We will finally visit the remaining Main Hall in the main enclosure. It is one of the four remaining halls for exiting castles in Japan, which is very rare and valuable. In the case of Kawagoe Castle, two parts of its hall remain, its entrance and the office for the senior vassals.
Features
We will finally visit the remaining Main Hall in the main enclosure. It is one of the four remaining halls for exiting castles in Japan, which is very rare and valuable. In the case of Kawagoe Castle, two parts of its hall remain, its entrance and the office for the senior vassals. The entrance part has the main and side entrances.
The Main Hall in the main enclosure (the main entrance)The side entrance called Naka-no-kuchi
From Main Entrance to Hiroma Room
Visitors usually enter the main one which has a luxurious decoration. It also has Hiroma (meaning large room),several waiting rooms for messengers, and officers’ rooms.
The main entranceThe decorations of its roofThe interior of the entranceThe layout of the current Main Hall, the entrance part is below and the senior vassals’ office is above, from the signboard at the site
The Hiroma is the first room after entering, which is the largest with an alcove and paintings on ceder-board doors as the hall’s face. An interest thing about the room is that you can see lots of traces of volleyballs on its ceiling. This is because the room was once used as the gym of a school.
The interior of the Hiroma roomThe paintings on ceder-board doorsThe traces of volleyballs on the ceilingThe corridor in front of the roomsA waiting room for the messengers
Office for Senior Vassals
The senior vassals’ office was originally built at a different position, moved to another site and finally returned to the current position. In the back room, three vassals’ figures show they are discussing the matter of Shinagawa Batteries which the Kawagoe Domain was in charge of to guard Edo Bay.
The layout of the original Main Hall, the senior vassals’ office (marked by the red lines above) was little far from the entrance part (marked by the red lines below), from the signboard at the siteA view of the officeThe interior of the officeThe figures are discussing in the back roomThe drawing they are looking at seems to be about Shinagawa BatteriesThe remaining No.3 Shinagawa Battery
Later History
After the Meiji Restoration, Kawagoe Castle was abandoned and all the castle buildings excluding the Main Hall were demolished. Most of the castle area was turned into the city area by destroying the earthen walls and filling the water moats. The remaining Main Hall was first turned into the prefectural office. After that, it changed to a public hall, a factory building, a martial arts hall, and finally a school building or gym. Its remaining part might have been reduced during the diversions. However, Saitama Prefecture designated the hall as a prefectural cultural property in 1967. Kawagoe City planed the development of the park around the castle and is carrying out it one by one.
The area around the Main Hall has recently been developed in a good conditionMiyoshino Shrine, which is located next to the main enclosure, has remained since the Edo Period
My Impression
I think there was no other way than using the castle area to develop the modern city area. That’s why Kawagoe City still prospers with commerce, agriculture, industries, and tourism. On the other hand, I am also pleased to see the volleyball traces on the remaining Main Hall. I imagine if there was a similar case to use an old hall as a gym, it could be replaced with a new building. I also guess locals in Kawagoe wanted to somehow maintain the hall no matter how it was used.
the street with Kura storehouses of KawagoeThe ceiling of the Hiroma room of the Main Hall
How to get There
If you want to visit there by car, it is about a 15-minute drive away from Kawagoe IC on the Kanetsu Expressway. There are several parking lots around the main enclosure. By public transportation, take the Co-Edo Loop Bus from JR Kawagoe Station or Tobu Hon-Kawagoe Station and get off at the Honmaru-Goten bus stop.
Kawagoe Castle was located in modern day Kawagoe City of Saitama Prefecture at the central part of the Kanto Region. Its former castle town is known as the street with many Kura storehouses and named as a little Edo, which attracts many tourists. The castle and town were developed with a deep relationship with Edo City (the current Tokyo), the shogun’s capital.
Location and History
Kawagoe Castle was located in modern day Kawagoe City of Saitama Prefecture at the central part of the Kanto Region. The city is known as the street with many Kura storehouses and named as a little Edo, which attracts many tourists. In fact, the streets were mostly rebuilt after Kawagoe Great Fire in 1893 of the Meiji Era, not during the Edo Period. However, the city area originates from the castle town of Kawagoe Castle. In addition, the castle and town were developed with a deep relationship with Edo City (the current Tokyo), the shogun’s capital.
The range of Kawagoe City and the location of the castle
The Osawa Clan’s residence, the originator of the Kura storehouses, which survived the great fire and was followed by the others Toki-no-kane (time bell tower) of Kawagoe
Dokan Ota builds Castle
The Kawagoe area is surrounded by curved Iruma River in three directions, the north, east and west. That’s why the city’s name may come from the place you need to go over (Goe) the river (Kawa). The first lord family of the area is said to be the Kawagoe Clan which lived in the western riverside of the Iruma River between the 12th and 14th Centuries. The clan’s residence was still not located in the later Kawagoe Castle. The castle was first built in 1457 by Dokan Ota who was a senior vassal of the Ogigayatsu Uesugi Clan. The clan had been fighting against the Ashikaga Clan since 1455, together with the relative Yamanouchi Uesugi Clan. They confronted at Tone River, the largest river in the Kanto Region. The Uesugi Clans took their positions at the western side of the river, that’s why they needed several new castles behind the river. Kawagoe Castle was one of the three major ones, followed by Edo and Iwatsuki Castles.
The map around the castle
The ruins of the Kawagoe Clan’s residenceThe copy of the sitting statue of Dokan Ota, exhibited by Kawagoe City MuseumPart of “View of Edo” left screen. pair of six-panel folding screens, in the 17th century, owned by National Museum of Japanese History (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Stage of Night Battle of Kawagoe
Kawagoe Castle eventually became the home of the Ogikayatsu Uesugi Clan. When the clan had an internal conflict with the Yamanouchi Uesugi Clan during the beginning of the 16th Century, the castle became the frontline of the battle. This was because the Yamanouchi Uesugi Clan reused the former Kawagoe Clan’s residence as its encampment across the Iruma River. During their internal fighting, the Hojo Clan invaded the Kanto Region and finally captured Kawagoe Castle in 1537. Both Uesugi Clans noticed their crisis and made peace with each other to get the castle back. The clans’ large troops surrounded the castle which was owned by Tsunanari Hojo in October of 1545.
The ruins of the moats the Yamanouchi-Uesugi Clan built at the former Kawagoe Clan’s residence
The castle was still small at that time and located at the edge of Musashino Plateau with few enclosures made of soil. However, it was protected by natural waterlogged areas around the Iruma River in three directions, the north, south and east. It was thought that artificial ditches and moats were built in the other direction and around the castle. In April of 1546, Ujiyasu Hojo, the lord of the clan reinforced the castle. He announced that he and the castle would surrender to the Uesugi Clans, which threw them off their guard. On 20th of April, Ujiyasu started a night attack against the Uesugi Clans, which was called the Night Battle of Kawagoe. A severe battle happened at Tomyoji Temple, just about 800m away from the center of the castle. That resulted in the Hojo’s hegemony and the Uesugi’s destruction in the region.
The relief map around the castle, the slight elevation around Shingashi RIver is the Musashino Plateau
Isanuma Marsh, located in the east of the castle ruins, around the castle may have been like this in the pastThe current Tomyoji TempleThe portrait of Ujityasu Hojo, owned by Odawara Castle (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Place to Stay for Shoguns
The region was owned by the Tokugawa Clan at the end of the 16th Century and the Tokugawa Shogunate was established in 1603. Edo Castle became the shogun’s home, so Kawagoe Castle became an important defense for Edo Castle to the north. That’s why the Sakai Clan, which was trusted by the shoguns, became the lords of Kawagoe Castle. Oher than that, the 1st shogun (Ieyasu) and the 3rd shogun (Iemitsu) often stayed in Kawagoe Castle when they went hunting. There was an episode which indicated their relationship with Kawagoe as following. The Kitain Temple in Kawagoe was re-established by Priest Tenkai who was also trusted by the shoguns in 1599. However, it was burned down by a great fire in 1638. The shogun, Iemitsu ordered to immediately restore the temple, offering some Edo Castle’s buildings including his birth room and his foster mother, Lady Kasuga’s make-up room. They are remaining in the temple.
The main enclosure of Kawagoe Castle drawn in “View of Edo”, the buildings inside seem to have been the shogun’s loggings, exhibited by National Museum of Japanese HistoriesThe portrait of Iemitsu Tokugawa, owned by Kinzanji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)Kitain Temple (its multi-treasure pagoda)The buildings of the former Edo Castle Main Hall, remaining in the temple
Important Defense and Satellite City for Edo
The castle and the area around were followed by several other hereditary vassals of the shoguns as the Kawagoe Domain. Some of them became members of the shogun’s council of elders in the central government. One of them, Nobutsuna Matsudaira improved the castle. He doubled the castle’s range by building new enclosures, turrets and gates. However, the castle was still basically made of soil without the Main Tower, which looked like a group of halls. To prevent enemies from invading, complex routes were built with earthen walls, mud walls, and water moats, instead of high stone walls and turrets in other castles. The castle town was also developed with Kawagoe Road, Shingashi River as waterways, and agricultural land. As a result, the town prospered by providing their products, such as Somen noodles, silk goods, and Kawagoe sweet potatoes which is still popular, to Edo City which was already one of the largest cities in the world.
The miniature model of Kawagoe Castle after the improvement, the Kitain Temple is over there, exhibited by Kawagoe City MuseumKawagoe sweet potatoes
The center of the castle was the Main Hall in the second enclosure. While the main enclosure had been used as the loggings for the shoguns it was abandoned for sometime. After the Main Hall was burned down in 1846, the Kawagoe Domain decided to rebuild the hall in the main enclosure. Although the domain was facing huge financial problems due to being in charge of the coast guard of Edo Bay against possible invasions form the Western ships, the hall was completed in 1848 thanks to lots of additional taxes and donations from locals.
The second enclosure of Kawagoe Castle drawn in “View of Edo”, exhibited by National Museum of Japanese HistoriesThe remaininng Main Hall of Kawagoe Castle
