get the train on the Nippo Line from the station.

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Saiki Castle Part1”
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194.Saiki Castle Part2

These stone walls are not so high, but they were built along the natural terrain, which look very beautiful.

Features

Four Trails

Today, the ruins of Saiki Castle have been well developed by Saiki City. They consist of the mountain part which maintains great stone walls on the top and the foot part which has the gate for the Main Hall and a modern historical museum. It’s up to you which part you go first, but let us go to the mountain part for now. There are still four trails to the top and three of which start from the front side near the remaining gate. You can choose the one from the three of Doppo-hi (the monument of Doppo Kunikida, a famous author) Route, Suimei (like beautiful nature) Route or Tojo (Going to the castle) Route. The first one is the most moderate and well paved as the approach to the shrine on the top. The second one is a natural-like trail on a ridge of the mountain. The last one is actually my recommendation that is steep and unstable, but is also likely to be original.

The map around the castle

Tojo Route goes zigzagged around the valley between ridges of the mountain. Please watch your step as there are several streams along the valley with fallen trees and collapsed stones lying. These stones seemed to come from stone walls or mounds along the route as you can see the remaining ones on the way.

some of the stones lying along the valley

The remaining stone walls along the route

Great Stone Walls on Mountain

After about 15 to 20 minute climb, you will reach the top area which is still covered by great stone walls. These stone walls are not so high, but they cover the top area largely along the natural terrain with multiple tiers in some points. They might have not been piled like high stone walls in other castles such as Kumamoto Castle, however, they match the shape of the mountain, which look very beautiful. Some stones of the walls also look white which are probably limestone, so builders might also have considered a fine view of the castle from the design stage.

The stone walls were built along the natural terrain

Only original path to Main Enclosure

You will see a stone bridge called Roka-bashi or the Corridor Bridge, over the end point of the route, connecting the Main Enclosure on the right and the Second Enclosure on the left. In fact, the bridge was the only original path to the Main Enclosure, so all the visitors had to go Second Enclosure first and go across the bridge to the narrow entrance of the Main Enclosure. The bridge might have been disabled when a battle happened.

The mountain part of the castle

The entrance of the Second Enclosure and the Corridor Bridge

Going to the Main Enclosure over the *Corridor Bridge*

Looking at the *Corridor Bridge* from the Main Enclosure

There is a small shrine on the Main Tower base of the Main Enclosure, where the larger building of Mori Shrine had been built, but was unfortunately burned down by an air raid during WWII. You can also use newer stone steps, which was built when the shrine was established, to enter of exit the enclosure, opposite the original entrance.

The photo of the Mori Shrine building which was on the base, exhibited by Saiki City Historical Museum

The newer stone steps of the Main Enclosure

If you walk down from the Main Enclosure to the end point of another route to the top, Doppo-hi Route, which is also other ruins of a gate called Kansui-mon, you can enjoy a great view of Saiki City area and Saeki Bay.

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