Tadakatsu Sakai, the founder of the Shonai Domain, was wondering which castle would be better for his home base, Tsurugaoka or Kamegaoka. His decision was to take Tsurugaoka because he thought Tsurugaoka would be the political center while Kamegaoka would be commercial with Sakata port and town.
庄内藩藩祖の酒井忠勝は、鶴ヶ岡城と亀ヶ岡城のどちらが本拠地として相応しいか思案しました。彼の決断は鶴ヶ岡城でした。鶴ヶ岡は政治の中心地であり、亀ヶ岡は酒田港と町を擁する商業地であると考えたのです。
The ruins of Shinagawa Batteries are very useful for telling people about what happened in the past. Visual historical items are significantly better than only records or explanation boards.
品川台場跡は、人々に過去にどんなことが起こったのかを知らしめるとても有機義な史跡だと思います。目に見える史跡というのは、ただ記録が残っているとか説明板があるだけよりも、明らかに優れています。
The battery is basically a flat structure to avoid being targeted from enemies’ guns and cannons, so visitors can not easily recognize its whole view. That’s why I recommend seeing the bird’s eye view before or after your visitation.
台場は基本的に、敵からの銃や大砲の標的にならないよう、平面的に設計されています。よって、公園に行ってしまうとなかなかその全体像がつかめません。それなので、現地に行く前か後に、鳥観図のような景色を見ていただきたいのです。
The arrival of Matthew Perry’s fleet from the U.S. in 1853 gave a big impact on the shogunate’s policy. The shogunate ordered Hidetatsu Egawa to build the certain defensive system in Edo Bay immediately before Perry’s second arrival.
1853年のマシュー・ペリー率いるアメリカ艦隊の来航は、幕府の根本政策に大きな衝撃を与えました。幕府は江川英龍に、ペリーの２度目の来航の前に、江戸湾に確固とした防衛システムを速やかに構築するよう命じました。
Next comes Izushi Castle Ruins. Visitors usually first go across Tojo-bashi Bridge over Taniyama-gawa River in front of the ruins and enter Tojo-mon Gate. You will climb gentle stone steps while seeing great stone walls of the Second Enclosure on the left.
次に、出石城跡の紹介をします。最初は城跡の手前にある谷山川にかかる登城橋を渡り、登城門に入っていきます。そして、左側に二の丸の立派な石垣を見ながら、緩い石段を登っていきます。
There is only the rest station and the signboard on the main enclosure of Arikoyama Castle. However, the view from the top, about 300m above from the foot, is really breath taking view! The stone walls of the enclosure are what you saw from the foot.
The Izushi area is known as its old castle town where many people visit to enjoy walking, eating and shopping around the area including the Izushi Castle Ruins at the foot of the mountain. If you look up at the mountain on a fine day, you will find stone walls on the top, which are other castle ruins in this area, called Arikoyama Castle which had been built before Izushi Castle.