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

124.Shinagawa Batteries Part3

The ruins of Shinagawa Batteries are very useful for telling people about what happened in the past. Visual historical items are significantly better than only records or explanation boards.

Features

Looking around N0.3 Battery Ruins

The ruins of the No.3 Battery as the Daiba Park is connected to the seaside by a marine walkway. The walkway was added when the park was established, that means the battery had originally been isolated. As you get close to the battery, you will see its characteristic stone walls using the Hanedashi system. The system refers to all the stones on the top row are layered to prevent enemies from invading, which emulated European castles. This system is rarely seen in other Japanese castles only in Goryokaku, Tatsuoka Castle and Hitoyoshi Castle which were built or renovated at the end of the Edo Period. In fact, this is the only spot where you can see them close by because it is prohibited for visitors to approach the stone walls from the other sides.

The aerial photo of the No.3 Battery

The Hanedashi system of the No.3 Battery

You can’t approach other stone walls of the battery in other places

You can land at the battery by using steps like boarding a ship. You can next see a close view of the battery. It is a large square with one side being 160m long and its perimeter is higher than the center. There are few remaining original items, so some visitors might not notice that it is a ruin without the knowledge of its history. If you walk on the perimeter which is made with earthen walls from the entrance, the view is so nice. You can see Odaiba Seaside Park on the left, the Rainbow Bridge and the No.6 Battery on the right, and Tokyo Bay ahead.

You can land the battery by using these steps

Walking on the earthen walls of the perimeter

The No.6 Battery on the left and the Rainbow Bridge on the right

Ruins regarding Guns

There are two imitations of gun platforms on one side of the perimeter opposite the entrance. However, they are not actually real and should not be considered even as replicas, according to historians. In addition, there were thick and long earthen protective walls called “breastworks” in front of cannons, but they seem to have collapsed. There were also earthen side walls dividing the canons to protect gunners from blasts, but were removed after the battery being abolished. This side was definitely the front line against enemies.

The protective walls around the guns have been lost

The ruins of the gun powder magazines are facing downward inside the front side walls, which are surrounded by earthen banks. There was the building for the magazine inside the banks, but it was demolished. There is now a stone-made item like a cocking stove instead, but it is not original for the battery. In addition, the banks are partially supported by stone walls which were built to recover them from the damage of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.

These stone walls were built after the earthquake

The ruins of the ammunition chambers are at other sides. The chambers were solidly built with a stone hut and wooden racks deep in the earthen walls. This was because ammunition was the most dangerous item in the battery, which might have caused accidents or explosions. We can now see the stone hut ruins behind earthen mounds around which were added later than when the battery was active, maybe for preservation.

One of the ruins of the ammunition chambers

Ruins of Pier and Barrack

In the flat central part of the battery, there are only the stone foundations of the barrack. The barrack was a simple wooden building with no baths for the warriors to rest in. They would escape from the barrack if a battle happened before it would be burned.

The ruins of the pier are at the next corner to the current entrance. Visitors can not enter it, but only see it from the inside. The concreted part was worked in the later period, which might have been used when the park was developed.

There are also remaining earthen walls in front of the pier, which is called “Ichimonji-tsutsumi” (meaning the bank like the Chinese letter for one which is a horizontal line). This structure was made to ensure visitors could not see inside and the defenders could protect the battery from enemies’ attacks from the tier as the original entrance.

The remaining earthen walls called Ichimonji-tsutsumi

My Impression

I think the ruins of Shinagawa Batteries are very useful for telling people about what happened in the past. Visual historical items are significantly better than only records or explanation boards. The waterfront area of Tokyo has been very important for the economy of the whole country. All the batteries ruins could have been removed. The decision of Tokyo Metropolitan which owns the ruins was so great. Now, just one thing, I would like the government to replace the imitation of gun platforms at the site with realistic replicas to make visitors better understand what the battery would have looked like.

The two imitations of gun platforms on the No.3 Battery

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Shinagawa Batteries Part1”
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124.Shinagawa Batteries Part1

The arrival of Matthew Perry’s fleet from the U.S. in 1853 gave a big impact on the shogunate’s policy. The shogunate ordered Hidetatsu Egawa to build the certain defensive system in Edo Bay immediately before Perry’s second arrival.

Location and History

Perry’s Arrival leads Construction of Batteries

The map around Tokyo Bay

Odaiba is one of the popular tourist spots in the waterfront area of Tokyo. The land’s name directly means the honorific of batteries and originates from Shinagawa Batteries which were built by the Tokugawa Shogunate to protect Edo City during the end of the Edo Period. The area still has a few of the ruins of the batteries.

Odaiba Seaside Prak, you can see the ruins of No.3 Battery in the sea

When Western ships often appeared around Japan at that time, the shogunate ordered some feudal domain lords and its own divisions to protect the inside and outside of Edo Bay (the current Tokyo Bay) from possible invasions by the ships. However, they were actually not able to protect even the 8km wide Uraga Channel, the mouth of the bay by their batteries because they didn’t have Blue water navy due to their isolationism. That’s why the shogunate’s basic policy of how to treat the Western ships coming to Japan was to hear their purposes, give materials they needed, and persuade them to return their countries. Therefore, the first arrival of Matthew Perry’s fleet from the U.S. in 1853 gave a big impact on the shogunate’s policy. His fleet intentionally broke the line of the bay mouth and demonstrated its power in the bay to ask the shogunate to open the country.

The mouth of the bay, seen from Kanaya Port at Boso Peninsula

Matthew Perry, around 1856 to 1858 (*licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The monument of Perry’s landing in Kurihama Coast at Miura Peninsula

Hidetatu Egawa builds Batteries at Sea off Shinagawa

After that, the shogunate ordered Hidetatsu Egawa who was an excellent official and learned the Western sciences to build the certain defensive system in Edo Bay immediately before Perry’s second arrival. Hidetatsu thought it would be the priority to build the final protective line for the Shogun’s Edo Castle and the city area, about 2km off the coast beside the Shinagawa Post Station. The line would consist of several batteries in coastal castles which would bring a cross fire to enemies’ ships. Another reason for the location was that the coastal area was too shallow that the large Western battle ships, like Perry’s flag ship, Susquehanna, would not be able to enter it. In addition, the batteries were out of their range, therefore, they would only be able to confront with gun boats.

The self -portrait of Hidetatsu Egawa (*licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The final protective line drawn in “The Illustration of Shinagawa Batteries”, exhibited by Tokyo Metropolitan Library

*Susquehanna, the flag ship of the 1853 Perry’s fleet (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons*)

The number of the batteries in the original plan was 11 and the first three ones (No.1 to 3) were completed within a year before Perry’s return, which would be called Shinagawa Batteries. Each battery was on an artificial isolated square island which was surrounded by stone walls and equipped with cannons and related items, which were generally called redoubts. The basic design of the batteries came from several books of the Western military sciences which Hidetatsu and his staff translated. The canons were provided domestically by emulating the Western canons’ designs. However, some of them were cast iron canons the Saga Domain had just succeeded in producing, which were close to the worldwide level. The stone walls were built in the Japanese style, but the top of them was built using a new method called Hanedashi which emulated the European castles. In addition, one of the original ideas for the batteries was to build breakwater piles around them. They would also be used to prevent enemies’ gun boats from getting close to the batteries.

The specification drawing of No.3 Battery in Shinagawa Batteries, Edo Bay, exhibited by Tokyo Metropolitan Library

A bronze cannon used in a Shinagawa battery, exhibited by Yushukan Meseum

The Hanedashi system seen in No.3 Battery

The breakwater piles in the *specification drawing* above

System is maintained until End of Edo Period

The shogunate concluded a treaty with Perry in 1854, known as the Japan–US Treaty of Peace and Amity. The constructions of Shinagawa Batteries continued, but only five (No.1 to 3, 5 and 6) out of the planned 11 were completed and 2 (No.4 and 7) out of 11 were canceled in the middle of their constructions. The reason for it was the shortage of the budget and the stabilization of the diplomatic relationship with the Western Countries after the treaty. The operations of the batteries were done by warriors from several feudal domains. For example, the Oshi Domain, which was based in Oshi Castle, was in charge of the No.3 Battery. The warriors went to the isolated sea battery by using small boats and stayed in the barrack inside with no baths until the next team came.

The shogunate also thought the defense system was still not enough. It built coast batteries instead of the uncompleted sea batteries, such as the Battery below Goten-yama Mountain, to support the completed sea batteries. It also built their own gun boats to work closely with these batteries. Each sea battery had its pier where the boats were able to stop. The operation of the defense line lasted until 1868 when the shogunate was defeated by the New Government, known as the Meiji Restoration.

The aerial photo around the batteries around 1945 to 1950, the grounds for them remained until then

The ruins of the Battery below Goten-yama Mountain, located around the past coastline

The tier of the No.6 Battery which may be similar to the original

The evaluation of Shinagawa Batteries may be difficult because they were actually not used for battles and the specs of the cannons installed in the batteries became obsolete quickly. However, historians say the batteries worked as a deterrence for invasion by the Western countries. They pointed out that the qualities of the canons in the batteries were at the same level as those equipped in Perry’s fleet. A diplomat from the U.K., who saw the batteries, reported to his government that the batteries had technology levels which were equivalent to the Western cannons.

Shinagawa Batteries drawn in a Ukiyoe-painting called Takanawa Shugetsu (meaning Autumn Moon in Takanawa), attributed to Hiroshige Utagawa the second, exhibited by Tokyo Metropolitan Library

To be continued in “Shinagawa Batteries Part2”

93.Hitoyoshi Castle Part2

The supply of the water from the Kumagawa River provides specialties such as hot spring, Kuma-shochu spirit, and sweet fish while the water could sometimes cause flood damages.

Features

Today, if you get close to the ruins of Hitoyoshi Castle, you will see a grand view of the Kumagawa River which collects water from mountain areas around, where you can also see students in canoes.

The supply of the water from the river provides specialties such as hot spring, Kuma-shochu spirit, and sweet fish while the water could sometimes cause flood damages. There was recently the Kumagawa River flood disaster in July, 2020 which actually caused serious damage to the castle ruins beside the river. The ruins have already resumed to be seen by visitors, but the Hitoyoshi Castle History Museum at the site is still closed as of September, 2023.

The closed Hitoyoshi Castle History Museum

Mysterious Water Bath of Basement

The museum is in the lowest area of the riverside which was used as the Main Gate, the domain’s facilities, and the senior vassals’ residences. Some turrets and walls surrounding the area have been restored. In fact, the museum is exactly on the same residence ruins of Seibe Sagawa who was banished during the Edo Period.

The aerial photo around the castle

The ruins of warriors’ residences at the riverside

The restored row-style turret beside the Main Gate

An interesting thing about the residence was that a water bath made of stones was found in the basement of the ruins. The water comes from the river and the bath is over 2m deep. There are no other similar cases in Japanese castles so far. Some speculate that it might have been used as a bathing place of a Jewish chapel because the specs were similar. There were secret Christians in the Hitoyoshi area though being Christians was prohibited during the Edo Period. Some of them might have believed Judaism.

The discovered water bath of the basement, quoted from the Hitoyoshi City website

Stone Walls with Hanedashi system surrounding Main Hall

The next area is the former Main Hall for the lord, called Mitachi, which is used as the Sagara-Gokoku Shrine. Some items for the hall remain, such as a pond garden, the stone entrance bridge over the moat, and stone walls surrounding it.

In particular, the stone walls facing the riverside use the Hanedashi system which refers to all the stones on the top row are layered to prevent enemies from invading. That’s why it is also called Musha-gaeshi or the Repelling Warriors system. The system is rarely seen in other Japanese castles only in Goryokaku, Shinagawa Batteries, and Tatsuoka Castle which were built at the end of the Edo Period.

The stone walls with the Hanedashi system of Hitoyoshi Castle

The stone walls with the Hanedashi system of Goryokaku

The stone walls with the Hanedashi system of Shinagawa Batteries

The stone walls with the Hanedashi system of Tatsuoka Castle

In front of the stone walls, the ruins of Mizunote-mon or the Water Gate are open to the Kumagawa River, which proves that the castle was involved in water transportation.

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