back gate – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

102.Kaminokuni-Katsuyama Date Part2

A mountain castle with a medieval atmosphere

Features

Ruins can be accessible either from Seaside or Mountain side

Today, the ruins of Kaminokuni-Katsuyama Date have been well developed by Kaminokuni Town. The ruins spread from 70 to 110m high on the hill. You can access the ruins either on the Main Route near the seaside or on the Back Route near Iouzan Mountain which is 159m high.

The aerial photo around the castle

If you drive to the ruins, it may be better to park and visit the Katsuyama Castle Guidance Facility below the top of the mountain before going to the ruins. You can learn about the history and the findings of the hall. The mountain top has a good view of the sea and has the Iouzan Shrine as well which worships Nobuhiro Takeda, the founder of the hall. The top was thought to be used as the final part in case of an emergency.

The top of Iouzan Mountain seen from the parking lot

Going to Back Route and Back Gate from Mountain

From the facility, you can walk to the Back Gate of the hall ruins passing the Iouzan Tombs which have over 600 burial mounds. Many of them are for Buddhists which are related to the mainland Japanese, but some of them are for the Ainu people. This is one of the reasons that both people lived together in the hall. Nobuhiro Takeda is thought to be buried somewhere around there.

The replica of an excavated Ainnu tomb, exhibited by the Katsuyama Castle Guidance Facility

The trail will bring you to the Back Gate Ruins with a dry moat in front of them. You can go across the moat over the restored bridge and you will see some restored wooden fences around the ruins. Inside the gate is the highest point of the ruins, which had the Tategami-Hachimangu Shrine as the guardian god of the hall. The shine remained even after the hall was abandoned. The lords of the Matsumae Domain visited it to worship for their ancestors during the Edo Period. The shrine was finally moved to another location in 1876 of the Meiji Era.

The dry moat and the restored Back Bridge

Center of Hall Ruins

The 3.6m wide central passage goes through the ruins. Next comes the main portion of the hall, a long and wide area gently going down to the Main Gate Ruins.

The imaginary drawing of the central passage with a turret gate on it, from the signboard at the site

There are no buildings, but lots of flat exhibits of what buildings were built, according to the excavation achievements. The exhibits show the Main Hall, the chief retainer’s house, a public well, a blacksmith‘s workshop, a stable, warehouses, residential houses, and so on.

The imaginary drawing of buildings of the hall, from the signboard at the site, adding the English letters

The interior model of the Main Hall, exhibited by the Katsuyama Castle Guidance Facility

*The interior model of the workshop, exhibited by the Katsuyama Castle Guidance Facility*

The miniature model of the public well, exhibited by the Katsuyama Castle Guidance Facility

The excavation team also found about 100 thousand relics such as weapons, religious equipment, trading goods, tools, hunting and fishing items as well as household items including accessories. That means people lived their daily life there. In particular, some of the relics came from the Ainu people, such as their own penknives and poisoned arrows for hunting. This could be another evidence that the mainland and Ainu people lived together. You can also enjoy a good view of the Japan Sea and the seaside area.

The excavated lacquerware bowls, which were probably brought to the site by trading, exhibited by the Katsuyama Castle Guidance Facility

The excavated fishing items of Ainu (below) and a replica of an Ainu harpoon, exhibited by the Katsuyama Castle Guidance Facility

The hall ruins with a view of the area below

To be continued in “Kaminokuni-Katsuyama Date Part3”
Back to “Kaminokuni-Katsuyama Date Part1”

154.Tamaru Castle Part3

Tamaru Castle shows Nobukatsu’s early way of life

Features

Going to Second Enclosure

The Second Enclosure, the south of the Main Enclosure, also has both stone walls and earthen walls. The earthen walls have the alternating entrance which is very old and thought to be used as the back gate

The map around the castle

The exit of the Main Enclosure to the Second Enclosure

The Main Enclosure on the right, the Second Enclosure on the left, which is partially made of soil.

The stone walls surrounding the Second Enclosure

The Back Gate Rins at the Second Enclosure, which are surrounded by earthen walls

In addition, you can see the private rooms for the lord, called Okushoin, which had been located in the Third Enclosure, and restored near the town hall.

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Tamaru Caste was abandoned and all the buildings of the castle were sold or demolished. The ruins have been public owned since 1928 and designated as a Prefectural Historic Site of Mie since 1953. Tamaki Town is researching the ruins to be designated as a National Historic Site in the future.

Shiroyama-Inari Shrine in the Northern Enclosure

My Impression

Before Nobukatsu was fired by Hideyoshi, he owned Owari Province which was originally the Oda Clan’s home base as the lord of the clan. Historians say his rejection to leave the province was the cause for his loss. However, I speculate Hideyoshi would have taken the province away from Nobukatsu no matter what he said like Hideyoshi had done against the Hojo Clan in Odawara Castle. Hideyoshi wanted to provide more territories to his relatives.

After that, Nobukatsu became a monk, changing his way of life. I think he probably stopped being a warrior. In his last territory, Obata, he was not allowed to build a castle for the small territory, contrasted by the large Rakusanen Garden. Tamaru Castle and the garden shows the transition of Nobukatsu’s way of life symbolically.

The stone walls of Main Enclosure seen from the Second Enclosure in Tamaru Castle

The grave of Nobukatsu Oda in Kanra Town, Gunma Prefecture

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle ruins by car, it is about 10 minutes away from Tamaki IC on the Ise Expressway. You can use the parking lot of Tamaki Town Hall.
By public transportation, it takes about 10 minutes on foot from JR Tamaru Station.
To get to Tamaru Station from Tokyo: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express, transfer to the Kansai Line at Nagoya Station and transfer to the Kisei Line at Kameyama Station.

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Tamaru Castle Part1”
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48.Matsusaka Castle Part2

This castle was protected by high stone walls using large stones and an elaborate defense system

Features

High Stone Walls still surround Castle Ruins

Today, the ruins of Matsusaka Castle have been developed into Matsusaka Park, which was the main portion of the castle on the hill. If you walk around the outside of the park, you may be surprised to see the high stone walls surrounding the park remain in good condition. The walls are piled using round natural stones which are large and uncountable. It is surprising that they were collected and piled so elaborately in a short time during the construction. In addition, the stone walls of the southeastern corner of the park were repaired using processed rectangular stones in the later stage of the castle’s history.

The stone walls seen outside of the park

The stone walls of the lower tier of the Main Enclosure, which use large stones

The repaired stone walls at the southeastern corner of the park

The aerial photo around the castle

Layout of Enclosures

The ruins have only the foundation with the stone walls without any buildings. However, you can still understand how the castle was protected by seeing these stone walls along the routes in the park. There are two entrances of the park, one is the Front Gate Ruins at the eastern side and the other one is the Back Gate Ruins at the southern side. Either of them lead to the Second Enclosure first. Towards the center of the castle, the lower tier of the Main Enclosure is higher than the Second Enclosure. The upper tier of the Main Enclosure is the highest. In addition, the Kitai and Inkyo Enclosures are at the lower part on the opposite side of the Second Enclosure.

The diorama of the castle’s enclosures with stone walls, exhibited by Matsusaka City Museum of History and Folklore

Going to Second Enclosure from Front Gate Ruins

If you enter the Second Enclosure from the Front Gate Ruins surrounded by alternating stone walls, you will see the high stone walls of the lower tier of the Main Enclosure in front of you. To go to the center of the Second Enclosure, you have to turn left and pass one more ruined gate beside the Tsukimi Turret Ruins on the stone walls. If you were an enemy, you would be attacked from two directions. That means the routes inside the castle were made very defensive.

The stone walls of the Main Enclosure lower tier stand in front of you

The high stone walls of the Tsukimi Turret Ruins

The route to the Second Enclosure from the Front Gate (the red arrow) and the counterattack from the castle (the blue arrows)

Going to Main Enclosure from Front Second Enclosure

The Second Enclosure had the Encampment of the Tokugawa Clan. It is now a square with a wisteria trellis where you can see a city view.

The signpost of the ruins of Tokugawa Clan’s encampment

If you want to go inside further, you need to pass the Nakagomon Gate Ruins. This route is also surrounded by alternating stone walls and the ruins of a turret called Taiko-Yagura. After passing it, the lower tier is on the right and the upper tier is on the left of the Main Enclosure.

Looking down The Nakagomon Gate Ruins from the Taiko Turret Ruins

The route to the Main Enclosure from the Second Enclosure (the red arrows) and the counterattack from the castle (the blue arrows)

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