great view – ページ 13 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

156.Kamaha Castle Part2

Ruins in the animal kingdom now

Features

Several Routes to Castle Ruins

Today, visiting the ruins of Kamaha Castle needs climbing up the mountain. There are several routes for visiting them. Probably the popular ones are from the old Banba Station on the old Nakasendo Road, because they reach the front side of the castle. You have to walk on the routes for about 1 hour, but many signs will lead you along the way. From the station, you will first go through the underpasses of Hikone44 or 43 of the Meshin Expressway. You have to open and close the front wire netting gate in order to shut animals outside it when you pass. The inside of the gate is basically the animal kingdom now. the route from Hikone44 is relatively smooth but longer, and the one from Hikone43 is shorter but comparatively steeper. The route from Hikone43 seemed to be the original Main Route.

The map around the castle

The old Banba Station on the old Nakasendo Road

A distant view of the mountain where the castle was built

The underpass of Hikone44 of the Meshin Expressway

The underpass of Hikone43 of the Meshin Expressway

If you choose the route from Hikone44, the first part of your visit is completely a trek. You will go on the trail along natural valleys and ridges for over 30 minutes. The signs will show you when you are close to the castle ruins. You will also find a bear-avoiding bell that you can ring. You may not visualize there was an advanced castle where many people usually used it over such a place.

Going on the trail from the underpass of Hikone44

Large Ditch and Stone Walls

You will first reach the Large Ditch in the northern edge of the castle. It may look like a natural valley, but, in fact, it is artificial. The enclosure behind the ditch is called the North VI.

The map around the castle

Looking up the North VI Enclosure from the Large Ditch

You can see the Large Stone Walls in the western side of the enclosure. These stone walls were made in a unique method which uses clay to fill in the gaps.

The cray between the stones can’t be seen just looking at them

Ruins of Large Turret and Entrance

Large scale earthen walls also remain on the enclosure, which supported the Large Turret in the past. A simple wooden observation platform stands there now.

The remaining earthen walls of the enclosure

Looking down the Large Ditch from the observation platform

The next part is the North V Enclosure which has the other entrance ruins with stone steps and stone mound than those in the Main Enclosure.

The entrance ruins of the North V Enclosure

Water is supplied in the enclosure from its source somewhere

After that is the North IV Enclosure has another wooden observation platform for visitors probably because it is a good viewing spot. You can enjoy a good view of the Omi Plain beside Biwa Lake.

The observation platform in the North IV Enclosure

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

143.Mino-Kaneyama Castle Part3

The ruins were preserved as a public forest.

Features

Arriving at Main Enclosure

You will finally reach the Main Enclosure on the top. The enclosure is also partly surrounded by stone walls. The southwestern corner stone walls are said to be part of the base for the Main Tower. However, it is still uncertain if the castle had the tower.

The map around the castle

The imaginary drawing of the Southwestern corner Turret (or Main Tower?) in the past, from the signboard at the site

The present stone walls at the southwestern corner

The remaining stone walls around the Main Enclosure

The inside of the enclosure is a square now, but stone foundations and roof tiles for some buildings were discovered by researchers.

The imaginary drawing of the Main Enclosure in the past, from the signboard at the site

You can see some remaining stone foundations

The ruins of the original Main Enclosure entrance

From there, you can see great views of the Kiso-gawa River in the north and the Nobi Plain in the west, like the lord of the castle did in the past. You will also realize the castle had a good location.

A view of the Kiso-gawa River from the Main Enclosure in the north

A view of the Nobi Plain River from the Main Enclosure in the west

Later History

After Mino-Kaneyama Castle was abandoned, many of its stone walls were destroyed and its buildings were demolished as waste materials. In the Edo Period, the Owari Domain which owned the mountain including the ruins banned people from entering it. After the Meiji Restoration, the mountain was preserved as an Imperial Forest or a government-owned forest. Even after the castle was abandoned, it was still difficult for people to enter it many years later. The mountain was sold to the local government which is now Kani City. The city researched the ruins between 2006 and 2010 and found that they still have the features of a Shokuho style castle. The castle ruins were designated as a National Historic Site in 2013.

The monument for the mountain being sold to the local government

My Impression

When I visited the ruins of Mino-Kaneyama Castle, I pictured Tsuyama Castle which Tadamasa Mori finally built after he became the founder of the Tsuyama Domain in Mimasaka Province. Tsuyama Castle was built on a mountain with three tiers all surrounded by high stone walls. The castle was often considered impenetrable. I think Tsuyama Castle resembles Mino-Kaneyama Castle in the way that the stone walls were built. I also speculate that Tadamasa might have tried to build the strongest castle based on his experience of Mino -Kaneyama Castle.

How to get There

I recommend using a car when you visit the castle ruins.
It is about a 15-minute drive away from Kani-Mitake IC on the Tokai-kanjo Expressway. There are several parking lots including the Barbican Enclosure around the ruins
If you want to use public transportation, you can take the YAO Bus from Akechi Station on Meitetsu-Hiromi Line and get off at the Moto-Keneyamacho-yakuba-mae bus stop. It takes about 15 minutes on foot from the bus stop to get there.
To get to Akechi Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express, transfer to the Meitetsu-Inuyama Line at Nagoya Station and transfer to the Meitetsu-Hiromi Line at Inuyama Station or Shin-Kani Station.

The parking lot at the Barbican Enclosure

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Mino-Kaneyama Castle Part1”
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142.Naegi Castle Part3

The warriors maintained the castle for a long time.

Features

Umaarai Rock, Second Enclosure and Photo spot

The map around the castle

If you climb down from the top on another route, you can see the biggest rock around, called Umaarai-iwa, just below the Main Tower base, whose perimeter is about 45m. It should make you feel power of nature.

The Second Enclosure is far below from the top, where the Main Hall for the lord was in the past. The hall was built hanging out from the enclosure by also using the Kake-zukuri method.

The Second Enclosure is far below from the base

In addition, if you want to take in a great whole view of the ruins, you can take another return route to the photo spot.

You can go the side road to the photo spot, near *the soldiers’ barracks* ruins

The photo spot seen from the observation platform

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Naegi Castle was abandoned and all the buildings of the castle were demolished. The mountain the castle was located on was returning to nature, being covered with trees. However, the ruins of Naegi Castle were designated as a National Historic Site in 1981 because the foundation of the castle ,including its stone walls, remained intact. The ruins recently became popular due to their unique features, such as the combination of natural rocks and stone walls, and great views. Some trees were cut down to see the main portion of the ruins clearly for visitors.

The corroboration of the Kake-zukuri columns, stone walls and natural rocks at the base

My Impression

It is said that there were six types of stone walls in Naegi Castle, ranging from the oldest one using natural stones to newer advanced ones. That meant the Naegi Domain continued to build or repair them under the severe living condition for over 250 years in the peaceful Edo Period. I was very impressed by that.

The stone walls piled in a way called Tani-zumi or the Form of a Vally, near the entrance of the ruins

The stone walls piled in a way called Uchikomi-hagi like piling roughly processed stones, at the Northern Gate Ruins, in the back of the Large Turret Ruins

The stone walls piled in a way called Kirikomi-hagi like piling precisely processed stones, at the Large Turret Ruins

The stone walls piled in a way called Nozura-zumi like piling natural stones, around the starting point to the top

I remember an example of a similar case to Naegi Castle, called Oka Castle in the Kyushu Region. The castle was likewise built on a rocky mountain. It was very defensive but hard to live in, so the warriors immediately disappeared after the Meiji Restoration.

How to get There

I recommend using a car when you visit the castle ruins.
It is about a 10-minute drive away from Nakatsugawa IC on the Chuo Expressway. There are several parking lots around the ruins.
If you want to use public transportation, you can take the Kita-Ena-Kotsu Bus bound for Tsukechikyo-Kuraya-Onsen or Kashimo-Sogo-jimusho from Nakatsugawa Station and get off at the Naegi bus stop. It takes about 20 minutes on foot from the bus stop to get there.
To get to Nakatsugawa Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Chuo Line at Nagoya Station.

The parking lot of *Naegi Toyama Historical Museum*

The parking lot in front of the ruins entrance

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Naegi Castle Part1”
Back to “Naegi Castle Part2”