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.
Home base of Ieyasu Tokugawa after his independence
Hamamatsu Castle was located in the center of Totoumi Province, which is now Hamamatsu City in the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture. The castle is known for the place where young Ieyasu Tokugawa, who would be the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, lived. This is one of the reasons why the castle is also called “Shusse Castle” which literally means “Success Castle”. The former Hamamatsu Castle was called Hikuma Castle which was built on a hill near the branch of Tenryu-gawa River. It is uncertain who first built it around the 15th Century. In the first 16th Century during the Sengoku Period, the Imagawa Clan, a great warlord which was based in Suruga Province (now the central part of Shizuoka Prefecture) owned the castle.
The range of Totomi Province and the location of the castle
The Portrait of Ieyasu Tokugawa, attributed to Tanyu Kano, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Ieyasu was originally based in Mikawa Province, the west of Totoumi, and worked under the Imagawa Clan. When the power of Imagawa decreased, Ieyasu got independent and aimed to invade Totoumi Province. In 1568, he succeeded in capturing Hikuma Castle to govern the province. However, this castle was not enough for Ieyasu, as he needed to prepare for possible battles with the Takeda Clan who invaded Suruga Province next to Totoumi. Ieyasu extended the castle to another hill in the west direction, renaming it Hamamatsu Castle. Hamamatsu Castle had several enclosures on the hill, and the old Hikema Castle became part of it. It is thought that these enclosures were made of soil with shingle-roofed buildings in them. This was because Ieyasu still didn’t have advanced techniques and craftsmen for building castles like Azuchi Castle which belonged to Nobunaga Oda, Ieyasu’s ally.
The relief map around the castle
The imaginary drawing of Hamamatsu Castle in Ieyasu’s periodThe imaginary drawing of Azuchi Castle, exhibited by Gifu Castle Museum
One of Battlefields for Battle of Mikatagahara
The most impressive event for Ieyasu living in Hamamatsu Castle was the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1573. Shingen Takeda, one of the greatest warlords, invaded the territories of Ieyasu and Nobunaga and captured several Ieyasu’s branch castles such as Futamata Castle. Shingen lured Ieyasu in the castle to the field of Mikatagahara by demonstrating his troops around the castle. Ieyasu fell into Shingen’s trap and was totally defeated. He could somehow turn back to Hamamatsu Castle to survive. Shingen’s troops eventually withdrew after he died of disease in the next year. There have been some traditions about Ieyasu’s actions after his defeat. One says Ieyasu made the castle’s gates open when Shingen’s troops pursued. The troops doubted it and they thought it might be a trap, then withdrew. Another says Ieyasu made a fabric bridge over a deep valley called Saigagake and counterattacked Shingen’s troops to make them fall into the valley. However, it is unclear whether they really happened or not.
The portrait of Shingen Takeda, owned by Jimyo-in, in the 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The diorama of Ieyasu’s troops withdrawing from the battlefield. exhibited by the Saigagake MuseumThe Saigagake Valley Ruins
Yoshiharu Horio improves Castle
After Ieyasu was transferred to Edo Castle (located in now Tokyo) by the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyoyomi in 1590, Yoshiharu Horio, who worked under Hideyoshi, governed the castle. He improved the castle by building stone walls and the Main Tower in the Main Tower Enclosure on the top. The remaining stone walls and stone wall base for the tower were built by him. However, it is quite unknown what the Main Tower looked like because there is no record for it. Only some roof tiles and the well for the tower were excavated. Historians speculate the tower might have looked like the remaining Main Tower of Matsue Castle which was built by the Horio Clan after they were transferred from Hamamatsu in 1600. Both stone wall bases for the towers were similar, so the clan might have used the design plans of Hamamatsu Castle when they built Matsue Castle.
The portrait of Yoshiharu Horio, owned by Shunkoin Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The imaginary drawing of Hamamatsu Castle in Yoshiharu’s periodThe Main Tower of Matsue Castle
Promotional track for hereditary feudal lords
Ieyasu got the power and founded the Tokugawa Shogunate at the beginning of the 17th Century. Since then, Hamamatsu Castle had been owned by nine hereditary feudal lord families during the Edo Period. The lords of the castle were often promoted to important roles of the shogunate such as a shogun’s council of elders. This is another reason the castle is called “the Success Castle”. For example, Tadakuni Mizuno, the lord of Karatsu Castle in the first 19th Century, applied to be the lord of Hamamatsu Castle. As a result, he succeeded to both owning the castle and imposing the Tenpo Reforms as the head of the shogun’s council of elders. As for the castle itself, the main tower had eventually been lost, only the Main Tower Gate remained on the top as the symbol of the castle. The center of it was moved to the Second Enclosure beside the hill, which had the Main Hall for the lord to govern the Hamamatsu Domain around the castle.
The portrait of Tadakuni Mizuno, owned by Tokyo Metropolitan University (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)Karatsu CastleThe imaginary drawing of Hamamatsu Castle in the Edo Period
