中国地方～Chugoku Region – ページ 12 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

75.萩城　その１

２７０年間に渡る長州藩の本拠地

立地と歴史

毛利輝元が関ヶ原敗戦後に築城

萩市は、古い町並みでよく知られています。近くの津和野町とセットでよくツアーが設定されています。萩市はまた、明治維新で活躍した志士たちを多く輩出した地域たということも歴史ファンの間では有名です。吉田松陰、高杉晋作、木戸孝允、そして日本の初代総理大臣となった伊藤博文などです。それは萩が、1604年の萩城築城以来、２７０年もの間長州藩の本拠地であったからなのです。

萩市の範囲と城の位置

この城を築いた毛利輝元は、もともと広島城を居城として、中国地方のほとんど、石高１２０万石の領地を治める大大名でした。ところが、1600年の関ヶ原の戦いにおいて、徳川幕府の創始者となる徳川家康に敗れてしまいました。その結果、家康は輝元の領地を、現在の山口県にあたる長門国と周防国のわずか２ヶ国、３７万石に削減しました。輝元は新しい本拠地を定める必要となり、その候補地として３ケ所が挙げられました。

毛利輝元肖像画、毛利博物館蔵 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

一つ目は瀬戸内海に臨んだ桑山、二つ目は日本海に面した萩、三つ目は前者の中間に位置し、現在の県庁所在地である山口でした。結果的には萩となりました。その理由としては、幕府が毛利氏が二度と幕府に反抗しないよう、奥まった場所に毛利氏を閉じ込めたためと言われてきました。しかし、最近歴史家の中には輝元が幕府との議論の末に、最も防御力が高い場所として積極的に萩を選んだのではないかと推測している人もいます。萩は、輝元の以前の本拠地であった広島城のごとく、デルタ地帯の上にあったのです。

長州藩（現山口県）の範囲と城の位置

デルタ地帯に立地

萩のデルタ地帯は、松本川と橋本川に挟まれていて、北側が海に面していました。そして、デルタの北側は砂丘となっていました。その上、最北端の部分には標高１４３ｍの指月（しづき）山が海沿いにあったのです。城の本丸は山の手前にあり、石垣と内堀に囲まれていました。本丸には城の中心として、５層の天守と藩主の御殿がありました。二の丸は本丸の南側にあり、中堀に囲まれていました。二の丸には２つの虎口があり、その石垣は海外部分までにまで及んでいました。三の丸は前述の曲輪群の更に南側にあって、重臣たちの屋敷地として使われていました。城下町とは外堀によって隔てられていました。指月山もまた、詰めの城として使われていました。輝元は、ここにも頂上に独自の本丸と二の丸を築いたのです。その内部には最初から建物はありませんでしたが、周りを櫓群と石垣によって囲まれていました。基本的にこの場所は戦のような緊急事態に備えたものでしたが、平時には物見台として使われていました。

萩市周辺の地図、今でもデルタ地帯上にあります

城下町から明治維新の志士を輩出

城下町については、この区域はデルタ地帯の北側の砂丘部分より低い位置にあったので、最初は湿地帯でした。萩の人たちは排水のために運河を掘り、これによって城下町の建設が可能となりました。実際、明治維新で活躍したヒーローたちはこの城下町出身です。興味深い話としては、高杉や木戸のような階級が高い武士は城に近い方に住み、松陰や伊藤のような階級が低い武士は城からずっと離れた所に住んでいました。当時の武士たちにとってこれは一般的なことでした。

萩市周辺の起伏地図、今でも旧城下町は低い位置にあります

４人の志士の誕生地または旧宅位置

高杉晋作写真、1933年か1934年に出版 *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

木戸孝允（桂小五郎時代）、1869年 *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

吉田松陰肖像画、山口県文書館蔵 *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

伊藤博文写真、1909年以前 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

本拠地が山口に移転

それからもう一つ興味深い儀式が、城の御殿で毎年行われていたと言われています。この儀式では、家老が藩主に対して「今年は幕府を討つべきか」と聞き、藩主が「いや、時期尚早だ」と答えたというのです。ところが、状況が変わり、将軍を倒すことが可能になる時代がやってきました。長州藩は、幕末に本当に幕府に反抗したのです。そして萩城をとりまく状況も変化しました。城が築かれた当時は、海沿いに城を築くことは防御に有効でした。しかし、軍艦から砲撃される可能性が出てきた幕末には、その立地は逆に危険となってしまったのです。また、長州藩は他藩との連携を欲していて、本拠地としては山口が適切と考えるようになりました。その結果、藩主と藩士たちは幕府の許可なしに、萩を離れ、山口城に移っていきました。萩城が正式に廃城となったのは1874年のことです。

「萩城その２」に続きます。

174.Ouchi Clan Hall/Konomine Castle Part3

Yamaguchi was focused on rebuilding again during the Meiji Restoration.

Later History

Yamaguchi was focused on rebuilding again at the end of the Edo Period. Until then, the Choshu Domain by the Mori Clan was based on Hagi Castle beside the Japan Sea. They wanted to move their homebase to Yamaguchi. This was because its location would be the best for communication with other domains to respond to the potential threats from Western countries, in fact, to be against the Tokugawa Shogunate. They eventually built Yamaguchi Castle beside Konomine Mountain, partly using the Western style with cannons, without the shogunate’s permission. They thought they could reuse Konomine Castle for the final battle. Eventually, they became one of the winners of the Meiji Restoration. As a result, Yamaguchi Castle was turned into the Yamaguchi prefectural office. In addition, Yamaguchi Prefecture produced 8 prime ministers of Japan, the largest number among all the prefectures, including the 1st prime minister, Hirobumi Ito and the late Shinzo Abe recently.

The remaining front gate of the Yamaguchi government office in the Yamaguchi Castle period

Konomine Castle Ruins seen from the gate

Hirobumi Ito, the 1st prime minister (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

My Impression

I think the combination of Ouchi Clan Hall and Konomine Castle was a very good for both the government and defense like that of the Takeda Clan with Takeda Clan Hall and Yogaiyama Castle. It was also proven by the Choshu Domain that they wanted to use Konomine Castle again at the end of the Edo Period. However, in the case of the Ouchi Clan, it was too late to prepare for it. Maybe that’s because they thought Yamaguchi could never have been attacked by enemies because their government was very stable. Nobunaga Oda, who was the ruler in the 1570’s to the 1580’s, might have thought the same way before he was killed in the Honnoji Incident in 1582.

The restored earthen walls of Ouchi Clan Hall

The remaining stone walls of Konomine Castle

How to get There

If you want to visit Ouchi Clan Hall Ruins by car, it is about a 15-minute drive away from Yamaguchi IC on the Chugoku Expressway. There are parking lots in the northern and southern sides of the ruins. To get to Konomine Castle Ruins from there, you will need about another 20 minutes. There is a small parking lot on the mid slope of the mountain.
If you want to use public transportation, it takes about 15 minutes on foot from JR Kami-yamaguchi Station to get Ouchi Clan Hall Ruins. To get Konomine Castle Ruins from there, you will need about another 1 hour.
To get to Kami-yamaguchi Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Sanyo Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Yamaguchi Line at Shin-Yamaguchi Station.

The small parking lot on the mid slope of the mountain

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Ouchi Clan Hall/Konomine Castle Part1”
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174.Ouchi Clan Hall/Konomine Castle Part2

A good combination of the hall and castle

Features

Hall is restoring little by little

Today, the ruins of Ouchi Clan Hall have been designated as a National Historic Site. They are still in the center of Yamaguchi City, which still have parts of names for its streets like “Oji” or Main Street and “Kouji” or Narrow Street similar to Kyoto. Ryufukuji Temple was built inside the hall ruins by Takamoto Mori who was a son-in-law of Yoshitaka Ouchi to worship Yoshitaka. The main building was moved from another in the Meiji Era, but it is very old (built in the Muromachi Period as old as the Ouchi Clan), and it is also an Important Cultural Property. While several researches and excavations have been done at this site, nothing about the Ouchi Clan’s Main Hall was ever found. This may be because it is still under the temple’s main building.

The aerial photo around the castle

Instead, many other items regarding the hall were found. According to the achievements, some of them were restored at the site. For example, there are two restored gardens inside. One is the pond garden in the southeastern part, and the other is the dry landscape in the northwestern part. The earthen walls were also restored at the northern, western and southern sides of the ruins. The Western Gate and some stone work for the water moat were also restored at the western side.

The restored dry landscape (but it’s very small)

Excavated Tsukiyama Hall Ruins

In north of Ochi Clan Hall Ruins, over the Tsukiyama-Kouji street, there is Tsukiyama Hall Ruins which was built as a villa. The southeastern part of them was excavated and developed as a historical park after a Japanese style restaurant had moved out from there to another site. Ruins of some buildings and dry moats were also found by the excavation team. The ruins were buried again for preservation and there are signboards and marks on the ground where they had been found. Historians speculate Norihiro Ouchi first used the hall as a retreat, then it was used to worship him after he died. That’s probably because the main part of the ruins are now used as Yasaka Shrine and Tsukiyama Shrine.

You can see there was the Eastern Moat in the past by the mark and signboard

The photo of the excavated cross section of the Eastern Moat, exhibited by Yamaguchi City Museum of History and Folklore

Konomine Castle Ruins are accessible

The ruins of Konomine Castle have also been designated as a National Historic Site. The castle was built on Konomine Mountain (at 338m above sea level), about 2km away from Ouchi Clan Hall. You can see the mountain standing out from the city area. You can access it by walking or driving. If you use a car, you can park at the mid slope of the mountain, however, you need to walk on the ridge to the top for about 500m.

The mountain where the ruins are can be seen from the city area

You need to walk on the ridge to the top

You will see some enclosures made of soil on the way there. They were thought to be built by the Ouchi Clan and used by the Mori Clan as well. The top is surrounded by stone walls which the Mori Clan built. They partially collapsed because the clan intentionally destroyed them when the castle was abandoned. You can see a nice view of the city area including the hall ruins. The castle and the hall makes a perfect combination.

The remaining stone walls on the Main Enclosure

A view of the city area from the Main Enclosure, the inside of the red circle is the Ouchi Clan Hall Ruins

A view of Konomine Castle Ruins from Ouchi Clan Hall Ruins

To be continued in “Ouchi Clan Hall/Konomine Castle Part3”
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