タグ: earthen wall

111.Mukai-Haguroyama Castle Patr2

The ruins of Mukai-Haguroyama Castle have been developed as part of the expansive Hakuho-zan Park including three mountains. The ruins are on one of which, Iwasaki-yama Mountain, which is 50 hectares in size.

Features

Part of expansive Natural Park

Today, the ruins of Mukai-Haguroyama Castle have been developed as part of the Hakuho-zan Park. The park is an expansive natural park which is 112 hectares in size, including three mountains, Kannon-yama, Haguro-yama, and Iwasaki-yama. The castle ruins are on the Iwasaki-yama Mountain, which is 50 hectares in size. The ruins are also huge and mixed with the park’s other facilities like adventure playgrounds, promenades, and arbors.

The map around the Hakuho-zan Park

Therefore, it may be difficult for visitors to go around all of the ruins without proper instructions. It is recommended to visit the guidance facility called Mukai-Haguro Gallery in advance to get the information of the ruins. Please make sure that the facility is open only on weekends and holidays from mid-April to mid-December. In addition, please check if the ruins are open or not, for example, in cases of bears being found. Anyway, let me introduce the summary of the ruins.

The Mukai-Haguro Gallery

If you enter the park from the north beside the Mukai-Haguro Gallery, you can go on the paved forest road over Kannon-yama and Haguro-yama Mountains to the castle ruins on Iwasaki-yama Mountain in the back even by car. However, please be careful when passing each other because the road is very narrow.

The map around the castle

The forest roag though the park
The diorama of the castle ruins, exhibited by the Mukai-Haguro Gallery, the red line shows the forest road

Large Third Enclosure

If you manage to find the administration building of the park on the right, it is around the Third Enclosure of the castle. The enclosure is spacious which was said to be used as a riding ground for horses. Its thick earthen walls and deep dry moats are still there. There are also the Northern Enclosure and the ruins of Moriuji Ashina’s residence across the road.

Around the administration building
The Third Enclosure
The earthen walls of the Third Enclosure
The dry moats of the Third Enclosure

Next, you can go up the road and you will find Ochayaba (meaning the Tea House) Enclosure on the left, which is a viewing spot. It is said that Moriuji held tea ceremonies there.

The Tea House Enclosure
A view from the enclosure

Second Enclosure as Center of Castle

If you go further and turn right along the road, while seeing Benten Enclosure on the left, you will be between the Second Enclosure on the right and the Main Enclosure on the left. In fact, the road at the spot is the bottom of the former ditch dividing them.

Going on the forest road
The Benten Enclosure
The former ditch between the Main and Second Enclosures
The left ridge is the Main Enclosure and the right one is the Second Enclosure, according to the diorama

The Second Enclosure is on the top of a ridge which was thought to have been the center of the castle as it was larger and has a better view than the Main Enclosure. In addition, the Waterwell Enclosure is just below it. You can climb to the top and understand these points while seeing a great view of the Aizu Basin and Wakamatsu (the former Kurokawa) Castle

Climbing to the top of the Second Enclosure
The top of the Second Enclosure
A view from the enclosure
You can see Wakamatsu Castle in the view

If you climb down and walk around the enclosure, you will see the essence of the castle. It is mostly soil-made structures all around. For example, the enclosure is surrounded by earthen walls and dry moats which are partially supported by stone mounds. The entrance of the enclosure consists of alternating earthen walls which also use large stones. However, these stones mostly collapsed. The original path through the castle is also made looking like another dry moat.

The earthen walls and dry moats surrounding the Second Enclosure
The dry moats are partially supported by the stone mounds
The ruins of the entrance to the enclosure
There are some large stones lying around, which were probably used for the entrance
The ruins of the original path

To be continued in “Mukai-Haguroyama Castle Part3”
Back to “Mukai-Haguroyama Castle Part1”

96.Obi Castle Part2

A perfect harmony of artifacts and nature

Features

Main Gate, Face of Castle

Today, many tourists visit the Obi Castle ruins and the former castle town. Because of the nature of the Shirasu plateau, the enclosures of the castle were naturally made independently. Many of them were turned into a shrine, schools, playgrounds, and residential areas. The remaining enclosures, which were the main portion of the castle, are open to visitors.

The aerial photo around the castle

Tanoue Hachiman Shrine, the former Hachiman Shrine
A playground which was around the Middle Castle
Obi Second Primary School was the enclosures which were collectively called the Second Enclosure

Visitors usually first walk on the Main Route to the restored Main Gate on the original stone walls, which is a popular image for the ruins. In fact, the details of the original gate were unclear, but people restored it using a traditional method and Obi Cedar wooden materials. That’s why the gate matches the original items as if it is also original. The inside of the gate is a square defensible space surrounded by great stone walls, called Masugata, which builds up the gate’s character.

Going on the Main Route
The restored Main Gate
The Masugata system inside the Main Gate
The Masugata system of the Main Gate seen from the top of the earthen walls of the Third Enclosure

Third Enclosure, protected by Earthen walls and Dry moats

The Main Gate is the entrance of the very large third enclosure which is surrounded by earthen walls and dry moats except for the gate. If you enter the gate and go to the inside of the enclosure, you will see the 4m high earthen walls which are the older part of the castle. According to the signboard at the site, the walls were originally about 16m high, from the bottom of the dry moat in front of them.

Entering the Third Enclosure
The earthen walls of the Third Enclosure, seen from its inside
The dry moat of the Third Enclosure, seen from its outside (in front of the Main Gate)

Main Enclosure, surrounded by Stone walls

There are high and long mud walls on top of stone walls opposite the earthen walls, which surround the main enclosure. The enclosure also has long and wide stone steps and another Masugata system. Many tall Obi Cedar trees planted around make them look more majestic. Overall, you will understand that the castle was built by combining the older earthen walls and newer stone walls over time.

The stone walls surrounding the Main Enclosure
The stone steps to the Main Enclosure
The Obi Cedar trees around look majestic

The Main Enclosure includes the Obi Castle Historical Museum where you can learn the history of the castle, and Obi Primary School, which visitors can not enter. The Matsuo-no-maru Enclosure is next to and little above the Main Enclosure, which has a rebuilt traditional hall. The hall was not original for the castle, but was built using designs of other remaining halls including a traditional Japanese steam bath.

The Obi Castle Historical Museum (licensed by Kthrk25 via Wikimedia Commons)

Former Main Enclosure, with wonderful Obi Cedar trees

The former Main Enclosure is at the highest spot in the castle. You can walk up long stone steps and will see it is also surrounded by great stone walls and has another Masugata system. This enclosure had once been destroyed by the earthquakes in the early Edo Period, but the Obi Domain seem to have rebuilt this enclosure firmly. However, since then, the inside of it has been having no buildings as the Main Hall for the lord was moved from it to the new Main Enclosure.

Going to the former Main Enclousure
Entering the former Main Enclosure
The Masugata system of the former Main Enclosure

Instead, there are plenty of Obi Cedar trees growing on the ground with a moss-like carpet, which looks amazing! If they started to be planted when the enclosure was rebuilt, they may be nearly 350 year old.

The inside of the former Main Enclosure
The moss-like carpet
The Obi Cedar trees in the former Main Enclosure

The enclosure also has the restored back gate where you can go out from to visit other attractions of the castle.

The restored back gate
You can go out of the back gate to the Second Enclosure area

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

57.Sasayama Castle Part3

This castle was built practically.

Features

Looking up to Stone Walls from Third Enclosure

The flat square Third Enclosure is outside of the Inner Moat and inside of the Outer Moat. If you walk around it, you will see the great stone walls of the main portion. In particular, the stone wall base for the Main Tower looks so nice, which is about 18m high, built using natural and rough processed stones, instructed by Ano-shu Group, a special stone guild at that time.

The map around the castle

The Third Enclosure
The high stone walls of the main portion seen from the Third Enclosure
The outside view of the stone wall base for the Main Tower

Two individual Umadashi systems

You can also visit the two other entrance ruins of the Eastern and Southern Gates through the enclosure. It is unfortunate that both ruins have lost their Masugata systems, however, their Umadashi systems are still intact. The system for the Eastern Gate remains as a square park, over the narrow straight path among the Inner Moat. It is surrounded by stone walls and another moat in the front and the sides, so you can easily imagine how the system worked in the past.

Going the eastern Umadashi system
The system became the Eastern Umadashi Park
The outside view of the Umadashi system

The other one for the Southern Gate also has a square space and is surrounded by earthen walls, not by stone walls. This is actually the only remaining example of the Umadashi system build only using earthen walls.

The ruins of the Southern Gate
Going to the southern Umadashi system through a narrow path
The inside of the Umadashi system
The earthen walls of the Umadashi system form the square space

If you have time, I recommend walking along the street of Okachimachi warriors’ residences with several remaining their houses which are open to the public, in the west of the castle ruins.

“The Anma Clan’s samurai residence historical museum” is one of the open warriors’ houses

My Impression

I think Sasayama Castle was quite practical for its purpose of construction. That’s why its Main Tower was actually not built. This castle was not so large as other major castles like Osaka, Nagoya and Himeji Castles, but was designed to be able to protect itself by few defenders. My first impression for the castle was that it could be a supply base. I imagine Sasayama Castle could have worked flexibly either when the Tokugawa Shogunate side would be offense or defense.

I think this Third Enclosure was able to accommodate some amount of soldiers and supplies

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car, it is about 10 minutes from Tannan-Sasayamaguchi IC on the Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway. There are several parking lots in and around the castle ruins.
By public transportation, you can take the Sinki Green bus bound for Sasayama-eigyosho from JR Sasayamaguchi Station and get off at the Nikaimachi bus stop. It takes about 5 minutes on foot to get there.
From Tokyo to Sasayamaguchi Station: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express, transfer to the Kyoto Line at Shin-Osaka Station and transfer to the Takarazuka Line at Osaka Station.

The parking lot in the Third Enclosure
The parking lot in front of the Main Gate Ruins

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Sasayama Castle Part1”
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