近畿地方～Kinki Region – ページ 34 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

47.Iga-Ueno Castle Part3

The castle came back in the Showa Era.

Features

Looking up High Stone Walls

You can also look up these great stone walls by walking the street along the Western Inner Moat, outside the park. The length of the stone walls is nearly 250m.

The map around the castle

The high stone walls are coming into view.

The line of them is bent elaborately in several points so that defenders could make a side counterattack against enemies if they attack the castle.

The line of the stone walls is bent elaborately.

The corners of the walls are piled using processed rectangular stones alternated in a method called Sangi-zumi. Overall, these stone walls look durable and beautiful.

The corner piled in the Sangi-zumi method looks great.

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Iga-Ueno Castle was abandoned and the castle buildings were demolished. The center of the castle was turned into a park. In 1935, a native politician, Katsu Kawasaki donated the third wooden Main Tower on the stone wall base for the second Main Tower which Takatora Todo tried to build. Since then, people still call this site Iga-Ueno Castle probably because the Main Tower is intact. As for the original castle ruins, they were designated as a National Historic Site in 1967.

A picture of Katsu Kawasaki (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

My Impression

I was surprised to see many castles Takatora built or gave design advice on in western Japan, including the rebuilt Osaka Castle. He was involved in the creation of the No.1 and No.2 highest. The stone walls of Iga-Ueno Castle are still some of the highest ones in Japan and a great place to see. However, let me say again that you must be careful not to step off of the top of the high stone walls.

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about a 10-minute drive away from Nakase IC or Ueno IC on the Meihan Expressway. There is a parking lot for visitors in the park.
If you want to use public transportation, It takes about 10 minutes on foot from Ueno-shi Station on Iga Railway to get there. The station nicknames itself Ninja City Station and you can get the unique painted train called the Ninja Train.
To get to Ueno-shi Station from Tokyo: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express, transfer to the Kintetsu-Nagoya Line on Kintetsu Railway at Nagoya Station, transfer to the Kintetsu-Osaka Line at Ise-Nakagawa Station, and transfer to the Iga Line on Iga Railway at Iga-Kanbe Station.

Links and References

・Iga Ueno Castle, Iga Cultural Industry Association

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Iga-Ueno Castle Part1”
Back to “Iga-Ueno Castle Part2”

47.伊賀上野城　その３

昭和時代に伊賀上野城が復活

特徴、見どころ

高石垣を見上げる

この高石垣を、公園の外側から西内堀沿いを歩きながら見上げることもできます。この石垣の横の長さは２５０ｍ近くもあります。

城周辺の地図

石垣のラインは何ヶ所かで巧みに曲げられていて、敵が城を攻撃してきたときに、敵の側面に反撃できるようになっていました（横矢掛かり）。

石垣の角部分は、算木積みと呼ばれる、長方形に加工された石を交互に重ねて積み上げる方法により積み上げられています。これらの技術があいまって、石垣は頑丈且つ美しく見えます。

その後

明治維新後、伊賀上野城は廃城となり、城の建物は撤去されました。城の中心部分は公園となりました。1935年、地元の政治家である川崎克（かつ）は、藤堂高虎が二代目の天守を築こうとした天守台石垣の上に、三代目の天守を築き寄贈しました。現在その天守が健在のため、この場所は今でも伊賀上野城と呼ばれているのです。もとからあった部分からなる城跡としては、1967年に国の史跡に指定されています。

川崎克写真 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

私の感想

高虎は西日本において、驚くほどたくさんの城を築いたり、築城のアドバイスをしています。その中には大坂城の再建も含まれています。彼は、日本一と、それに次ぐ石垣の構築に関わっているわけです。伊賀上野城の石垣は、今でも日本有数の高さを誇っていて、見るに値するものです。しかし、くれぐれも高石垣の天辺から足を踏み外さないよう気を付けてください。

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：名阪国道の中瀬ICか上野ICから約１０分かかります。公園にビジター向けの駐車場があります。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、伊賀鉄道の上野市駅から歩いて約１０分のところです。この駅は自ら「忍者市駅」という愛称を付けていて、ユニークな塗装の忍者列車に乗ることもできます。
東京から上野市駅まで：東海道新幹線に乗り、名古屋駅で近鉄の近鉄名古屋線に乗り換え、伊勢中川駅で近鉄大阪線に乗り換え、更に伊賀神戸駅で伊賀鉄道に乗り換えてください。

リンク、参考情報

・伊賀上野城、伊賀文化産業協会
・「よみがえる日本の城１６」学研
・「日本の城改訂版第７６、８２号」デアゴスティーニジャパン
・「築城の名手　藤堂高虎／福井健二著」戒光祥出版
・「週刊名城をゆく４３／伊賀上野城・津城」小学館

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

47.Iga-Ueno Castle Part2

You may tremble when you stand by the top of the high stone walls.

Features

Fron City Area to Official Residence Ruins

Today, Iga-Ueno Castle is part of Ueno Park, which is located in roughly the Main Enclosure. Other enclosures including the Second Enclosure were turned into a suburban area. If you visit the castle from Ueno-shi Station nearby, the area around the station is the former Second Enclosure. For example, you can only see the signpost of the Eastern Main Gate near the station.

The map around the castle

The route straight from the station to the park was the former Eastern Inner Moat of the castle. Then, you can enter the eastern part of the park where Sadatsugu Tsutsui originally built the castle. However, only the signpost for the first Main Tower remains from Tsutsui’s rule. There are mainly the ruins of the official residence surrounded by stone walls from the Edo Period.

The road which was the Eastern Inner Moat

The eastern part of the park or the Main Enclosure

The Main Tower Ruins from Tsutsui’s rule (licensed by ブレイズマン via Wikimedia Commons)

The stone walls surrounding the residence

Rebuilt Main Tower with lots of Exhibitions

You can see the Rebult Main Tower on the remaining stone wall base for the second Main Tower in the western part of the park. The Rebuilt Tower is not original to the castle, and much smaller for the base probably because of budget limitations. However, it was made of wood in 1935 of the Showa Era, and has a traditional Japanese style. It exhibits lots of items about the castle and Takatora Todo, who improved it. You will even see a figure of a Ninja sticking to beams under the ceiling of the building.

The figure of a Ninja sticking to the beams

One of Greatest High Stone Walls in Japan

The highlight of this castle is definitely the remaining high stone walls with the Western Inner Moat at the western side of the park. These stone walls, which are 29.5m high, were said to be the highest single ones in all the castles of Japan. However, when researchers measured them, it was found that the highest stone walls are the ones of the Osaka Castle Main Enclosure’s eastern side, which are 32m high. (The stone walls of Osaka Castle were rebuilt by the Tokugawa Shogunate after those of Iga-Ueno Castle were built and the shogunate beat the Toyotomi Clan). People didn’t know about this because 6m of the lower part is below the surface of the water in the moat. By contrast, the 29.5m of Iga-Ueno Castle’s wall is all above the water’s surface. This may be the reason why people thought it was the highest, but it is still the highest based on appearance.

The high stone walls of the Osaka Castle Main Enclosure’s eastern side (taken by kimtoru from photoAC)

You can get close to the top of the stone walls to look down on them. However, make sure you watch your step very much because there are no guardrails. There are only some signposts that say “Danger” or “Caution” in Japanese, cones, and ropes.

The signpost which says “Danger” in Japanese

*The signpost which says* “Caution” in Japanese

It is dangerous to walk over the corns and ropes

If you stand on the edge of the stone walls carefully and look down, you may tremble, but will see how tall and well-built they are. In fact, the 29.5m is the length from the bottom to the top of the leaning stone walls. Their vertical height is 20.6m, but it’s more than high enough to be impressed by Takatora’s great work.

Getting closer to the edge of the stone walls

Looking down the stone walls from the edge

You may feel weak at the knees looking down the walls

To be continued in “Iga-Ueno Castle Part3”
Back to “Iga-Ueno Castle Part1”