タグ: Edo period

122.Otaki Castle Part1

The unclear castle Tadakatsu Honda developed

Location and History

Castle in Kazusa Province, Debatable ground

In the past, Chiba Prefecture was divided into three provinces, the Awa (the southern region), the Kazusa (the mid region) and the Shimosa (the northern region) from the south to the north on Boso Peninsula. In the 15th Century during the Sengoku Period, the Satomi Clan and the Hojo Clan battled each other many times to rule over the peninsula. The Satomi Clan was based in the Awa Province in the south, while the Hojo Clan first invaded Shimosa Province in the north. The central Kazusa Province naturally became the battlefield by both clans. There were many local lords such as the Takeda Clan and the Masaki Clan in the province. They were either independent, or supported the Hojo Clan, and or the Satomi Clan, depending on the situation.

The range of kazusa Province and the location of the castle

The former Otaki Castle, called Odaki Castle, was said to have been built by the Takeda Clan in the first 15th Century followed by the Masaki Clan in the middle of the 15th Century. The castle was built on a hill facing Isumi-gawa River in the south and deep valleys in the west. Therefore, the clans built several enclosures with dry moats in the east and branch forts in the north to protect the castle. The castle was made of soil using natural terrain, a typical method for building castles at that time.

The relief map around the castle

Tadakatsu Honda renovates Castle

The Satomi Clan finally managed to capture Kazusa Province including Odaki castle before the unification of Japan by Hideyoshi Toyotomi in 1590. However, Hedeyoshi took the province away the Satomi Clan and gave it to Ieyasu Tokugawa, the new owner of the Kanto Region following the Hojo Clan. One of the Four Generals Serving Ieyasu at that time, was Tadakatsu Honda who was assigned as the lord of Otaki Castle, which was later renamed from Odaki Castle, in 1591. Tadakatsu renovated the castle and developed the castle town in order to protect it against the Satomi Clan which was still located in the Awa Province. However, it is unclear how Tadakatsu renovated. Some historians speculate that the three-level Main Tower was built in the Main Enclosure on the top.

The portrait of Tadakatsu Honda, owned by Ryogenji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The miniature model of Otaki Castle, exhibited by Otaki Castle Museum

The only evidence of the early stage of Otaki Castle was a record written by Rodrigo de Vivero, a Spanish politician who accidentally visited the castle when he drifted to Japan on his way to Mexico in 1609. He wrote that the first gate made of iron was on a 15-meter high wall, which was most likely the Main Gate, which also had a draw bridge that had a moat.

The Main Gate part of the miniature model

Furthermore, he wrote that the second gate was surrounded by stone walls or stone mounds and there was a deluxe Main Hall made for the lord of the castle, which was decorated with gold and silver inside (probably in the Second Enclosure). However, he didn’t mention the Main Enclosure and whether or not it included the Main Tower.

The Second Enclosure part of the miniature model

Tadakatsu had been transferred to Kuwana Castle in 1601, so his son, Tadatomo Honda met with Rodrigo de Vivero instead at the hall. Eventually, the Honda Clan was transferred from Otaki Castle in 1617.

Tadatomo Honda, drawn in the Battle of Sekigahara folding screen (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Lords of Castle changes many times

After the lords of the castle left, the ruler of the castle constantly changed between the Aoyama and the Abe Clans in short successions. In the case, the Inagaki Clan in 1702 only managed to rule the castle in as little as 21 days. As a result, the castle was neglected and nobody was there to take care or maintain it. Only when the Matsudaira Clan took over the castle in 1703 did the castle become more stable. According to the Matsudaira Clan’s records, the Main Hall existed only in the Second Enclosure. The Matsudaira Clan’s reign continued until the end of the Edo Period. It was said that the Main Tower was burned down in 1844, however, this information is debatable considering more information has recently come out managing this situation. It’s more plausible to assume, that the Matsudaira Clan continued to maintain and govern the castle until its ultimate demise at the end of the Edo Period. On the other hand, it’s also possible to assume that the town around the castle prospered which is where it is today, in the Boso Peninsula.

Did the castle have a Main Tower or not ?

To be continued in “Otaki Castle Part2”

83.Uwajima Castle Part1

Takatora Todo built and the Date Clan maintained the castle.

Location and History

Takatora Todo builds Castle

Uwajima Castle is located in Uwajima City in the southern part of Ehime Prefecture which was called Iyo Province in the past. The province was divided by many warlords during the Sengoku Period between the late 15th and 16th Century. The Saionji Clan lived in Itajima-Marugushi Castle on the mountain where Uwajima Castle would be built later. When Hideyoshi Toyotomi was processing his unification of Japan, Takatora Todo who served under Hideyoshi, became the lord of the southern Iyo in 1595. For Takatora, who would be known for a master of castle construction, that was the first time to be an independent lord. He chose the mountain, the former Itajima-Marugushi Castle as his home base, and started to build Uwajima Castle on it in 1596.

The range of Iyo Province and the location of Uwajima Castle

The portrait of Takatora Todo, private owned (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Itajima-Maruguchi Castle had been a simple mountain castle. Takatora changed it to a modernized castle using advanced technology and his ideas. The mountain faced Uwajima Bay in the north and west, then he built moats filled with sea water also in the south and east. The line of the seaside and moats were shaped like a pentagon, which might have made enemies upset when they would attack the castle. He also built stone walls like covering the mountain, and some castle entrances using Masugata style which had a square space to prevent enemies’ attack. Moreover, the three-leveled Main Tower was built on natural rocks at the top. The castle construction was completed in 1601.

The illustration of Uwajima Castle and Town in 1703, owned by Uwajima Date Bunka Hozonkai, from the signboard

On the other hand, the castle had many small enclosures on the mountain, such as Main, Second, Third, and Nagato-maru. This is one of the features old mountain castles including Itajima-Marugushi Castle had, which Uwashima Castle had to follow. The Main Tower, which was built using waste materials, became too old about 60 years after completion. According to Takatora’s biography, the Main Tower of Kagomori Castle, a branch castle of Takatora’s territory, was moved to Uwajima Castle in 1604 and used as a turret. Considering these situations, Takatora might not have had enough resources to complete his ideal castle. He eventually moved to Imabari Castle in his new territory in 1600.

The location map of the gathered enclosures around the mountain, from the signboard adding comments by myself
The ruins of Kagomori Castle

Main Tower is replaced

In 1614, the Date Clan became the lord of Uwajima Castle and the Uwajima Domain until the end of the Edo Period. The second lord, Munetoshi Date renovated the castle in the 1660s because of aging and the damage from an earthquake. In particular, the Main Tower was replaced completely with a new one. The new Main Tower had three levels same as the old one, but its appearance was very different. The old one was the lookout-tower type, while the new one was the multi-storied type. However, the most important point of the new one is that it was built in the peace time. It was built on the stone wall base at the center of the Main Enclosure independently, not connected to other buildings. It had many decorations just for appearance, and had few equipment for battles. Overall, it has often been called “Main Tower for the symbol of peace time”, which we can now see.

The old tower on the right and the new tower on the left, from the signboard
The remaining Main Tower of Uwajima Castle

Many talented people together in Uwajima

The eighth lord, Munenari Date was very active in Japanese politics at the end of the Edo Period. With the arrivals of strong Western steam warships to Japan, which was a treat to the country, Munenari tried to build his domain’s own steamship. He invited people with unusual power to achieve this, such as Zoroku Murata, a doctor who would be the leader of the first Japanese Army, Choei Takano, another doctor, who were running away from the Tokugawa Shogunate, and low-class craftsmen. He finally succeeded. He might have thought Uwajima Castle was not suitable in that situation and create the steamship like a moving castle to deal with the new situation.

The photo of Munenari Date, from a Japanese book “徳川慶喜公伝” (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The portrait of Zoroku Murata from a Japanese book called Kinsei Meishi Shashin vol.2 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The portrait of Choei Takano, owned by Choei Takano Memorial Hall (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Uwajima Castle Part2”

183.Kurume Castle Part1

An important castle in the Chikugo Province

Location and History

Debatable ground among Great Warlords

Kurume Castle was located in the Chikugo Province which is now the southern part of Fukuoka Prefecture, in the Kyushu Region. In the late 16th Century, during the Sengoku Period, two great warlords got the power in the northern Kyushu Region. One of them was the Otomo Clan in the Bungo Province, in the east of Chikugo Province. The other was the Ryuzoji Clan in the Hizen Provence, in the west of Chikugo Province. As a result, Chikugo Province was scrambled by the two warlords. During that period, a fortress, called Sasahara Castle, was built in the same place as the later Kurume Castle. The lords of the castle changed quite often because of the context.

The range of Chikugo Province and the location of the castle

Hidekane Mori and Arima Clan complete Castle

During the unification of Japan by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Hidekane Mori was promoted as the lord of the castle in 1587. He renovated the castle, which was renamed Kurume Castle. However, he was fired after losing the battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Instead, the Tanaka Clan was transferred from Okazaki Castle to Yanagawa Castle in the Chikugo Province. Kurume Castle became a branch of Yanagawa Castle and was eventually abandoned in 1615 due to the Law of One Castle per Province by the Tokugawa Shogunate. The castle was revived in 1621 by the Arima Clan, the lord of the Kurume Domain, after the Tanaka Clan was also fired because they had no successors. The Arima Clan completed Kurume Castle and governed the domain until the end of the Edo Period.

The portrait of Hidekane Mori, owned by Gensaiji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Kurume Castle was located beside the Chikugo River flowing from the north to the west of the castle. The eastern side of the castle was surrounded by tripled water moats tripled such as the Chikuzen-bori Moat. The castle town was built in the south of the castle. Four enclosures divided by water moats; the Outer, Third, Second, Main Enclosures were built in a line next to the castle town towards the north. If enemies wanted to capture the castle, they had to first attack the castle town one enclosure at a time. Only the Main Enclosure was made with high stone walls while the others were made with soil. The Main Enclosure was on a hill at in the northernmost part of the castle and had the Main Hall and seven turrets to protect it. These turrets all had three stories and were connected by two-story row-style turrets, called Tamon-Yagura, which looked very spectacular.

The illustration of Kurume Castle, exhibited by the National Diet Library of Japan, adding my own comments

Shinto affects Domain and Castle

The governance of the Kurume Domain was generally stable in the peaceful time of the Edo Period. Shinto, one of the major religions in Japan, spread during this period. One of its main doctrines was to respect the Emperor, which led to the movement for imperialism and exclusionism. The movement eventually resulted in the one against the Tokugawa Shogunate at the end of the period. Many Shinto believers lived in Kurume, and communicated with others in other areas. For example, Hikokuro Takayama, who was a famous loyal supporter of the Emperor, visited Kurume three times and died there in 1793. Maki Izumi, who was the priest of the Kurume Suitengu Shrine, joined the Kinmon Incident in Kyoto in 1864.

The statue of Hikokuro Takayama in Kyoto (taken by あじのすけ from photoAC)

However, the Kurume Domain didn’t play a major role in the Meiji Restoration during which the New Government defeated the shogunate. This is because the domain had an internal conflict between its supporters. The domain even had complains about the New Government changing its policy to open the country. The government punished the lord of the domain and occupied Kurume Castle in 1871, which was the last time the castle was occupied.

The old photo of Kurume Castle (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Kurume Castle Part2”