dry moat – ページ 8 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

32.Kasugayama Castle Part2

The castle ruins are worth to walk around.

Features

Now, you can visit the ruins of Kasugayama Castle easily by car. You can also park at the Kasugayama Shrine located on the mid slope of the mountain and go to the top. However, if you have time, how about walking on the original routes from the foot of the mountain?

The whole view of the ruins of Kasugayama Castle

Around Main Route

For example, you can park at the starting point of the Main Route on the way to the shrine. The route was recently developed for visitors, and is about 3.5km to the top, but gently sloped with a laid-back atmosphere. After a while, you will pass beside the ruins of the guard house on a mound. The route gets a little steep and rough and goes through woods and valleys. You will eventually reach a large enclosure called Kakizaki’s Hall. You are near the main portion, so you will arrive at the top after passing Kagekatsu’s Hall and the Well Enclosure.

Around the Main Route

The Main Route with a laid-back atmosphere

Around Back Route

The alternative is to walk on the Back Route which starts from the Lotus Pond in the Atagoyama Park at the northeast foot of the mountain. You will first enter the ruins of the Kurogane-mon Gate and the Hall for the Lord, which are now surrounded by woods. The route becomes winding and steep before reaching the ruins of the Sengan-mon Gate. The gate was very large and defensive with a deep dry moat inside. You will approach the main portion by climbing the zigzagged route on the Belt Enclosure and the Koguchi Entrance. The entrance is said to once be the front of the castle when it was smaller. The inside of the entrance is Naoe’s Hall on the ridge which is the opposite of Kagekatsu’s Hall in the main portion. This route looks like a mountain castle more than the Main Route.

Around the Back Route

The deep dry moat inside *the Sengan-mon Gate*

Around Main Enclosure

The Main Enclosure is on the top of the mountain where you can see a good view of the Kubiki Plain and the Japan Sea. The ruins of the Main Tower is next to the Main Enclosure, where it is said a kind of turret actually stood. Some religious facilities also stood around, and only the Bisyamon-do Hall was restored in recent times. Under the Main Enclosure, a lot of enclosures are on the eastern slope of the mountain, such as the Second Enclosure and Kagetora’s Hall. If you look up the top of the mountain from the mid slope, you can see these enclosures still covering the mountain. The Kasugayama Shrine is nearby, and you will see the statue of Kenshin Uesugi.

Around the Main Enclosure

Other Attractions

You can also visit the Kasugayama Castle Historic Site Square where part of the So-gamae outer earthen walls was restored, Joetsu City Buried Cultural Property Center where you can learn more about the castle and Kenshin, and the Rinsen-ji Temple where Kenshin studied in his childhood near the ruins.

Joetsu City Buried Cultural Property Center

*The Somon Gate of the Rinsen-ji Temple (licensed by ELK via Wikimedia Commons)*

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

22.Hachioji Castle Part2

It may take a whole day to see.

Features

Now, part of Hachioji Castle ruins is designated as a National Historic Site. That part of the ruins is 1.54 million square meters big! It may take a whole day to see enough of the ruins. The entrance of the ruins is the Nekoya Area which has become a modern residential district. You can walk on the road along the Shiroyama River. Then, you will reach the guidance facility which is the starting point for the two other parts.

The map around the castle

The Residence on the Foot Area

The Residence on the Foot Area was recently investigated and developed as a historical park. You can walk on the restored Main Route, and it is easy to access the ruins of the Main Hall. The original route was guarded by several gates such as the Main Gate in the past. You will eventually reach the restored Movable Bridge. This bridge is used by tourists. It looks very nice and is permanent. The original one seemed simpler and movable. The stone walls around the Main Hall were also restored and look great. In fact, part of them is still original.

The original part out of the stone walls above (from the signboard at the site)

The inside of the hall ruins looks spacious and empty, but a lot of achievement from the excavation is shown. For example, the stone foundation of the Palace remains on the ground. Some of the stones for the garden were reproduced, and the floor part of the Club was rebuilt. The signboards also say what kinds of items, about 70,000, were found during the excavation.

The signboard which shows the excavated items

The Fortress on the Mountain Area

If you have time, you should visit the Fortress on the Mountain Area which was really a mountain castle. The front trail to the top of the mountain was also developed, but your visit will involve hiking or climbing, so make sure that you wear athletic shoes and watch your steps. The trail is along the ridge of the mountain passing several enclosures such as the Kaneko Enclosure, which were the need for defense. You can see part of the remaining stone walls at many places.

The remaining stone walls beside the trail

After climbing a steep slope, you will reach a high point called the Takamaru Enclosure near the top. On the way to the top from there, you will see a very nice view of the sides of the mountain. Soon, you will reach the top area, which include the Hachioji Shrine, the Main Enclosure, the Komiya Enclosure, and the Matsuki Enclosure. I recommend enjoying a view of Tokyo city from the Matsuki Enclosure. You can even see the skyscrapers of Shinjuku.

The city view with the sides of the mountain

Outer Citadel

If you have more time, how about visiting the back area of the top where the ruins of the small forts remain? You can visit there by going through the trail on the ridge of the back. Please take care, as the trail gets rough. You will first see the large deep dry moat between the top and the back areas, which was also for defense. After that, you can go further on the trail where you will see many scattered stones. That is a curious sight because of these covered the ridge in the past. You will eventually reach the main fort called Daitenshu where uncountable stones are also scattered. This was the pivot of the defense for the back of the castle.

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

121.Motosakura Castle Part2

The castle ruins that look like a hill

Features

Now, the ruins of Motosakura Castle look like just a hilly area, but certainly exist with earthen foundation. For instance, if you go to Narita Airport on the Keisei line, you will see the castle ruins on the right about 10km short of the airport. If you visit the ruins by train, you have to get off the train at Osakura Station.

The aerial photo around the castle

Entering Main Enclosure through Higashi-yama

The castle ruins have some tiers. The front low tier is the Tokoji-byo Enclosure which faced the lakeside. That means the spacious rice field in front of it was a lake or waterlogged area in the past. Going to the east, you can enter the Inner Compounds of the castle through the Higashi-yama Entrance. The entrance is narrowly sandwiched by the Higashi-yama Enclosure and another one. The Higashi-yama Enclosure still stands like a wall, and you can walk up to the top easily and see a good view of a rice field on the north. The behind of the enclosure is a flat area which was used as a riding ground and is now used as a parking lot.

The entrance sandwiched by the Higashi-yama Enclosure

The parking lot behind the Higashi-yama Enclosure

Main Enclosure with Best Location

You can also walk up on the trail from there to the Main Enclosure, seeing the many imitation shields. The trail goes between the Main Enclosure and the Okuno-yama Enclosure, where a bridge was built above. Then the trail is divided into two branches for both enclosures. The branch to the Main Enclosure is windy and steep, which was for defense. The inside of the enclosure is empty, but it was found by the excavation that many buildings including the Main Hall and a turret were built in the past. You can overlook the plain area below and the Higashi-yama Enclosure on the opposite side from the enclosure. This means the lord of the castle could see visitors or enemies coming to the castle easily.

The point where the wooden bridge was built above

The two branches (to the Main Enclosure on the left, to the Okuno-yama Enclosure on the right)

*The Main Enclosure* (the point where the Shuden building was built)

Going to Dry Moat of Settei-yama Enclosure

You can also look around the Okuno-yama and Kura-ato Enclosures. After that, I recommend seeing the dry moat around the Settei-yama Enclosure. If you go out to the south of the Inner Compounds, go to the west for a while, you will find the edge of the dry moat. The moat is at maximum 16m deep, now covered with a bamboo forest. You will finally go back to the first position at the northern part of the castle, so the mort may have been used as a road. You can also enter the Settai-yama Enclosure and see the other dry moat of the opposite side from there.

The southern side of the Inner Compounds

The dry moat around the Settei-yama Enclosure

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