Hideyoshi Toyotomi – ページ 7 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

154.Tamaru Castle Part1

The home base of Nobukatsu Oda

Location and History

Nobukatsu Oda lives in Castle as Ise Province Governor

Tamaru Castle was located in the center of Ise Province which is almost the same as modern day Mie Prefecture. The castle has a long history, which was first built by the Kitabatake Clan in 1336 during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The clan survived as a warlord and the governor of the province until the late 16th Century during the Sengoku Period, while the castle was a branch castle of them. The castle eventually got popular when Nobukatsu Oda became the governor in 1575. He also lived and improved the castle as his home base in the same year. The reason for it was that he had been adopted as the Kitabatake Clan’s successor when the Oda Clan and the Kitabatake Clan had made peace with each other after their battles.

The range of Ise Province and the location of the castle

The portrait of Nobukatsu Oda, owned by Sokenji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

He is used by Rulers of Japan

Nobukatsu is one of the most difficult historical figures to evaluate fairly. He was a son of Nobunaga Oda, the ruler of Japan. He was first used by Nobunaga to take over the Kitabatake Clan. Nobunaga actually ordered him to kill his father-in-law, Tomonori Kitabatake in order to completely make the province Oda’s own. Some historians say Nobukatsu was a fool and an incompetent. For example, he failed his own invasion of Iga Province located next to Ise in 1579 and was blamed by Nobunaga.

The portrait of Nobunaga Oda, attributed to Soshu Kano, owned by Chokoji Temple, in the late 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Tomonori Kitabatake, owned by Iseyoshida Library (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

After his real father was killed in the Honnoji Incident in 1582, he was then used by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the next ruler. Hideyoshi used him as a stalking horse of beating Katsuie Shibata, Nobutaka Oda or subordinating Ieyasu Tokugawa to Hideyoshi. In the end, just after the completion of Hideyoshi’s unification of Japan in 1590, Hideyoshi fired Nobukatsu because he complained about moving to another territory. That was also the moment when Hideyoshi completed to take over his original master, the Oda Clan.

The Portrait of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, attributed to Mitsunobu Kano, owned by Kodaiji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

He is highly educated person

However, was Nobukatsu really incompetent even if he was inferior to the rulers; Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu? He was finally given small territories which included Uda-Matsuyama in Yamato Province and Obata in Kozuke Province by Ieyasu. He was able to govern from the first Ise to the last of these territories smoothly. He was also a highly educated person as he was once the successor of the Kitabatake Clan, which had been a noble of the Southern dynasty. It is proven by a remaining Japanese garden called Rakusanen in Obata which he built. Then, if you want to see what he was like as a warlord, it may be a good idea to see Tamaru Castle.

The location of Nobukatsu’s last territories

The Kasuga-mon Gate of Uda-Matsuyama Encampment (licensed by Saigen Jiro via Wikimedia Commons)

Castle is finally followed by Tokugawa Clan

Tamaru Castle was on a hill near Ise Gingu Shrine, with the main portion as connected the Northern, Main, and Second Enclosures on its top. The Main Enclosure also had the three-level Main Tower. The Third Enclosure was below these enclosures and all were surrounded doubly by the Inner and Outer Moats. The three gates behind the moats and of the Third Enclosure were bent inside to prevent enemies from attacking easily. This structure would lead to a square defensive space called Masugata later. Some stone walls were built including the stone wall base for the Main Tower, but the details are uncertain. As long as you look at the castle, Nobukatsu chose a good location and built it well. However, the castle was unfortunately burned down by an arson in 1580 before he had to move to Matsugashima castle.

The stone wall base for the Main Tower of Tamaru Castle

The Illustration of Tamaru Castle during Horeki Era, from the signboard at the site, adding the red letters for the names of parts

After that, the castle was restored by the Gamo Clan and followed by the Inaba, Todo and finally Tokugawa Clans. In particular, the Inaba Clan renovated the castle by building stone walls surrounding all the main portions. Since 1619, one of the Three Branches of the Tokugawa Family, the Kii Domain owned the castle through the Edo Period. It was based in the Wakayama Castle, so the Kuno Clan which was a senior vassal of the domain lived in the castle. The clan maintained and repaired it when it got old or suffered damage from natural disasters such as earthquakes.

The stone walls of the Main Enclosure of Tamaru Castle, repaired by the Kuno Clan

To be continued in “Tamaru Castle Part2”

48.Matsusaka Castle Part1

Ujisato Gamo, a great isolated talent, built this castle.

Location and History

Matsusaka Castle was located in what is now Matsusaka City, Mie Prefecture, which was called Ise Province in the past. The castle was first built by Ujisato Gamo in 1588 and maintained by other clans later on. Ujisato was a warlord who is not well known, even to people in Japan, for his abilities and achievements. This is probably because he died young at 40 years old – his descendants also all died young, and the clan has become extinct. As a result, few records and traditions of Ujisato remained. He seemed to be a great isolated talent, like a comet.

The portrait of Ujisato Gamo, owned by Aizu Wakamatsu Library (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Ujisato Gamo came from Omi Province, which is now Shiga Prefecture. The clan originally served the Rokkaku Clan, a warlord at Kannonji Castle in the province during the Sengoku Period. When Nobunaga Oda, who would later be the ruler, invaded the province in 1568, the Gamo Clan surrendered to Nobunaga, sending their successor, Ujisato to him as a hostage. However, Nobunaga found Ujisato was particularly outstanding among the many hostages from other clans, and married Ujisato to his daughter. Ujisato became a relative of Nobunaga. After Nobunaga was killed in the Honnoji Incident in 1582, Ujisato supported Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the next ruler. In 1584, he was promoted by Hideyoshi to a lord with an earning of 120,000 koku (rice) in Ise Province. He first lived in Matsugashima Castle which the previous lord had built, but decided to build his new home base which would be Matsusaka Castle.

The range of Ise Province and the location of the castle

Ujisato builds Castle and Town emulating Rulers

Ujisato built the main portion of the new castle on a hill near the previous one. Several enclosures were built on the hill, all surrounded by high stone walls. It was done by inviting a guild of craftsmen called Ano-shu from Omi Province, Ujisato’s hometown. This portion was strictly protected by these walls with alternating gates and some turrets along complex routes. The upper tier of the Main Enclosure on the top had the three-level Main Tower. The Third Enclosure was built around the hill, which was used as warriors’ houses. The water moat surrounded them. Ujisato also built the castle town beside the castle by bringing in merchants from his hometown, which was famous for the “Omi Merchant”. Overall, he built the castle and town in the ways his masters, Nobunaga and Hideyoshi developed their towns, with his own ideas and experiences. He finally named the castle Matsusaka, which combined a good word “Matsu” or Pine, and “saka”, part of the name of his current master, Hideyoshi’s Osaka Castle.

The remaining high stone walls of Matsusaka Castle

Part of the map of old Matsusaka Castle in Ise Province, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan

In 1590, just after Hideyoshi’s unification of Japan, Ujisato was promoted and moved again to the Aizu area in the Tohoku Region to control the region. His territory finally reached an earning of 910,000 koku, which meant he became one of the greatest lords in Japan. He renovated a castle by building high stone walls and the Main Tower like Matsusaka Castle. The castle was renamed Wakamatsu Castle by him. It is also said that he advised a local lord, Nobunao Nanbu to build a castle with high stone walls, which was completed after his death, called Morioka Castle. These two castles are very rare ones, all built with high stone walls, in the region. Ujisato was also known as a tea ceremony master, poet, and Christian. However, he unfortunately died of illness in 1595.

*The remaining stone walls of Morioka Castle*

It is difficult for other lords to maintain Castle

After Ujisato left the castle, which was subsequently inherited by the Hattori, Furuta, and Tokugawa Clans, respectively. The first two clans had smaller territories than Ujisato, so they could not afford to maintain the castle. The Tokugawa Clan, one of the three branches of the Tokugawa family, also could not do so, because the clan was based in Wakayama Castle. The stone walls of Matsusaka Castle were somehow repaired, but the buildings of it eventually deteriorated. For example, the Main Tower collapsed due to a windstorm in 1644 but was not restored. The Back Gate had only a thatched roof at the end of the Edo Period. On the other hand, the castle town prospered in the period. The merchants of the town were known as the “Ise Merchant”. For instance, the founder of the kimono shop Echigoya, which is present Mitsukoshi department store, Takatoshi Mitsui came from the town.

The old photo of the Back Gate which had a thatched roof, exhibited by Matsusaka City Museum of History and Folklore

Echigoya in “*Suruga Town” from the series “100 Famous Views of Edo” attributed to Hiroshige Utagawa in the Edo Period (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimeidia Commons*)

To be continued in “Matsusaka Castle Part2”

47.Iga-Ueno Castle Part1

The castle for protecting and attacking Osaka

Location and History

From Home of Ninja to Site for protecting Osaka

Iga-Ueno Castle was located in Iga Province which is now the western part of Mie Prefecture. Iga is probably more well known for being the home of Ninja than for the castle. Actually, before the castle was built in 1585, the province was divided among many small local lords. They gained special knowledge and techniques so that they could protect themselves. They were also often hired by larger warlords in other provinces as spies or Special Forces we now call Ninja. Unfortunately, they were conquered by Nobunaga Oda in 1581. When Nobunaga’s successor, Hideyoshi Toyotomi was organizing his unification of Japan, he sent Sadatsugu Tsutsui to the province as the lord.

The range of Iga Province and the location of the castle

The portrait of Sadatsugu Tsutsui, from a collection of Japanese poems called Giretsu-Hyakuninisshu, owned by National Institute of Japanese Literature (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Hideyoshi was based in Osaka Castle, so Iga Province was on the direct route from Osaka to eastern Japan. That’s why he sent Sadatsugu who first built Iga-Ueno Castle in 1585. Therefore, the castle was supposed to prevent enemies from attacking from the east. The three-level Main Tower of the castle was also built in the eastern part of it. Sadatsugu somehow survived when Ieyasu Tokugawa became the final ruler at the beginning of the 17th Century after Hideyoshi died. However, he was fired by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1608 due to a claim of misgovernment from his retainers. Historians speculate that the shogunate, in fact, wanted to remove Sadatsugu who was doubly loyal to both the shogunate and the Toyotomi Clan still at Osaka Castle.

Toyotomi’s Main Tower of Osaka Castle, from “The summer campaign of the siege of Osaka folding screens”, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Takatora Todo renovated Castle for attacking Osaka

Instead, the shogunate transferred Takatora Todo from Imabari Castle in Shikoku Island to Iga province. Takatora was not a hereditary feudal lord, which meant he didn’t work under Ieyasu Tokugawa, who was the founder of the shogunate, for a long time. However, he was a well-known master of castle construction through having build Uwajima, Ozu and Imabari Castles. He also helped the shogunate build its famous castles such as Edo, Nagoya, and Nijo in Kyoto. That’s why he was trusted by the shogunate. They expected Takatora to build a strong castle to stand against the Toyotomi Clan at Osaka Castle in the west. Takatora accomplished this by renovating Iga-Ueno Castle. He thought that if the shogunate were to be beaten at Osaka Castle, he could accommodate Ieyasu in Iga-Ueno Castle.

The portrait of Takatora Todo, private owned (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Takatora extended the Main Enclosure, the center of the castle on a hill to the west, towards Osaka Castle. He invited a guild of craftsmen called Ano-shu to build the highest stone walls (at that time) at the western side of the enclosure. It was completed- Takatora’s biography praises him, saying the stone walls were greater then those of Osaka Castle. Takatora also started to build the five-level Main Tower behind the stone walls, however, the tower collapsed due to a windstorm in 1612. The Second Enclosure was built beside the hill in the south, which was used as warriors’ housing. It had two large Main Gates in its western and eastern parts. The construction was ongoing when the battles between the shogunate and the Toyotomi Clan happened in 1614. however, it halted after the shogunate beat the Toyotomi Clan in 1615.

*The illustration of Hachimanyama Castle and Town*, private owned (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The old photo of the Western Main Gate (*licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Homebase for Wartime

Takatora gave his younger brother Iga-Ueno Castle as his branch castle, and set Tsu Castle as his home base. Tsu Castle was located in a plains area near the sea in Ise Province which was another territory of his. He said that Tsu Castle would be his home base for peacetime while Iga-Ueno Castle would be the other one for wartime. After that, the senior vassals of the Todo Clan governed the castle and Iga Province in the peacetime of the Edo Period. They lived in the official residence where Sadatsugu Tsutsui originally lived. The first Main Tower, which Sadatsugu built, also remained for a while, but it is thought to have collapsed due to another windstorm in 1633 as well.

The ruins of the official residence of Iga-Ueno Castle

The official residence area drawn in the Kanei Era of the Edo Period, exhibited by Iga-Ueno Castle

To be continued in “Iga-Ueno Castle Part2”