After the incident in 1871, Kurume Castle was abandoned. All the buildings of the castle were demolished or sold. Even the stone walls of the Main Enclosure were sold and about to be taken out. However, local volunteers were worried and bought them back. That’s why we can still see the great stone walls as the castle ruins. As a result, the Sasayama Shrine was established in the Main Enclosure in 1877. The ruins have been a Prefectural Historic Site of the Fukuoka Prefecture since 1983.
Sasayama ShrineThe stone walls of the Tatsumi Turret
My Impression
Let me tell you about the other attractions in other places related to the Kurume Domain. The lord of the domain, like the others, possessed two residences, one in Kurume and one in Edo. The Suitengu Shrine was transferred from Kurume to the main residence in Edo. The shrine was open to the public and became very popular. This practice was rare at that time. Since then, the shrine has been a popular attraction in Tokyo.
Arima’s main residence in Edo, drawn on the right in a Ukiyoe painting, attributed to Hiroshige Utagwa the Second, exhibited by the National Diet Library of JapanThe present Suitengu Shrine in Tokyo (licensed by tak1701d via Wikimedia Commons)
Yoriyasu Arima, the 15th lord of the clan, promoted sports such as horse race and professional baseball in the 20th Century. A major horse race in Japan called Arima Kinen was named after his contribution.
Yoriyasu Arima (licensed by tak1701d via Wikimedia Commons)
How to get There
If you want to visit the ruins by car, it is a few minutes away from Kurume IC on the Kyushu Expressway. You can park in the parking lots for visitors below the eastern side of the Main Enclosure. That space used to be the Mikan-maru or the Mandarin Enclosure. If you want to use public transportation, it takes about 20 minutes on foot from the Kurume Station. To get to Kurume Station from Tokyo or Osaka:Take the Sanyo Shinkansen super express or fly to Hakata Station and from there take the Kyushu Shinkansen super express or the limited express.
The entrance to the parking lotThe parking lot at the Mikan-maru Enclosure
Today, only the Main Enclosure remains as the ruins of Kurume Castle. The ruins have no castle buildings, but its stone walls are still mostly intact. The scale of the enclosure is not so large, about 150m from north to south and about 100m from east to west. It is surprising to imagine there were seven three-story turrets all connected by two-story row-style turrets in such a limited space. There is the Sasayama Shrine which worships the Arima Clan in the enclosure.
The map around the castle
The ruins of Kurume Castle now have only the Main EnclosureSasayama Shrine
Newer Stone Walls of Southern side
The front side of the enclosure is facing the south, which is also the entrance of the shrine. The only remaining water moat is located on that side. You can see the great high stone walls with a height of 15m. The stone walls of this side are constituted of piled, aligned square cut stones, in a method called Nuno-zumi. This method is newer than the one used in the rest of the castle, so it is thought that they were built by the Arima Clan.
The entrance of the southern sideThe high stone walls of the southern side
The three three-story turrets; Tatsumi(Southeast), Taiko(Drum) and Hitsujisaru(Southwest) Turrets used to stand on the stone walls. In particular, the Tatsumi Turret was the largest, which meant it was the symbol and the substitute of the Main Tower of the castle.
The ruins of Tatsumi TurretThe stone walls under the Tatsumi Turret Ruins
Inside of Main Enclosure
You can enter the enclosure through the ruins of the Kabuki-gomon Gate, on the paved route turning left. The route used to pass by a defensive square space called Masugata, but it is not visible clearly since the route was paved.
The ruins of the Kabuki-gomon GateEntering the Main Enclosure
In the enclosure, there is the Arima Memorial Museum which exhibits the legacy of the Arima Clan, which the Sasayama Shrine isn’t a part of. The museum is on the ruins of the Hitsujisatu and Nishishita(West) Turrets. On or beside the ruins of the other turrets, there are several monuments about the local history. For example, there is the monument for remembering the sufferers of the incident in 1871 on the ruins of the Taiko Turret, where you can see its great stone walls close nearby.
The ruins of the Taiko Turretthe monument for remembering the sufferers of the incident on the Taiko Turret Ruins, on the right of the picture (licensed by そらみみ via Wikimedia Commons)A view of the high stone walls from the Taiko Turret Ruins
There is also the monument for the 56th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Army beside the ruins of the Ushitora(Northeast) Turret, where you can see the Chikugo River.
The monument for the 56th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Armythe ruins of the Ushitora TurretA view of the Chikugo River
The Older Stone Walls of Eastern side
You can also enjoy a great view of the stone walls at the eastern side of the enclosure. The surface of the stone walls is made of piled roughly processed stones with small stones filling the gaps. This method is called Uchikomi-hagi. On the other hand, their corners are made of piled processed rectangular stones alternately, following the method called Sangi-zumi. These methods are older than the one used at the southern side, so these stone walls might have been built by the Mori or Tanaka Clans.
The stone walls of the eastern sideThe stone walls at a corner, made of piled processed rectangular stones alternately
There is another entrance with stone steps on this side, beside the ruins of the Tsukimi(Moon watching) Turret. It might had also been the front gate as this side had originally been the front side of the enclosure. You can see the Kurume University playground from the turret ruins, which was once a water moat of the castle.
The ruins of the Tsukimi TurretThe entrance of the eastern side beside the Tsukimi Turret RuinsThe Kurume University playground
If you have time, consider walking to the remaining Outer Moat from the Main Enclosure. If you walk along the edge of the enclosure, you will see the long line of the stone walls. Some of them were recently restored including the stone wall base of the Southwestern Corner Turret. The original appearance of the castle is returning little by little with the restoration. The Outer Moat is still filled with water and is over 50m wide. It can remind us that the castle was originally protected by many water moats and waterways.
The aerial photo around the castle
The long stone walls of the Main EnclosureThe restored stone wall base of the Southwestern Corner TurretThe remaining Outer Moat
Later History
After the Meiji Restoration, Saga Castle was used as the Saga Prefectural Office. That’s why a battle in the Saga Rebellion occurred there. After the rebellion, the surviving Main Enclosure was used as schools. However, the Main Hall was demolished in 1920 while the residential room for the lord was moved to another park. The remaining Shachi-no-mon Gate was designated as an Important Cultural Property in 1957. In 1989, Saga Prefecture decided to restore the Main Hall as a historical museum. After the excavation and research. The official part of the hall, called Omote, was mainly restored combined with the residential room for the lord which returned to its original position. The Main Hall reopened as the Saga Castle History Museum in 2004.
The old photo of the original Main Hall in the Meiji Era (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)The inside of Shachi-no-mon GateThe Main Hall has become the Saga Castle History MuseumThe miniature models of the remaining or restored structures in the Main Enclosure, exhibited by the Saga Castle History Museum
My Impression
Saga Prefecture is trying to show what roles the Saga Domain had in the end of the Edo Period, in the restored Main Hall. There are also other attractions like the stone wall base for the Main Tower. If you compare these structures, you may find the functions of the castle have been changing. The water moats were entirely for defense. The Main Tower added to the castle its authority. The Main Hall was built for governing and residence. They composed the wide variety of functions at Saga Castle.
The Outer Moat for defenseThe Main Tower stone wall base showing authorityThe Main Hall for governing
How to get There
If you want to visit the ruins by car, it is about 20 minutes away from Saga-Yamato IC on the Nagasaki Expressway. You can park in the parking lots for visitors in the Main Enclosure. If you want to use public transportation, you can take the Saga City Bus on the Sagajo-ato Line from JR Saga Station and get off at the Sagajo-ato bus stop. To get to Saga Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the limited express from Hakata Station after using the Shinkansen super express or by plane.
