四国地方～Shikoku Region – ページ 21 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

76.Tokushima Castle Part3

The Castle that cultivated a new culture

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, all the buildings of Tokushima Castle excluding the Washi-no-mon Gate were eventually demolished. The gate building unfortunately burned down due to the Great Tokushima Air Raid in 1945, but was eventually restored in 1989. The Terashima-gawa River beside the castle was mostly reclaimed and converted into the railway. On the other hand, the ruins of the castle has been opened to the public since 1910. They were also designated as a National Historic Site back in 2006.

The railway of Tokushima Station (licensed by Kounosu via Wikimedia Commons)

Tokushima Castle Museum like a main hall

My Impression

Even if you are planning to only see the stone walls, it is worth it. I have also learned that the castle had been changing although only the Hachisuka Clan built and maintained the castle for a long time. In addition, it was said that the famous Awa Dancing Festival in Tokushima City originated from Tokushima Castle. The founder of the castle, Iemasa Hachisuka motivated people to dance as they like to celebrate the completion of the castle. Today, The dance team continues to use the mountain to practice to this day.

The Gejo Bridge the ruins of Kuro-mon Gate

The statue of Iemasa Hachisuka at the site

Awa Dancing Festival (taken by tamuzbac from photoAC)

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 20 minutes away from Tokushima IC on the Tokushima Expressway.
The park offers a parking lot.
By train, it is about 15 minutes away from JR Tokushima Station on foot.
If you go there from Tokyo or Osaka, I recommend using a plane or an express bus.

Links and References

・The Tokushima Castle Museum, Tokushima City

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

76.徳島城　その３

この城は新しい文化をも育みました。

その後

明治維新後、鷲の門以外の徳島城の全ての建物は撤去されていきました。その鷲の門も残念ながら1945年の徳島大空襲によって焼け落ちてしまいます。しかし、1989には復元されました。城の傍らにあった寺島川はほとんど埋め立てられ、鉄道の線路が敷かれました。一方、城跡は1910年から公園として一般に公開されています。2006年には国の史跡にも指定されました。

徳島駅の鉄道敷地 *(licensed by Kounosu via Wikimedia Commons)*

私の感想

もしこの城跡で、石垣しか見ないということであっても、十分訪れるに値します。また、この城は蜂須賀氏だけが築き、長く維持してきたにも関わらず、随分と変わってきたことがわかりました。更には、徳島市の有名な阿波踊りは、徳島城に由来していると言われています。城の創始者、蜂須賀家政が、城の完成を祝うために民衆に踊りを催させたとのことです。今日、阿波踊りのチームは本番の日を目指して、城山の上で練習を続けているそうです。

ここに行くには

車で行く場合：
徳島自動車道の徳島ICから約２０分かかります。
公園に駐車場があります。
電車の場合は、ＪＲ徳島駅から歩いて約１５分かかります。
東京か大阪から来られる場合は、飛行機か高速バスを使った方がよいでしょう。

リンク、参考情報

・徳島城博物館、徳島市公式ウェブサイト
・「歴史群像１３２号、戦国の城　阿波徳島城」学研
・「よみがえる日本の城１３」学研

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

76.Tokushima Castle Part2

The contrasting red and green stone walls with the quiet background of the mountain

Features

Rare and Beautiful Stone Walls

Now, the ruins of Tokushima Castle is open to the public as Tokushima Central Park which includes both the mountain and plain parts. Visitors typically go to the plain area first which is still surrounded by the stone walls and the Inner Moat. The stone walls of this castle are very rare and beautiful because they were piled up using stones with a dark-green striped pattern called chlorite‐schist. These stones are also known as Green stones of Awa. Moreover, some parts of stone walls included stones called piedmontite schist also known as Red Stones. The contrast of green and red in the stone walls looks more beautiful.

The aerial photo around the castle

The monument of the ruins of Tokushima Castle

The stone walls built using chlorite‐schist

The contrast of green and red in the stone walls

August Entrance of Castle

There are no original buildings of the castle, but only the front gate called Washi-no-mon which was restored in 1989. You can enter the center of the park behind the gate by crossing the Gejo Bridge and passing the ruins of Kuro-mon Gate. The remaining stone walls of the gate and the neighboring Taiko-yagura Turret looks great as they were recognized as the main gate. Inside the stone walls, there are several attractions worth seeing, such as the flower square, Tokushima Castle Museum, and the remaining Japanese Garden of the Main Hall which was designated as a National Scenic Beauty. You can also enjoy walking on the inside route which is surrounded by the stone walls.

You can enter the ruins of Koro-mon Gate after crossing the Gejo Bridge

Looking down the Gejo Bridge from the stone walls of Koro-mon Gate

Mountain with Silent atmosphere

You can visit the mountain part as well. The mountain is now called Shiro-yama or The Castle Mountain. The route to the top of the mountain has been developed with the modern stone stairways so that visitors can climb easily. The enclosures on the mountain became empty where the signposts show the names of the enclosures and what buildings there were such as the Main Tower on the Eastern Second Enclosure. From the Main Enclosure on the top, you will see a view of Tokushima City. The ruins of Yumi-yagura Turret in the enclosure was where the first Main Tower was built. The stone walls on the mountain look much older than on the plain area. This is probably because the mountain part was built earlier than the plain part. It seems that fewer people visit the mountain now, but you can still enjoy a quiet atmosphere there.

The stone walls at the entrance of the Western Second Enclosure

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