The small size Imitation Main Tower is on the original stone walls base.
Features
To Park Entrance
Today, Hamamatsu Castle has been developed as Hamamatsu Castle Park. The Main Tower Enclosure and part of the Main Enclosure remain in the park. If you walk to the park from Hamamatsu Station, you will see the Hamamatsu City Hall, which was part of the Second Enclosure in the past, on the left. You can enter the road to the entrance of the park in the north of the hall. You will see the ruins of the Main and Second Enclosures being excavated over the fence on the right.
The map around the castle
The Hamamatsu City HallThe entrance to Hamamatsu Castle ParkThe road to the parkPart of the Main and Second Enclosures under excavation
You will reach the wall of the cross section of the Main Enclosure, which was cut in the present time, so you will need to go around to the left or right corner of the wall to enter the park. No matter which entrance you choose, you’d reach the remaining part of the main enclosure. There is a statue of Ieyasu Tokugawa, and the ruins of the Fujimi Turret on the earthen walls.
The signpost of the park entrance in front of the wall of the cross section of the Main EnclosureGoing to the Main Enclosure through the right side entranceThe inside of the Main EnclosureThe statue of Ieyasu TokugawaThe ruins of the Fujimi Turret
Remaining Old style Stone Walls
The highlight of the castle is the remaining stone walls of the Main Tower and Main Enclosures. They were basically piled using natural stones, one of the earliest methods for castles’ stone walls, called Nozura-zumi. They look very old and Yoshiharu Horio originally built them
A view of the Main Tower Enclosure from the ruins of the Fujimi TurretThe stone walls of the Main Tower Enclosure
If you look at the back side of the enclosure, you will also find these stone walls were built on the upper part of natural terrain. This is another early method, called Hachimaki-Ishigaki or the Headband Stone Walls, when the techniques for high stone walls weren’t developed. These stone walls were also bent elaborately like a folding screen, called Byobu-ore. This structure allowed the defenders to do direct attack from some points of the stone walls when enemies would attack the castle.
The Headband Stone Walls at the back side of the Main Tower EnclosureThe stone walls like a folding screen
The Main Tower Gate was recently restored in 2014 in a traditional way, based on the achievement of the excavation. You can not only go though the gate but also enter the inside of it.
The restored Main Tower GateThe entrance to the inside of the gate
Main Tower is rebuilt smaller than Original
Apart from it, the Rebuilt Main Tower on the remaining stone wall base has been a symbol of the castle since it was built in 1958. The reason why we call it “Rebuilt”, and not “Restored”, is the unknown original Main Tower and that, in fact, the tower looks much smaller for the stone wall base. Perhaps it is because there was not enough budget for a tower which fits the base.
The small Rebuilt Main Tower on the original stone wall baseThe comparison of the sizes between the rebuilt tower and estimated original one, exhibited in the Rebuilt Main Tower
However, you can enter the tower, learn about the castle, and enjoy a view of Hamamatsu City, as the tower is used as a historical museum and observation platform.
The excavated well for the original tower, exhibited in the Rebuilt Main TowerAn exhibition in the Rebuilt Main TowerA view of the city area from the observation platform
Home base of Ieyasu Tokugawa after his independence
Hamamatsu Castle was located in the center of Totoumi Province, which is now Hamamatsu City in the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture. The castle is known for the place where young Ieyasu Tokugawa, who would be the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, lived. This is one of the reasons why the castle is also called “Shusse Castle” which literally means “Success Castle”. The former Hamamatsu Castle was called Hikuma Castle which was built on a hill near the branch of Tenryu-gawa River. It is uncertain who first built it around the 15th Century. In the first 16th Century during the Sengoku Period, the Imagawa Clan, a great warlord which was based in Suruga Province (now the central part of Shizuoka Prefecture) owned the castle.
The range of Totomi Province and the location of the castle
The Portrait of Ieyasu Tokugawa, attributed to Tanyu Kano, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Ieyasu was originally based in Mikawa Province, the west of Totoumi, and worked under the Imagawa Clan. When the power of Imagawa decreased, Ieyasu got independent and aimed to invade Totoumi Province. In 1568, he succeeded in capturing Hikuma Castle to govern the province. However, this castle was not enough for Ieyasu, as he needed to prepare for possible battles with the Takeda Clan who invaded Suruga Province next to Totoumi. Ieyasu extended the castle to another hill in the west direction, renaming it Hamamatsu Castle. Hamamatsu Castle had several enclosures on the hill, and the old Hikema Castle became part of it. It is thought that these enclosures were made of soil with shingle-roofed buildings in them. This was because Ieyasu still didn’t have advanced techniques and craftsmen for building castles like Azuchi Castle which belonged to Nobunaga Oda, Ieyasu’s ally.
The relief map around the castle
The imaginary drawing of Hamamatsu Castle in Ieyasu’s periodThe imaginary drawing of Azuchi Castle, exhibited by Gifu Castle Museum
One of Battlefields for Battle of Mikatagahara
The most impressive event for Ieyasu living in Hamamatsu Castle was the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1573. Shingen Takeda, one of the greatest warlords, invaded the territories of Ieyasu and Nobunaga and captured several Ieyasu’s branch castles such as Futamata Castle. Shingen lured Ieyasu in the castle to the field of Mikatagahara by demonstrating his troops around the castle. Ieyasu fell into Shingen’s trap and was totally defeated. He could somehow turn back to Hamamatsu Castle to survive. Shingen’s troops eventually withdrew after he died of disease in the next year. There have been some traditions about Ieyasu’s actions after his defeat. One says Ieyasu made the castle’s gates open when Shingen’s troops pursued. The troops doubted it and they thought it might be a trap, then withdrew. Another says Ieyasu made a fabric bridge over a deep valley called Saigagake and counterattacked Shingen’s troops to make them fall into the valley. However, it is unclear whether they really happened or not.
The portrait of Shingen Takeda, owned by Jimyo-in, in the 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The diorama of Ieyasu’s troops withdrawing from the battlefield. exhibited by the Saigagake MuseumThe Saigagake Valley Ruins
Yoshiharu Horio improves Castle
After Ieyasu was transferred to Edo Castle (located in now Tokyo) by the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyoyomi in 1590, Yoshiharu Horio, who worked under Hideyoshi, governed the castle. He improved the castle by building stone walls and the Main Tower in the Main Tower Enclosure on the top. The remaining stone walls and stone wall base for the tower were built by him. However, it is quite unknown what the Main Tower looked like because there is no record for it. Only some roof tiles and the well for the tower were excavated. Historians speculate the tower might have looked like the remaining Main Tower of Matsue Castle which was built by the Horio Clan after they were transferred from Hamamatsu in 1600. Both stone wall bases for the towers were similar, so the clan might have used the design plans of Hamamatsu Castle when they built Matsue Castle.
The portrait of Yoshiharu Horio, owned by Shunkoin Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The imaginary drawing of Hamamatsu Castle in Yoshiharu’s periodThe Main Tower of Matsue Castle
Promotional track for hereditary feudal lords
Ieyasu got the power and founded the Tokugawa Shogunate at the beginning of the 17th Century. Since then, Hamamatsu Castle had been owned by nine hereditary feudal lord families during the Edo Period. The lords of the castle were often promoted to important roles of the shogunate such as a shogun’s council of elders. This is another reason the castle is called “the Success Castle”. For example, Tadakuni Mizuno, the lord of Karatsu Castle in the first 19th Century, applied to be the lord of Hamamatsu Castle. As a result, he succeeded to both owning the castle and imposing the Tenpo Reforms as the head of the shogun’s council of elders. As for the castle itself, the main tower had eventually been lost, only the Main Tower Gate remained on the top as the symbol of the castle. The center of it was moved to the Second Enclosure beside the hill, which had the Main Hall for the lord to govern the Hamamatsu Domain around the castle.
The portrait of Tadakuni Mizuno, owned by Tokyo Metropolitan University (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)Karatsu CastleThe imaginary drawing of Hamamatsu Castle in the Edo Period
Why Takatenjin Castle is my favorite Mountain Castle
Features
Around Main Route
The Main Route from the south goes up to the Third Enclosure in the eastern ridge. Probably because this route is less steep than the Back route, many fights occurred at this point. However, no one could successfully break this castle by force.
The map around the castle
Around the ruins of the Main GateThe Main RouteThe ruins of Chakuto Turret which instructed the defenders to prevent enemies from attacking
Later History
After Takatenjin Castle fell, the castle was eventually abandoned. The Takaten Shrine, which had been the guardian of the castle, remained on the top of the mountain. People around the area continued to worship the shrine for a long time. As for the castle ruins, they were designated as a National Historic Site in 1975. The research for the castle have been done since 1998. The ruins have also been developed separately.
The Takaten ShrineThe gateway of the Takaten Shrine on the Back Route
My Impression
Takatenjin Castle is my favorite mountain castle in Japan. The reasons for this are listed below.
It was an important point to govern the area around.
The mountain where castle was built on was not so high, that meant the soldiers could run to anywhere in case of emergency.
The castle was not so large, which meant only a few soldiers could protect the castle by themselves.
The slopes of the mountain are all steep or there were many cliffs, meaning enemies couldn’t attack the castle easily.
The view from the top was excellent, that means the defenders could see the situations around the castle very clearly. In addition, the castle could get enough water. By visiting the castle ruins, I learned what mountain castles were and I realized the Takatenjin Castle was the best one. I’ve never seen any other mountain castles that have these advantages.
The Back Route passing through rough cliffsThe top is all surrounded by steep cliffs A view from the topThe ditch seen from the Dono-o EnclosureLooking down the dry moat from the Dono-o Enclosure
How to get There
If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about 15 minutes away from Kakegawa IC on the Tomei Expressway. There are parking lots for visitors in front of the Main Route and the Back Route. If you want to use public transportation, you can take the Shizutetsu Justline Bus on the Kakegawa-Daito-Hamamatsu Line bound for Hamaoka-Eigyosho or Daito-shisho from Kakegawa Station and get off at the Hijikata bus stop. It takes about 15 minutes on foot from the bus stop to get there. To get to Kakegawa Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express.
The castle ruins and the parking lot in front of the Back RouteThe southern entrance of the castle ruins leading to the Main RouteThe parking lot in front of the Mian Route
