Hitoyoshi castle – 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.
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93.Hitoyoshi Castle Part3

A big event for the Hitoyoshi area happened in 1877, when a hero of the restoration, Takamori Saigo started a rebellion against the government known as the Seinan War.

Features

Climbing to Moutain part

Next comes the hill area of the castle, which probably has existed since the first stage of it, but was modernized with stone walls in the later stage. There are no buildings but the foundations remain. You will climb the ruins of Oshita-mon or the Lower Gate which was the only entrance to the Third, Second, and Main Enclosures. You will need to climb wide stone steps and then turn right and walk around below the edge of the hill, where the defenders on the hill must have attacked enemies in the past.

The map around the castle

Enemies must have been attacked from above

You will first be in the Third Enclosure which widely covers the edge of the hill. The enclosure has mostly been made of soil and a square since the castle was active. It may be a good viewing spot of the Hitoyoshi city area.

A view of the city area from the Third Enclosure

Going to Second and Main Enclosures

The Second Enclosure is higher than the Third Enclosure and surrounded by stone walls with two ruins of defensive gates, Nakano-gomon and Uzumi-gomon. This is because there was another Main Hall for the lord which had been considered as the center of the castle before the Mitachi hall was built below the hill.

The Second Enclosure seen from the Third Enclosure

The Main Enclosure is the highest enclosure of the castle, but it is small and had no Main Tower. Instead, this enclosure seemed to be used as a religious spot of the Sagara Clan. Its stone steps and foundations have become curved which make us feel its long history.

The stone steps and foundations have become curved

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Hitoyoshi Castle was abandoned and all the castle buildings were sold or demolished. Only one gate of the Main Hall, called Horiai-mon, was move to the residence of a senior vassal, the Shingu Clan and remains. A big event for the Hitoyoshi area happened in 1877, when a hero of the restoration, Takamori Saigo started a rebellion against the government known as the Seinan War. His troops started an attack on Kumamoto Castle from the south in Kagoshima, while many warriors of Hitoyoshi also joined the Saigo’s side as the Hitoyoshi Party. However, they failed to capture Kumamoto Castle and withdrew to the Hitoyoshi area. The party suggested for Saigo to go there because the area has natural defenses, surrounded by mountains.

*The portrait of Takamori Saigo by* **Edoardo Chiossone** *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons*)

Saigo’s headquarters was at the Eikokuji Temple in the area and his staff stayed in the Shingu Clan’s residence. They thought they would be able to hold the area for a long period of time, but the response of the government army was prompt. A gun battle occurred between the army in the north and the Saigo troops in the south, binding the Kumagawa River. The Saigo troops shot from around the Third Enclosure of Hitoyoshi Castle on the hill, however, the shot did not reach the enemy because their guns were outdated. As a result, Saigo withdrew again to other places and was eventually defeated at Kagoshima Castle, his home base. The Hitoyoshi Party surrendered before then.

The map aound the castle

The Third Enclosure of hitoyoshi Castle, where the Saigo troops set their butteries

As castle ruins, they have been developed as Hitoyoshi Castle Park and were designated as a National Historic Site in 1961. Some castle buildings at the riverside, such as Sumi-Yagura or the Corner Turret and Otemon-waki-Tamon Yagura or the row-style turret beside the Main Gate, were recently restored. The Hitoyoshi Castle History Museum opened in 2005 but is currently closed as mentioned in the previous section.

The closed Hitoyoshi Castle History Museum

My Impression

I was very impressed by the great view of Hitoyoshi Castle Ruins with a large stream of the Kumagawa River. I understood nature could provide not only good things like the terrain for the castle but also bad things like disasters. I really hope that the castle ruins will be completely repaired soon and would like to visit their again so that I will be looking forward to seeing the mysterious basement in the museum and walking over the castle ruins to see larger area of the first stage of the castle.

The panorama view of Hitoyoshi Castle Ruins from a bridge over the Kumagawa River

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle ruins by car, it is about a 10-minute drive away from Hitoyoshi IC on the Kyushu Expressway. There is a parking lot for visitors in the castle ruins.
If you want to use public transportation, it takes about 20 minutes on foot to get there form JR Hitoyoshi Station.
From Tokyo or Osaka to Hitoyoshi Station: Get an express bus from Kagoshima Airport or Sin-Yatsushiro Station of the Kyushu Shinkansen super express, get off at the Hitoyoshi IC bus stop, and transfer to the Sanko bus bound for the station.

Links and References

・Hitoyoshi Tourist Information, Hitoyoshi City

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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.

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”
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