main enclosure – ページ 52 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

58.Akashi Castle Part2

The castle with a defensive system that is still obvious

Features

You can see Castle from Station

If you visit the ruins of Akashi Castle by train, you will see evidence of what was a very sturdy castle from your first step on the platform of Akashi Station. You will see the two remaining three-story turrets called Hitsujisaru Turret (on the left) and Tatsumi Turret (on the right) connected by the plaster wall on the hill. How wonderful they are!

The castle that can be seen from the platform of Akashi Station

The aerial photo around the castle

Around the Main Gate

The ruins of the castle have been developed as part of Akashi Park, inclusive of the inside of the Middle Moat. The front entrance of the park was the Main Gate of the castle. Its stone walls remain forming the square space inside called “Masugata”. The plain area is used as a relaxing zone and facilities such as the stadium which was once the Main Hall for the lord.

Defense to protect Main Enclosure

Hitsujisaru Turret of the Main Enclosure stands on the high stone walls in front of you. You can walk up on the stairways towards the turret and reach under the turret and the stone wall base for the Main Tower. However, you can’t enter the enclosure directly. You have to enter it from the back side by going through the Inari Enclosure under it. Enemies would be counterattacked from the Main Enclosure before reaching it.

The blocking stone wall base for the Main Tower

The entrance of the Main Enclosure at the back side

Inside of Main Enclosure

Inside the Main Enclosure, you can see the two remaining turrets close by. They are two out of the twelve remaining three-story turrets in the castles of Japan. The plaster wall between the turrets was restored recently. You can also see a great city view from the observation platform at the middle of the wall. The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge can also be seen over Tatsumi Turret.

Second and East Enclosures to support Main Enclosure

The Second Enclosure is the other connecting point to the Main Enclosure. It now has no buildings, but its stone walls and its entrance surrounded by the walls remain in good condition. You can see the good looking Tatsumi Turret in the Main Enclosure from the Second Enclosure. The East Enclosure is next to the Second Enclosure and another entrance of the park.

The entrance the Main Enclosure from the Second Enclosure

Tatsumi Turret that can be seen from the Second Enclosure

The stone walls and stairways of the Second Enclosure

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

58.Akashi Castle Part1

The castle made the Shogunate governance stable.

Location and History

Node of Land and Sea Transportation

Akashi City is located in the southern part of Hyogo Prefecture alongside Seto Island Sea. The city is connected to Kinki and Chugoku Regions, as an important point for land transport. The area is also close to Awaji and Shikoku Islands, where people got on board ships to the islands in the past. People can go across the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge to get to the islands now.

The location of the castle

*The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge (licensed by Tysto via Wikimedia Commons)*

Castle to monitor Lords in western Japan

In 1615, Tokugawa Shogunate defeated the largest rival, Toyotomi Clan. It also ordered other lords to have no other castles than one castle where they lived (Law of One Castle per Province).
Its governance got stable, but it was never satisfied with that. The Shogun, Hidetada Tokugawa told one of the hereditary feudal lords, Tadazane Ogasawara to build a new castle around the Akashi area.

The portrait of Hidetada Tokugawa, owned by Saifuku-ji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Tadazane Ogasawara, owned by Fukuju-ji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The purpose of the castle was to monitor the non-hereditary feudal lords in western Japan, who would be against the Shogunate. Himeji Castle was already being used for that purpose, but the Shogunate thought it was not enough. The new castle was named “Akashi Castle”. Akashi Castle was built using natural terrain such as the edge of the hill and the plain areas. The hilly area in the north had the main portion of the castle such as the Main Enclosure and the Second Enclosure, which provided much defense. The area originally had a natural pond called Ko-no-ike which was also used as a moat. The plain area in the south had the Main Hall for the lord and the houses for the retainers. The area was guarded by gates such as the Main Gate, and the water moats surrounding the area tripled.

The relief map around the castle

Part of the illustration of Akashi Castle in Harina Province, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan

Castle was built by Rush work

The construction for the castle was rapidly completed within one year in 1619. This was due to the construction using moved buildings and waste materials from abandoned castles by the Law of One Castle per Province. Four three-story turrets were built in each corner of the Main Enclosure. These turrets were connected by the plaster walls which surrounded the enclosure. The large stone wall base for a Main Tower was also built, but the Main Tower itself was never built. The main portion of the castle including the Main Enclosure was covered by the high stone walls.

The two out of the four three-story turrets remain

After the completion of the castle, Tadazane was promoted to be the lord of Kokura Castle in 1632, getting more earnings than when he was at Akashi Castle. For about 50 years after that, several lords governed the castle before the Matsudaira Clan came to the castle in 1682. The clan governed the castle until the end of the Edo Period. No war happened during that time, but they often had to repair the buildings which were not new ones when the castle was first built.

To be continued in “Akashi Castle Part2”

145.Kokokuji Castle Part2

The earthen walls and the dry moats are outstanding.

Features

Going to Main Enclosure from Third Enclosure

Now, the marshland around Kokokuji Castle has been turned into the city area. Only the ruins of the castle remain. The modern Nekata Road goes through the ruins. If you visit the ruins by car, you can park at a parking lot in the Third Enclosure, the lowest one out of the three main enclosures. You can walk up from the parking lot to the top Main Enclosure along a gentle slope. The middle tier is the Second Enclosure which looks flat and empty, but it had a round-shaped moat in the past.

The aerial photo around the castle

Main Enclosure and its Earthen Walls

The Main Enclosure is still surrounded by large high horseshoe-shaped earthen walls. It’s a fine sight. Inside of the enclosure, there are the monuments of Soun Hojo and Yasukage Amano, and the Homi Shrine which was founded in the Edo Period. The earthen walls on the back of the enclosure are 6m high, and you can walk up to the top by the steps. You can also see the stone walls partly built under the top. There are also foundation stones on the top which are considered the ruins of the base for the Main Tower, but it is thought that a kind of turret was there. You can see a view of the town area with Izu Pninsula on the south from the top.

The earthen walls surrounded by the horseshoe-shaped earthen walls

The monuments of Soun Hojo and Yasukage Amano

The stone foundation for “the base for the Main Tower” on the top

The Dry Moat of Main Enclosure and Northern Part

The large deep dry moat also remains behind the Main Enclosure. You can walk down from the top to the bottom of the moat by the steps as well. It is 18m deep where you can look up the top. You may wonder about the several earthen holes in the walls which were built as air-raid shelters during World War II. The edge of the moat leads to the side of the ruin of the castle which was part of the marshland in the past.

The air-raid shelters *built* during World War II

There is also the North Enclosure over the dry moat on the north. Another round-shaped moat was over there, and it was turned into the railway track of Tokaido Shinkansen Super Express. Historians speculate that the set of the round-shaped moats were built by the Takeda Clan or the Tokugawa Clan who used to build similar systems in other castles.

The Main Enclosure seen from the North Enclosure

The railway track of Tokaido Shinkansen Super Express which was a moat

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