タグ: corner turret

60.Ako Castle Part2

Today, the ruins of Ako Castle have been well developed with lots of restored items probably thanks to the Ako Incident and the 47 Ronin. However, the ruins are worth more than its popularity and have distinct perspectives.

Features

One of Three Major Water Supply systems during Edo Period

Today, the ruins of Ako Castle have been well developed with lots of restored items probably thanks to the Ako Incident and the 47 Ronin. However, the ruins are worth more than its popularity and have distinct perspectives. For example, if you walk from JR Banshu-Ako Station to the ruins along the central street, you will find some explanation boards and relics for the old Ako Water Supply system. The system is considered one of the Three Major Water Supply systems during the Edo Period in Japan. This was due to few wells in the Ako area because of its salt industry.

The street to the castle ruins
A signboard for the water supply system
The water supply pipes exhibited in the turret gate of the Main Enclosure

Third Enclosure, Front of Castle

After walking for a while, you will get to the Main Gate with the Corner Turret at the northern edge of the Third Enclosure. These buildings were restored during the 1950’s and have become a symbol of the castle.

Main Gate[/leaflet-marker]

The castle ruins are at the end of the street
The Corner Turret in the front and the Main Gate in the back

If you enter the gate after crossing the bridge over the moat in front of it, there is a square space surrounded by stone walls, called Masugata system. In the case of Ako Castle, the space consists of connected squares, more complex than a simple one, so the path has zigzag design, which would make the enemies get stuck.

Entering the Main Gate by going across the bridge
The Masugata system inside the gate
The path in the system is like a maze

There is the Third Enclosure inside, which was used as the senior vassals’ residences, where only Oishi and Kondo’s row-house style gates remain on both sides of the path.

Entering the center of the Third Enclosure
The Oishi’s row-house style gate on the right
The Kondo’s row-house style gate on the left

Oishi’s main residence was turned into Oishi Shrine where he and the Ronin have been worshiped as the heroes of the incident. It may be the most popular spot in the castle. There are also some ruins of other 47 Ronin’s’ residences around.

The Oishi Shrine
The ruins of Kataoka’s residence, one of the 47 Ronin

Second Enclosure facing Sea in Past

If you go further to the center of the castle, you will get to the ruins of the Second Enclosure Gate. The enclosure is mostly surrounded by its water moats and surrounds the Main Enclosure.

The ruins of the Second Enclosure Gate
The water moats and the stone walls surround the Second Enclosure

There was the residence of another Oishi (Tanomo-no-suke, Kura-no-suke’s great uncle) and the Second Enclosure Garden in the northern part inside. The residence’s gate and the garden were recently restored where you can enjoy walking and looking at the beautiful scenery. The partition gate dividing the northern and southern parts was also restored at the edge of the garden and you can use it during opening hours.

The restored gate of Oishi Tanomo-no-suke’s residence
The restored Second Enclosure Garden
The partition gate dividing the northern and southern parts of the Second Enclosure

The southern part was turned into a modern flower park, which used to face the sea in the past. The sea area was reclaimed to public facilities, so you may not understand what it looked like. However, there are ruins of the pier and gate, and Shiomi (meaning Watching Tide) and Minami-Oki (South Ocean) Turrets on the southern side of the enclosure, where you may understand its location.

There was the sea area around
The ruins of the tier and gate
The ruins of Shiomi Turret
The ruins of Minami-oki Turret

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

14.Mito Castle Part2

You can visit the castle ruins from Mito Station through the road which goes on the big valley between the left and right hills. Surprisingly, it is artificial.

Features

Dry Mort becomes Car Road

Today, the ruins of Mito Castle are easy to go to because JR Mito Station is nearby. There are roughly two routes from the station to the castle ruins. One is the path that involves climbing the slope to the Third Enclosure on the left hill and the other is the road which goes on the big valley between the left and right hills. Surprisingly, it is artificial. If you choose the latter one, you can see the scale of one of the former dry moats of the castle. You can also see the restored Corner Turret on firm earthen walls of the Second Enclosure on the right. You will eventually reach under the Main Bridge between these enclosures.

The aerial photo of the castle, the broken red line shows the route through the dry moat from Mito Station

The road through the valley which was the dry moat between the Second and Third Enclosures
The restored Corner Turret of the Second Enclosure
The spot under the Main Bridge

This is where Battle happened

You can climb the steep stairways from the bottom to the tops of the enclosures on both sides, which are about 12m high. In fact, this area is where the second battle between the Shosei and Tengu Parties happened. The Shosei Party tried to break the Main Gate but failed, so they stayed in the Kodokan domain school. The Tengu attacked and destroyed them. However, that resulted in most of the domain school’s buildings being burned down. Only its front gate and the other few buildings remain as a historical site and museum.

Climbing the steep stairway
The area around the Main Bridge
The front gate of the Kodokan domain school

Restored Main Gate

The Main Gate survived in the battle but was also burned down by an arson in the early Meiji Era. The current Main Gate was just restored back in 2020 as the same as it was in the traditional method. It is very large, which is about 10m high and 20m wide, and suitable for the front of the castle. One of its original features was to use tile walls which refer to being piled by roof tiles and clay alternating. This was completely restored in the current gate, which look very beautiful. In addition, some of the excavated original ones can be seen in the window below on the left side of the gate.

The restored Main Gate
The restored tile walls of the Main Gate
The excavated original tile walls can also be seen

Second Enclosure becomes School areas

The inside of the Second Enclosure had the Main Hall, the Three-level Turret and the Shokokan institute but has become school areas, which may follow the educational policy of the Mito Domain. The street going through the enclosure is along the white mud walls on both sides, which look as if castle buildings are still there. However, visitors are available to enter only the designated areas. For example, if you want to see a view of Nakagawa River to the north of the hill, you need to go and return to the same path. the view itself is good and you can understand the river was a natural hazard of the castle.

The map around the Second Enclosure, the broken red line shows the route to the observation platform and the broken blue line shows the route to the Corner Turret of the Second Enclosure

The central street of the Second Enclosure
The route to the observation platform in the north
A view of the Nakagawa River in the north

Similarly, you can see the interior of the Corner Turret by going through another but much longer single path.

The route to the Corner Turret
The Corner Turret seen from the inside of the Second Enclosure
The interior of the turret

To be continued in “Mito Castle Part3”
Back to “Miro Castle Part1”

130.Takashima Castle Part2

The Main Enclosure of the castle was developed as a park.

Features

Main Enclosure as Park and rebuilt Main Tower

Now the ruins of Takashima Castle became the modern day Takashima Park. The park includes the Main Enclosure and the water moat of the northern and eastern sides of it. Other enclosures were turned into the city area. Suwa Lake is now about 400m away from the park, so it is difficult to imagine “the floating castle”. The stone walls of the enclosure and the moat are original, and some buildings such as the Main Tower were rebuilt.

The aerial photo around the castle

The rebuilt Main Tower is actually a modern building which looks similar to the original one. The building has a cooper plate roofing, not wooden strip roofing from the original, but they probably resemble each other. The inside of the tower is used as a historical museum and an observation platform. You can see a view of Suwa Lake in the distance from the top. You may also have a feeling of the passage of time.

The rebuilt Main Tower
A view from the Main Tower

Three Entrances of Main Enclosure

The Main Enclosure has three entrances. The Kabuki-mon Gate was rebuilt on the heavy stone walls at the northern side of the enclosure. It was also the front gate of it, connected to the Second Enclosure, and only high class people were allowed to use the gate.

The rebuilt Kabuki-mon Gate

The Kawado-mon Gate is at the western side of the enclosure. The remaining building was actually used as the back gate of the Main Hall at the Third Enclosure, and moved to the present position. When the castle was beside the lake, it was possible to take a ship to the lake from this gate.

The Kawado-mon Gate

The ruins of Tsuchido-mon Gate is at the southern side of the enclosure. It was the side gate for people who couldn’t use the front gate, Kabuki-mon.

The ruins of Tsuchido-mon Gate

The Main Hall for the lord was inside the enclosure where a Japanese garden and Suwa-Gokoku Shrine are now.

The Japanese garden in the Main Enclosure

Remaining items and Rebuilt ones

The remaining stone walls surrounding the Main Enclosure still look great today. Three turrets were originally on the stone walls, and only one of them, the Sumi-yagura or the Corner Turret was rebuilt.

The rebuilt Corner Turret on the remaining stone walls

You can see the combination of the Main Tower, the Kabuki-mon Gate, and the Sumi-yagura Turret with the water moat and bridge at the northern side of the enclosure. In my opinion, this is the best spot to take photos.

A view of the northern side of the Main Enclosure

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