main enclosure – ページ 22 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

48.Matsusaka Castle Part3

The Main Tower Base even uses a stone sarcophagus.

Features

Main Enclosure, Center of Castle

The lower tier had many turrets as the pivot for defense. Though there are no buildings now, you can look down on the routes below the stone walls of the tier clearly.

The map around the castle

The ruins of Kane-no-yagura Turret at the lower tier of the Main Enclosure

A view of Matsusaka City Museum of History and Folklore from the ruins of Kane-no-maru Turret

The ruins of Tsukimi Turret at the lower tier of the Main Enclosure

A view of the Second Enclosure from the ruins of Tsukimi Turret

The upper tier had turrets, residences, and the Main Tower. The stone wall base for the tower remains in its original condition from when Ujisato Gamo first built the castle. It looks very old and you can see part of it is made using a stone sarcophagus. This shows the stones for the castle construction were collected rapidly. You can also see a nice city view with mountains behind, as this is the highest point of the castle.

The entrance of *the upper tier of the Main Enclosure*

The inside of the upper tier of the Main Enclosure

The stone sarcophagus used for the stone walls (in the front)

A view from the upper tier of the Main Enclosure

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Matsusaka Castle was abandoned and the castle buildings were demolished or burned. The main portion of the castle was turned into Matsusaka Park in 1881, while the other has become a city area. Matsusaka City, the former castle town, renovated the stone walls of the castle for as long as 16 years between 1988 and 2003. The city has also been researching the ruins as well. They were finally designated as a National Historic Site in 2011.

My Impression

Before my visit to Matsusaka Castle Ruins, I didn’t know much about Ujisato Gamo and the castle. In fact, I was still wondering why the local city has castle ruins with such great stone walls while visiting. However, after learning about who he was and the history of the castle, I understood the reason. I hope that Matsusaka City will maintain the castle ruins and the memory of Ujisato forever because the city would not be there without hin.

The stone walls of the upper tier of the Main Enclosure

How to get There

If you want to visit the ruins by car, it is about a 15-minute drive away from Matsusaka IC on the Ise Expressway. There is a parking lot for visitors beside the park.
If you want to use public transportation, It takes about 15 minutes on foot from Matsusaka Station to get there.
To get to Matsusaka Station from Tokyo: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express, transfer to the JR Mie rapid train or the Kintetsu-Nagoya Line on Kintetsu Railway at Nagoya Station.

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Matsusaka Castle Part1”
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48.Matsusaka Castle Part2

This castle was protected by high stone walls using large stones and an elaborate defense system

Features

High Stone Walls still surround Castle Ruins

Today, the ruins of Matsusaka Castle have been developed into Matsusaka Park, which was the main portion of the castle on the hill. If you walk around the outside of the park, you may be surprised to see the high stone walls surrounding the park remain in good condition. The walls are piled using round natural stones which are large and uncountable. It is surprising that they were collected and piled so elaborately in a short time during the construction. In addition, the stone walls of the southeastern corner of the park were repaired using processed rectangular stones in the later stage of the castle’s history.

The stone walls seen outside of the park

The stone walls of the lower tier of the Main Enclosure, which use large stones

The repaired stone walls at the southeastern corner of the park

The aerial photo around the castle

Layout of Enclosures

The ruins have only the foundation with the stone walls without any buildings. However, you can still understand how the castle was protected by seeing these stone walls along the routes in the park. There are two entrances of the park, one is the Front Gate Ruins at the eastern side and the other one is the Back Gate Ruins at the southern side. Either of them lead to the Second Enclosure first. Towards the center of the castle, the lower tier of the Main Enclosure is higher than the Second Enclosure. The upper tier of the Main Enclosure is the highest. In addition, the Kitai and Inkyo Enclosures are at the lower part on the opposite side of the Second Enclosure.

The diorama of the castle’s enclosures with stone walls, exhibited by Matsusaka City Museum of History and Folklore

Going to Second Enclosure from Front Gate Ruins

If you enter the Second Enclosure from the Front Gate Ruins surrounded by alternating stone walls, you will see the high stone walls of the lower tier of the Main Enclosure in front of you. To go to the center of the Second Enclosure, you have to turn left and pass one more ruined gate beside the Tsukimi Turret Ruins on the stone walls. If you were an enemy, you would be attacked from two directions. That means the routes inside the castle were made very defensive.

The stone walls of the Main Enclosure lower tier stand in front of you

The high stone walls of the Tsukimi Turret Ruins

The route to the Second Enclosure from the Front Gate (the red arrow) and the counterattack from the castle (the blue arrows)

Going to Main Enclosure from Front Second Enclosure

The Second Enclosure had the Encampment of the Tokugawa Clan. It is now a square with a wisteria trellis where you can see a city view.

The signpost of the ruins of Tokugawa Clan’s encampment

If you want to go inside further, you need to pass the Nakagomon Gate Ruins. This route is also surrounded by alternating stone walls and the ruins of a turret called Taiko-Yagura. After passing it, the lower tier is on the right and the upper tier is on the left of the Main Enclosure.

Looking down The Nakagomon Gate Ruins from the Taiko Turret Ruins

The route to the Main Enclosure from the Second Enclosure (the red arrows) and the counterattack from the castle (the blue arrows)

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

49.Odani Castle Part2

Continuous enclosures on the ridge

Features

Large Main Portion

Today, if you are close to the ruins of Odani Castle, you will see Odaniyama-Mountain the castle was built is still standing out. You will also see another mountain called Toragozeyama Nobunaga used as his battle castle in front of Odaniyama-Mountain. Many people gather at the foot of Odaniyama-Mountain for visiting the ruins or hiking. If you drive to the ruins, you can choose your parking spot at the foot or the mid slope. In the case of parking at the mid slope, you can access the main portion of the castle near the parking lot. However, this portion is large, steep and rough on the mountain, so it is recommended to wear trekking boots.

Odaniyama-Mountain on the right and Toragozeyama-Mountain on the left

The road to the main portion from the parking lot at the mid slope

Imagine how it looked by reading signboard

There are no castle buildings and few remaining stone walls on the foundations made of soil. This is because these items were taken as waste materials for other castles’ constructions, and it took a long time after the castle was abandoned. However, you can still see many enclosures on the ridge of the mountain as you climb up. Some signboards explain what each enclosure was called, used for, and looked like.

The imaginary of *the Guardhouse Ruins*, from the signboard at the site

Toragozeyama Mountain from the view spot at the mid slope

The imaginary of the Teahouse Ruins, from the signboard at the site

The imaginary of the Stable Ruins, from the signboard at the site

The imaginary of the Cherry Riding Ground Ruins, from the signboard at the site

Large Hall Nagamasa where lived and Main Enclosure where he fought

Ohiroma or the Large Hall Enclosure is the largest one in the castle. Its entrance is Korogane-mon Gate Ruins which have some stone steps and stone walls. There were the Main Halls for the lord and relatives. A lot of household items, such as earthen cups, silver cups, coins, and mirrors were unearthed by the excavation. You can also enjoy a good view from there, so Nagamawa and his family might usually have lived in the enclosure.

The map around the castle

A view from the Cherry Riding Ground Ruins nearby

The next is the Main Enclosure where Nagamasa fought against Nobunaga. It has two tiers with some remaining stone walls. It is speculated that it had a building like the Main Tower. Nagamasa sallied out from there but died in the Akao Residence Ruins nearby.

The remaining stone walls of the Main Enclosure

The imaginary of the Main Enclosure, from the signboard at the site

You will see the Large Ditch behind the Main Enclosure to divide the castle into the front and back part. This ditch might have protected the enclosure from Nobunaga’s attack from the back part for a while.

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