high stone walls – ページ 4 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

161.Kishiwada Castle Part3

The only thing I would ask the city to improve on the castle would be to open the views from the Main and Second Enclosures.

Features

Outside of Main Enclosure

The Main Enclosure is only connected to the Second Enclosure by the earthen bridge which is the same as the past. It looks like a castle island floating on the moat which must have had a defensive design.

The aerial photo around the castle

The earthen bridge to the Main Enclosure

However, if you go around the back side, you will find its back entrance ruins with stone steps, where a bridge to the outside was built. The bridge can not be seen in the drawing of the castle submitted to the shogunate. The reason for it could be that it was built after the drawing had been submitted or it was removed from the drawing intentionally.

The back entrance ruins of the Main Enclosure

The bridge in the back was not seen in the drawing (the upper right part)

The high stone walls surrounding it also look technical as they are curved elaborately to counterattack the enemies’ sides. They also use the lips as their base which is a rare case in Japanese castles. Some historians think that the reason may be to support the sandstones used for the walls which are weaker than the other types of stones. That’s why the stone walls were partially repaired in the present time, using granite to make them durable.

These stone walls were built on the lips

The white stones seem to have been used for the repair

Inside of Main Enclosure

The inside of the Main Enclosure has the reconstructed Main Tower, a gate, a corner turret and white walls. They have different designs from the original ones compared with those in the drawing. For example, the current Main Tower has three levels with many decorations while the original one had five levels with a simple roofing. In case like the current Main Tower of Kishiwada Castle, which was rebuilt but has a different design, should be called “reconstructed”. The enclosure also has a modern Japanese dry garden, called Hachijin-no-Niwa or the Garden of Eight Battle Formation, which was built in the same period as the current Main Tower and was designated as a National Scenic Beauty in 2014. The builders might also have created the Main Tower freely without its original design as a modern building.

The reconstructed buildings in the Main Enclosure

The tower is used as a historical museum inside and an observation platform on the top floor. The floor has a good viewing spot where you can enjoy the scenery of the area around including Osaka Bay. However, you can’t see anything on the outside from the enclosure except for the platform due to the high white walls on the top of the stone walls.

A view of the city area towards Osaka Bay from the platform

*This is also not a good view point because of the walls*

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Kishiwada Castle was abandoned and all the castle buildings were demolished. The castle land excluding the Main and Second Enclosures was turned into the city area. There was probably no other way to use it, other than modernizing the city of Kishiwada. After a long time, people in Kishiwada wanted to rebuild the Main Tower of the castle though they needed donations for it. As a result, it was finally completed in 1954 as the three-level Main Tower, but actually a modern concrete building has become a symbol of the city. Some people had argued that it should have been a five-level wooden one which was the same as the original tower, but there was a budget problem and the former lord, the Okabe Clan supported the original reconstruction plan. Kishiwada City is currently struggling to consider the earthquake-resistance measures of the reconstructed Main Tower due to its old age and the stricter regulations than before. It is also continuing to repair the remaining stone walls by replacing collapsed sandstones with new granite stones.

My Impression

I think the more you visit the current Kishiwada Castle, the more you will be interested in its history. The castle started out as a small one facing the sea, and it developed into the only one in Izumi Province, and finally became the symbol of the city. However, the only thing I would ask the city to improve on the castle would be to open the views from the Main and Second Enclosures. Currently, visitors can’t see the views below from them because of the walls or hedges probably for the safety reasons. I think the city will be able to replace them with other fences which can provide the views so that visitors can fully understand how the castle was developed more.

How about using this fence, partially used in the Second Enclosure, more?

*This is a good view point because of the fence*

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Kishiwada Castle Part1”
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195.Nobeoka Castle Part2

The 1,000 Murder Stone Walls as the highlight of the castle,

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Nobeoka Castle was abandoned and most of the castle buildings were demolished. Some buildings such as the Drum Turret remained for a while. However, the turret was burned down. In 1877, a hero of the restoration, Takamori Saigo started a rebellion against the government known as the Seinan War. From the south in Kagoshima, his troops started an attack on Kumamoto Castle. However, after failing to capturing Kumamoto Castle, they were forced to withdraw and battles took place all over the Kyushu Region. Nobeoka was one of them. In fact, Nobeoka Castle was held by the government army, but their navy shot the castle by mistake. The army had to burn the turret to show the castle was already friendly.

The monument of the battle of Wadagoe at the Nobeoka area between the Saigo troops and the government army (licensed by shikabane taro via Wikimedia Commons)

Another interesting episode for the castle is about the 1,000 Murder Stone Walls. In fact, the nickname first came out in Meiji Era after abandonment of the castle. It is said that there were gaps between the base stones where children could play inside. That might have made some people imagine and create such an interesting story to express how great the stone walls were.

Features

Sandbank becomes City Area

Today, if you visit the ruins of Nobeoka Castle on foot from JR Nobeoka Station, you will go across the Gokasegawa river by using one of the bridges over it. You will also see the hill which the castle ruins are located a little far away from the bridge. The sandbank, sandwiched by the rivers, has become a modern city area with many official buildings and no moats remain in the area, so you can easily arrive at the eastern edge of the ruins.

The map around the Nobeoka area

Castle Ruins becomes Castle Mountain Park

The castle ruins have become Shiroyama-Koen or the Castle Mountain Park, which has two entrances in the north and the southeast. The former was the main route to the castle and the latter was the back route. Either route is well developed for visitors. If you walk around the hill to the northern entrance of the park, you will see old stone walls partially surrounding the hill. You will eventually enter the park through the restored Northern Main Gate.

The map around the castle

The restored Northern Main Gate *(licensed by ja:User:Sanjo via Wikimedia Commons)*

Stone Walls are modified due to their Nickname

After entering the gate, here comes the highlight of the castle, the 1,000 Murder Stone Walls once you enter the Second Enclosure. The stone walls surround the Main Enclosure, upper than the Second Enclosure where you can look up close by. They look so great and it is unbelievable to imagine how the stone craftsmen built them 19m high using such rough natural stones. In addition, if you look at the corner base stone which might have caused the collapse of the stone walls, it is enforced with concrete. According to the signboard at the site, it had been done before the Emperor Showa visited in 1935. In fact, the 1,000 Murder Stone Walls is kind of an overstatement for the great stone walls, which was created after the castle was abandoned. However, the emperor was treated as Arahitogami or a Living God until the World War II. That’s probably why people in Nobeoka enforced the stone to avoid any accidents.

This picture shows the corner base stone clearly *(licensed by ja:User:Sanjo via Wikimedia Commons)*

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

57.Sasayama Castle Part1

One of the castles which were built to surround Osaka Castle

Location and History

Tanba, Important Province for Rulers

Sasayama Castle was located in modern day Tanba-Sasayama City, in Hyogo Prefecture. Hyogo is a large prefecture which covers the western part of the Kansai Region. However, the castle was located at that time in Tanba Province which is much smaller than Hyogo Prefecture but was located in mountain areas just behind the northwest of Kyoto, the previous capital of Japan. That meant governing Tanba Province was very important to protect Kyoto and monitor if the lords in western Japan would do something effective to the central political circles.

The range of Tanba Province and the location of the castle

Castle construction is ordered by Shogunate

Ieyasu Tokugawa defeated Mitsunari Ishida supporting the Toyotomi Clan in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and established the Tokugawa Shogunate by becoming the shogun in 1603. However, the situation was still unstable because the Toyotomi Clan was still living in Osaka Castle, which was uncontrollable by the shogunate. In addition, there were many lords in western Japan, who were in favor of the Toyotomi Clan and might have been against the shogunate in the future. The response of Ieyasu to the situation was to build several strong castles around Osaka Castle to contain the Toyotomi Clan and divide the Toyotomi Clan and its favors. They are known as Nagoya, Iga-Ueno, Hikone, Zeze, Nijo in Kyoto, Kameyama and Sasayama Castles. These castles were built as the construction orders by the shogunate, which made lords including the Toyotomi Clan favors join at their own expenses. The side effects of the constructions were to reduce the lords’ money and force them to give up their rebellious split to be against the shogunate by showing the strong network of the castles.

The Portrait of Ieyasu Tokugawa, attributed to Tanyu Kano, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The network of the castles around Osaka Castle, which Ieyasu built

The construction of Sasayama Castle launched in 1603, which was instructed by Terumasa Ikeda who was the lord of Himeji Castle, with the help of 20 lords from 15 provinces and was designed by Takatora Todo who was considered as a master of castle constructions. The castle was built on a hill called Sasayama, in the Sasayama Basin. The main portion of the castle was on the hill, using the natural terrain and building high stone walls over the hill. Other than that, the castle had simple flat square enclosures and double water moats surrounding it. That designs made it easier to build the castle, but it would made it weaker to protect the castle instead.

The Portrait of Terumasa Ikeda, owned by Tottori prefectural art museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

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

The main portion of Sasayama Castle, from the miniature model of the castle, exhibited by the historical museum in the Large Study Hall of Sasayama Castle

The castle was surrounded by the double water moats, from the miniature model of the castle, same as above

Castle is designed by Takatora Todo

To prevent enemies from attacking it easily, Takatora designed the castle’s entrances to be strictly protected using the Masugata system. The Masugata refers to a defensive square space which was surrounded by gates and stone walls where enemies would be locked out. Another defensive system that Takatora designed was the Umadashi. It refers to a square enclosure sticking out from the entrance connected by a narrow path among the moat. The enclosure had another moat in front of it, so its entrances were at both sides where the defenders could counterattack from them. Takatora established these structures in his own Imabari Castle which was completed in 1604.

The Umadashi and Masugata systems at the Main Gate of Sasayama Castle, from the miniature model of the castle, same as above

The Masugata system of Imabari Castle, from the signboard at the site

Main Tower is not built

On the other hand, Sasayama Castle didn’t have its Main Tower in the Main Enclosure on the top. In fact, the stone wall base for the tower was built, however, the tower was not built. This was because the shogunate determined the castle would not need it as it would be enough to protect the castle without it. Another reason was that the lords working for the construction also needed to move to the another site for Nagoya Castle. That’s why Sasayama Castle was completed after only a half year of construction. Instead, several turrets were built in the Main Enclosure and the Main Hall for the lord was built in the Second Enclosure, which constituted the main portion of the castle.

The stone wall base for the Main Tower of Sasayama Castle

The Main Enclosure of Sasayama Castle, where its Main Tower was not built, from the miniature model of the castle, same as above

The Large Study Hall, the restored building of the Main Hall in the Second Enclosure of Sasayama Castle

The castle was first owned by Yasushige Matsudaira, a relative of Ieyasu Tokugawa. After the shogunate defeated the Toyotomi Clan in 1615, several hereditary feudal lords followed the castle to monitor non-hereditary feudal lords in western Japan as the Sasayama Domain, such as the Aoyama Clan which governed the area until the end of the Edo Period.

The portrait of Yasushige Matsudaira (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

A general view of Sasayama Castle, from the signboard at the site

To be continued in “Sasayama Castle Part2”