Ashikaga clan hall – ページ 2 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

15.Ashikaga Clan Hall Part1

The hometown of the Ashikaga Clan

Location and History

Seiwa-Genji family develops and settles in Ashikaga Manor

Ashikaga Clan Hall was located in modern day the center of Ashikaga City in Tochigi Prefecture. In fact, it has now become Bannaji Temple, a famous old one itself. It may not have looked like a typical castle that we usually imagine, but it was said that the ruins remain the first formation of a Japanese warrior’s hall with defense systems.

The Ashikaga Clan is more popular as the shoguns of the Ashikaga Shogunate during the Muromachi Period in the 14th and 15th Centuries than as a local lord. As a matter of fact, the history of the clan started in the 12th Century at Ashikaga Manor (similar to the current Ashikaga City) in Shimotsuke Province (presently Tochigi Prefecture) they developed. Yoshikuni Minamoto, who was the ancestor of the clan and a member of the Seiwa-Genji family line, one of the descendants of the Imperial Family, first settled there.

The range of Ashikaga City and the location of the castleKabasaki-Hachimangu Shrine[/leaflet-marker

Before the Kamakura Shogunate was established, warriors needed to formally donate their developed land to high-class nobles as a manor to keep their own territories, otherwise, they were not guaranteed by any public institutions. That’s why Yoshikuni settled and developed their territory which would be called Ashikaga Manor by making great effort. Since then, they have called themselves the name of the land “Ashikaga” as their family name. Yoshikuni’s son, Yoshiyasu Ashikaga was said to be the founder of the clan and first built Ashikaga Clan Hall followed by his son, Yoshikane, the second generation of the clan.

The portrait of Yoshikane Ashikaga, owned by Bannaji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Typical Residence of Early Samurai

The features of the hall include earthen walls and the outside water moats which surround the area. They form a square, so historians call such typical warriors’ halls “Hokan” or the Square Hall. One side of the square is around 200m long. This style of halls was used for a long time until the 17th Century during the Sengoku Period, such as Takeda Clan Hall and Ouchi Clan Hall. Lords and warriors usually lived in their halls which could provide relief in case of an emergency like a battle. Therefore, Ashikaga Clan Hall can be considered one of the earliest castles built by warriors in Japan.

The remaining earthen walls and water moats of Ashikaga Clan Hall

The miniature model of Takeda Clan Hall, exhibited by Kofu Fujimura Memorial Museum

The ruins of Ouchi Clan Hall (the current Ryufukuji Temple)

Yoshikane contributed the launch of the Kamakura Shogunate at the end of the 12th Century by Yoritomo Minamoto, the head of the Minamoto Clan and the first Shogun of the Samurai government in Japan, as a relative of Yoritomo. He was also a religious person who built a private building for worshiping Buddhist images, which would be the origin of Bannaji Temple. Furthermore, he established Kabasaki Temple for his retirement and was said to be one of the founders of the Ashikaga School which was one of the highest academies in the Middle Ages of Japan, which would have made Ashikaga a medieval cultural city.

The remaining Gakko-mon or the School Gate of Ashikaga School

Ashikaga Clan survives in Kamakura Period and becomes Shoguns in Muromachi Period

Yoshikane’s son, Yoshiuji became a senior vassal of the Kamakura Shogunate even though the shoguns of the Minamoto Clan died off and the Hojo Clan got the power as the regent. The Ashikaga Clan also got new territories such as in Mikawa Province (now part of modern day Aichi Prefecture). That’s why Yoshiuji usually lived in Kamakura, the capital of the shogunate, where his clan set the government office for controlling their territories. Even their original home base, Ashikaga Manor was governed by the administration office, not by the lord of the clan. Therefore, Yoshiuji turned his father’s hall in Ashikaga (Ashikaga Clan Hall) into Bannaji Temple in 1234 to pray for his father’s happiness in the next world and for his clan’s prosperity.

The portrait of Yoshiuji Ashikaga, owned by Bannaji Temple, drawn in the Edo Period (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Kannno Mountain (now called Iwai Mountain) where the administration office of Ashikaga Manor was built

The Ashikaga Clan survived all through the Kamakura Period while many other senior vassals of the shogunate were defeated by the Hojo Clan. Many of the Ashikaga’s lords came from the mothers that came from the Hojo Clan, that way, they could keep the second position in the shogunate. It was also said that many warriors wanted the Ashikaga Clan to change the country as a follower of the Minamoto Clan. Takauji Ashikaga, the lord of the 5th generations after Yoshiuji, was born from the mother who did not come from the Hojo Clan. These may be the reasons why he defeated the shogunate together with Emperor Godaigo and Yoshisada Nitta, another descendant of the Minamoto Clan.

The portrait of Takauji Ashikaga, owned by Jodo-ji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Emperor Godaigo, owned by Shojokoji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Yoshisada Nitta, owned by Fujishima Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Ashikaga Clan Hall Part2”

94.大分府内城～Oita-Funai Castle

大分府内城は、現在はビル街の中にありますが、かつては海城だったのです。
Oita-Funai Castle is among the modern buildings now, but was a sea castle.

大分府内城の西南隅櫓と二ノ丸堀～Seinan-Sumi-Turret and Ninomaru-Moat of Oita-Funai Castle (taken by TECHD from photoAC)

立地と歴史～Location and History

大分市は大分県の県都です。府内は大分市の以前の名前です。つまり「大分府内」という名前は新旧両方の名前が組み合わさったものです。府内も同じように豊後国（大分県の以前の名称）の国府であり、中世においては長い間大友氏によって統治されました。大友氏は、大友氏館に住んでいましたが、そこは大分府内城とは違う場所です。その館は中世の典型的は領主館で、恐らく足利氏館と同じようなものだったでしょう。
Oita City is the capital of Oita Prefecture. Funai is the former name of the city. So, the name “Oita-Funai” is combined from both of new and old names. Funai was likewise the capital of Bungo Province (the former name of Oita Pref.) governed by the Otomo clan for many years in the Middle Ages. They had been living in the Otomo Clan Hall which is different from Oita Funai Castle. It was a typical hall for a lord in the Middle Ages probably like the Ashikaga Clan Hall.

大分府内城と大友氏館の位置関係～The location of Oita-Funai Castle and Otomo clan hall）

大友氏館庭園遺構～The ruins of the Otomo clan hall’s garden（出典：文化庁）

府内の城下町は、館を中心に繁栄しましたが、戦国時代としては防御力が不足していました。１５８６年に島津氏の侵攻があり、館を含む市街地は焼き尽くされてしまいます。当主の大友宗麟とその息子義統は、その一族の危機の間他所に避難を余儀なくされました。彼らは天下人の豊臣秀吉からの助けにより何とか生き延びましたが、宗麟の死後、義統は秀吉により改易されました。
The Funai castle town flourished around that hall, but it had weak defenses in the Warring States Period. In 1586, Shimazu clan’s invasion happened. The city including the hall was burned out . The master, Sorin Otomo and his son Yoshimune had to escape to another place, during the destruction of the clan. They could somehow survive due to the help from the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi. However, Yoshimune was fired by Toyotomi after Sorin passed away.

大友宗麟肖像画、瑞峯院蔵～The portrait of Sorin Otomo, owned by Zuihoin（licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons）

そして秀吉は彼の配下である福原直孝を、１５９７年に府内の領主とて派遣しました。直孝はもっと安全な城が必要と考え、荷の積み降ろし港の場所に新しい城を築き始め、「荷揚（荷を積むという意味）城」と名付け、その後いつしか「府内城」と改名されました。１７世紀初期に、竹中氏が４層の天守や多くの櫓を含む城として完成させ、九州地方では有数な城となったのです。
Then, Toyotomi sent his man, Naotaka Fukuhara as the lord of Funai in 1597. Fukuhara thought that he needed to have a more secure castle. He started to build a new castle at a port of unloading, called “Niage Castle” (Niage means unloading), which was renamed to “Funai Castle” sometime later. In the first 17th century, the Takenaka clan completed the castle including the four-layer Tenshu keep and many turrets, becoming a prominent castle in Kushu region.

大分府内城でライトアップされた仮想天守～The illuminated virtual Tenshu on Oita-Funai Castle（taken by seama2 from photoAC）

城の中心は安全確保と交通の便のため、細い堤を挟んで大分川の河口に面していました。河口から、本丸から二の丸へ、更には三ノ丸まで外側に向かって広がっていて、水堀によって互いに隔てられていました。特に二の丸へは、「廊下橋」と呼ばれた二つの橋のみが通じていて、もしこれらの橋を落とした場合、本丸と二ノ丸は完全に外部から遮断されるようになっていました。
The center of the castle faced the estuary of Oita River across a thin bank for safety and transportation. From the estuary, the main enclosure “Honmaru”, to the second enclosure “Ninomaru” until the third enclosure “Sannomaru” spread towards outside, separated by water moats each other. Particularly, only two bridges called “Roka-Bashi” led to Ninomaru area. If these bridges were fallen, the Honmaru and Ninomaru could be shut down from outside.

*豊後国府内城之絵図部分、江戸時代、コメントを付加～Part of the illustration of Funai Castle in Bungo Province in Edo Period, adding comments*（*出典：国立公文書館）*

しかし、松平氏統治下の１７４３年に城下町の大火による被害を被りました。天守を含むほとんどの城の建物が焼け落ちました。その後、櫓はいくつか再建されましたが、天守は再建されませんでした（天守台だけが残ります）。
But in 1743, under the Matsudaira clan’s governance, the castle suffered from a great fire around the castle town. Most of the buildings of the castle including Tenshu keep were burned down. After that, some turrets were restored, but Tenshu wasn’t (just the Tenshu base remains).

現存している人質櫓と天守台～The remaining Hitojichi-Turret and Tenchu base（licensed by Reggaeman via Wikimeia Commons）

特徴～Fertures

現在、本丸と二ノ丸の範囲は「大分城址公園」として公園になっています。この公園は今でも二の丸の水堀と石垣に囲まれています。しかし本丸の水堀は埋められていて、そのため公園の範囲はただ一つの曲輪のように見えます。ここにはまた櫓もあり、そのうち２つだけが元からあるものです（人質櫓と宗門櫓）。更には、一基の廊下橋が最近復元されました。
Now, the area of Honmaru and Ninomaru has been turned into a park called “Funai Castle Ruins”. The park is still surrounded by the Ninomaru water moat and stone walls. But the Honmaru water moat has been filled, so the park area looks like just one enclosure. It also has several turrets, out of whom only two turrets are original (Hitojichi-Turret and Shumon-Turret). In addition, one Roka-Bashi has recently been restored.

宗門櫓の裏側、修繕中か～The back side of Shumon-Turret, it appears being repaired.

復元された廊下橋～The restored Roka-Bashi bridge（licensed by Reggaeman via Wikimeia Commons）

ところが、公園の周りの地域は全て埋め立てられ、近代的な都市に変貌しています。歴史の知識がなければ、ここが海城だったとは想像できません。
However, all area outside the park has been filled in ground for the modernized city. No one can imagine that was a sea castle without historical knowledge.

城周辺の航空写真～An aeriel photo around the castle

その後～Later Life

明治維新後、大分県庁が本丸に置かれました。大正時代にその建物が新築拡張されることになり、本丸の水堀が埋め立てられました。第二次世界大戦では、米軍による大分空襲があり、城の現存櫓もいくつか焼けてしまいました。戦後市の復興計画により、城跡は大分城址公園となりました。県庁は以前の三ノ丸に移転し、そして本丸と二ノ丸の範囲は１９６３年に初めて県の史跡として指定されました。「西南隅櫓」「大手口多門櫓」「着到櫓」といった櫓が外観復元されました。それ以外に模擬櫓もあります。
After the Meiji Restoration, the Oita Prefectural Building was placed on Honmaru area. In the Taisho Era, the building was replaced to a new large one that caused the Honmaru water moat to be filled. In World War II, Oita Air Raid by the US Air Force burned out the Oita city area including several remaining turrets of the castle. After the war, with the reconstruction plan of the city, the castle ruins was turned into Funai Castle Ruins park. Prefectural Building was moved to the former Sannnomaru area, then the area within Honmaru and Ninomaru was first designated as a prefectural historic site in 1963. Some turrets such as “Seinan-Sumi-Turret”, “Oteguchi-Tamon-Turret” and “Chakuto-Turret” were externally restored. There are also some imitational turrets there.

大手口多門櫓～Oteguchi-Tamon-Turret（licensed by 663highland via Wikimedia Commons）

大分市は城跡の将来に向けた整備計画を検討しています。この計画によると、本丸石垣が部分的に復元され、地面に本丸水堀があったことを示す線が表示されることになっています。過去に海城があったことを周知したいようです。
Oita City is considering the development plan for the future of the ruins. They plan to restore part of the Honmaru stone walls and express the line of Hommaru water moat on the ground. They seem to let people know that there was a sea castle in the past.

２０２６年までの城跡整備計画マップ～The development planning map of the castle ruins by 2026 （大分市Websiteより引用）

私の感想～My Impression

面白いイベントが城址公園で開催されました。それは、鉄骨のフレームとＬＥＤライトによって天守の姿を再現したものでした。このイベントは終わってしまったのですが、私が最近訪れたときにはまだフレームが残っていました。フレームが存在していれば、また再開することも可能と思います。そうなったらよいですね。
An interesting event was held in the ruin park. That was recreating of the image of the Tenshu keep by using a steel frame and lots of LED light bulbs. Though the event has finished, the frame remained when I visited the ruins recently. The show could be held again as long as the frame is there. Hopefully that will happen.

*大分府内城の仮想天守～The virtual Tenchu in Oita-Funai Castle（taken by ぴょんにゃん from photo AC*）

仮想天守の骨組み（The flame of the virtual Tenshu）

ここに行くには～How to get There

車で行く場合：東九州自動車道大分ＩＣから約２０分です。城址公園内に駐車場があります。
大分駅から：徒歩で約１５分かかります。バスの場合大分駅南口から「大分きゃんバス」に乗り、市役所前バス停で降りてください。
大分空港から大分駅まで：空港アクセスバス（エアライナー）に乗ってください。
If you want to go there by car: It takes about 20 minutes from the Oita IC on Higashikyushu Expressway. The park offers a parking lot inside.
From Oita station: It takes about 15 minutes on foot. Or take the Oita-Can-bus at the south entrance of the station, and take off at the Shiyakusho-Mae bus stop.
From Oita Airport to Oita st.: Take the Airpor Eepress Airliner bus.

リンク、参考情報～Links and Rererences

・よみがえる日本の城２０、学習研究社（Japanese Magazine）
・大分城址公園整備・活用基本計画、大分市（Japanese Document）

120.菅谷館（Sugaya Hall）

この城は、伝説と現実の間（はざま）にあります。
This castle is between legend and reality.

現在の菅谷館本郭の入り口（The present entrance of Sugaya Hall Hon-Kuruwa）

Location and History

「菅谷館」という名前には少し説明が必要です。「館」という用語は、この場合には「中世初期の武士の館」を指します。通常は、平地の上に土塁か柵を伴う館が堀で囲まれている構成でした。例としては足利氏館が挙げられるでしょう。
The name “Sugaya Hall” needs a small explanation. The term “hall” means ”warrior’s hall in the early Middle Ages” in this case. It usually consists of a hall with earthen walls or fences, and a surrounding moat on a plain, for example, like the Ashikaga clan hall.

菅谷館には、鎌倉幕府の重臣であった畠山重忠について、当時ここに住んでいたという地元の言い伝えがあります。古い記録である「吾妻鏡」にも彼が菅谷館に住んでいたという記載があります。そのためこの遺跡が菅谷「館」と呼ばれ、ここに重忠の像が立っているのです。
Sugaya Hall has a local tale about Shigetada Hatakeyama, a senior vassal of the Kamakura Shogunate, living there at that time. An old document called “Aduma-Kagami” also says he lived in Sugaya Hall. That’s why these ruins are called Sugaya “Hall” and the statue of Hatakeyama is standing on the ruins.

畠山重忠像（The statue of Shigetada Hatakeyama）

しかしながら、この遺跡の外観はそのような説明と違っています。明らかに戦国時代の城跡に見えるのです。その時代の古書もまたこの城を「館」ではなく、菅谷「城」と記しています。加えて、発掘の結果からも戦国時代の１５００年前後に使われたことが判明しています。つまるところ、「菅谷館」という名前は、行政側による伝説と現実との間での妥協の産物のようなのです。
However, the appearance of the ruins is different from such descriptions. They look like the ruins of a castle in the Warring States Period obviously. Old documents in the period also call them Sugaya “Castle”, not “Hall”. In addition, the result of excavation says the castle was used around 1500 in the Warring States Period. Overall, the name “Sugaya Hall” seems to come from a kind of compromise between legend and reality by the officials.

菅谷館跡全景（The whole view of Sugaya Castle Ruins）～埼玉県立嵐山史跡の博物館ウェブサイトより引用

いずれにせよ、この城は１４８８年の「須賀谷原の戦い」のような戦国大名が戦いを繰り広げた重要な地域にありました。戦国大名の一つ、扇谷上杉氏がその戦いのため菅谷古城を再興したこと、しかし敗れてその城に幽閉されたことが記録されています。他の文書にはその約１００年後には北条氏がこの城を使っていたとあります。つまり、この城は何度か使われたり放棄されたりしたようなのです。
Anyway, the castle was in the important area where warlords battled each other such as “The battle of Sugayahara” in 1488. Records say that one of the warlords, the Ogigayatsu Uesugi clan, restored the old Sugaya Castle for the battle, but they were defeated and kept under arrest in the castle. Another document says that the Hojo clan used the castle about 100 years later. After all, the castle seemed to be used and abandoned several times.

二の郭前の堀（The moat in front of Ni-no-Kuruwa）

菅谷城は現在の埼玉県西部にあたる場所の低台地上にあり、近くには中世の主要街道である鎌倉街道が通っていました。中心の本郭は、背後を都幾川に、両側を自然の渓谷により守られていました。本郭の入り口は厳重に防御され、二の郭、三の郭などいくつかの郭が本郭の前に広がっていました。
Sugaya Castle is located on a low plateau in what is now the western part of Saitama pref. where the Kamakura road, a main road in the Middle Ages was passing nearby. The main enclosure, “Hon-Kuruwa”, was protected by the Tokigawa river behind it and natural valleys both sides. The entrance of Hon-Kuruwa is strictly guarded and several enclosures including “Ni-no-Kuruwa” and “San-no-Kuruwa” spread out in front of Hon-Kuruwa.

菅谷館跡の地図（The map of Sugaya Hall Ruins）～現地案内板写真に追記

Features

菅谷館跡には建物はありませんが、基礎は残っており、よい状態で保存されています。基礎は全て土造りであり、戦国時代の東国においてはそれが一般的な方法でした。
The ruins of Sugaya Castle retain their foundation but with no buildings. The foundation is well preserved, and is all made from soil which is a typical method of building castles in eastern Japan in the Warring States Period.

菅谷館跡の土塁（An earthen wall of Sugaya Hall Ruins）

一例として、本郭を見てみましょう。この郭は、重忠の館があったと考えられています。それが事実なら、後から城の中心部分として強化されたはずです。
Let’s look at Hon-Kuruwa for instance. This enclosure is thought to be Hatakeyama’s hall. If it’s true, it must have been strengthened as the center of the castle later.

菅谷館跡の地図、アルファベットは以下の写真を撮った位置（The map of Sugaya Hall Ruins, Alfabetic characters show the points pictures below were taken）～現地案内板写真に追記

本郭は、高い土塁と深い空堀に囲まれています。これにより、防御側は敵の攻撃から守りやすくなります。「虎口」と呼ばれる入り口は狭くなっており、そこに至る進路はジグザグに作られていて、敵がまっすぐ内部に入れないようになっています。
Hon-Kuruwa is surrounded by a high earthen wall and deep dry moat. That makes it easier for defenders to protect them from an enemy’s attack. Its entrance, called “Koguchi”, is narrow and the route to it is made zigzagged so that attackers are unable to enter inside directly.

A．本郭の土塁と空堀（The earthen wall and dry moat of Hon-Kuruwa）

更には、この土塁は部分的に意図的に突き出ています。これにより防御側はその部分から敵の正面と側面両方を攻撃することができます。このような構造は「出桝型土塁」と言われます。これは戦国時代においては、他の構造と組み合わせることで、高度な城の防御システムとなりました。よって一部の歴史家は、北条氏が城を改修したのだろうと推定しています。
In addition, the wall is partly stuck out on purpose. This allows defenders to attack from the sticking point to an enemy’s front and sides. Such a structure is called a “Dematsu” shaped earthen wall. It is an advanced system when combined with other defensive features for castles in the Warring States Period. So some historians speculate Hojo might have improved the castle.

Ｃ．出桝型土塁（The “Dematsu” shaped earthen wall）

Ｅ．二の郭の入り口、最も高くなっている（The entrance of Ni-no-Kruwa, the highest point）

Later Life

この城は戦国時代の終り頃から長い間放置されていたようです。それ以来、城跡は民間の所有となり、畠山重忠の遺産であると思われてきました。約１００年前の大正時代に初めてここが調査されたとき、重忠の像が建てられます。１９７３年になって遺跡が国の史跡に指定され、２００８年には「比企城館跡群」の一つに改めて指定されました。
The castle seemed to be abandoned for a long time since sometime at the end of the Warring States Period. Since then, the ruins were private owned and thought of as Hatakeyama’s heritage. His statue was built when the ruins were first investigated in the Taisho Era about 100 years ago. In 1973, the ruins were designated as a National Historic Site, then were newly designated one of the “Hiki Castles Ruins” in 2008.

明治初期の城跡周辺の地図、土塁が残り畑・林となっていた（The map around the ruins in the early Meiji Era, there was a field and woods）

My Impression

関東地方の戦国大名は必要な数だけ城を作りました。その城がいらなくなったときは、速やかに廃城としました。一方、廃城となった城を再利用したいときは、その城を再建または増築しました。結果として城を廃城とするときは、完全には破壊しませんでした。代わりに一部を壊すか、建物だけを撤去しました。恐らくそれが効率的で、且つ再利用しやすかったからでしょう。それで菅谷館（城）の基礎がよく残ったと思うのです。
Warlords in the Kanto region built castles as many as they needed. When they didn’t need the castles, they immediately abandoned the castles. On the other hand, when warlords wanted to reuse abandoned castles, they restored or improved the castles. As a result, when warlords abandoned castles, they didn’t completely destroy the castles. Instead, they often destroyed part of the castles, or just remove their buildings. Probably it could be because it is more efficient and easy to reuse. I think that’s why the foundation of Sugaya Hall (Castle) remains well.

今、城跡の三の郭には嵐山史跡の博物館があります。そこでは比企城館跡群（菅谷館、杉山城、松山城、小倉城）の歴史や出土品を展示しています。そこで歴史を学んでまず菅谷館に行ってみましょう。その他の内、杉山城はここからわずか５キロのところにあります。両方行ってみるのもよいでしょう。
There is the Ranzan Historical Museum on San-no-Kuruwa of the ruins now. It shows the exhibition of history and the excavation about Hiki Castle Ruins including Sugaya Hall, Sugiyama, Matsuyama and Ogura Castles. Let’s look into their history and visit Sugaya Hall first. Out of the others, Sugiyama Castle ruins is only about 5 km from there. So, how about visit the set of them.

比企城館跡群の４つの城（The four castles of Hiki Castle Ruins）

How to get There

車を使う場合、遺跡は関越自動車道の嵐山小川ＩＣの近くです。嵐山史跡の博物館に駐車場があります。
電車を使う場合は、東武東上線の武蔵嵐山駅から歩いて約１５分です。
東京から武蔵嵐山駅まで：池袋駅から東武東上線に乗ってください。
When using car, the ruins is near Ranzan-Ogawa IC on Kan-Etsu Expressway. Ranzan Historical Museum offers a parking lot.
When using train, it takes about 15 minutes on foot from Musashi-Ranzan Station on Tobu Tojo line.
From Tokyo to Musashi-Ranzan Station: Take the train on Tobu Tojo line from Ikebukuro Station.

Links and References

・埼玉県立嵐山史跡の博物館（the Ranzan Historical Museum）