Maruoka Castle was located in the northern part of Echizen Province, which is now Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture. The castle has one of the twelve remaining Main Towers in Japan. The castle was first built in 1576 during the Sengoku Period by Katsutoyo Shibata when his relative, Katsuie Shibata owned the province. After the Shibata Clan was defeated by Hideyoshi Hashiba in 1583, several clans such as the Matsudaira Clan owned the castle. The details of the early history of the castle are uncertain, but it is thought that it had the first Main Tower from that period. This is because the remaining stone wall base for the first Main Tower is older than the present Main Tower.
The location of the castle
The remaining Main Tower of Maruoka CastleThe stone wall base for the Main Tower
Narishige Honda becomes independent as Maruoka Domain
In 1624, Narishige Honda who was a senior vassal of the Matsudaira Clan became an independent lord of Maruoka Castle as the founder of the Maruoka Domain. He started to renovate the castle, including rebuilding of the present Main Tower. The renovation was completed in the period of Narishige’s son.
The illustration of Narishige Honda (in the left, the right one is his father, Shigetsugu Honda), exhibited in the Main Tower
The Main Enclosure with the Main Tower was on a hill. The Second Enclosure with the Ninomaru Main Hall was on a flat area beside the Main Enclosure. These enclosures were surrounded by the Inner Moat like a pentagon. It is said that the shape of the moat was meant to make enemies confused when they would attack the castle. In addition, the Third Enclosure with the warriors’ houses and the Outer Moat surrounded the Inner Moat.
The miniature model of Maruoka Castle, the Main Enclosure on the left, the Second Enclosure on the rightPart of the illustration of Maruoka Castle in Echizen Province, in the Edo Period, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan
Arima Clan governs Castle until end of Edo Period
In 1695, the Honda Clan was fired by the Tokugawa Shogunate due to the clan’s internal trouble. As a result, the Arima Clan became the lord of Maruoka Castle and the Maruoka Domain. The clan maintained the castle and governed the domain until the end of the Edo Period.
The family crest of the Arima Clan called the Arima Gourd (licensed by Fraxinus2 via Wikimedia Commons)
Fukui Castle was located in what is now Fukui City, the prefectural capital of Fukui Prefecture. The name of the city originates from this castle. However, the castle was originally named Kitanosho Castle (Kitanosho means like the Northern Manor). Katsuie Shibata under a great warlord, Nobunaga Oda, first built the castle in 1575 when they conquered Echizen Province (now part of Fukui Prefecture).
The location of the castle
The portrait of Katsuie Shibata, from the signboard at the site
When Hideyoshi Hashiba, who would become the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, attacked the castle in 1583, he wrote in his letter that the castle had a nine-leveled Main Tower. It’s quite uncertain if the castle really had the nine-leveled Main Tower because the word nine-leveled also means just “have many levels” in Japanese. Katsuie was unfortunately defeated by Hideyoshi, while Kitanosho Castle was burned and destroyed.
The Portrait of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, attributed to Mitsunobu Kano, owned by Kodaiji Temple, licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia CommonsThe imaginary drawing of the first Kitanosho Castle, from the signboard at the site
Hideyasu Yuki rebuilds it as Lord of large domain
In 1601, Hideyasu Yuki, the son of the final ruler, Ieyasu Tokugawa, rebuilt Kitanosho Castle as the founder of the Kitanosho Domain. Hideyasu was a big brother of Ieyasu’s successor, Hidetada Tokugawa, but he was sent to Hideyoshi, and the Yuki Clan later to be adopted. It could be because he was not loved by his father, Ieyasu. However, Hideyasu was distinguished in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 before his father became the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Ieyasu finally accepted Hideyasu and allowed him to have a large role in the shogunate. Hideyasu became a lord who had the second largest territory excluding the shogun in Japan with 750,000 kokus of rice. He was also allowed to use the family name “Matsudaira” which means the relatives of the shogun. Echizen Province was very important spot for the shogunate to be near Kyoto, the capital of Japan, and next to the owners of the largest territory, the Maeda Clan.
The statue of Hideyasu Yuki at the ruins of Fukui CastleThe Portrait of Ieyasu Tokugawa, attributed to Tanyu Kano, owned by Osaka Castle Museum, licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
It is said that Hideyasu’s father, Ieyasu designed part of the layout of Kitanosho castle. The Main Enclosure was the center of the castle, which had the four-leveled Main Tower and the Main Hall and was surrounded by the stone walls and the Inner Moat. The Second Enclosure, the Third Enclosure, and the Outbound Enclosure were built around the center concentrically. These enclosures were divided by the water moats. As a result, the castle was surrounded by quadruple or quintuple water moats. The castle had over 10 turrets and 40 gates. The size of the castle reached about 2km square.
The imaginary drawing of the Main Enclosure of Fukui Castle, from the signboard at the siteThe range of Fukui Castle in the Edo Period shown on the present map, from the signboard at the site
Echizen-Matsudaira Clan prospers
The castle was completed in 1606 after Hideyasu died in 1604. The Matsudaira Clan, renamed from the Yuki Clan governed the castle and domain until the end of the Edo Period, while the name of the castle and domain were changed from Kitanosho to Fukui by the third lord, Tadamasa. The Main Tower was unfortunately burned down by a fire in 1669 and not restored. The 14th lord, Shungaku Matsudaira was active in the central government during the end of the Edo Period and the Meiji Restoration.
The portrait of Tadamasa Matsudaira, exhibited by Fukui City History Museum, licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia CommonsThe photo of Shungaku Matsudaira, owned by Fukui City History Museum, licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
In addition, Hideyasu’s descendants prospered greatly. The branch families which started from Hideyasu’s sons became the lords of several castles by the end of the Edo Period, such as Tsuyama Castle, Matsue Castle, Maebashi Castle and Akashi Castle. They are often called the Echizen-Matsudaira Clan including the lord of Fukui Castle. We can say Hideyasu’s efforts were rewarded good enough.
The castle started and ended with the Asakura Clan.
Location and History
Integration of Castle and Castle Town
Ichijodani Castle was located in Echizen Province (now Fukui Prefecture) which the Asakura Clan governed during the Sengoku Period. People usually consider this castle as a fortified city the Asakura Clan built. The city was integrated with a castle and castle town parts. Because of that, people at that time called the castle, just “Ichijodani”. People in the present time call it the Ichijodani Aasakura Clan Ruins.
The location of the castle
The Asakura Clan originally served the Shiba Clan, the family of the governor of Echizen Provence. Takakage Asakura was distinguished in the Onin War in Kyoto in the late 15th Century to support the Ashikaga Shogunate. As a result, the Shogunate assigned him the governor of Echizen Provence instead of the Shiba Clan. After that, the Asakura Clan governed the province over five generations for about 100 years. The clan chose a long narrow valley called Ichijodani as their home base, not the flat area called Fuchu which the Shiba Clan lived. The reason for the Aasakura Clan’s choice is thought that the clan had to continue fighting with the Shiba Clan and others like the Ikkoshu Sect.
The portrait of Takakage Asakura, owned by Shingetsuji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The relief map around the castle
The valley was about 3km long from the north to the south, and about 500m wide. It was protected by several mountain castles on the mountains in the eastern and western side of the valley. “Ichijo-dani Castle” was one such castle but provided a limited amount of protection. Both edges of the valley also had fortress entrances built using earthen walls and water moats called the Inbound Fortress Entrance and Outbound Fortress Entrance. The area between the entrances, where Ichijo-dani River flowed, was called the Inside of the Entrances. The castle town was built along the narrow area, including the Asakura Clan Hall, the warriors’ houses, the merchants and craftsmen area, and temples.
The entrance to “Ichijo-dani Castle” as a mountain castleThe Inbound Fortress EntranceThe Outbound Fortress EntranceThe miniature model of the castle town, exhibited by the Restored Town area
One of Largest City in Sengoku Period
Ichijodani greatly prospered. Echizen Province was basically wealthy and the Asakura Clan earned lots of profits from trading by ships. The clan also united with their relatives and retainers to prevent enemies, like the Ikkoshu Sect, from invading their territory. These made the people in Ichijodani rich. The hall of the clan was very similar to that of the shogun’s deputy in Kyoto and had a gorgeous Japanese garden. The clan accommodated many nobles, high priests, and intellectuals from Kyoto, which was devastated after the Onin War. Warriors played Japanese chess inside their houses and priests enjoyed tea ceremonies. Trading and production were actively done in the town. The population of Ichijo-dani was said to reach about 10,000. The city became one of the largest cities in Japan, sometimes called a Little Kyoto.
The miniature model of the Asakura Clan Hall, from the signboard at the siteThe gate of the Asakura Clan Hall Ruins
Destroyed by Nobunaga Oda
In 1567, Yoshiaki Ashikaga, who would be the last shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate, visited Yoshikage Asakura, the last lord of the clan, in Ichijodani. Yoshiaki asked Yoshikage to take Yoshiaki to Kyoto and defeat his enemies. Yoshikage rejected it, so Yoshiaki left Ichijodani and visited Nobunaga Oda in Owari Province (now part of Aichi Pref.). Nobunaga went to Kyoto with Yoshiaki who became the shogun in 1568. They ordered Yoshikage to go to Kyoto and serve them. Yoshikage rejected it again and finally became an enemy of the shogun in 1570. Nobunaga and Yoshikage fought against each other for three years. The unity of the Asakura Clan collapsed after the long battle. Yoshikage had to escape from Ichijo-dani and was defeated in the end. Nobunaga’s soldiers attacked Ichijodani without its master. The city burned for three days and ended its history in 1573. The castle was destroyed.
The seated statue of Yoshiaki Ashikaga, owned by Tojiin Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The portrait of Yoshikage Asakura, owned by Shingetsuji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The portrait of Nobunaga Oda, attributed to Soshu Kano, owned by Chokoji Temple, in the late 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
