タグ: Gyoda city local museum

118.Oshi Castle Part3

Other attractions around Oshi Castle

Features

Ishida Bank

I recommend visiting some historical spots near the castle regarding the Battle of Oshi Castle. One of them is Ishida Bank Ruins, about 4km away from Oshi Castle Ruins in the southeastern direction. The bank is the nearly 300m remaining one out of the 28km banks Mitsunari Ishida originally built when the battle happened.

The map around the Ishida Bank

The Ishida Bank Ruins
The monument of the bank, built at the end of the Edo Period

It goes along a river in the north and a road in the south, with some pine trees planted on it, which show it is an old road. The road was actually a byway of Nikko Road during the Edo Period and is said to have been on the major Nanasendo Road before the period.

The river in the north
The pine trees planted on the bank and the road in the south

The Horikiri-bashi Bridge over the river at the edge of the remaining bank is also said to be the place where the defenders of Oshi Castle cut and drained the water inside the bank against Mitsunari.

The Horikiri-bashi Bridge

Sakitama Ancient Burial Mounds

Another recommendation is to visit the Sakitama Ancient Burial Mounds which were built between the 5th and 7th Centuries, much earlier than Oshi Castle, but some of them are related to it. Maruhakayama-Kofun or the Round Burial Mountain was one of them and the largest round burial mound in Japan, which is 17m high and its diameter is 105m. When the Battle of Oshi Castle happened, Mitsunari put his stronghold on the mound and instructed the bank construction. You can see the top of the rebuilt three-level turret of Oshi Castle from the top of the mound, where could have been a good place for Mitsunari to see the situation of the inundation tactics. The approach to the mound is also said to have been another Ishida Bank Ruins.

The aerial photo around the Sakitama Ancient Burial Mounds

The Maruhakayama Ancient Burial Mound
The top area of the ancient burial mound
A view from the top of the direction of Oshi Castle
A view of the three-level turret, being zoomed in
The approach to the mound

In addition, Teppoyama-Kofun or the Gun Burial Mountain was involved in the history of the Oshi Domain at the end of the Edo Period. They cut one side of the mound to train their gunnery skill to prepare for their responsibility for protecting Shinagawa Batteries on Edo Bay.

The Teppoyama Ancient Burial Mound
The ground plan of the ancient burial mound, from the signboard at the site, the dark blue part was the training area

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Oshi Castle was abandoned and its water area was turned into a modern park with office buildings but being filled in. It could be needed for modernizing the city. The city was called Gyoda, named after the district which manufactured Japanese socks, Tabi and prospered.

An example of the Gyoda Tabi socks (licensed by katorisi via Wikimedia Commons)
The reproduced manufacturing site of Tabi, exhibited by the Gyoda City Local Museum
One of the remaining Tabi warehouses in the city

The park once had a baseball stadium, officials replaced it with Gyoda City Local Museum whose building looks like The Three-Level Turret the castle had. Some other buildings like a bell-tower, gates and walls were also restored around it, making them the city’s attractions.

The aerial photo around the Main Enclosure in the 1970’s

The current Main Enclosure
The entrance of Gyoda City Local Museum

My Impression

The result of the Battle of Oshi Castle has been said to be the only failure of Hideyoshi Toyotomi during the invasion to the Kanto Region to complete his unification of Japan in 1590, which was blamed to Mitsunari Ishida who was a foolish general. However, I think the reputation comes from being wise after the event that Mitsunari was defeated by Ieyasu Tokugawa in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. It is not fair. Mitsunari was the faithful executor of Hideyoshi’s order in the battle, being successful in surrounding the castle. If the defenders were not instructed by Nagachika Narita, but a magistrate from the Hojo Clan, they might have soon surrendered to Mitsunari. I think the Battle of Oshi Castle was an excellent match where Nagachika and Mitsunari took on each other.

The family crest of the Narita Clan, called Maru-ni-mitsuhiki or Three horizonal lines inside a Circle, exhibited by the Gyoda City Local Museum
The Ishida Bank Ruins seen from the Horikiri-bashi Bridge

How to get There

If you want to go there by car, it is about 30 minutes from Kazo IC or Hanyu IC on the Tohoku Expressway. there are a few parking lots around the castle ruins. It may be better to use a car if you also want to visit Ishida Bank Ruins or the Sakitama Ancient Burial Mounds as well.
By public transportation, it takes about 15 minutes on foot from Gyodashi Station on Tobu line to get to the castle ruins.
From Tokyo to Gyodashi Station: Take the Joetsu Shinkansen super express and transfer to Tobu line at Kumagaya Station.

The parking lot of Gyoda City Local Museum with the monument of the Main Enclosure

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

118.Oshi Castle Part2

Let’s walk with the location map laying over the previous and current city areas.

Features

Castle Ruins mostly being turned into City Area

Today, there are only few remaining items of the original Oshi Castle because most of its lands and moats were turned into a city area. Part of the earthen walls and the Inner Moat surrounding the Main Enclosure remains or was restored with the rebuilt Three-level Turret looking like a Main Tower. Part of the Outer Moat, little far from the Main Enclosure in the south, remains as the Water Castle Garden. The other moats were filled and the other enclosures were flattened for building modern buildings and transportation. However, if you use the location map laying over the previous and current city areas, which Gyoda City provided, you can walk by following the original routes to the center of the castle. Some stone monuments of the original buildings will guide you see where your own location is in the past.

The aerial map around the castle

The earthen walls and water moat of the Main Enclosure
The Water Castle Garden
The location map laying over the previous and current city areas, The water moats of the castle is light blue colored, from the signboard at the site
The place where the Main Gate was built
The monument of the Main Gate Ruins
The part of the Main Gate in the miniature model of the castle, exhibited by the Gyoda City Local Museum

Starting from Main Gate Ruins

For example, if you want to go to the Main Enclosure from the Main Gate Ruins on the original route, you would need to pass five enclosures like an island through very narrow paths over the moats. You can now follow the present routes similar to the original ones, which are now among modern residential areas.

The map around the castle, the broken red line shows the route from the Main Gate to the Main Enclosure, which is nearly original

For instance, the promenade of Oshi Castle Bus Terminal is the trace of one of the narrow paths, which is an unbelievable change.

The promenade of the bus terminal, which was the narrow path over the moat
The monument of Numahashi-mon Gate Ruins is over there
The part of Numahashi-mon Gate in the miniature model

You can also find the stone monument of the original Three-level Turret on the way, so you will understand the original one was in the different place from the rebuilt one in the Main Enclosure.

The monument of the ruins of the original three-level turret
The original three-level turret is in the blue circle, the current three-level turret is in the red circle, in the miniature model

Past and Present of Main and Second Enclosures

In fact, the Main Enclosure had been used as the Main Hall for Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, during his hunt tour at the marshland around the castle. This enclosure eventually became an empty space surrounded by its earthen walls and the Inner Moat even during the Edo Period. The Main Enclosure is now being used as the Gyoda City Local Museum including the rebuilt turret, which exhibits the history of the castle and the city, and has become the landmark of the city.

The part of the Main Enclosure in the miniature model
The rebuilt three-level turret in the Main Enclosure

The Main Hall for the lord of the Oshi Domain was built in the Second Enclosure across from the Main Enclosure, which is being used as Gyoda Secondary School.

The part of the Second Enclosure in the miniature model
The secondary school in the Second Enclosure

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