Inari enclosure – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

162.Izushi Castle/Arikoyama Castle Part3

Next comes Izushi Castle Ruins. Visitors usually first go across Tojo-bashi Bridge over Taniyama-gawa River in front of the ruins and enter Tojo-mon Gate. You will climb gentle stone steps while seeing great stone walls of the Second Enclosure on the left.

Features

Easy Route to Izushi Castle Ruins

Next comes Izushi Castle Ruins which casual visitors can easily get to. The ruins consist of several tiered enclosures at the foot of the mountain. Visitors usually first go across Tojo-bashi (meaning the bridge for going to the castle) over Taniyama-gawa River in front of the ruins and enter Tojo-mon (meaning the gate for going to the castle). You will climb gentle stone steps while seeing great stone walls of the Second Enclosure on the left. The stones used for the walls look more processed and newer than those of Arikoyama Castle on the mountain, because of the difference of their periods. The enclosure is empty now, which was used as the domain’s offices.

The map around the castle

The stone walls of the second enclosure on the left

The main enclosure is above the second enclosure, which has two rebuilt turrets on both front corners (called the Eastern and Western Corner Turrets). Their designs are different from the original ones, but are made out of wood in a traditional way and look good matching the remaining stone walls.

The interior of the Western Corner Turrret, it is sometimes open to the public

There was the Main Hall in the enclosure, and is now Kannoden Shrine instead, which worships Hisahide Sengoku, the founder of the clan.

Inari Enclosure at Highest of Castle

The Inari Enclosure is at the highest of the castle. It also has the highest stone walls in the castle at 13.5m. This is very rare among Japanese castles as other castles’ main enclosures are usually at the highest and have the greatest stone walls in the castle. The Arikoyama Shrine building has been constructed in the Inari Enclosure since the early stage of the castle. The current building was rebuilt during the late Edo Period and looks very old.

The high stone walls of the Inari Enclosure on the right

Attractions of Castle Town

Part of the old castle town is the former third enclosure which had the Main, Eastern and Western Gates. You can still see the partially remaining stone walls of the Main and Western Gates there. You can also visit Karo Yashiki (meaning the Senior Vassal’s Residence) which is the only remaining Samurai residence in this area. It is interesting that it looks like a single-storied house, but in fact, it has a secret chamber as the second floor.

The map around the castle town

The hidden second floor of the residence, the host on the right can see who is coming from the steps on the left through the hole in the central wall

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Izushi Castle was abandoned and all the castle buildings were demolished in 1871. Instead, locals built a new drum tower called Shinkoro at the Main Gate in the same year. The tower was turned into a clock tower in 1881 and has become a symbol of the area. The area once declined because it deviated from a railway line. However, locals made great efforts to boost tourism by rebuilding castle buildings, promoting Izushi Soba noodles, Izushi Pottery which originated from the castle’s period, and so on. The area was also designated as a Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings in 2007. As a result, the area has become an attractive traditional town as we can see now.

Izushi Soba Noodles, they are usually served on a plate

My Impression

As a fact, visiting the Izushi area takes a lot of time no matter which transportation you take. However, lots of people often visit the area. That’s because there are many attractions including the two castle ruins of Izushi and Akikoyama. Other attractions also came from the long history of this area. In my case, I would like to visit that place again to get to the ruins of Konosumi-yama Castle which the Yamana Clan first lived and I didn’t know about during my last visit. Other than castles and ruins, I would also like to buy another Izushi Pottery which has white skin and engraved patterns.

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle ruins by car, it is about a 30-minute drive away from Wadayama IC on the Bantan Renkaku Road.
There are several parking lots around Izushi Castle Ruins.
By public transportation, you can take the Zentan bus bound for Izushi from JR Toyooka Station and get off at the final bus stop.
From Tokyo to Toyooka Station: take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Sanin Line at Kyoto Station.

The Toyooka Station, the bus terminal is around the center

That’s all. Thank you.
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16.Minowa Castle Part2

You can see how the castle was developed at the site.

Features

Older part of Castle

Today, the ruins of Minowa Castle have been well developed for visitors. If you have a car, you can park at some parking lots for the visitors beside the ruins. The main parking lot is the eastern foot of the hill where the castle was located. You can walk up from the parking lot to the ruins on a gentle winding slope which was actually the Back Route. You will first reach the Second Enclosure, part of the main portion of the castle.

The map around the castle

The main portion consists of the Second, Main and Gozen Enclosures from south to north. These enclosures are basically surrounded by thick earthen walls and divided by deep dry moats, which are the oldest part of the castle. If you walk into the Main Enclosure where the hall of the lord was built, you can now see the recently restored wooden bridge connecting to the western part of the castle.

The stone monument of the castle in the Main Enclosure

The wooden bridge connecting to the western part of the castle

The earthen walls of the Main Enclosure and the dry moat beside it

If you go further, you will reach the Gozen Enclosure, the last part of the Nagano Clan. There is the well in the enclosure, which was discovered in 1927, where many memorial tablets of the clan were found from the bottom. That meant the episode when the clan had been defeated may have been confirmed.

The well where many memorial tablets of the clan were found

Vast Dry Moat

You can walk down the steep trail on the northern edge of the Gozen Enclosure to the bottom of the dry moat. If you turn right to the east, you will reach the Inari Enclosure that Naomasa Ii built. This enclosure had a water moat on the side in the past.

Walking down from the Gozen Enclosure to the bottom of the dry moat

The bottom of the dry moat beside the Gozen Enclosure

The Inari Enclosure and the former water moat beside it

If you turn left to the west, you can walk around the bottom and see how large and deep the moat is. You can also see the older stone walls surrounding the Gozen Enclosure, which the Nagano Clan might have built. If you go further to the south, you will arrive at the Second Enclosure.

The remaining stone walls under the Gozen Enclosure

Going back to the Second Enclosure through under the wooden bridge

Umadashi System is developed later

The Second Enclosure was the pivot of offence and defense, where the three main routes to the castle are all together. Other than the Back Route from the east, the Main Route comes from the west and the other route comes from the south. In particular, a great artificial trench called O-Horikiri is dug in the southern side of the enclosure to prevent enemies’ attacks.

The stone walls under the earthen bridge over the trench

Only the narrow earthen bridge is over the trench, connecting to the southern route. Moreover, a square stronghold called Kaku-Umadashi is sticking out of the Second Enclosure through the bridge. The Umadasi system is a unique defense system which the Takeda and Tokugawa Clans often used. This system in Minowa Castle was probably developed by Takeda and completed by Naomasa under Tokugawa. The two-story turret gate called Kaku-umadashi Western Entrance Gate was recently restored based on the achievement of the excavation, which had been the symbol of the castle.

The square stronghold called Kaku-Umadashi

To be continued in “Minowa Castle Part3”
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25.Kofu Castle Part2

The great stone walls remain with restored castle buildings.

Features

The ruins of Kofu Castle is just close to Kofu Station. The ruins are the eastern part of the main portion, and the western part was turned into the city area such as the Yamanashi prefectural office. Moreover, the ruins are divided between north and south by the station and the railway. That’s why the station is so close.

The aerial photo around the castle

Restored Yamanote-mon Gate in North of Station

In the north, you can visit the Yamanote-mon Gate which was restored as the Kofu City Historic Park in 2007, using the original way. It is one of the three entrances of the castle, and the only one that we can see now. It has a typically gate style usually found in castles of the Edo Period called “Masugata”. The style has a square space inside sandwiched by two gate buildings facing different directions, which serves as defensive wall.

*The miniature model of the main portion of Kofu Castle, the front of the photo is the Yamanote-mon Gate (an exhibition in the Inari Turret)*

Center of Castle “Maizuru Castle Park” in South of Station

Crossing the railway through the station to the south, you will stand in front of the Inari Enclosure with the restored Inari Turret. This is where the entrance of Maizuru Castle Park is. Maizuru is a nickname of Kofu Castle, which comes from the castle looking like a flying crane in the past. You might think it’s the castle’s entrance, but you are already in the castle area for the reasons mentioned above. The turret is on the Inari Enclosure located on the northeast corner of the mid slope of the hill.

The map around the castle

You can see the center of the castle (Maizuru Castle Park) over the train line from around the Yamanote-mon Gate

The entrance of Maizuru Castle Park from the station

The restored Inari Turret (from the outside of the park)

The Inari Enclosure (inside the Inari Turret)

You can walk around the eastern side of hill to the south through the Sukiya Enclosure. You will eventually arrive at the Kaji Kuruwa at the southern foot of the hill. You can see the stone walls still cover the whole hill by the walk.

Going to Main Enclosure

Part of the Inner Moat remains only at the southern foot of the hill. There is a wooden bridge over the moat as the entrance of the park which was built in the present.

The only remaining part of the Inner Moat

You can walk up to the top of the hill through the zigzagged route surrounded by stone walls. The restored Kurogane-mon Gate is in front of the Main Enclosure where the main enclosure turret used to be located. There was also the Bishamon-do Hall built in Yanagisawa’s period which remains at another place in Kofu City called the Keko-in Temple.

The map around the castle

Mysterious Base for Main Tower and Great View

The stone wall base for the Main Tower remains next to the Main Enclosure. In fact, it is still uncertain if the base had a Main Tower or not. There has been no evidences for the tower such as drawings and other records, while ridge-end tiles with golden leaf and roof tiles with a clan’s family crest which might have been used for a Main Tower were found by excavations. Anyway, you should check out a great 360-degree view of Kofu City from the top of the base. The city in on the Kofu Basin which is all surrounded by the mountains. For example, You can see Mt. Fuji on the south and the South Alps on the west if the weather is fine.

The stone wall base for a Main Tower that can be seen from the inside Main Enclosure

A view in the south of the base (Mt. Fuji can slightly be seen )

*A view in the west of the base (the South Alps)*

*The stone wall base for a Main Tower that can be seen from the outside Inari Enclosure*

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