言語～Language – ページ 73 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

195.Nobeoka Castle Part3

A pleasure of visiting castle and castle ruins is …

Features

Main Enclosure, Final Strongpoint of Castle

You can next walk on the stone steps beside the stone walls to the Main Enclosure. The route turns left, enters a square space surrounded by other stone walls and turn left again to enter. This square space is called Masugata for protecting the entrance of the enclosure, where the gate buildings were also built on the walls. The inside of the Main Enclosure is an empty square now like the Second Enclosure, so it has a good view point of the city area. It must also have been the final strongpoint of the castle, which could use the 1,000 Murder Stone Walls to repel enemies.

Walking on the stone steps to the Main Enclosure

The map around the castle

The top of the hill next to the Main Enclosure is the Main Tower Enclosure or Base which actually didn’t have the Main Tower. The enclosure is small which could rather have been used as a lookout. There is a bell tower which the keeper still rings the bell 6 times a day at designated times. It has been done for over 140 years since 1878 after the former Drum Turret was burned down during the Seinan War in 1877. It is simple thing, but it is very rare to continue to do so without any holidays. The Three-level Turret was built below the enclosure probably as the substitute of the Main Tower. However, it unfortunately burned down in 1682 and only its stone wall base remains now.

Bell Tower still announces Time

The bell tower in the Main Enclosure, quoted from the Nobeoka City website

The ruins of the Three-level Turret *(licensed by PIXTA)*

If you have time, I recommend visiting the western side of the Second Enclosure which was also surrounded by great stone walls. These stone walls were built for preventing enemies from attacking the castle and the Inner Moat was built outside of it as well. However, the outside area was turned into modern residences just across a narrow path. Therefore, you can see the great stone walls close by and an interesting contrast with many houses.

Stone Walls close to Residential Areas

The aerial photo around the castle, the stone walls of the Second Enclosure are close to residence areas

My Impression

I didn’t know about Mototane Takahashi who built the castle and the story of the 1,000 Murder Stone Walls at all before I visited the castle ruins. I think one of the pleasures of visiting castle ruins is that it will make you interested in what you really see and think much more than just reading about them or watching media.

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle ruins by car, it is about a 10 minute drive away from Nobeoka IC on the Higashi-Kyushu Expressway. There are several parking lots for visitors around the ruins.
If you want to use public transportation, it takes about 20 minutes on foot to get there form JR Nobeoka Station. You can also take the Miyazaki-kotsu bus bound for Kyushu-Hokenfukushi-Daigaku from the station and get off at the Shiyakusho-mae bus stop or take the Machinaka-junkan bus on the Uchimawari Line from the station and get off at the Kyuden-mae, Shiyakusho-nishi bus stop.
For visitors from Tokyo or Osaka: Get the JR Line at Miyazaki Airport after using a plane.

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

195.延岡城　その３

城巡りの楽しみとは・・

特徴、見どころ

最後の防衛拠点、本丸

千人殺しの石垣を見た後には、石垣の脇の石垣を登って本丸に向かいます。通路は左に曲がり、これも石垣に囲まれた四角い空間に入り、再び左に曲がって本丸の内部に入ります。この四角い空間は桝形と呼ばれ、本丸の入口を防御しています。石垣の上には門の建物がありました。本丸の内部は今は二の丸のように広場になっています。よって、市街地を眺めるビューイングスポットになっています。かつては、千人殺しの石垣に囲まれて、敵を撃退するための最後の防御拠点となっていたはずです。

城周辺の地図

今でも時を告げる鐘楼

本丸のとなりの丘の頂上は、天守曲輪とよばれていますが、実際には天守はありませんでした。この曲輪は小さいので、むしろ物見のために使われたのではないでしょうか。ここには鐘楼があり、鐘守が今でも日に６回、鐘を撞いて時を知らせています。1877年の西南戦争のときに太鼓櫓が焼けた後、1878年から１４０年以上にも渡って続けられています。単純なことですが、休日もなしに続けるということは今では大変貴重なことです。この曲輪の下には恐らくは天守の代用として、三階櫓が築かれていました。しかし残念ながら1682年に焼失し、現在では石垣台のみが残っています。

住宅地に隣接する二の丸石垣

お時間があれば、ここも素晴らしい石垣に囲まれている二の丸の西側面の方に行ってみてください。この石垣は城を攻撃してくる敵を防ぐために築かれ、石垣の外側には内堀がありました。しかしその外側の部分は、狭い通路を挟んで住宅地になっています。そのため、この石垣をすぐそばで見ることができますし、現代的な住宅とのコントラストを面白く感じます。

城周辺の航空写真、二の丸石垣は住宅地に近接しています

私の感想

延岡城跡に行ってみるまでは、この城と千人殺しの石垣を築いた高橋元種のことは全く知りませんでした。城や城跡に行くことの楽しみの一つは、実際に現物を見たことでより興味を持ったり、本で読んだりメディアを見ただけより、いろいろと考えてみることができることだと思います。

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：東九州自動車道延岡ICから約１０分かかります。城跡の周りにビジター向け駐車場がいくつかあります。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、ＪＲ延岡駅から歩いて約２０分かかります。または駅から九州保健福祉大学行きの宮崎交通バスに乗って市役所前バス停で降りるか、まちなか循環バス内回り線に乗って九電前・市役所西バス停で降りてください。
東京または大阪から延岡駅まで：飛行機で宮崎空港に行き、ＪＲ線に乗ってください。

リンク、参考情報

・延岡城跡・城山公園、延岡観光協会
・「よみがえる日本の城１８」学研
・「日本の城改訂版第６３号」デアゴスティーニジャパン
・YouTube 延岡青年会議所チャンネル「【延岡城下町プロジェクト】続日本100名城延岡城！その魅力を徹底解明！」

これで終わります。ありがとうございました。
「延岡城その１」に戻ります。
「延岡城その２」に戻ります。

195.Nobeoka Castle Part2

The 1,000 Murder Stone Walls as the highlight of the castle,

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Nobeoka Castle was abandoned and most of the castle buildings were demolished. Some buildings such as the Drum Turret remained for a while. However, the turret was burned down. In 1877, a hero of the restoration, Takamori Saigo started a rebellion against the government known as the Seinan War. From the south in Kagoshima, his troops started an attack on Kumamoto Castle. However, after failing to capturing Kumamoto Castle, they were forced to withdraw and battles took place all over the Kyushu Region. Nobeoka was one of them. In fact, Nobeoka Castle was held by the government army, but their navy shot the castle by mistake. The army had to burn the turret to show the castle was already friendly.

The monument of the battle of Wadagoe at the Nobeoka area between the Saigo troops and the government army (licensed by shikabane taro via Wikimedia Commons)

Another interesting episode for the castle is about the 1,000 Murder Stone Walls. In fact, the nickname first came out in Meiji Era after abandonment of the castle. It is said that there were gaps between the base stones where children could play inside. That might have made some people imagine and create such an interesting story to express how great the stone walls were.

Features

Sandbank becomes City Area

Today, if you visit the ruins of Nobeoka Castle on foot from JR Nobeoka Station, you will go across the Gokasegawa river by using one of the bridges over it. You will also see the hill which the castle ruins are located a little far away from the bridge. The sandbank, sandwiched by the rivers, has become a modern city area with many official buildings and no moats remain in the area, so you can easily arrive at the eastern edge of the ruins.

The map around the Nobeoka area

Castle Ruins becomes Castle Mountain Park

The castle ruins have become Shiroyama-Koen or the Castle Mountain Park, which has two entrances in the north and the southeast. The former was the main route to the castle and the latter was the back route. Either route is well developed for visitors. If you walk around the hill to the northern entrance of the park, you will see old stone walls partially surrounding the hill. You will eventually enter the park through the restored Northern Main Gate.

The map around the castle

The restored Northern Main Gate *(licensed by ja:User:Sanjo via Wikimedia Commons)*

Stone Walls are modified due to their Nickname

After entering the gate, here comes the highlight of the castle, the 1,000 Murder Stone Walls once you enter the Second Enclosure. The stone walls surround the Main Enclosure, upper than the Second Enclosure where you can look up close by. They look so great and it is unbelievable to imagine how the stone craftsmen built them 19m high using such rough natural stones. In addition, if you look at the corner base stone which might have caused the collapse of the stone walls, it is enforced with concrete. According to the signboard at the site, it had been done before the Emperor Showa visited in 1935. In fact, the 1,000 Murder Stone Walls is kind of an overstatement for the great stone walls, which was created after the castle was abandoned. However, the emperor was treated as Arahitogami or a Living God until the World War II. That’s probably why people in Nobeoka enforced the stone to avoid any accidents.

This picture shows the corner base stone clearly *(licensed by ja:User:Sanjo via Wikimedia Commons)*

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