earthen wall – ページ 11 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

132.Takada Castle Part2

The good contrast of the remaining moats and earthen walls, and the rebuilt turret

Features

Wide and Long Water Moats remain

Now, the ruins of Takada Castle have been developed as the Takada Castle Site Park. The park is also very famous for the illuminated cherry blossoms and the lotus in the Outer Moat credited as “the largest in the East”. As for the castle ruins, the earthen walls of the Main Enclosure, the Inner Moat, and the western part of the Outer Moat mostly remained intact. If you visit the ruins from the west such as Takada Station, you will first see the remaining Outer Moat with a huge amount of lotus plants.

The aerial photo around the castle

Center of Park – Third and Second Enclosures

The Outer Moat is still very large, which was at maximum 130m wide in the past. Even now it remains at about 100m wide. You can now go across the moat on the road to the Third Enclosure and the Second Enclosure inside. The Third Enclosure is used for the modern facilities such as a baseball stadium and an athletic field.

The Second Enclosure is the center of the park with a lot of cherry trees. You can walk along the promenade beside the Outer Moat. In fact, the high earthen walls were built along the moat, but they were removed when a Japanese Army started to use the castle ruins.

There is also the Joetsu City History Museum in the enclosure where you can learn more about the castle and the area around.

Main Enclosure and Rebuilt Three-Story Turret

The Main Enclosure surrounded by the Inner Moat and the earthen walls have three entrances for visitors. The first one is the former front gate from the restored wooden bridge called Gokuraku-bashi outside on the south.

The second one is the ruins of the Higashi-akazu-mon Gate on the east.

The last one is on the west and was built by the Japanese Army in the modern times.

The entrance of the Main Enclosure in the west

The Three-story Turret was also rebuilt in 1993 on the earthen walls at the southwest corner of the Main Enclosure, based on the successful excavations and studies. The turret is in fact a steel building, but it looks traditional because of the many wooden materials used.

The rebuilt Three-Story Turret on the earthen walls

Its interior is used as a museum and as a sightseeing tower. You can also see a good contrast of the Inner Moat, the earthen walls and the turret from the outside.

The inside of the enclosure was used as the Main Hall for the lord of the castle, and is now used as a school.

The miniature model of the Main Enclosure of Takada Castle (*the Joetsu City History Museum*)

The inside of the Main Enclosure in the present

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

132.Takada Castle Part1

A castle protected by earthen walls and water moats

Location and History

Tadateru Matsudaira built it shortly

Takada Castle was located in Echigo Province (what is now Nigata Province). The Uesgi Clan at Ksugayama Castle owned the province in the late 16th Century during the Sengoku Period. After the clan was transferred to another province, the province was divided by several lords at the beginning of the 17th Century. One of them was the Hori Clan which owned the western part of the province and lived in Fukushima Cstle. However, Hori Clan was fired by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1610. Instead, Tadateru Matsudaira, a son of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder of the Shogunate was sent to the castle. He and the Shogunate felt they required a stronger castle, because the tension between the Shogunate and the Toyoyomi Clan got higher. They needed to monitor non-hereditary feudal lords who possibly supported the Toyotomi Clan. The new castle would be called Takada Castle.

The location of the castle

The portrait of Tadateru Matsudaira, owned by the Joetsu City History Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The construction for the castle began in March 1614, and was almost completed in just four months, before the battle between the Shogunate and the Toyotomi Clan happened in October. The Shogunate mobilized thirteen lords including Tadateru’s father-in-law, Masamune Date for the construction. Maybe for the short construction period, Takada Castle had several features. The foundation of the castle was completely made of soil, not using stone walls which were common for building castles at that time. A Main Tower, which was also popular for castles, was not built, the Three-story Turret was built instead.

The remaining earthen walls at the Main Enclosure

Protected by Wide Water Moats and High Earthen Walls

However, there was no shortcuts in the construction. The wide and long water moats were built using the flow of several rivers. As a result, the castle was surrounded by the Inner Moat, the Outer Moat, and the opposite flowing rivers. The Third Enclosure was in the Outer Moat, the Second Enclosure was inside the Outer Moat, and The Main Enclosure was inside the Inner Moat. Visitors from the Main Gate outside the Third Enclosure had to go across three bridges to reach the Main Enclosure. Even the clay walls were as high as10m, so the castle had sufficient defense.

The miniature model of Takada Castle (*the Joetsu City History Museum*)

The earthen walls are still surrounding the Main Enclosure

Lords of Castle were changed several times

Tadateru was one of the 10 lords who had the largest territories in Japan at that
time, however, he was fired by the Shogunate in 1616 for unknown reasons, after the Shogunate eliminated the Toyotomi Clan in 1615. Though it is said that he was rude to his father, it may be due to an internal trouble in the Shogunate. He was exiled at Takashima Castle until he died at the age of 92 in 1683.

After some years, Mitsunaga Matsudaira governed the castle for 57 years. He improved farming and business while developing the castle town and transportation. The castle town had become the city area of Joetsu City. However, he was fired by the Shogunate as well in 1681 due to the internal trouble for his successor.

The draft map of Takada Castle, drawn in 1737 (*Joetsu City Buried Cultural Property Center*)

The aerial photo around the castle and the city area

After that, several clans governed the castle and the area around the Takada Domain. This area has been known for a city having heavy snow, so some people from other areas seemed to have trouble living and communicating. The last lord of the castle was the Sakakibara Clan which owned it from the mid 18th Century to the Meiji Restoration in the late 19th Century.

The present city area covered with snow *(taken by v-pro from photoAC)*

The Sakaki Shrine which worships Yasumasa Sakakibara, the founder of the Sakakibara Clan

To be continued in “Takada Castle Part2”

159.Akutagawa-san Castle Part2

You can enjoy both of the ruins and a great view.

Features

Walking from Bus Stop

Now the ruins of Akutagawa-san Castle are private owned and not developed as a public park. Visitors usually have to walk from the nearest bus stop. You may be unsure which mountain you should climb and how you go to the ruins. It is a good idea to bring the route map called “Access to the Summit of Mt. Miyoshi” which you can download from the website of Takatsuki City. After about a 15-minute walk from the bus stop, the route is divided in to two branches. You can choose either of the two routes.

The map around the castle

Access to the Summit of Mt. Miyoshi (exhibited by Takatsuki City Website)

Tsukawaki Route

One of them is called Tsukawaki Route which goes around on the eastern side of the mountain and has a gentle slope. You can see a lot of the ruins of enclosures, but cannot enter them, because the route is surrounded by fences, so accessible areas are limited. You can also see the earthen walls crossing the route at a 90-degree angle. They are called Tate-Dorui or the Vertical Earthen Walls which prevented enemies from attacking the castle from other positions. You will also see the narrow earthen bridge with both sides having dry moats. The purpose of the system is the same as the Vertical Earthen Walls. You can even see something like the ruins of the alternate entrance.

The Vertical Earthen Walls *(licensed by ブレイズマン via via Wikimedia Commons)*

The ruins which might have been the alternate entrance

Main Route

The other branch route is called Otesuji Route or the Main Route which goes straight up to the mountain. It is steep and rocky. You can see some old stone walls around the entrance of the mountain, but they seem to be not original for the castle. The route is also surrounded by fences and you even have to pass through a door for preventing wild boars from entering the area. Take care to close it after entering or leaving. After about a 15-minute climb, you will see the stone walls of the Main Gate. The center part of them collapsed, however they are original to the castle.

The stone walls around the entrance of the route

The remaining stone walls of the Main Gate

Great view from Main Enclosure

The two branch routes meet above the stone walls, as you approach the Main Enclosure on the top. The outside field will suddenly become visible; it provides a great view of the Osaka Plain. You will finally reach the Main Enclosure after another few minutes of climbing. The enclosure has been cleared to create an open space. The excavations found that the traces of the buildings which might have been used as turrets at the front, and the stone foundations of the building which could have been used as Nagayoshi Miyoshi’s Main Hall. You can enjoy the whole view of the plain including the tall buildings in Osaka City and the Ikoma Mountains where Imori Castle became Nagayoshi’s new home base after Akutagawa-san Castle.

The tall buildings in Osaka City can be seen

To be continued in “Akkutagawa-san Castle Part3”
Back to “Akutagawa-san Castle Part1”