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

157.Hachimanyama Castle Part3

A dictator’s willful behavior is to be rewarded someday.

Features

Hidetsugu’s Residence Ruins at Foot

There are also the ruins of Hidetsugu’s residence at the foot of the mountain. If you are in the Barbican Enclosure, you can use the recently developed trail to go down to the ruins. Of course, you can also visit them from the city area. Hidetsugu’s residence was the elevated point of the warriors’ residential area. Its foundation, surrounded by huge stone walls, remains and looks so great. Some roof tiles covered with golden leaf were found at this site, which proved Hidetsugu lived there.

The map around the castle

The trail going down from the Barbican Enclosure

The stone walls, using huge stones, remained

Later History

The life of Hachimanyama Castle was only 10 years while its former castle town have been prospering as a commercial city for a long time. The castle ruins have become a popular tourist spot since the cable car was first launched in 1962. On the other hand, because of the mountain’s steep terrain, landslides sometime happen which could destroy the ruins such as in 1967. Omi-Hachiman City, which owns the ruins, preserves and researches them, preparing the development of the place as a historical site.

The remaining stone walls on the mountain

My Impression

Was Hidetsugu only a victim of the incident in 1595? I think no. Yoshimitsu Mogami, a great lord at Yamagata Castle, lost his daughter who just reach Kyoto to be Hidetsugu’s wife because of the execution. He was very angry and decided to leave the Toyotomi Clan. Many other nobles and lords, who communicated with Hidetsugu, asked Ieyasu Tokugawa (who would become the final ruler after Hideyoshi’s death) for help in order to avoid punishment. Hideyoshi’s willful behavior resulted in the destruction of his clan including his beloved son, Hideyori, in the summer campaign of the siege of Osaka, attacked by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1615.

Yoshiaki Mogami from Battle of Hasedo Standing Screen (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Hideyori Toyotomi, owned by Yogenin Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The summer campaign of the siege of Osaka folding screens, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about 30 minutes away from Gamo smart IC on the Meshin Expressway. There is a parking lot beside the cable car platform.
By public transportation, you can take the Omi-Tetsudo Bus bound for Chomeiji from JR Omi-Hachiman Station and get off at the Osugicho bus stop. It takes about 5 minutes to get there.
Or it may be a good idea to use a rental bicycle from the station.
To get to Omi-Hachiman Station from Tokyo: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Biwako Line at Maibara Station or Kyoto Station.

The parking lot beside the cable car platform

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Hachimanyama Castle Part1”
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157.八幡山城　その３

独裁者の勝手な振る舞いはいずれ報われるときが来ます。

特徴、見どころ

麓の秀次居館跡

山麓には、秀次の居館跡もあります。もし、出丸にいらっしゃるのでしたら、最近開設された山道を下りて、居館跡に行くこともできます。もちろん、市街地側からもアクセス可能です。秀次の居館は、武士たちの居住地域の中でも、一番高い所にありました。その基礎部分は、巨石を使った石垣に囲まれて今も残っており壮観です。この場所で、金箔が押された瓦が発見されていて、秀次が住んでいたということがわかったのです。

城周辺の地図

その後

八幡山城の歴史はわずか１０年で終わりました。一方、旧城下町はその後も長く商都として繁栄しています。この城跡は、1962年にロープウェイが開業して以来、人気の観光地となりました。一方、山の急な地形のため、1967年のときなど崖崩れが時おり発生し、城跡が破壊されました。城跡を所有している近江八幡市は、保存や調査を行い、この地を史跡として整備するための準備を行っています。

私の感想

秀次は、1595年に起こった事件の単なる犠牲者だったのでしょうか。そうは思いません。山形城の有力大名であった最上義光は、秀次の妻になるために京都に着いたばかりの娘をこの事件の処刑により失いました。義光は激怒し、豊臣家と袂を分かつことを決断します。他の多くの秀次と関係を持った貴族や大名たちが、罪を免れるため、秀吉の死後最終的に天下人となった徳川家康を頼りました。（その他秀次の家老であった駿府城の中村一氏、掛川城の山内一豊、浜松城の堀尾吉晴、岡崎城の田中吉政は、関ヶ原の戦いでは積極的に家康を支持しました）秀吉の勝手気ままな行動は、結果的に1615年の大坂夏の陣における徳川幕府の攻撃により、最愛の息子秀頼を含む豊臣家の滅亡を招いてしまったのです。

長谷堂合戦図屏風に描かれた最上義光 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

豊臣秀頼肖像画、養源院蔵 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

大坂夏の陣図屏風、大阪城天守閣蔵 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

ここに行くには

車を使う場合：名神自動車道の蒲生スマートICから約３０分かかります。ロープウェイ乗り場の脇に駐車場があります。
公共交通機関を使う場合は、ＪＲ近江八幡駅から長命寺行きの近江鉄道バスに乗って、大杉町バス停で降りてください。そこから約５分のところです。または、駅からレンタル自転車を借りてもよいでしょう。
東京から近江八幡駅まで：東海道新幹線に乗って、米原駅か京都駅で琵琶湖線に乗り換えてください。

リンク、参考情報

・八幡山城跡　滋賀県観光情報
・NPO秀次倶楽部
・「豊臣秀次―「殺生関白」の悲劇／小和田哲男著」PHP新書

これで終わります。ありがとうございました。
「八幡山城その１」に戻ります。
「八幡山城その２」に戻ります。

157.Hachimanyama Castle Part2

The castle ruins and modern tourist spot could be seen on the mountain.

Features

Going to Top by Cable Car

Today, visitors usually get to the ruins of Hachimanyama Castle by boarding the cable car from the foot of the mountain. The platform of the car at the foot is near the Himure Hachimangu Shrine which was moved there when the castle was built. The Hachimanbori Moats and the old town atmosphere also remain around as a popular tourist spot.

The map around the castle

The Worship Hall of the Himure Hachimangu Shrine *(licensed by 663highland via Wikimedia Commons)*

The Hachimanbori Moats and the old town atmosphere

The cable car will bring you to the platform on the mountain in few minutes. The platform is below the Second Enclosure where the observation platform faces the city area in the southeast. Many people enjoy a good view while you can also see some remaining old stone walls of the enclosure.

The observation platform at the Second Enclosure

The stone walls around the Second Enclosure

Zuiryuji Temple in Main Enclosure

The Main Enclosure, the center of the castle, is now used as the Zuiryuji Temple which Hidetsugu’s mother, Tomo established. In fact, the temple was moved there from Kyoto in 1961 of the present time, however, it is absolute suitable for this castle. The entrance of the temple consists of a defensive square space surrounded by stone walls, called Masugata. That’s because it was also the original entrance of the enclosure. The temple uses the Imperial chrysanthemum crest because Emperor Go-Yozei helped Tomo first build it and some members of the Imperial family became its chief priest.

The aerial photo around the castle

The Zuiryuji Temple at the Main Enclosure

The doors use the Imperial chrysanthemum crests

The defensive square space inside the doors

View Spots in Northern and Western Enclosures

You can go to other enclosures by passing the Belt Enclosure as the route around the Main Enclosure. The high stone walls surrounding the Main Enclosure look old, wild but so great like those of Azuchi Castle. Historians are still not sure if these stone walls were completed by Hidetsugu or the Kyogoku Clan following him. A corner of them becomes round vertically, and it is not uncertain if the condition is original or it was from deterioration.

The stone walls around the Main Enclosure

The vertically round corner of stone walls

If you go to the Northern Enclosure which is another good viewing spot, you can see a view of the mountains with the ruins of Azuchi and Kannnonji Castles in the north.

The ruins of Azuchi and Kannonji Castles

You can also go to the Western Enclosure with a view of Lake Biwa in the west.

My recommended Barbican Enclosure

I recommend you go to the Barbikan Enclosure or Demaru because it was recently re-developed. The trees and bushes around the enclosure were cut down for a better view. You can get there by going down along the trail from the Western Enclosure. You will see a panorama view of the city area and you can imagine this enclosure should have been a good lookout.

You can see the Barbican Enclosure from the city area (inside the red mark)

You can also walk around the stone walls of the enclosure close by, which is about 4m high. However, please watch your step as its foundation is on the steep and rough slope.

The stone walls of the Barbican Enclosure and a view form it

The corner of the stone walls (its round shape is rare)

The stone walls are illuminated at night

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