言語～Language – ページ 96 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

170.Hamada Castle Part1

The castle which was destined to fight the Choshu Domain

Location and History

Castle is built to monitor Choshu Domain

Hamada Castle was located in Iwami Province which is modern day the western part of Shimane Prefecture. You may think the prefecture has a comparatively quiet image, but the province was very important during the Sengoku and Edo Periods. This was because it had Iwami Silver Mine, which has become a World Heritage Site. The mine was owned by several great warlords as the Ouchi, Amago, and Mori Clans, then finally followed by the Tokugawa Shogunate. The shogunate wanted to secure the mine, but there was still the Mori Clan in the Choshu Domain, next to Iwami Province in the west. They handed it over the shogunate after the losing the Battle of Sekigawara in 1600, however, the shogunate feared they would retaliate again. That was probably why the shogunate created new domains as Tsuwano in 1600 and Hamada in 1619, located between the mine and Choshu. The shogunate expected the two domains to monitor the Choshu Domain regularly.

The location of the castle

Shigeharu Furuta, who had been the lord of Matsusaka Castle in Ise Province, was ordered to move to Iwami Provence as the founder of the Hamada Domain in 1619. He was looking for a suitable site for the new castle and eventually found a 67m high hill beside Hamada Port which would be the best location. In fact, building a new castle was prohibited by the Tokugawa Shogunate at that time, but it was allowed for the new domain as an exception. The castle construction started in 1620, its foundation was made in the same year, and its completion was in 1623. Although general techniques for castle construction had been advanced back then, those for Hamada Castle were relatively low. For example, the stone walls of the castle were piled together using roughly processed stones while others often used precisely cut stones. The Main Tower for the castle was a Lookout Tower, but it was considered an older one. The reason for it is uncertain, but it may be because the construction was needed to be finished quickly, or that the craftsmen for the construction were locals.

Part of “The illustration of Hamada in Iwami Province”, between 1759 and 1769, from the signboard at the site

The remaining stone walls of the Nakanomon Gate of Hamada Castle

The restored image by CG of the Main Tower of Hamada Castle, from the signboard at the site

Castle is handed over from Furuta Clan to Matsudaira Clans

The Furuta Clan was unfortunately fired by the shogunate due to its internal conflict as well as having no successor in 1648. After that, the Matsui-Matsudaira Clan (which had been the Matsui Clan under the Imagawa Clan, and was allowed to use the Matsudaira family name by Ieyasu Tokugawa due to their contributions to him) governed the domain and castle for a long time. However, the clan was moved to another in 1836 as a punishment for the smuggling of Joseon dynasty of Korea. Instead, the Ochi-Matsudaira Clan (which originated from the 6th Shogun, Ienobu Tokugawa’s little brother) came to govern them. At the end of the Edo Period, Takeakira Matsudaira was adopted as the last lord, who was also a little brother of Yoshinobu Tokugawa who would be the last shogun.

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

The photo of Yoshinobu Tokugawa, by 1867 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Hamada warriors burn Castle by themselves when attacked by Choshu

The biggest event for the castle occurred in 1866 when the shogunate ordered lords in Japan to join in the Second conquest of Choshu. The shogunate tried to defeat the Choshu Domain which was its enemy. The Hamada Domain was ordered to attack the Choshu Domain through the Iwami Route which connected both domains. However, the Tsuwano Domain, which should have supported the shogunate, took a neutral position because the power of the shogunate began to decrease. On the other hand, the Hamada Domain had to join it because its lord was a relative of the shogun. Contrary to their expectations, the Hamada troops with some other domains’ were unfortunately beaten by the Choshu’s well-trained drafted soldiers. The Choshu troops counterattacked and got close to Hamada Castle and town, and forced them to surrender.

The portrait of Masujiro Omura who led the Choshu troops (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The lord, Takeakira once made up his mind to stay in the castle to be killed in a battle. However, he was eventually persuaded to escape from the castle towards his outland territory in Mimasaka Province (now part of Okayama Pref.). The Choshu troops managed to capture Hamada Castle as well as Iwami Silver Mine which the shogunate and Hamada Domain must have secured. There was an interesting episode where the warriors of the domain withdrew from the castle. They burned the castle by themselves during the escape. This was because handing it over to their enemies intact was rather shameful than being used as a base by the enemy. The reason for it is as followed. The Main Tower on the top managed to survive the fire and remained for a while. However, some people in Hamada still won’t admit to the fact and say the tower must have been burned by the Hamada Domain itself. That means the castle was the entity which must never be separated from its masters at that time. That was the warrior’s all or nothing mentality.

The restored image by CG of Hamada Castle, from the signboard at the site

To be continued in “Hamada Castle Part2”

170.浜田城　その１

長州藩との対決を宿命づけられた城

立地と歴史

長州藩の動向に備え築城

浜田城は、現在の島根県西部にあたる石見国にあった城です。島根県といえば現在では比較的地味な印象を持たれるかもしれませんが、少なくとも戦国時代や江戸時代においては非常に重要な場所でした。それは、世界遺産にもなっている石見銀山があったからです。この銀山は、大内、尼子、毛利といった有力戦国大名の支配を受け、最終的には徳川幕府の直轄となりました。幕府は引き続き銀山を確保しようとしますが、石見国の西となりには毛利氏の長州藩がありました。1600年の関ヶ原の戦いの敗戦により、毛利氏から幕府に銀山が引き渡されたものの、幕府は長州藩からの報復を恐れていたのです。恐らくそのために新しい藩として1600年に津和野藩が、1619年に浜田藩が、銀山と長州の間に作られたのだと思われます。幕府はその２つの藩に長州藩を常時監視することを期待したのです。

城の位置

伊勢国の松坂城城主であった古田重治は、1619年に浜田藩の創設者として石見国への転封を命じられました。彼は新しい城にふさわしい地を探し、最適な場所として浜田港沿いの標高６７ｍの丘を見つけました。実はその当時、新城建設は徳川幕府によって禁じられていましたが、新藩設立時の例外として認められました。築城は1620年に始まり、基礎部分は同年中に仕上がりました。建設完了は1623年のことです。それまでに築城に関する一般的技術はかなり進化していましたが、浜田城のために使われた技術は比較的低いものでした。例えば、他の城では精密に加工された石を使って石垣が積まれましたが、この城ので粗く加工された石を積んで築かれました。浜田城の天守は望楼型でしたが、それは古い形式であると見なされていました。その理由はよくわかっていませんが、城の建設が急がれていたからかもしれず、建設のための職人がその地方からのみ雇われたからかもしれません。

藩主は古田氏から松平氏へ

古田氏は不幸にも、お家騒動や跡継ぎがいないために1648年に改易になってしまいました。その後、松井松平氏（もとは今川氏の配下であった松井氏が、徳川家康に仕え、その貢献により松平姓を名乗ることを許された）が浜田藩と浜田城を長い間治めました（その中間に本多氏が短期間入っています）。ところが、朝鮮の李王朝との密貿易が発覚し、懲罰として他所に転封となってしまいます。その代わりに、越智松平氏（６代将軍の家宣の弟が創始者）がやってきました。江戸時代末期になって、松平武聰（たけあきら）が最後の藩主として養子に入りました。彼は最後の将軍となる徳川慶喜の実弟でもありました。

松平武聰肖像画 *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

徳川慶喜写真、1967年以前（禁裏守衛総督時代） (*licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

長州軍に攻められ、浜田藩士が自ら放火し炎上

浜田城にとって最大の出来事が1866年に起こりました。その年に幕府が国中の大名に第二次長州征討を命じました。幕府に反抗した長州藩を武力により討伐しようとしたのです。浜田藩は、両藩を結ぶ浜田口からの攻撃を命ぜられました。しかし、浜田藩とともに幕府を支えるべき津和野藩は中立を保ちました。幕府の力が衰えていることを見据えていたからです。一方、藩主が将軍の親族（その当時の将軍は１４代家茂、慶喜は禁裏守衛総督）である浜田藩には選択の余地はありませんでした。ところが戦前の予想に反して、浜田藩と与力の藩の軍勢は、よく訓練された長州藩の徴兵による軍隊に敗れてしまったのです。長州軍は反攻を開始し、浜田城下に迫り降伏の勧告を行いました。

長州軍を指揮した大村益次郎、「近世名士写真其2」より (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

藩主の武聰は一時、城に留まり討ち死にする覚悟を固めます。しかし結局は家臣の説得により城から逃れ、美作国（現在の岡山県の一部）にあった飛び地に落ち延びました。長州軍は、浜田城だけでなく、幕府と浜田藩が確保すべきだった石見銀山までを手中に収めました。浜田藩の武士たちが城から退去したときの興味深い逸話があります。彼らは、退去のときに自ら城に火をかけました。無傷で城を敵方に渡すことは、敵に基地として使われることよりもむしろ、彼らにとっては恥辱そのものだったからです。その根拠は以下です。頂上にあった天守は偶然に燃えることなく残り、しばらくは存在していました。しかし浜田の一部の人たちは、今でもその事実を認めようとせず、天守は浜田藩士たちによって燃やされているはずだと言うのです。このことは、当時の城は藩士たちにとって精神的に不可分のものであったことをよく示しています。

「浜田城その２」に続きます。

75.Hagi Castle Part3

The destination of the Mori Clan’s castle construction

Features

From Third Enclosure to former Castle Town

Going back to the parking lot, walking around the Third Enclosure is also good. This area is designated as Horiuchi Preservation District for Groups of Historical Buildings. The blocks of the senior vassals’ houses remain as they were. Though the insides of them are used as public facilities, Hagi ware shops, summer orange fields, and so on, there are several remaining stone walls, mud walls, and house gates surrounding the blocks. This is where you can feel as if you were on the real castle area.

The map around the castle

The Third Enclosure (Horiuchi Preservation District for Groups of Historical Buildings)

The front gate of the Mori Clan’s villa, it was built in the Meiji Era in another place and moved the current position in the Third Enclosure, it is used for the Hagi Seminar House

The remaining mud walls at the Toida Masuda Clan’s residence

Stone walls along the street with the background of Shizukiyama Mountain

There are summer orange fields inside the stone walls

Over the Outer Moat, you can also enjoy the castle town attractions such as Kikuya family residence and Kido’s old residence.

Kido’s old residence (licensed by そらみみ via Wikimedia Commons)

Shizuki Mountain as Final Castle

Finally, if you have more time, you should consider climbing Shizuki Mountain as the final castle ruins. It will be an about 20 minute little hard climb, but it worth the trouble. The top has the gate ruins surrounded by stone walls, like ones at the foot.

The entrance of the route to the mountain

This gate also has a defensive square space

The two-tier enclosures on the top are also surrounded by stone walls. Six turrets were on them in the past. You can see nice views of Hagi City and the Japan Sea there.

A view of the Japan Sea from the enclosure

Here comes the upper tier as the Main Enclosure

A view of the Hagi City area from the enclosure

You can also see the reservoir inside for preparing for besieged. There are also many notched huge rocks which look outstanding. These notches are usually understood as a process of making stone walls. However, some people speculate these rocks could have been used by the defenders to counterattack their enemies by cutting and throwing the stones at them.

Later History

After Hagi Castle was abandoned, all the buildings of its center were demolished. People are still wondering why the Choshu Domain, which was one of the winners of the Meiji Restoration, had to do it. Many speculate that they gave an example to a new era by doing so. However, the fact seemed that local people in Hagi had no money to maintain these buildings as the local government had moved to Yamaguchi. As a result, the castle ruins have been a park since 1877 as we see now. They were designated as a National Historic Site in 1951.

The Main Tower was scraped in 1874, the same year as the castle was abandoned

My Impression

I think that Hagi Castle was the destination of the Mori Clan’s castle construction. It was a plain castle, a mountain castle, and also a sea castle. The clan built the castle using all their experiences they got before to make it the strongest. That’s why I also think they didn’t reluctantly choose its location, but actively decide it. I hope Hagi City would repair the restored mud walls on the top of the mountain as there are some writings on the wall.

Shizuki Mountain was integrated with the castle

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about 50 minutes away from Mine IC on the Chugoku Expressway. There is a parking lot in front of the Second Enclosure.
By public transportation, It takes about 30 minutes on foot from Hagi Bus Center or Higashi-Hagi Station. Or it may be a good idea to use a rental bicycle from either place as many other historical attractions, such as Shoin Shrine and Ito’s old residence, are disseminated around the city.
To get to Hagi Bus Center or Higashi-Hagi Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Sanyo Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Highway bus “Super Hagi-go” at Shin-Yamaguchi Station.

The building of Shokason-juku, which was established by Shoin, has been preserved in Shoin Shrine (*licensed by ぽこるん via Wikimedia Commons)*

Ito’s old residence (licensed by そらみみ via Wikimedia Commons)

Links and References

・HAGI Sightseeing Guide

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