190.Yatsushiro Castle Part2

Rare stonewalls made of limestone, The contrast of the white limestone walls compliment the green water

Features

Contrast of White and Green colors

Today, the ruins of Yatsushiro Castle mainly remains as Yatsushiro Shrine including the Main Enclosure. The enclosure doesn’t have castle buildings, but still have its stone walls and the Inner Moat which are in a good condition. The castle was originally built near the sea, but you can’t see it at all around the ruins because of the land reclamation.

The aerial photo around the castle

Yatsushiro Shrine

If you get close to the ruins from the city area, you will find they have a different atmosphere from other castles or ruins. The stone walls of Yatsusiro Castle partially looks white because they were built mainly using limestone, which is rare to see in Japanese castles. These stones have discolored with time like normal ones, so they must have looked much more white when they were new. The water in the Inner Moat comes from Kumagawa River, and it looks green because of algae in the river. The contrast of the white and green colors is unique and beautiful.

Getting close to the castle ruins
The stone walls use white limestones
The water in the Inner Moat comes from Kumagawa River

Overhanging Masugata square spaces

The enclosure has three entrances, two of which are original to the castle, and the other one was added when the shrine was established. The front is at the eastern side while the back is on the northern side. If you want to enter the front entrance, you can walk across Rankan-bashi or the Handrail Bridge whose one of its ornamental caps is intact, which has the year and month of when the castle was completed.

The Handrail Bridge at the front entrance
The ornamental cap which has the year and month of the castle’s completion, quoted from the website of Yatsushiro City

The overhanging Masugata square shape is also intact, surrounded by great stone walls. The stone wall base for Migaki-yagura Turret supports its left side and alternating stone walls stand on the back and right sides. You need to walk in and turn right to enter the inside of the enclosure. This design is very defensive.

The Handrail Bridge seen from the stone wall base for Migaki-yagura Turret, the front of the Masugata system overhangs towards the bridge
The Masugata system of the front entrance
The alternating stone walls surround the path to the center of the Main Enclosure

The back entrance on the north also has a similar design.

The back entrance

Outstanding Main Tower base

The highlight of the ruins is the stone wall base for the Main Tower at the northwestern corner of the Main Enclosure. The base has two tiers for the Large Main Tower and Small one. These towers were burned down by a lightning fire in 1672. After that, only the Small Main Tower was restored. Today, though only their stone wall bases remain, if you look at them from the outside of the Inner Moat, they look so great! The base for the Large Main Tower also supported the back entrance of the enclosure on the right side to prevent enemies form attacking it easily.

The base for the Large Main Tower on the left and the base for the Small Main Tower on the right
The stone wall base for the Large Main Tower at the northwestern corner of the Main Enclosure
The Large Main Tower base also supports the back entrance on the left

Unfortunately, you can’t climb up these Main Tower bases from the inside of the enclosure because of partially collapsing walls as of December 2022. Alternatively, you can climb up other stone walls to sit and rest, see a view around the castle, and understand how the castle was protected.

Looking up the Large Main Tower base from the inside of the Main Enclosure
It was prohibited to clime the Main Tower base as of December 2022
You cam climb the tops of other stone walls

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