中部地方～Chubu Region – ページ 36 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

134.Toyama Castle Part3

Toyma City should be more proud of the real history of the castle.

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Toyama Castle was abandoned. All the buildings of the castle were demolished or burnt. The center of the castle was turned into the Toyama prefectural office, and the other areas were turned into the city area. Toyama Park was established in 1939 after the prefectural office was moved to the ground of the former Jintsu-gawa River. However, Toyama City was reduced to ashes due to the Great Toyama Air Raid in 1945. After World War II, People in Toyama held an industrial exhibition at the ruins of the castle in 1954. The Imitation Main Tower was built for the event to celebrate the revival of the city. Since then, the ruins are being developed as an urban park.

The ruins of the prefectural assembly hall in the park

The Imitation Tower when it was completed *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

My Impression

The ruins of Toyama Castle are not designated as a historic site at all. That means Toyama City can develop the park however it likes. The city can build imitation buildings as new attractions. However, I think the city should inform the citizens and visitors of what the castle really looked like since there are still some original items. I’m afraid that people would be not sure why the city and people are there and how they survived until today. The city might lose its identity. The city might also think castles must have a great Main Tower and stone walls. However, Toyama Castle has a great history without them. If the city thinks so, I recommend learning what the people in Takaoka City in the same prefecture have been doing. They have been maintaining the ruins of Takaoka Castle with soil-made enclosures and water moats after the castle abandoned, while using them as a natural park and for modern facilities.

The Imitation Tower on the original stone walls, connected to the imitated stone walls on the right

The Imitation Tower and the original stone walls of the Iron Gate

The ruins of Takaoka Castle is maintained as a natural park

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 15 minutes away from Toyama IC on Hokuriku Expressway.
The park offers a parking lot.
By train, it is about 10 minutes on foot from Toyama Station.
To get to Toyama Station from Tokyo: Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen super express.

The entrance of the parking lot in the park

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

134.富山城　その３

富山市は、もっと真の城の歴史を尊重すべきです。

その後

明治維新後、富山城は廃城となりました。すべての城の建物は撤去されるか、火事で燃えてしまいました。城の中心部は富山県庁となり、それ以外の場所は市街地となっていきました。県庁舎が神通川が以前流れていた敷地に移転した後は、1939年に富山公園が設立されました。しかし、1945年の富山大空襲により、富山市は灰燼に帰してしまいます。第二次世界大戦後、富山市の人たちは、1954年に城跡で産業博覧会を開催しました。模擬天守は、市の復興を祝して開かれたその博覧会のために建てられたのです。それ以来、城跡は都市公園として整備されています。

完成当時の模擬天守 *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

私の意見

富山城跡は、史跡として指定されてはいません。すなわち、富山市は自らの好きなように公園を開発し、観光資源として模擬建築をつくることができます。しかし私は、富山市は市民や観光客に対して、城は本当はどのような姿をしていたのか、もっと知らせるべきだと思います。まだ、オリジナルのものが残っているからです。そうしなければ、なぜこの都市とそこに住む人々がここにいて、どうやって今日まで生き残ってきたのかが、わからなくなってしまうのではないでしょうか。アイデンティティを失ってしまうかもしれません。富山市は、城には立派な天守や石垣がなくてはならないと思っているかもしれませんが、富山城にはそれがなくても誇るべき歴史があるのです。ぜひ、同じ県にある高岡市の人たちがやっていることを見習っていただきたいと思います。彼らは、高岡城が廃城となった後、城跡の土造りの曲輪を、自然公園や公共施設として使いながら、ずっと維持し続けています。

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：
北陸自動車道の富山ICから約１５分かかります。
公園に駐車場があります。
電車の場合は、富山駅から歩いて約１０分のところです。
東京から富山駅まで：北陸新幹線に乗ってください。

リンク、参考情報

・富山市郷土博物館、富山市
・「越中４６０年を行く　富山城探訪／北日本新聞社編」北日本新聞社
・「加賀藩二代藩主　前田利長が造った城／杉本宏著」２２世紀アート
・「よみがえる日本の城８」学研

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

134.Toyama Castle Part2

A site mixed with original and imitation items

Features

Appearance very different from past

Today, the ruins of Toyama Castle became Toyama Castle Park which is open to the public. The appearance of the park is much different from the original state of the castle in some ways. First, the Jintsu-gawa River was rerouted from the northern side of the castle to flow in another direction in 1899. Only a stream called Matsu-kawa River flows in the original position. Second, only the Main Enclosure and the Western Enclosure remain as the park, which were tied by burying the water moat between them. Finally, no castle buildings remain but some imitation items were built. Further details on that later.

The aerial photo around the castle

The Matsu-kawa River flowing in the former Jintsu-gawa River

Original Stone Walls, Water Moats and Moved Gate

The highlights of the remaining items are the stone walls, part of the water moats, and the moved Chitose Hall Gate from the Eastern Barbican Enclosure. If you enter the park from the south, you can walk across the only remaining earthen bridge. The bridge is over the only remaining water moat to the ruins of the front gate called Kurogane-mon or the Iron Gate with the stone walls.

The stone walls include five huge ornate stones called Kagami-ishi or the Miller Stones. These stones look great and showed the authority of the lord in the past. This area is the most likely to be the original Toyama Castle.

The stone walls of the Iron Gate, including the ornate stones

The other remaining stone walls of the back gate are at the northeast part of the castle. The Chitose Hall Gate is beside the stone walls.

The Chitose Hall Gate beside the stone walls

Imitated Stone Walls and Main Tower

On the other hand, another feature of the castle, the earthen walls can hardly be seen at the site. The outline of the Main Enclosure was originally made using the earthen walls connecting the stone walls. However, the outside part is covered with the imitation stone walls built recently. The inside of it was also piled up with some stones earlier on.

The stone walls on the left are original while those on the right are imitated

The inside of the earthen walls was also piled up with stones

There are signboards which give information about the original stone walls at the site, but no explanation for the stone walls which were built in the present time. Visitors might be confused or misunderstand what the castle was like.

The signboard for the original stone walls

there is no information for the imitated stone walls

The building of Toyama Municipal Folk Museum is on the stone walls of the Iron Gate as the imitation Main Tower, where you can learn more about Toyama Castle inside. It has been a long time since its launch in 1954, so it has also become a symbol of Toyama City. Now the imitation building fits in with the original stone walls.

The imitation Main Tower built on the stone walls of the Iron Gate

The Imitation Tower seen from the inside of the park

Another art museum building which looks like a turret is also built on the stone walls of the back gate. The citizens of the city might think Toyama Castle originally had the Main Tower and was built entirely using stone walls.

The art museum built on the stone walls of the Back Gate

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