main enclosure – ページ 28 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

122.Otaki Castle Part2

Was there the Main Tower in the castle?

Features

Main Tower as Museum

The map around the castle

Today, there are a few remaining items of the original Otaki Castle. However, Chiba Prefecture rebuilt a historical museum that looks like the Main Tower called Otaki Castle on the Main Enclosure.

Going to Main Enclosure along Isumi-gawa River

If you want to visit the current Otaki Castle, there are two main routes you can take to visit from Otaki Station. One is for drivers, which starts from the front of the station to the south through the Imitation Main Gate. The route turns right to the west along the Isumi-gawa River. This part is named Mexico Street from the relationship with the country, which was derived from the episode of Rodrigo de Vivero.

The Imitation Main Gate near the station

You can see the route was built on the mid slope of the steep cliff with the hill on the right and the river on the left, which were a natural hazard for the castle. The parking lot is located under the Main Enclosure.

The steep cliff of the hill where the castle was built

Looking down the Mexico Street from the Main Enclosure

Going to Main Enclosure through Second Enclosure

The other route is for people on foot, which starts from the back of the station. The ruins of the real Main Gate is nearby. However, there is only one signpost because the area around has become a residential area. After going along the route, you will reach the second enclosure which is now used as a high school. The route goes up on the earthen walls to the enclosure where the Main Hall for the lord was built in the past.

There are two remaining items of the castle. One of them is the Back Gate of the hall, which was once sold, but later restored at its present location. The other is the Large Well which has a perimeter of 17meters. you can see the Main Tower at the highest point on the Main Enclosure from there.

The former Back Gate of the Main Hall called Yakui-mon

The Large Well seen from the Main Enclosure

The Main Tower on the Main Enclosure seen from the Second Enclosure

Old castle traces and New Imitation Main Tower on the Main Enclosure

You can climb up to the Main Enclosure from the front (the Second Enclosure) or the back (the parking lot). On the way to the enclosure, you can see old earthen walls, dry moats, and artificial steep cliffs which probably originated from the first stage of the castle. Indeed, the traces of the castle being called Odaki Castle were discovered during the excavation.

The route to the Main Enclosure from the Second Enclosure

The remaining earthen walls at the Main Enclosure

The route to the Main Enclosure from the parking lot

The artificial steep cliff of an enclosure in the back of the Main Enclosure

However, those of the original Main Tower or its stone wall base have not been found at all. The present Main Tower and its stone wall base were built in the present time, based on a drawing of the original three-level Main Tower which was found at an old merchant house in the castle town. However, since the only item can not be seen as real evidence. It can only be called the Imitation Main Tower.

The Imitation Tower on the Main Enclosure

The stone wall base for the Main Tower, built in the present time

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

148.Hamamatsu Castle Part2

The small size Imitation Main Tower is on the original stone walls base.

Features

To Park Entrance

Today, Hamamatsu Castle has been developed as Hamamatsu Castle Park. The Main Tower Enclosure and part of the Main Enclosure remain in the park. If you walk to the park from Hamamatsu Station, you will see the Hamamatsu City Hall, which was part of the Second Enclosure in the past, on the left. You can enter the road to the entrance of the park in the north of the hall. You will see the ruins of the Main and Second Enclosures being excavated over the fence on the right.

The map around the castle

Part of the Main and Second Enclosures under excavation

You will reach the wall of the cross section of the Main Enclosure, which was cut in the present time, so you will need to go around to the left or right corner of the wall to enter the park. No matter which entrance you choose, you’d reach the remaining part of the main enclosure. There is a statue of Ieyasu Tokugawa, and the ruins of the Fujimi Turret on the earthen walls.

The signpost of the park entrance in front of the wall of the cross section of the Main Enclosure

Going to the Main Enclosure through the right side entrance

Remaining Old style Stone Walls

The highlight of the castle is the remaining stone walls of the Main Tower and Main Enclosures. They were basically piled using natural stones, one of the earliest methods for castles’ stone walls, called Nozura-zumi. They look very old and Yoshiharu Horio originally built them

A view of the Main Tower Enclosure from the ruins of the Fujimi Turret

The stone walls of the Main Tower Enclosure

If you look at the back side of the enclosure, you will also find these stone walls were built on the upper part of natural terrain. This is another early method, called Hachimaki-Ishigaki or the Headband Stone Walls, when the techniques for high stone walls weren’t developed. These stone walls were also bent elaborately like a folding screen, called Byobu-ore. This structure allowed the defenders to do direct attack from some points of the stone walls when enemies would attack the castle.

The Headband Stone Walls at the back side of the Main Tower Enclosure

The Main Tower Gate was recently restored in 2014 in a traditional way, based on the achievement of the excavation. You can not only go though the gate but also enter the inside of it.

Main Tower is rebuilt smaller than Original

Apart from it, the Rebuilt Main Tower on the remaining stone wall base has been a symbol of the castle since it was built in 1958. The reason why we call it “Rebuilt”, and not “Restored”, is the unknown original Main Tower and that, in fact, the tower looks much smaller for the stone wall base. Perhaps it is because there was not enough budget for a tower which fits the base.

The small Rebuilt Main Tower on the original stone wall base

The comparison of the sizes between the rebuilt tower and estimated original one, exhibited in the Rebuilt Main Tower

However, you can enter the tower, learn about the castle, and enjoy a view of Hamamatsu City, as the tower is used as a historical museum and observation platform.

The excavated well for the original tower, exhibited in the Rebuilt Main Tower

A view of the city area from the observation platform

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

147.Takatenjin Castle Part2

The Legendary Strength of The Castle

Features

Going to Castle Ruins through steep slope

Today, you can visit the ruins of Takatenjin Castle easily if you have a car. You can park in front of either the Main Route in the south or the Back Route in the north. If you want to get a taste of how tough the castle was, I recommend walking on the Back Route. The route is flat all the way to the foot of the mountain, but it gets very steep on the slope. It goes up and zigzags through rough cliffs for a while. However, when you reach the top, you will see that it is actually flat. After seeing this, you will understand that the natural terrain was more than suitable for the mountain castle.

The map around the castle

The northern entrance of Takatenjin Castle Ruins

Western ridge part

The spot you reached is called the Well Enclosure, which is the connecting point of the eastern and western ridges. The eastern ridge is the older part of the castle, which includes the Kane, Matoba, Main, Gozen, and Third Enclosures. These enclosures were built along natural terrain, which was partly surrounded by earthen walls and paths.

The original path around the Main Enclosure

The Main Enclosure is at the center and it is the highest point of the castle. You can look down vertically at the steep cliffs anywhere and see a view of Fort Hinodake, one of the Six Takatenjin Forts, from the enclosure. The Third Enclosure is located at the easternmost part of the castle, having a fine view. On a clear and sunny day, you can see a great view of Mt. Fuji in the east.

A view of Mt. Fuji from the Third Enclosure

Eastern ridge part

The western ridge is the newer part of the castle which includes the Western, Babadaira, Second, Dono-o, and Seiro Enclosures. The Western Enclosure is the highest point of the ridge where Takaten Shrine currently stands now, so you can see a good view of the Pacific Ocean in the south. The Babadaira Enclosure is below the Western Enclosure and divided by a ditch. Over the Babadaira Enclosure, there is a narrow path. This path is often referred to as “Inumodori” which translates to “Dogs return” meaning “Dogs cannot go through because it’s too tough”.

A view of the Pacific Ocean from the Western Enclosure

The ditch between the Western and Babadaira Enclosures

The Second, Dono-o and Seiro Enclosures are in a line next to the Western Enclosure, which were fortified by the Takeda Clan. This was because other mountains are connected over the Seiro Enclosure, which could have been attacked from this direction. To prevent this from happening, Takeda built a long dry moat along these enclosures and deep ditches dividing them.

The ditch between the Second and Dono-o Enclosures

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