中部地方～Chubu Region – ページ 7 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

128.Yogaiyama Castle Part3

More needs to be done to improve this historical site

Features

Strong defense in Back side

If you have time, you should check out the back side of the castle. This is because the ridge on the back is very narrow, so original trail and the ruins along it seem to remain as it was. The Main Enclosure and the enclosure behind it are divided by an artificial ditch to prevent enemies from attacking form the back. The ditch is partly supported by stone walls to avoid collapsing, which is rare in Japanese castles.

The ditch using stone walls divides the Main Enclosure and the back

The map around the castle

Moreover, two earthen lookout platforms are in line on the ridge at the back of these enclosures. They are also partly supported by stone walls or stone mound, which are also uncertain who built or improved it.

The trail gets thin between the platforms

The trail goes beside the platforms and between them, which was made thin cut by vertical moats both sides. That meant the defenders on the platforms would see and counterattack enemies easily.

Looking up the platform from the thin trail

Later History

In the Edo Period, a stone statue of the Takeda Fudoson or Acala, which worshiped Shingen Takeda, was built in an enclosure between the Gate Ruins No.2 and No.3. It has since been called the Fudo Enclosure. After the Meiji Restoration, the castle site continued to deteriorate, so local people built the stone monument of the birthplace of Shingen Takeda in 1929 to preserve them. The title of the monument was written by Heihachiro Togo, a famous admiral of the Japanese Imperial Navy. The castle ruins have been designated as a National Historic Site since 1991.

The stone monument for the birthplace of Shingen Takeda at the Main Enclosure

My Impression

I recommend visiting both ruins of Yogaiyama Castle and Takeda Clan Hall at the same time because you will be able to see how the Takeda Clan protected their home base. They must have been like one castle or a set. On the other hand, let me ask one thing to Kofu City. In the ruins of Takeda Clan Hall, excavations and studies are often being done in recent years. However, why have the ruins of Yogaiyama Castle not been developed? More explanations is needed for historical fans at the site. Some parts of the ruins are covered with bushes. I hope in the future that the city will develop this mountain castle ruins as a set with Takeda Clan Hall.

A Masugata entrance of Takeda Clan Hall (The northern entrance of the Western Enclosure)

Excavations are ongoing at Takeda Clan Hall Ruins

How to get There

I recommend using a car when you visit the castle ruins because there are few buses to visit them.
It is about a 20-minute drive away from Kofu-minami IC on the Chuo Expressway. There is a parking lot in front of the trail entrance to the castle ruins.
If you want to use public transportation, you can take the Yamanashi-Kotsu Bus bound for Sekisuiji Temple from JR Kofu Station and ride to the end. It takes about 15 minutes on foot from the bus stop to get the entrance.
To get to Kofu Station from Tokyo: Take the limited express Azusa or Kaiji at Shinjuku Station.

The parking lot in front of the trail entrance

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

128.要害山城　その３

よりよい史跡にするためにやっていただきたいこと

特徴、見どころ

強力な城の後方の防御

お時間があれば、城の背後の側も見ていただきたいです。それは後方の峰はとても狭まっていて、オリジナルの城の通路や遺跡が峰に沿って昔ながらのごとく残っているからです。主郭とその後方にある曲輪は、人工的に作られた堀切によって隔てられていて、後方からの敵の攻撃を防げるようになっていました。その堀切は崩れないように部分的に石垣によって支えられていて、日本の城では稀な事例です。

城周辺の地図

その上、２つの土造りの物見台が、堀切で区切られた後方に、峰に沿って並んでいました。物見台台もまた一部が石垣あるいは石積みによって支えられていましたが、これもまた誰が築いたか、または改修したのか分かっていません。

通路は物見台の脇と間を通っていて、見張り台の間を通っている部分は両側が竪堀によってカットされていてとても細くなっています。物見台の上の守備兵は、敵が攻めてきても容易に捕捉し、反撃できたことでしょう。

その後

江戸時代には、武田不動尊の石像が２番目と３番目の門跡の間にある曲輪の場所に作られました。それ以来、その曲輪は不動曲輪と呼ばれるようになりました。明治維新後、城があった場所はますます荒廃していきました。そこで地元の人たちは、城跡を保存するため、1929年に「武田信玄公誕生之地」の石碑を建てました。石碑の題字は、旧日本海軍の有名な提督、東郷平八郎が揮毫しました。城跡は1991年以来、国の史跡に指定されています。

私の感想

要害山城を訪れる時には、武田氏館と両方同時にご覧になることをお勧めします。両方見ることによって武田氏がどのようにその本拠地を守ろうとしていたのか理解できるからです。この２つの城はセットで１つの城のように機能していたのです。ただ、1つだけ甲府市にお願いしたいです。武田氏館においては、ここ最近発掘や研究が頻繁に行われています。ところが、要害山城に限っては同じように発掘や研究が進んでいるようには思えません。現地においても、歴史ファン向けにもっと説明板などが必要ではないでしょうか。また、遺跡一部はかなり草木に埋もれたりしてわかりにくくなっています。武田氏館とセットであるものとして、将来この山城についても整備を進めていただきたいです。

ここに行くには

この城跡を訪れるには車を使われることをお勧めします。バスの本数がとても少ないからです。
中央自動車道の甲府南ICから約２０分のところです。城跡への入口の手前に駐車スペースがあります。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、ＪＲ甲府駅から積翠寺行きの山梨交通バスに乗って終点で降りてください。バス停から歩いて約１５分で城跡入口に着きます。
東京から甲府駅まで：新宿駅から特急あずさ号か、かいじ号に乗ってください。

リンク、参考情報

・要害山、甲府市
・「武田信玄　伝説的英雄からの脱却／笹本正治著」中公新書

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

128.Yogaiyama Castle Part2

The spot for hikers and history fans

Features

Castle Ruins on Hiking course

Today, the ruins of Yogaiyama Castle are on a hiking course as well as a historical site in Kofu City. The top of the ruins on the mountain is about 250m above the starting point of the trail at the foot. Therefore, you need to prepare for a long hike or a grueling climb to visit the ruins, which takes over 30 minutes to reach the top. The first half of your tour will be a pure hike by climbing a natural zigzagging trail. You may see some stone walls along the route, but they were probably built after the castle period.

Were these stone walls built after the castle period?

You will eventually find some signposts of Vertical Moat or Earthen Walls, which are around the entrance of the castle ruins. These actual ruins are partially covered with bushes, so you may not notice them without the signposts.

These ruins are partially covered with bushes

Original Gate Ruins along Trail

You will also find other ruins such as gates along the trail, however, the trail is not always on the original one. According to previous researches, the castle had 8 gates to reach the Main Enclosure on the top. As long as I checked, there are actually only 4 gate ruins with signposts along the current trail, which still look very defensive. I think they should be the original gates of No.2, No.3, No.6 and No.8.

The map around the castle

On the other hand, there are also other entrances of enclosures, which look like gate ruins without signposts. They are set straight in front of the enclosures, which mean not defensive, so may not be original and built later for hikers. If so, some original gate ruins (probably No.4, No.5 and No.7) are not on the current route probably because they are inconvenient for hikers.

In addition, the No.1 gate ruins seem to be on the route, but without a signpost, which I didn’t notice.

I think this is around the N0.1 Gate Ruins as some stone walls remain

Who built Masugata System of this Castle?

Out of the 4 original gate ruins with signposts, No.2 (with the first signpost of Gate Ruins) and No.3 (with the second one) are so great. They are surrounded by stone walls, forming a square space, called Masugata. The trail also turns right to exit the gate, plus, other enclosures are in the back of the gate and ahead of the route. That meant the defenders would counterattack the front and side of the enemies in the Masugata.

The No.2 Gate Ruins, the trail turns right

The No.3 Gate Ruins, similar to the No.2 Gate Ruins

This structure is seen in other castles using high stone walls, which would be built much later than Yogaiyama Castle. However, it is not uncertain who built or improved this system. If the Takeda Clan built it, it would be very advanced, if Mitsuyasu Kato improved it, he would have applied it from other castles like Kofu Castle to Yogaiyama Castle.

The restored Yamanote-mon Gate of Kofu Castle which has the Masugata system

The miniature model of the Yamanote-mon Gate, exhibited in the Inari Turret of Kofu Castle

Main Enclosure, Largest one in Castle

The No.8 Gate Ruins are the entrance of the Main Enclosure. It is the largest enclosure in the castle on the top of the mountain, surrounded by thick earthen walls. There is only the stone monument for the birthplace of Shingen Takeda in it. There should be a good view point of Kofu city area, but unfortunately trees shut out the view.

The No.8 Gate Rums, the entrance of the Main Enclosure

The earthen walls surrounding the enclosure

The stone monument for the birthplace of Shingen Takeda

Unfortunately, this is not a good view point

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