English – ページ 78 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

82.Ozu Castle Part2

You can enjoy both the restored Main Tower and the remaining turrets.

Features

From Entrance to Second Enclosure

Today, Ozu Castle is open to the public as the Shiroyama Park. The range of the park is the Main Enclosure and part of the Second Enclosure. The water moats, which was one of the most important features of the castle, were unfortunately reclaimed. This is so, the entrance of the park faces the public road. However, you can see the Main Tower, which had been scraped in 1888, but was restored in almost the same way in 2004.

The aerial photo around the castle

You can also walk on the road, which was probably one of the moats, into the park. You will pass the ruins of the Main Gate with some remaining stone walls, then you will be in the Second Enclosure. The enclosure had the Main Hall and lots of warehouses, and the only warehouse that remained is called” Shimo-daidokoro”.

The ruins of the Second Enclosure Main Gate

Restored Main Tower and Remaining Turrets at Main Enclosure

After that, you will climb on the hill which is the Main Enclosure. The enclosure has the lower and higher tiers. The lower tier has the ruins of a large well, so it was also called the Well Enclosure in the past. The higher tier is the highest and the center of the castle. It was surrounded by the gates, walls and turrets, but now you can easily enter the main enclosure. The restored Main Tower with the two remaining turrets both sides still stand out, which are definitely the highlight of the castle.

The stone walls around the Well Enclosure

Going to the higher tier of the Main Enclosure

The restored Main Tower (in the center), the remaining Kitchen Turret (on the right), and Handrail Turret (on the left)

These buildings are connected to each other by the other restored Passage Turrets. Visitors enter the entrance of the Kitchen Turret or Daidokoro Yagura, one of the remaining turrets. It is thought that this turret was used for a kitchen like the name as there are lots of lattice windows for ventilation. You will next go to the restored area. The materials of the area still look new unlike those of the remaining area. However, you may not feel strange because both areas were built in the same way using wooden materials. You will enter the Main Tower after going through the Passage Turret.

Interior of restored Main Tower

The Main Tower has four floors. The central part of the first and second floors is made in the open beam ceiling. For that, you can see lots of wooden pillars and how they are combined wisely. The wooden materials for the pillars were provided by many local organizations or individuals, which are shown on the panels in the tower. The panels also explain the history of the castle.

The open beam ceiling between the first and second floors

You can go up to the top floor by climbing the steep stairways but which is considered safe, using handles. You can enjoy a view of Hijikawa River from the top through a lattice window made in the original way.

The stairway from the third floor to the top floor

Handrail Turret with good views

You can also go to the other remaining turret called the Handrail Turret or Koran Yagura from the back of the Main Tower through the other Passage Turret. The turret has a veranda with the handrail at the second floor like the name. You can climb up to the floor using the original stairway. Actually, you can’t go out to the veranda probably to preserve the place. However, you can feel the floor is open and enjoy a view of the outside. The lord of the castle must have used the turret for viewing.

From the Main Tower to the Handrail Turret

The interior of the first floor of the turret

The interior of the second floor of the turret

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

82.Ozu Castle Part1

Many clans developed Ozu Castle and the area around.

Location and History

Utsunomiya Clan first builds Castle

Ozu Castle was located in the southern part of Iyo Province on Shikoku Island, which is now Ozu City in Ehime Prefecture. The castle was first built on a hill called Jizogadake by the Utsunomiya Clan in the 14th Century. This location was near the intersection of Ozu-Uwajima Road and Hijikawa River, an important point for transportation. The Utsunomiya Clan eventually became one of the local warlords in the province during the Sengoku Period in the late 15th to the 16th Century.

The range of Iyo Province and the location of the castle

Takatora Todo modernizes Castle

After Hideyoshi Toyotomi achieved his unification of Japan, Takatora Todo, who worked under Hideyoshi owned Ozu Castle in 1595. He was based in Uwajima Castle, but he modernized both Ozu and Uwajima Castles. The details of improved Ozu Castle by Takatora are uncertain, because the ruins of it are under the current Ozu Castle. However, it is thought that the basic structure of the castle was completed by him. The Main Enclosure was on the hill beside Hijikawa River flowing from the east to the north of the castle. The Second Enclosure was below the hill on the opposite side of the river. Both enclosures were surrounded by the Inner Mort in the south and west. The Third Enclosure and the Outer Moat were also outside of them. The water of the moats was from the river, so the castle is also called a River Castle.

The portrait of Takatora Todo, private owned (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The illustration of Ozu Castle in Iyo Province, exhibited by the National Diet Library of Japan

Yasuharu Wakizaka builds Main Tower?

In 1609, Yasuharu Wakizaka, was transferred from Sumoto Castle to Ozu Castle as the founder of the Ozu Domain. It is said that he built the four leveled Main Tower in the Main Enclosure. Some historians also speculate that he might have moved the Main Tower of Sumoto Castle to Ozu. This is because the sizes of the stone wall bases for both castles are almost the same, according to the recent research. The two two-story turrets called Daidokoro-Yagura and Koran-Yagura were built at both sides of the Main Tower, connected by the Passage Turrets. Many other turrets were also built in the important positions of each enclosure.

The portrait of Yasuharu Wakizaka, owned by Tatsuno Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The stone wall base for the Main Tower and the imitation Tower of Sumoto Castle

The old photo of the Main Tower and the Daidokoro-Yagura Turret of Ozu Castle, from the signboard at the site

Kato Clan maintains Castle

In 1617, the Kato Clan was transferred from Yonago Castle to Ozu Castle, which governed the castle and the Ozu Domain over 13 generations until the end of the Edo Period. The domain didn’t have a large territory (60 thousand rice of koku) which meant they were not rich. However, it promoted industries such as Tobe pottery, Japanese papers and Japan wax. It also founded the domain school called Meirinkan to educate warriors. At the end of the Edo Period, one of the warriors, Ayasaburo Takeda learned the Western military science after graduation. He lastly built the first Western style castle called Goryokaku in Hakodate, Hokkaido Island, he also worked as the instructor of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The portrait of Sadayasu Kato, the first lord of the clan, owned by Ozu City Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Ayasaburo Takeda (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

As for Ozu Castle, the Second Enclosure became the center of the castle in the peaceful time, having the Main Hall, warehouses surrounded by the Main Gate and some turrets.

The Second Enclosure drawn in the Illustration of Ozu Castle in 1692, exhibited in the castle

To be continued in “Ozu Castle Part2”

83.Uwajima Castle Part3

Uwajima City is attracting people.

Features

Interior of Main Tower

You can enter the inside of the Main Tower. Its interior is basically made for living, not for fighting. For example, the first and second floors are divided into the central room and the defense passage around by paper screen doors called Shoji. The floor of the central room is boarded now, but was Tatami-matted in the past. Shoji and Tatami mat are typical items for traditional Japanese living room. There are not any loopholes for guns and machicolations other Main Towers usually had. That’s why this is called the Main Tower of peace time.

The central room of the 1st floor, there is the miniature model of the tower made in the Edo Period for repairing

However, it actually has minimum defense system that each lattice window has a gun rest and the floors are set properly to shoot the guns from the windows.

A set of lattice window and gun rest on the defense passage at the 2nd floor

The stairway to the 2nd floor, the ceiling of the 1st floor is high to set the 2nd floor properly

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, many of the castle buildings were demolished and the moats were filled. The former lord, Date Clan continued to maintain the few remaining buildings and the mountain until the clan donated them to Uwajima City in 1949. Unfortunately, the Main Gate was burned down by the Uwajima air raid in 1945. Only the Main Tower and the Nobori-tachi-mon Gate on the back route remain. The Main Tower has been designated as an Important Cultural Property since 1950.

The remaining Nobori-tachi-mon Gate *(licensed by Saigen Jiro via Wikimedia Commons)*

My Impression

Uwajima City is warm all the year around and has a lot of affordable delicious food. A writer, Akira Yoshimura who has written about Choei Takano and Ine Kusumoto, the first woman doctor in Japan who also visited Uwajima. He came to love Uwajima through the data collection for his the novels. He visited there over 40 times in his life. This city is likely to have both a local laid-back atmosphere and a tolerance to accept others. I feel the same way and would like to visit there many times.

Ine Kusumoto *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about 30 minutes away from Seiyo-Uwa IC on the Matsuyama Expressway. There is a parking lot at the entrance of the castle.
By public transportation, it takes about 15 minutes on foot from the JR Uwajima Station.
If you go there from Tokyo or Osaka, I recommend traveling by plane or using an express bus.

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Uwajima Castle Part1”
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