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

108.Tsurugaoka Castle Part3

You should also check out the partially remaining Chidokan domain school buildings in the third enclosure. They are the only remaining domain school buildings in the Tohoku Region, including two gates, the Confucian temple, a lecture hall and Oiri-no-ma Rooms which were used as the waiting rooms for the lord.

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Chidokan Domain School

You should also check out the partially remaining Chidokan domain school buildings in the third enclosure, on the opposite side of the Chidokan Museum. They are the only remaining domain school buildings in the Tohoku Region, including two gates, the Confucian temple, a lecture hall and Oiri-no-ma Rooms which were used as the waiting rooms for the lord.

The aerial photo around the castle

The interior of the buildings are also used to exhibit the history of the school and the domain. The other missing buildings’ bases can be seen outside. The surrender ceremony of the Shonai Domain to the New Government Army was held at this site during the Meiji Restoration. In addition, the site of the domain school has been designated as a National Historic Site since 1951.

Later History

Despite the defeat of the domain, it was allowed to maintain its territory while its ally, the Aizu Domain,was transferred to a much smaller and poorer land. It’s believed this was possible because of the tolerance of the government’s leader, Takamori Saigo. On the other hand, the domain had to pay large sums of money, which was mainly funded by the Honma Clan, to the government in return for it. However, since then, the people in Shonai have greatly respected Saigo and the head of the domain, including the former lord, Tadazumi Sakai, visited and communicated with him. When Saigo rebelled against the government in 1878, known as the Seinan War, two warriors of Shonai supported and died with him. Even after Saigo was defeated, Shonai people still loved his works and published his last instructions in 1890, called Nanshu-ou-ikun, (meaning “the last instructions of the old Nanshu” (Saigo’s pen name)).

*The portrait of Takamori Saigo by Edoardo Chiossone (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

*Tadazumi Sakai (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

As for Tarugaoka Castle, it was abandoned in 1871 and turned into the Tsuruoka Park with all the castle buildings being removed in 1876. However, local people have been doing their best to maintain the castle ruins in a way of each period, as we can now see.

My Impression

When I visited the ruins of Tsurugaoka Castle, I learned about its history in the three museums at the site, each which seems to focus on distinct perspectives. It felt like the Chidokan Museum focuses on the castle in the lord’s retreat, and the Taihokan Museum focuses on the famous historical local figures, and the Chidokan domain school focuses on the domain’s history. I was able to learn a lot about them in a short time and could feel the passion the locals have for passing on their culture and history to the next generations. I also want to visit Sakata City someday and its ruins of Kamegaoka Castle, which are the partner city and castle to Tsuruoka City and Tsurugaoka Castle.

The entrance of the retreat in the Chidokan Museum

The entrance of the lecture hall in the Chidokan domain school

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car, it is about a 10 minutes drive away from Tsuruoka IC on the Yamagata Expressway. There are several parking lots around the park.
By public transportation, take the Shonai Kotsu Bus bound for Yunohama-onsen from Tsuruoka Satation and get off at the Shiyakusho-mae bus stop.
From Tokyo to the station: Take the Joetsu Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Inaho limited express at Nigata Station.

The parking lot beside the eastern entrance

That’s all. Thank you.
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108.Tsurugaoka Castle Part2

Today, the ruins of Tsurugaoka Castle have been developed as Tsuruoka Park. The site seems to have a different atmosphere from other castles or castle ruins. One of the reasons may be that the castle originally had water moats and earthen walls but few stone walls, giving the park a more scenic look for the visitors.

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Site looks Scenic and Retro-Modern

The map around the castle

Another reason is that there are several historical modern buildings around the park, most of which are in the Chido Museum. The museum is in the former Third Enclosure of the castle, where the lord’s residence was built. That’s why there is the Sakai Clan Garden which probably originates from the residence inside. The garden has also been designated as a National Place of Scenic Beauty. In addition, the current residence beside the garden was part of the retreat for the 9th lord, Tadaaki Sakai during the end of the Edo Period. The modern historical buildings, such as the former Tsuruoka Police Office built in the Meiji Era, were collected from somewhere in the city. Surprisingly, the museum director is a descendant of the Sakai Clan, who still live in the city.

The Chido Museum on the left and the Tsuruoka Park on the right

Entrances of old and current site

The park consists of the Main Enclosure in the center and partially the second enclosure surrounding. It has five entrances, the same number as in the past, but each has a different appearance or location. For example, the eastern entrance of the park was the Main Gate in the second enclosure, which was protected by the Masugata system. However, the system was removed and turned into the city area. The current path from the entrance goes straight to the center but past visitors had to go around to Naka-no-mon Gate (meaning the Middle Gate) at the southern side of the Main Enclosure after crossing Naka-no-hashi Bridge (meaning the Middle Bridge) over the Inner Moat.

The part of the Main Gate in the miniature model exhibited by the Chido Museum

The eastern entrance of the park (the Main Gate Ruins)

Past visitors had to go around from the Main Gate on the right to Naka-no-mon Gate in the front, according to the miniature model above

Current visitors can go straight to the center using the approach to Shonai Shrine

Meanwhile, the current southern entrance may be similar to the original Naka-no-mon Gate, where you can go across a bridge over the moat like the visitors used to cross the Naka-no-hashi Bridge. There is another traditional and beautiful modern building, called Taihokan Museum, behind the bridge, which was originally built in 1915 as a commercial museum, but has now become another historical museum. Therefore, you may feel a retro-modern atmosphere rather than from the castle’s period.

The part of the Naka-no-mon Gate in the miniature model above

The current southern entrance of the park, *taken by FRANK211 from photo AC*

The Naka-no-hashi Bridge was built near the current bridge

The Naka-no-mon Gate was built at the current Taihokan Museum

Shonai Shrine and Corner Turret Ruins in Main Enclosure

There are no castle buildings in the park. Instead, Shonai Shrine is in the Main Enclosure, which worships four ancestors of the Sakai Clan including Tadakatsu Sakai, the founder of the Shonai Domain. The shrine was established in 1877 in a part of a trend at that time of establishing shrines at abandoned castle sites. If you want to see something of castle-like items, you can go to the back of the shrine at the northern side of the enclosure. There are still surrounding earthen walls and also the ruins of the Corner Turret which was the substitute for a Main Tower.

The earthen walls surrounding the Main Enclosure

To be continued in “Tsurugaoka Castle Part3”
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