Ieyasu Tokugawa – ページ 9 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

59.Himeji Castle Part4

Castles are trying to survive into the future.

Features (West Enclosure)

The West Enclosure is located on Sagiyama mountain, the southwest of the Main Towers. It was lastly improved by Tadamasa Honda, when he was married to Senhime, the daughter of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The enclosure has large space and the Roofed Passage Turret where you can enter. You can also see equipment for battles such as machicolations as well as rooms for women who might have served Senhime. The view of the Main Towers from this enclosure looks very elegant.

Leaflet, © OpenStreetMap contributors

The map around the castle

The Roofed Passage Turret on the West Enclosure

The Main Tower can be seen from the West Enclosure

My Impression

I think Himeji Castle looks much better with surrounded by natural terrain. For example, the Main Tower buildings are beautiful by themselves, but the buildings could be more beautiful with the mountain and the natural materials from which the towers were originally built.

The picture of only the Main Tower building

A beautiful scenery of the combination of the Main Tower and nature materials

In addition, when I visited the castle in 2013, I had a unique experience. The castle was undergoing repairs under The Heisei Great Repairs. The Large Main Tower was hidden behind construction covering. However, visitors could enter the construction site to see the tower close-up. I saw the roof top of the tower being painted with thick plaster among the roof tiles. The thickness of the plaster at the castle is 3cm, which is thicker than the past. This is to protect against the harsh weather. Even now, castles are trying to survive into the future.

The construction covering of the Heisei Great Repairs

The roof top of the tower that can be seen close-up

How to get There

If you want to visit by car: It takes about 15 minutes from the Hanada IC or Tohori Ramp on the Bantan renraku Road. The are several parking lots around the castle.
From Himeji Station: Take the Himeji Castle Loop Bus from the Himeji-ekimae stop in front of the north exit of the station and get off at the Himeji-jo Otemon-mae stop. Or it takes about 20 minutes on foot from the station.

Links and References

・Himeji Castle Official Website

That’s all.
Back to “Himeji Castle Part1”
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149.Komakiyama Castle Part3

The mountain and ruins protected by the Tokugawa Clan

Later History

After the battle in 1584, Komakiyama Castle was abandoned again. In the beginning of the Edo Period, parts of the huge stones were taken away for the construction of Nagoya Castle. You can see one stone which was divided but was not used in the construction. During the Edo Period, the Tokugawa Clan banned people from entering Mt. Komakiyama, because the place was the site of the ruins of their founder Ieyasu’s victory and fortune. For many years during the Modern Times, the mountain was privately owned by the Tokugawa Clan. It is said that it made the foundation of the castle very durable. The ruins were designated as a National Historic Site in 1927 after the Tokugawa Clan donated the mountain to the nation.

The stone which was divided but was not used in the construction for Nagoya Castle

The cross section of the earthen walls at the north entrance

My Impression

It was believed previously, that Komakiyama Castle was just a temporary position for Nobunaga to plan his next step. However, the achievement of the recent excavation made people change their ideas about the castle. I was actually surprised to see the remains of the huge stones and learned they came from Nobunaga’s ideas about castle building. I am looking forward to seeing new discoveries and studies in the future.

The remaining huge stones on the mountain

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 10 minutes away from Komaki IC on Tomei Expressway.
There are several parking lots around the mountain including the Komaki City Hall.
By train, it takes about 30 minutes on foot from Komaki Station on Meitetsu Komaki Line.
To get to Komaki Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen Super Express, get off at Nagoya Station, transfer to the Higashiyama Subway Line, transfer at Sakae Station to the Meijo Subway Line, and transfer at Heandori Station to Meitetsu Komaki Line.

Links and References

・Komakiyama, Komaki Civic Cultural Foundation

That’s all.
Back to “Komakiyama Castle Part1”
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149.Komakiyama Castle Part2

You can see the legacies of Nobunaga and Ieyasu

Features

Mountain and Castle surrounded by Earthen Walls

Now we can still see Mt. Komakiyama covered with the green of the plants noticeable on the plain area. The building on the top is the Komaki City History Museum which looks like a Main Tower. Komaki City has been developing the whole of the mountain as a historical park. The city opened Komakiyama Castle Historical Site Information Center at the foot in 2019.

A view of Mt. Komakiyama from the city area

Leaflet|国土地理院

The aerial photo around the castle

When you get close to the mountain, you can find earthen walls and dry moats surrounding it. They were made by Ieyasu Tokugawa when the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute happened in 1584. From the Miyukibashi Entrance of the eastern side, you can enter the park across the wooden bridge through the alternate earthen walls. The bridge is not original but was built just for tourists to enter the park easily. Inside the walls, there are plain enclosures which were used for the houses of Nobunaga and his retainers, and also used as military posts of Ieyasu’s troops.

The mountain surrounded by the earthen walls

Main Road similar to Azuchi Castle

From the Main Entrance of the southern side, you can walk up the Main Route, which Nobunaga originally created, to the mountain. The route goes up straight to the mid-slope of the mountain and becomes zigzagged in the upper part. This formation is very similar to that of Azuchi Castle which was Nobunaga’s last home base. This meant he had his own ideas about building castles from an early age.

*The Main Route of Azuchi Castle* (above the mid slope)

Remaining Huge Stones and Stone Walls on Mountain

The Komaki City History Museum is on the top of the mountain where the Main Enclosure was. Around the top, you can see several huge stones lying down. In fact, these stones originally were built in the stone walls surrounding the Main Enclosure. Part of the stone walls still remain, and they were thought to be built by Ieyasu, not Nobunaga. However, the recent excavation found out that Nobunaga built these stone walls using huge stones. They were made into three tiers to demonstrate his authority. They are now recognized as a very early example of stone walls for a castle built in Nobunaga’s unique way.

The Komaki City History Museum *(licensed by Bariston via Wikimedia Commons)*

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