Fukui earthquake – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Maruoka Castle was abandoned. All the buildings of the castle including the Main Tower were sold. However, the tower was priced very low because it couldn’t be used for general offices or residences. It was impossible to scrap or move the tower for a low price. The buyer was not able to do anything to the tower, while the other buildings were moved or demolished. All of the water moats were also filled to create more land space in the city. The owners of the tower finally donated it to the officials in 1901. That’s why only the Main Tower remains now.

The miniature model of Maruoka Castle, all the buildings of the castle except for the Main Tower were sold and demolished.

In 1948, The Main Tower and its stone wall base collapsed due to the Fukui Earthquake. However, people in this area restored the tower in 1955 to almost the same condition as the original one. This was because they researched the details of the tower when it was repaired 8 years before the earthquake. They used about 70% of the original main materials to restore it. Such a method is usually used to repair other remaining castle buildings in Japan. That means the Main Tower of Maruoka Castle is valuable like it had been before the earthquake.

The stone grampuses which fell from the roof when the earthquake happened

My Impression

If you have time after visiting the inside of the Main Tower of Maruoka Castle, how about walking around the castle along the trace of the Inner Moat? The moat was turned into city area, but the outer edge of the moat remains as a road. If you walk along the road, you can look up a beautiful view of the Main Tower on the hill. I was honestly envious of the people who can see the view every day when I walked. In fact, Sakai City is considering restoring part of the Inner Moat and make a park inside it over the next 50 years to make the castle more attractive.

The Main Tower of Maruoka Castle seen from the road, former Inner Moat

Another photo from a different point on the road

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 10 minutes away from Maruoka IC on Hokuriku Expressway.
The castle park offers a parking lot.
By public transportation, take the bus bound for Eiheiji-eki-mae from JR Maruoka Station and get off at the Maruoka Bus Terminal bus stop. It takes about 5 minutes to get there on foot.
To get to Maruoka Station from Tokyo: Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen super express, transfer to the Hokuriku Line at Kanazawa Station.
From Osaka: Take the Thunderbird limited express and transfer to a local train on the Hokuriku Line at Fukui Station.

Features

Still active Main Enclosure front gate

Now, the ruins of Fukui Castle have been used as a park and the ground for official buildings including the prefectural office. The area of the ruins is inside the Inner Moat including the Main Enclosure.

The aerial photo around the castle

The public workers commute by entering the front gate of the enclosure in the south, after crossing the Gohonjo Bridge over the Inner Moat, like the warriors of the Fukui Domain used to do. In the past, the front gate consisted of a defensive square space surrounded by two gate buildings and the stone walls, called Masugata. You can climb up to part of the remaining stone walls to look around the gate.

Going to the front gate of the enclosure by crossing the Gohonjo Bridge

The old photo of the front gate, from the signboard at the site

Climbing up to the top of the stone walls

The front gate seen from the top of the stone walls

Must-see Main Tower Base

You can walk around the inside of the Main Enclosure, but only outside the office buildings where the Main Hall was.

The ruins of the Main Enclosure are close to the office buildings

You should check out the remaining stone wall base for the Main Tower at the northwest corner of the enclosure. The base has two tiers, and the upper tier is for the large Main Tower and the small Main Tower. The stone walls look great but appear to have partially collapsed or are misaligned. This is due to the Fukui Earthquake in 1948.

The upper tier on which the large Main Tower was

The restored well, called Fuku-no-i or the Fortune Well, is still on the lower tier. In fact, some people say the name of the well may be the origin of the castle’s later name, Fukui.

Restored Gate and Bridge

At the western entrance of the Main Enclosure near the base for the Main Tower, the gate building called Yamazatoguchi-gomon and the roofed Passage Bridge called Oroka-bashi over the Inner Moat were restored recently in the original method.

The restored Yamazatoguchi-gomon Gate and Oroka-bashi Bridge

The lord of the castle passed the original bridge and gate from his residence called Gozasho outside the enclosure to the Main Hall in the enclosure to govern the domain.

The old photo of the gate and roofed Passage Bridge, from the signboard at the site

You can try walking on the restored bridge and gate as well as entering the second floor of the gate to see its interior and an exhibition for the castle.

The interior of the second floor of the Yamazatoguchi-gomon Gate

Remaining Inner Moat and Main Enclosure stone walls

How about walking around the outside of the Inner Moat as well?

The Main Enclosure seen from the outside of the Inner Moat

For example, you can see the great stone walls for the Tatsumi-Yagura Turret at the southeast corner of the Main Enclosure. It was a three-story turret which was considered the substitute for the Main Tower after the tower was burned. The Main Enclosure originally had the Main Tower or turrets for its four corners.

The stone walls of the Tatsumi-Yagura Turret

The old photo of the Tatsumi-Yagura Turret, from the signboard at the site

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

タグ: Fukui earthquake

36.Maruoka Castle Part3