Let us feel a water of city and an atmosphere of the castle town.
Features
Walking along Former Outer Moat
The map around the castle
If you want to know what a Water Castle is like, consider walking around Suimon-gawa River, the former Outer Moat. The river still surrounds the northern and western sides of the castle. If you walk from the north to the west along the flow of the river, you can understand how large the castle was in the past. You can also see the ruins of the Tatsunokuchi-mon Gate on the northern side and the ruins of the Takebashiguchi-mon Gate on the western side.
Suimon-gawa RiverThe ruins of the Tatsunokuchi-mon GateThe illustration of the Tatsunokuchi-mon Gate in the past, from the signboard at the siteThe ruins of the Takebashiguchi-mon Gate
In addition, there are the Spring of Ogaki at the northwest corner and the Suito Park at the southwest corner where you can see Ogaki is still a city of water.
The Spring of OgakiThe Suito Park
Walking along Old Mino Road
If you arrive at the Suito Park, you can walk along the old Mino Road as the road still goes on the southern and eastern sides of the castle through the former castle town. The pavement of the road is painted in a different color (beige) from other roads, so you can easily follow it.
The old Mino RoadThe road is painted in a different color from other roads
You will see some traditional items such as an old sweet beans jelly shop, the ruins of Honjin (officially appointed inn) of Ogaki-juku Station on Mino Road and the ruins of Toiyaba (administration office). You can still feel what the castle town was like there.
The elegant roof of the sweet beans jelly shopThe ruins of Honjin (officially appointed inn) of Ogaki-juku StationThe ruins of Toiyaba (administration office)An old rice dracker shop
My Impression
Before the Battle of Sekigahara, there might have been a chance for Mitsunari to defeat Ieyasu. If Mitsunari stayed in Ogaki Castle for longer time, the number of his supporters, including his master Hideyori, could increase. However, I think Ieyasu was much superior to Mitsunari as a general. Ieyasu trapped Mitsunari by wining Mitsunari’s allies like Hideaki Kobayakawa over to Ieyasu’s side. Ieyasu made Mitsunari leave Ogaki Castle by choice. I think Ieyasu learned a lot from his lost in the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1573 when he was young. He was trapped by Shingen Takeda to leave his Hamamatsu Castle by himself and defeated. As a result, he did a similar way in Sekigahara to what he had been done in Mikatagahara.
The statue of Ieyasu Tokugawa at Hamamatsu CastleThe present Hamamatsu CastleThe monument of the Battle of Mikatagahara
How to get There
If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about 15 minutes away from Ogaki IC on the Meishin Expressway. There are several parking lots around the park. By public transportation, it takes about 10 minutes on foot from the JR Ogaki Station. To get to Ogaki Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Tokaido Line at Nagoya Station.
A rare castle which was built and maintained on the rocky mountain
Location and History
Castle monitoring Nakasendo Road
The Nakasendo Road is known for being one of the major roads in Japan and was designated as one of the Five Major Roads in the Edo Period. In particular, the road was the most useful one when large amount of troops moved between western and eastern Japan before the period. The area of what is now Nakatsugawa City in the eastern part of Gifu Prefecture had Nakatsugawa Post Town in a basin at the center with the road going to mountain areas in the east. That’s why the warlords in the Sengoku Period wanted to own the area to monitor this important spot on the road. Naegi Castle was built on Takamori Mountain beside Kiso River which was sandwiched by the castle and the town. That meant the castle was the most suitable for monitoring what happened on Nakasendo Road.
The location of the castle
The relief map around the castle
”Nakatsugawa” from the series “Kiso-kaido Road” attributed to Hiroshige Utagawa in the Edo Period (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Toyama Clan builds and somehow maintains Castle till end
In the 16th Century during the Sengoku Period, The Toyama Clan was one of the local warlord families in the area, which was called the eastern Mino Province. It is said that the clan first built the castle in the first part of the16th Century as a branch castle of their home base, Iwamura Castle. However, the clan was affected by other larger warlords such as the Takeda and Oda Clans which also wanted to own the area. For example, both the Takeda and Oda Clans battled each other between 1572 and 1582, gaining and losing this castle.
The ruins of Iwamura CastleThe Portrait of Katsuyori Takeda, the lord of the clan at that time, owned by Koyasan Jimyoin (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The portrait of Nobunaga Oda, the lord of the clan at that time, attributed to Soshu Kano, owned by Chokoji Temple, in the late 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
After the declines of both, the Mori Clan, under the ruler Hideyoshi Toyotomi captured the castle. Tomomasa Toyama, with his father Tomotada, the lord of the castle at that time, had to escape from the castle to Ieyasu Tokugawa at Hamamatsu Castle. In 1600 when the Battle of Sekigawara occurred, Tomomasa succeeded in getting Naegi Castle back with Ieyasu’s approval. After Ieyasu established the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Toyama Clan governed the castle again as the Naegi Domain until the end of the Edo Period.
The present Hamamatsu CastleThe portrait of Tomomasa Toyama, the founder of the Naegi Domain, owned by Naegi Toyama Historical Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Castle on Rocky Mountain, Main Tower on Huge Rock
Naegi Castle had a very special location as far as permanent castles in Japan go. The mountain the castle is located on has a rocky terrain and steep cliffs. It was good for the defenders to make very difficult to attack, but if the lord of the castle wanted to develop it, there would be few spaces to do so. Generally, buildings or inter routes of castles were built on stone walls surrounding natural terrain or stone wall bases at that time. However, in the case of Naegi Castle, it was difficult to cut the rocky surface for buildings or routes. As a result, they were built on bases mixed with natural rocks and stone walls or filled valleys. Even if more buildings were needed, they were built on natural rocks directly. For example, the Main Tower of the castle was built on the huge rock on the top of the mountain.
The base of the Large Turret of Naegi Castle, which is mixed with natural rocks and stone wallsThe huge rock as the base of the Main Tower of Naegi Castle
Traditionally, when Japanese people wanted to build a building on natural rocks, they used a method called Kake-zukuri. The method is to build the foundation by combining many columns and horizontal beams like lattices on a steep rock or cliff. Buildings using this method have still been seen in some old shrines and temples like Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto. It is said the reason for using this method is that the mountains themselves, which have the rocks or cliffs, are the objects of worship. When many castles were built during the Sengoku and the first part of the Edo Period, the method was applied to castles. Naegi Castle is a good example, and another case in Sendai Castle is known.
The Main Hall of Kiyomizu-dera Temple, built using the Kake-zukuri methodThe ruins of Sendai Castle
The Naegi Domain earned only 10 thousand koku of rice which was a minimum amount for an independent lord. Because of this, their castle buildings had wood shingle roofing and wood siding or mud walls, not roof tiles and plaster walls which were too expensive for them. However, they built and maintained these buildings under such severe conditions even during the long lasting peace of the Edo Period. This was because staying there to be ready for any emergency was their most important duty.
The imaginary drawing of Naegi Castle, from the signboard at the site
If you have more time, how about visiting the ruins of Hikema Castle which now becomes a Toshogu Shrine. You can see a view and good location of the present Hamamatsu Castle in the distance.
The ruins of Hikema CastleThe Toshogu Shrine
I also recommend visiting ruins regarding the Battle of Mikatagahara such as Saigagake valley. You can still see the deep valley at 13m, which was originally about 40 m. There is the Saigagake Museum beside the valley, where you can learn Ieyasu’s life.
The present Saigagake ValleyThe diorama of Ieyasu going to the battlefield. exhibited by the Saigagake Museum
There is also the monument of the battle, about 10km north from the museum.
the monument of the Battle OF Mikatagahara
Later History
After the Meiji Restoration, Hamamatsu Castle was abandoned and all the castle buildings were demolished. The Many parts of the castle were turned into a city area and only the central part remained as an observation platform. After World War II, Hamamatsu City bought and opened it as Hamamatsu Castle Park. The city is considering restoring the past castle.
The rebuilt Main TowerThe restored Main Tower Gate
My Impression
I once thought the remaining stone walls of Hamamatsu Castle were built by Ieyasu. However, I learned that the legacies of the castle come from many clans and periods. I also learned that the castle still has a lot of mysteries. I hope that these mysteries will be solved one by one through the excavation and studies in the future.
The remaining stone walls of the Main Tower EnclosureThe rebuilt Main Tower seen over the stone walls of the Main Tower Enclosure
How to get There
If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about 30 minutes away from Hamamatsu IC on the Tomei Expressway. There is a parking lot for visitors in the park. By public transportation, it takes about 20 minutes on foot from the JR Hamamatsu Station. To get to Hamamatsu Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen Super Express.
