中部地方～Chubu Region – ページ 54 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

32.Kasugayama Castle Part2

The castle ruins are worth to walk around.

Features

Now, you can visit the ruins of Kasugayama Castle easily by car. You can also park at the Kasugayama Shrine located on the mid slope of the mountain and go to the top. However, if you have time, how about walking on the original routes from the foot of the mountain?

The whole view of the ruins of Kasugayama Castle

Around Main Route

For example, you can park at the starting point of the Main Route on the way to the shrine. The route was recently developed for visitors, and is about 3.5km to the top, but gently sloped with a laid-back atmosphere. After a while, you will pass beside the ruins of the guard house on a mound. The route gets a little steep and rough and goes through woods and valleys. You will eventually reach a large enclosure called Kakizaki’s Hall. You are near the main portion, so you will arrive at the top after passing Kagekatsu’s Hall and the Well Enclosure.

Around the Main Route

The Main Route with a laid-back atmosphere

Around Back Route

The alternative is to walk on the Back Route which starts from the Lotus Pond in the Atagoyama Park at the northeast foot of the mountain. You will first enter the ruins of the Kurogane-mon Gate and the Hall for the Lord, which are now surrounded by woods. The route becomes winding and steep before reaching the ruins of the Sengan-mon Gate. The gate was very large and defensive with a deep dry moat inside. You will approach the main portion by climbing the zigzagged route on the Belt Enclosure and the Koguchi Entrance. The entrance is said to once be the front of the castle when it was smaller. The inside of the entrance is Naoe’s Hall on the ridge which is the opposite of Kagekatsu’s Hall in the main portion. This route looks like a mountain castle more than the Main Route.

Around the Back Route

The deep dry moat inside *the Sengan-mon Gate*

Around Main Enclosure

The Main Enclosure is on the top of the mountain where you can see a good view of the Kubiki Plain and the Japan Sea. The ruins of the Main Tower is next to the Main Enclosure, where it is said a kind of turret actually stood. Some religious facilities also stood around, and only the Bisyamon-do Hall was restored in recent times. Under the Main Enclosure, a lot of enclosures are on the eastern slope of the mountain, such as the Second Enclosure and Kagetora’s Hall. If you look up the top of the mountain from the mid slope, you can see these enclosures still covering the mountain. The Kasugayama Shrine is nearby, and you will see the statue of Kenshin Uesugi.

Around the Main Enclosure

Other Attractions

You can also visit the Kasugayama Castle Historic Site Square where part of the So-gamae outer earthen walls was restored, Joetsu City Buried Cultural Property Center where you can learn more about the castle and Kenshin, and the Rinsen-ji Temple where Kenshin studied in his childhood near the ruins.

Joetsu City Buried Cultural Property Center

*The Somon Gate of the Rinsen-ji Temple (licensed by ELK via Wikimedia Commons)*

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

32.春日山城　その２

歩き甲斐のある城跡

特徴

現在、車があれば簡単に春日山城跡に行くことができます。山の中腹にある春日山神社に車を停めて、頂上に向かうことができます。しかし、もし時間があれば、山麓から元からあった道を歩いてみてはいかがでしょうか。

大手道周辺

例えば、神社に行く途中にある大手道の出発点に車を停めることができます。この道は最近観光客のために整備されました。頂上までは約３．５ｋｍありますが、坂は緩やかでのんびりした雰囲気です。しばらくすると、塚状の番所跡を通り過ぎます。大手道は森と谷を通り、少し急でごつごつしてきます。やがて、柿崎屋敷と呼ばれる大きな曲輪に着きます。もうここは城の主要部の近くであり、景勝屋敷と井戸曲輪を過ぎればすぐに頂上です。

大手道周辺

搦手道周辺

もう一つは、北東の山麓にある愛宕山公園の蓮池から搦手道を歩いて行く方法です。最初に、現在は森林に囲まれている黒金門跡と御屋敷跡に入っていきます。道は急になり、曲がりくねっていき、千貫門跡に着きます。この門はとても大きく、内側に深い空堀があり強い防御力を備えていました。そして腰曲輪と虎口に沿ったジグザグの通路を登って、城の主要部に近づいていきます。この虎口は、かつて城が小さかった頃には、ここが城の正面口だったと言われています。虎口の内側には、峰上に直江屋敷があって、城の中心から見て景勝屋敷の反対側に当たります。この道筋は大手道よりは山城らしく見えます。

搦手道周辺

本丸周辺

本丸は山の頂上にあって、そこからは頚城平野と日本海の景色が楽しめます。天守閣跡が本丸のとなりにありますが、実際には櫓の類が立っていたと言われています。いくつか宗教的な建物も周りにありましたが、近代になって毘沙門堂のみが復元されています。二の丸や景虎屋敷など多くの曲輪が山の東側の坂に集まっています。山の中腹から頂上の方を見上げると、今も曲輪群が山を覆っているのがわかります。春日山神社がすぐ近くにあり、上杉謙信の銅像も目にすることができます。

本丸周辺

その他の見所

春日山城史跡広場では、総構えの一部が復元されています。上越市埋蔵文化財センターでは、春日山城や上杉謙信のことをより学ぶことができます。林泉寺は城跡の近くにあり、謙信が子どものときに学問をしたところです。

林泉寺惣門 *(licensed by ELK via Wikimedia Commons)*

「春日山城その３」に続きます。
「春日山城その１」に戻ります。

32.Kasugayama Castle Part1

The castle of Kenshin Uesugi, the strongest warlord

Location and History

Kenshin Uesugi, Warlord who respected Justice

Kasugayama Caste was located in Echigo Province (what is now Nigata Prefecture), facing the Japan Sea. The castle is well known for one of its lords, Kenshin Uesugi. Kenshin is said to be the strongest warlord in the 16th Century during the Sengoku Period. While he fought over 70 battles during his 49-year life, he suffered no obvious defeat.

The location of the castle

The portrait of Kenshin Uesugi, owned by the Uesugi Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Kenshin also had very unique perspectives which other warlords never had. He never fought to invade other provinces by himself. He only fought with the help of others who were defeated by another warlord. As a result, he fought with a great warlord, Shingen Takeda 5 times on the south of his province. He also went over the mountains to the Kanto Region facing the Pacific Ocean to fight with the Hojo Clan as many as 17 times. Kenshin was a devout Buddhist, remained single all his life, and prayed for victory at the Bishamon-do Hall several days before his battles. He once escaped from the castle and tried to become a Buddhist priest, but his retainers urged him to go back to the castle until he gave up trying to become a priest.

*The statues of Shingen Takeda (on the left) and Kenshin Uesugi (on the right) at the Kawanakajima Battlefield (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Despite Kenshin’s strength, he was not able to become a ruler. Every time he withdrew from a province after his win, his enemies got their territories back. He is sometimes criticized by historians. However, many history fans still love him as a warlord who respected justice.

The flag of Kenshin Uesugi (taken by 松波庄九郎 from photoAC)

Castle covered with Enclosures and Buildings.

Kasugayama Castle was built using earthworks on an 189m high mountain beside the Kubiki Plain, the western part of Nigata Pref. It is uncertain when the castle was first built, but Tamekage Nagao, Kenshin’s father, improved the castle. The scale of the castle became larger in Kenshin’s period, and the mountain was covered with uncountable enclosures and buildings.

The old drawing of Kasugayama Castle (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The castle consisted of three parts at that time. The main portion of the castle was on the top of the mountain with the front facing the plain on the east. It included the Main Enclosure, the Bisyamon-do Hall, a senior vassal Naoe’s Hall, and Halls for Kenshin’s two adopted sons, Kagekatsu and Kagetora. Next, the Main Route went up from the southeast foot of the mountain to the top. It was a long detour around the mountain, passing the guard house and other senior vassals’ halls such as Kakizaki. Lastly, the Back Route also went up from the northeast foot to Naoe’s Hall. It passed through the Kurogane-mon Gate, the Hall for the Lord, the Sengan-mon Gate and the alternate entrance called Koguchi.

The georama of Kasugayama Castle at Joetsu City Buried Cultural Property Center

The castle might not have had complex defense systems, but it had the network of the branch castles, such as Samegao Castle, to work together when a battle happened.

The network of the branch castles around Kasugayama Castle (Joetsu City Buried Cultural Property Center)

Abandoned at Peaceful Time

After Kenshin died in 1578, an internal battle unfortunately happened in the castle between Kagekatsu and Kagetora. Kagekatsu finally won, but he was transferred to Wakamatsu Castle by the ruler Hideyoshi Toyotomi in 1598. After that, the Hori Clan governed the castle, building the outer earthen walls called So-gamae to make the castle the largest. However, the clan moved to Fukushima Castle on the plain for convenience of governance in 1607. Kasugayama Castle was abandoned at the same time.

The portrait of Kagekatsu Uesugi, owned by Uesugi Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Kasugayama Castle Part2”