言語～Language – ページ 3 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

23.Odawara Castle Part3

I introduced the histories and features of Odawara Castle until the Sengoku Period in the previous articles. In this article, I will talk about the histories and features of the castle starting from the Edo Period to the present time. The catchphrase of this article will be “Disaster Recoveries”.

Location and History

Period of Okubo Clan

After the Battle of Odawara Castle in 1590, Ieyasu Tokugawa who captured the Kanto Region chose Edo, not Odawara, as his home. However, he assigned his senior vassal, Tadayo Okubo to Odawara Castle instead as the founder of the Odawara Domain. That meant the castle was still important in order to protect the region from enemies at the western edge of the region. Tadayo lived in the castle while maintaining its stone walls. He used the main hall that the Hojo Clan built, and the Main Tower the clan may have built also. This was because the style of the tower was different from those of the castle later on, but there is no certain evidence of this. Ieyasu often stayed in Odawara Castle when he went hunting or looked around his territories. Despite the close relationship, Tadayo’s successor, Tadachika Okubo was fired by Ieyasu due to a minor violation in 1614. It was actually said that it was caused by the conflicts between the Okubo Clan and the Honda Clan that was another senior vassal family.

The portrait of Tadayo Okubo, owned by Odawara Castle (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Masanobu Honda, owned by Kaga-Maeda Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The image of the first main tower, from the signboard at the site

Period of Inaba Clan

The Odawara Domain was revived in 1632 when Masakatsu Inaba, who was a close vassal of the shogun, became the lord of the castle. He was also a son of Lady Kasuga who was the foster mother of the shogun. Masakatsu was expected to guard the barrier of Hakone near Odawara, which would be the defensive line of the Kanto Region. However, in the following year, Kanei Great Earthquakes happened and it destroyed most of the castle and the castle town. The Tokugawa Shogunate, which planned the shogun’s visit to Kyoto after staying in Odawara in 1634, rapidly launched the reconstructions of the castle. That concluded the basic style of Odawara Castle during the Edo Period. For example, the main tower was rebuilt like the current one, but not the same one. The main portion of the castle was all surrounded by stone walls. The main hall in the main enclosure was built only for the shogun. Therefore, the lord of the castle stayed in his hall in the second enclosure, which was called “Oyakata”.

The portrait of Masakatsu Inaba, owned by Yogenji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The imaginary drawing of Odawara Castle during the Edo Period, from the signboard at the site

The image of the second main tower, from the signboard at the site

The castle town was also developed as a transportation hub of Tokaido Road, one of the main roads in Japan. On the other hand, the range of the castle was reduced to only on the plain land, compared to that during the Sengoku Period. There were exemptions that some of the So-gamae structure were used as borders of the domain or the town. For instance, the eastern gate of the town to Edo, called “Edoguchi-mitsuke” used the So-gamae earthen walls. In the Yamanokami Ditch on the hill, guards monitored the border of the domain at the gate which was built there.

Period of Okubo Clan again

The Okubo Clan became the lord of the Odawara Domain (Odawara Castle) after the Inaba Clan moved to the Takada Domain in 1686. Tadatomo Okubo who was the lord of the clan supported the current shogun as a member of shogun’s council of elders. Few years later, the Genroku Earthquake occurred in 1703 which destroyed the castle and its town again. Mt. Fuji also erupted four years later, which was called “Hoei Eruption”, and its volcanic ash caused serious crop failure to the farms. The castle lost all its main tower and halls, but the shogunate didn’t help the domain in this case. As a result, it took as long as 18 years to restore them except for the main hall for the shogun which was not needed any more. The reconstruction of the main tower was a third generation, which survived until the end of the Edo Period. When the costal defensive system against possible invasions was needed, three batteries were built along the remaining earthen walls of the So-gamae structure beside the sea. However, they were unfortunately demolished until now.

The image of the third main tower, from the signboard at the site

Odawara Castle until Now

After the Meiji Restoration, Odawara Castle was abandoned and most of the castle buildings were scraped. Meanwhile, the stone walls of the main portion were still used as the base of an imperial villa. However, the Great Kanto Earthquakes, which happened on the 1st of September in 1923, destroyed the villa, the stone walls and the only remaining castle building, was the one-level turret of the second enclosure. This disaster had mostly erased the scenery of the remaining castle. The villa was eventually turned into Odawara Castle Park.
People in Odawara started to restore the castle in 1934 by rebuilding the stone walls and the turret of the second enclosure. The 4th main tower and its stone wall base was rebuilt in 1960. Since then, Tokiwagi-mon Gate in 1970, Akagane-mon Gate in 1997, and Umadashi-mon Gate in 2009 were restored to recreate their scenery during the Edo Period. They could be considered one of the disaster recoveries which the castle experienced again and again.

Some of the stone walls of the main enclosure, which collapsed in the Great Kanto Earthquakes

Features

From Third Enclosure to Second Enclosure

Past visitors to the castle would usually enter the castle from the main gate while current visitors would start from Ohoribata Steet beside the moat of the second enclosure. (Ohoribata means “beside the moat”) However, how about if we take another route instead? This route starts from the entrance to the ruins of Kodamon-guchi Gate beside the Odawara post office. It goes on the few remaining earthen walls of the third enclosure to the Ohoribata Street via the gate ruins. This gate had originally been the main gate of the castle during the Sengoku Period. It was said that Kenshin Uesugi attacked the gate first and followed by Shingen Takeda later on.

The ruins of the main gate in the third enclosure, which is used as a bell tower

The moat of the second enclosure was originally a pond surrounding the castle, called “Large Pond” or “Lotus Pond”. The stone walls and the single-level turret over the moat were restored after the Great Kanto Earthquakes. The original stone walls, which were destroyed by the earthquakes, were much higher than the current ones.

The restored stone walls and the single-level turret in the second enclosure

If you enter the front entrance of the Odawara Castle Park, you will enter the Umadashi-mon Gate through the earthen bridge over the moat. This gate was the latest restored gate in the castle, using wooden materials. It has a square space, called Masugata, inside, which makes it tough for enemies to penetrate.

If you pass the gate and walk around the moat again, you will eventually reach the Akagane-mon Gate, which is the front entrance of the second enclosure. You will need to walk across the wooden bridge to go over the moat again, which comes from the castle’s defensive layout. The gate was also restored to its original conditions with the help of old photos, records, and the results of the excavations. This Masugata System looks stronger than The Umadashi-mon Gate, which is surrounded by stone walls and mud walls.

The inside of the second enclosure is mostly an empty space but had the main hall for the lord (during the Edo Period) and the imperial villa (during the Meiji and Taisho Eras).

The space of the second enclosure and the main enclosure just above the hill

Arriving at Main Enclosure

We will eventually reach the main enclosure from the second enclosure through Tokiwagi-bashi Bridge. There used to be the eastern moat surrounding the main enclosure under the bridge, however, it has been converted into an iris garden which you can enjoy if you walk down to the former bottom of the moat. You can also see many hydrangeas planted on the slopes of the enclosure during the summer season.

After crossing the bridge, you will finally enter the last gate, called Tokiwagi-mon. It was restored using concrete instead of wood. The original gate had the Masugata system as well, however, the final restoration lacks one side of the walls probably to make it more accessible for visitors.

There is the reconstructed main tower in the main enclosure. It is very large for a three-level tower which is 27.2m tall and about 39m tall (including the tower base). The tower has four floors inside. It is the seventh tallest main tower among the existing ones in Japan. It is the fourth generation of the main towers of this castle, which was built emulating the miniature model and records of the third generation. However, the fourth generation has the observation platform for visitors on top, which is different from the design of the third generation tower. For this reason, the current tower is regarded not as “restored” but rather “reconstructed”. The inside of the tower is used as a historical museum, which was renovated are reinforced with earthquake-proof technology back in 2016.

The current main tower (the fourth generation)

You can see views of Odawara in all directions from the platform, including where you’ve already visited.

A view from the tower (Hachiman-yama old enclosure)

A view from the tower (the main and second enclosures)

A view from the tower facing west (including Sagami Bay)

Hopes for the Future and Lessons of the Past

If you get out of the main enclosure through the northern exit, you will reach Goyomai Enclosure. (Goyomai means “official stored rice”) Unfortunately, you can not enter it because of the excavations. Instead, you can see the panels around, which showcases what were found there so far. For example, the ruins of a stone pawed garden, including beautiful cut stones, during the Sengoku Period were discovered. The site was turned into warehouses for rice during the Edo Period, which originated the name of the enclosure. I’m looking forward to seeing this site again after it becomes more developed.

The explanation about the stone pawed garden

The explanation about the Tokugawa Shogunate roof tiles

If you go to the southern slopes of the main enclosure, you can see a lot of large stones at the foot which collapsed during the Great Kanto Earthquakes. In fact, the stones were used for the stone walls which covered the top of the enclosure. Some of the stones are still connected to each other forming a curve. That means they slid down from the top to the foot keeping the form when the earthquakes happened. It must have been caused by the enormous strength of the earthquakes. The exhibitions made me realize how important being prepared for disasters is.

The curved stone walls lie down at the foot of the enclosure

Other stone walls which collapsed during the earthquakes

Finally, It may be a good idea to visit the southern moat nearby. It is also known as “lotus moat” which uses the same name during the Sengoku Period. You may be seeing the same scenery as people at that time, which shows the castle has a long history.

My Impression

There are a lot of attractions about Odawara Castle from the Sengoku Period to the present time. Maybe you will need more than one day to see all of them. The lords of the castle achieved many things. For instance, they constructed one of the greatest castles and rebuilt the main towers three times. These works were passed down from one lord to the next. It may look simple, but it is difficult to maintain. I speculate that if another disaster happens in the future to Odawara, people there will survive along with Odawara Castle. They could be a role model for other people under similar situations in the future.

That’s all. Thank you.

Back to “Odawara Castle Part1”
Back to “Odawara Castle Part2”

20.佐倉城　その２

例えば、ＪＲの佐倉駅から佐倉城跡に向かう場合、駅からだと、ちょっとした丘のように見えるのですが、坂を登ってみると、丘の上は意外と広くてびっくりされるかもしれません。他の方から来られる方も、台地上にある城を実感していただきたいです。

特徴、見どころ

大手門から本丸へ

それでは、大手門跡から城の中心部に向かいましょう。大手門については、土塁が一部残っています。

大手門の内側には、広大な東惣曲輪などがありました。今は学校用地や、駐車場などもある自由広場になっています。自由広場の手前には「佐倉城址公園センター」があって、城についての展示を行っています。自由広場には、幕末には三の丸御殿、そして堀田正睦が晩年を過ごした松山御殿がありました。

ここから先が、防御が重視された城の中心部、現在の佐倉城址公園です。まずは、空堀が現れます。きれいに整備されていますが、往時はもっと深かったようです。

まずは三の門跡に着きます。ここが城の中心部への第一関門だったのでしょう。三の門の内側が三の丸で、重臣たちの屋敷地だったそうです。三の丸にはくぼんでいる部分があって、これは空堀を埋めた跡のようです。また、開国を進めたタウンゼント・ハリスと堀田正睦の銅像も佇んでいます。

次が、二の丸の入口、二の門跡です。二の門の中が二の丸で、幕末より前には藩主の御殿（対面所）がありました。奥の方（北西側）には城米蔵があって、年貢米を収納していました。今でも、城米蔵ものと思われる礎石が残っています。

さて、いよいよ本丸です、空堀を渡って入口の一の門跡に向かいます。

本丸から台地下へ

本丸は周りを土塁に囲まれていて、包まれ感があります。ここは台地の西端に当たるので、奥まで来たという感じがします。ここにも御殿があったのですが、徳川家康が休息したということで、使われたのはセレモニーがあったときくらいでした。

土塁の上を歩くことができます。一の門跡の方から歩いていくと、まず銅櫓（どうやぐら、あかがねやぐら）跡を通ります。この櫓には伝承があって、江戸城から移築され、しかもそれは江戸城を最初に築いた太田道潅の館「静勝軒」だったとのことです。

次に進んでいくと、天守跡の土台があります。天守は、この土台の上に直接建てられ、片側が土塁にかかっていました。それもあって、外側からは３階、内側からは４階に見えたそうです。当時は「御三階」などと呼ばれていました。天守は、武器を収納する役所や武器庫として使われました。焼失したきっかけも、盗賊が鉄砲を盗みに来たためとのことです（提灯を置き忘れていた）。

本丸にはもう一つ、角櫓がありました。この櫓も伝承付きで、おそらくは千葉氏の本佐倉城（「将門山なる根古屋城」）から移築されてきたというものです。早くに老朽化して、江戸時代に大修理が行われたそうです。

本丸の台所門（裏門）跡から外に出ましょう。この門は普段は締め切りだったそうです。

ここから、台地の斜面を下っていきます。結構急なのですが、これも佐倉城らしいところです。中腹には道が巡っていますが、これが帯曲輪です。もともとは空堀だったのが、埋まってこのようになったと言われています。そこから本丸を見上げると、すごく高さがあります。わざわざ石垣を作らなくても、これで十分とも思います。

帯曲輪の外側には、南側の出丸（清水出丸）があります。出丸の外を歩いてみると、水堀に囲まれていて、強力な陣地だったことがわかります。カッコよささえ感じます。出丸の外からだと中の様子はわかりづらいですが、中からは外の様子はお見通しです。

帯曲輪に戻って、西側の出丸にも行くことができます。この帯曲輪は、江戸時代当時も、木に覆われて外からわからなかったそうです。西出丸の水堀も土塁も良く残っています。出丸の出入口には「薬医門」という門があります。城の建物だったのですが、一旦別の場所に移築され、元はどの場所にあったかわからないそうです。

馬出し、空堀を見学

今度は台地の北側に回り込んで、「愛宕坂」から台地に登ってみましょう。ここには城の裏門（搦手門）である田町門がありました。国立歴史民俗博物館への入口でもあります。城の「椎木曲輪」が丸々博物館の敷地になっているからです。もともとこの曲輪は、武家屋敷として使われ、日本陸軍が駐留したときには、兵舎の敷地になっていました。城の特徴（台地上の広い敷地）を生かし、ずっと有効に使われているのです。

国立歴史民俗博物館は、床面積だけでも３万５千㎡もあり、日本歴史を５つの時代区分で展示しています。しっかり見ようと思ったら一日がかりになりますので、佐倉城跡見学と併せてスケジューリングされてはいかがでしょう。

佐倉城の見どころに戻ると、椎木門の前にあった馬出しが復元されています。陸軍によって一旦埋められましたが、発掘調査後、復元されました。周りを囲む現在の空堀は、オリジナルより浅くなっています（５．６ｍ→３ｍ）。長方形の形をしているので「角馬出」とも呼ばれています（長辺１２１ｍ、短辺４０ｍ）。基本的には防御陣地なので、入口は正面にはなく、門につながる根元のところにあります。ここから反撃することもできたのです。

椎木門跡から、三の丸に入っていきましょう。また二の丸、本丸へ進んで行くこともできるのですが、左（東）に向かってまた台地を下りましょう。下ったところが「姥ヶ池」です。名前の由来は、江戸時代に家老の娘の乳母（姥）が、その娘を誤って溺れさせてしまい、自身も池に身を投げたという逸話によります。元は湧水とも用水とも言われますが、大手門側と裏門側のルートを分断して、守り易くする役目があったと言われています。江戸時代の頃から「カキツバタ」や「蛙合戦」の名所にもなっていたそうです。

姥ヶ池から大手門跡の方に戻る通路があるのですが、かつての空堀を利用しています。途中から枝分かれするルートがあるのですが、そちらはまだ本当の空堀の底のままです。通路の方に戻って進むと、最初の公園の入口のところに出ます。

武家屋敷、佐倉順天堂まで行ってみよう

今度は、お城の外に出て「佐倉武家屋敷」に行ってみましょう。武家屋敷がある（現）宮小路町は、江戸時代には中級クラスの武士の屋敷地になっていました。現在ここでは、当時からあったものに、上級・下級クラスの屋敷を移築して、合わせて３棟を公開しているのです。

当時の武家屋敷は官舎のような扱いで、基本的には藩によって維持されていました。武士のクラスによって異なる作りになっていましたが、身分の差をつけるためだけでなく、藩の懐事情も反映していたようです。

それから、武士たちの通勤路だったと思われる「ひよどり坂」を歩いてみることもおすすめです。

最後は佐倉順天堂記念館です。佐藤泰然が開いた医学塾兼診療所の建物の一部が保存されていて、その歴史展示や遺物とともに公開されています。この場所は城下町の外れで、城からかなり離れています。その理由としては、泰然が藩医として招かれたわけではなかったことが挙げられます。他には、泰然の父親が、時の権力者・水野忠邦の政策（三方領地替え）に反対していて、泰然が活動しづらくなっていたのを、堀田正睦が救ったという事情を反映しているのではないかという意見もあります。

当時の佐倉順天堂の模型が展示してあり、規模が大きかったことがわかります。学んだ塾生は、延べ千人を超えるそうです。

当時の治療のメニューと料金表（療治定）が掲げられています。外科手術がメインだったのですが、当時は麻酔に危険性があったため、使わなかったそうです。当時の患者さんは、治りたい一心で耐えたとのことです。

佐倉順天堂は、東京の順天堂大学の基になりました。しかし、このとなりに今でも「佐倉順天堂」医院が開業しています。佐倉の伝統と改革は受け継がれているのです。

私の感想

最初は普通の公園のように見えましたが、回れば回るほど、お城のことがわかってきました。全国的にお城の建物の復元ブームになっていますが、佐倉城跡は敷地がちゃんと保存されているので、活用の仕方はじっくり考えればいいと思います。それに、建物はなくても、城跡の楽しみ方はあるとも感じました。

これで終わります。ありがとうございました。
「佐倉城その１」に戻ります。

今回の内容を趣向を変えて、Youtube にも投稿しました。よろしかったらご覧ください。

23.Odawara Castle Part2

I think that the bast way to feel what Odawara Castle was during the Sengoku Period, would be to wak the So-gamae structure. Therefore, this article will show you how to walk around the So-gamae in the current Odawara City.

Features

Rare Remaining So-Gamae structures on Plain Area

Unfortunately, there are only a few remaining structures of So-gamae on the plain city area. First of all, it might y be better to walk the old Tokaido Road to the east. The starting point would be Matsubara Shrine, or a rest station called “Odawarajuku-Nariwai-Koryukan”, which are located at the center of the old transportation hub of Odawara.

It would be more comfortable to go on Kamaboko Street, where there are many traditional Japanese fish cake (which is called Kamaboko) shops are located, which is also similar to the route of the old Tokaido Road during the Sengoku Period. If you walk along the street for a while, you will eventually reach Hojo Inari Shrine. The shrine was built by the Hojo Clan and at the southeast corner of the So-gamae structure.

If you turn left to the north of the shrine, you will soon find the ruins of Edoguchi-mitsuke (which means the gate to Edo). The gate was the eastern entrance of Odawara Transportation Hub during the Edo Period. It was also the Sannoguchi Gate of the So-gamae structure earlier on. Therefore, the partitions of the gate were used until the end of the Edo Period.

In addition, there is also Sanno Shrine, which is little far from the gate ruins, which was a defensive position of the Hojo Clan outside the So-mgamae during the Battle of Odawara. The only direct fighting during the battle happened at this site.

The ground of the shrine looks like a defensive position

If you go on the path beside the gate ruins, you will eventually arrive at one of the few remaining structures of So-Gamae in the city area. It is called, Renjoin Temple Earthen Walls, which is about 100m long and about 3m high. It was originally set with a moat and more defensive than this single unit. You will see a large dent on the walls, which was caused by the Odawara air raid in 1945 during World War II. The ruins had a long history through the multiple periods.

Remaining Structures on the Hill Areas

An easy way to the So-gamae structure on the hill area is to go on the opposite street of a park, called “Medaka-no-gakko”. The street will go up on Yatsu Hill, one of the hill areas behind the Odawara city area. You will eventually find the ruins of Shiroshita-Haridashi. Haridashi refers to the overhanging part of the So-gamae structure. The defenders could have lookout point of the attackers and could counterattack the side from the site. The remaining structure is the base of the overhanging part. That’s why the line forms a right angle.

You can also look around the remaining dry moats along the hill. However, most of them are currently farms now, where visitors are not allowed to enter.

If you continue to go along the street for a while, you will eventually encounter a three-way intersection. Turn right at the intersection, then you will be able to travel on the So-gamae structure easily.

After a while, you will be at Yamanokami-Horikiri. Horikiri refers to a ditch separating a hill in order to avoid the enemies from attacking through the hill. If you go to the bottom edge of the Horikiri, you will find the dry moat of the So-gamae structure touching the Horikiri at right angles. However, the moat is much deeper than the Horikiri. That means the enemies that fell inside the moat, would not be able to invade the Horikiri easily.

Looking at the moat of the So-gamae structure from the edge of the Horikiri ditch

Looking up the earthen walls of the So-gamae structure and the ditch from the bottom of the moats

Next comes Inari-mori (which is the town name). At this site, the earthen walls and dry moats of the So-gamae makes a dent inwards along the natural terrain. The outside of the depression looks like an isolated island. The Hojo Clan also built earthen walls on the island in part to not allow enemies to stay there. This site is one of the most intact parts of the So-gamae structure. The moats managed to keep their original conditions of about 10m deep and over 50-degree slant. This is probably why the visitors are kept out from the moats by ropes and poles.

Large Ditchies of Komine Okane-no-dai, Highlight of So-gamae Structure

The northern part of Odawara City is surrounded by the three hill areas: Hachimanyama, Tenjinyama, and Yatsu. Komine Okane-no-dai hill is part of the Hachimanyama hill area and the highest among the areas. Therefore, the hill was the most important spot for the Hojo Clan in terms of protecting Odawara Castle from invasion. The clan eventually separated the hill by building three ditches. If you walk from the Inarimori Ruins along the So-gamae structure, you will reach the intersection to the three ditches. If you turn right, you will be at the western ditch, left to the eastern ditch, or if you keep going straight, it will lead to the central one.

The western ditch is at the outermost area on the hill, which was originally over 200m long, but is now only 150m long. It was built just before the Battle of Odawara. The ditch seems to get shallower and gentler compared to the original condition. However, if you look at the bottom of it, you can still see something that resembles partitions, which may be the traces of the Shoji-bori system. The edge of the ditch is still connected to the moat of the So-gamae structure.

Next comes the central ditch, which was built at the same time as the western one. The bottom of the ditch is now used as a modern road. You can still see some of the earthen walls around it remaining. A connecting road between this ditch and the eastern ditch still exists.

You will finally arrive at the eastern ditch, which has been developed as a park. You can easily walk the bottom of it. This ditch is the most intact one among the three ditches, which is 280m long and 25 to 30m wide, the same as the original conditions. It is currently 8 to 10m deep, but it was originally about 12m with the Shoji-bori system. Its slant is about 50 degrees, which may be the same as original one, too. The bottom of the ditch is not straight but rather curved, which made it difficult for enemies to walk through smoothly.

The ditch seen from its earthen walls around

Where is the goal of the So-gamae?

You will eventually go down on the hill to the New Moats and Earthen Walls of the Outer Third Enclosure. This place is where Ujimasa Hojo launched the constructions of the So-gamae structure. You can see a great view to the west from there, including Ishigakiyama Mountain where Hideyoshi Toyotomi built his Ishigakiyama Castle during the Battle of Odawara Castle. There is another interesting story where the Hojo side was very surprised to see the completion of Ishigakiyama Castle after all the trees around were cut down, called “Ichiyajo” which means “one night castle” (a castle that only took one night to build). However, the story may be doubtful because the castle ruins can clearly be seen from the site. In addition, please be mindful that the site closes at 3:00 PM, which is much earlier than other historical sites.

The New Moats and Earthen Walls of Outer Third Enclosure

You need to check out the opening hours of the site

You will next walk down to the Tenjinyama hill area. This area also has walls of the So-gamae, called the Earthen Walls, at the west of Denjoji Temple. The walls are located in front of the elevated railways of the Shinkansen (bullet train) and used as a graveyard. If you look up the site from below, you will realize this structure uses natural terrain as well.

After returning to the city area, you should also check out Hayakawa-guchi Ruins (Guchi means entrance or route), one of the few remaining items of the So-gamae structure on the plain area. The Hayakawa-guchi entrance was the front line to the west, where the Toyotomi troops attacked from. Therefore, the entrance was fortified heavily by doubled earthen walls and moats. If you enter the ruins, which have been developed as a park, you will eventually find that the park is sandwiched between the remaining doubled walls.

Other than that, you will be able to find other remaining earthen walls of the So-gamae structure, which are used as the bases of the modern residences along the seaside. If you find one of them, you will be able to understand that these structures were built on such a place and are still intact for the modern facilities to use. This will conclude the tour of the So-gamae structure.

This base of the modern residence uses the earthen walls of the So-gamae structure (its stone walls were probably added later on)

To be continued in “Odawara Castle Part3”