main gate – ページ 10 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

84.Kochi Castle Part1

The Yamanouchi Clan’s unique castle

Location and History

Pre History of Kochi Castle

Kochi City originated from the name Kochi Castle and is the capital of Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku Island. Kochi Castle is one of the most popular tourist spots of the prefecture. It has many remaining castle buildings including the Main Gate, the Main Hall, and the Main Tower. The castle was built on a low mountain called Mt. Otaka-sakayama, but it is uncertain when it was first built. In 1588, Motochika Chosogabe, the lord of Tosa Province, what is now Kochi Prefecture, moved his home base from Okoh Castle to Kochi Caste, which was called Otaka-sakayama Castle at that time. However, he moved again to Urado Castle after only a three-year stay in Otaka-sakayama Castle. This could be because the area received a lot of rain but had poor drainage.

The location of the castle

The portrait of Motochika Chosogabe, owned by Hada Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Kazutoyo Yamanouchi built Kochi Castle

In 1601, Kazutoyo Yamanouchi was promoted by the Tokugawa Shogunate to a new lord of Tosa Province and became the founder of the Tosa Domain. He tried to rebuild and live in Otaka-sakayama Castle which had enough space to build the castle town. The castle was rebuilt with advanced technology at that time, such as building stone walls and large-scale buildings. After the completion of the castle, it was renamed Kochi Castle. As a result, the Yamanouchi Clan governed the castle and the province all through the Edo Period.

The statue of Kazutoyo Yamanouchi in front of Kochi Castle

Part of the illustration of Kochi Castle in Tosa Province, in the Edo Period, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan

The miniature model of Kochi Castle in its Main Tower

Features of Kochi Castle

Kochi Castle had several interesting features. First, the castle had a lot of stone troughs to allow for proper drainage if it rained a lot. Such a system was very rare for castles in Japan and can even now be seen when you visit the castle.

One of the stone troughs on the stone walls

Secondly, the castle had an old-style Main Tower, called the lookout tower type, for the period of its construction. It is said that Kazutoyo wanted to build the Main Tower resembling the Main Tower of Kakegawa Castle, where he lived before he went to Tosa Province. For this reason, when people in Kakegawa restored the Main Tower of Kakegawa Castle in the present time, they used the design plans of the remaining Main Tower of Kochi Castle.

The restored Main Tower of Kakegawa Castle, taken by Oshiro-man from photo AC

The remaining Main Tower of Kochi Castle

Most of the castle buildings including the Main Tower were unfortunately burned down by a great fire in 1727. When the Tosa Domain rebuilt the castle after the fire, they restored the Main Tower in 1749 in a way which was almost the same as the original one, not using a new style. This could be because the shogunate just allowed the domain to use the original style even for rebuilding. It is also said that the warriors in the domain still loved the style of their founder, Kazutoyo. The Main Tower also didn’t stand on a stone wall base and was connected directly to the Main Hall in the Main Enclosure on the top of the mountain. It is thought that this is also one of the styles of old castles.

The Main Tower, connected directly to the Main Hall

The castle also had a feature using both buildings and natural terrain of the mountain for defense. If enemies attacked the castle to reach the Main Tower, they had to pass through the Suginodan Enclosure and the Second Enclosure which were built around the slope of the mountain. In addition, if enemies passed the Iron Gate before the Second Enclosure, they could be near the Main Tower and see the Tsumemon-Gate which looked like the gate to the tower. However, it was just a bridge between the Main Enclosure and the Second Enclosure, which the enemies could never go across from that point. This is a tricky system to prevent enemies from reaching the center of the castle.

The route from the Main Route to the Main Enclosure and Main Tower (The illustration of Kochi Castle adding the red colored letters)

The Main Tower that can be seen close from the front of the Tsumemon Gate

To be continued in “Kochi Castle Part2”

164.Sumoto Castle Part2

Great stone walls remain on the mountain.

Features

Castle Entrance was strictly protected

Now, the ruins of Sumoto Castle on the mountain are developed for visitors and maintain their original stone walls. If you drive to the ruins, you can easily park near the top of Mikuma-yama Mountain. The mountain has steep slopes in all directions except for the southeast direction where the diving route is on a gentle slope. For the castle, such a slope could be a weak point, so the strongest defense system in the castle was developed in this direction such as the Main Gate. In fact, the parking lot you can park was one of the enclosures called Umaya or the Stable, which protected the gate. You can also see a great view of Kii Channel to the south from here. That’s why this enclosure could have been used as an observation platform.

The map around the castle

From the parking lot to the center of the castle, you will first have to walk on the narrow route along the stone walls of the Eastern Enclosure on the right, and in front of the stone walls of the Southern Enclosure. Then, you will enter the ruins of the Southern Gate of the Eastern Enclosure

The map around the castle

The narrow route to the center of the castle

The entrance is surrounded by the stone walls

The ruins of the Southern Gate of the Eastern Enclosure

If you climb up these stone walls after entering the gate, you can clearly look down the route you passed and understand how such a system protected this spot in the past.

In the case looking down from the stone walls of the Eastern Enclosure

*In the case looking down from* the ruins of the Corner Turret of the Southern Enclosure

The ruins of the Corner Turret of the Southern Enclosure

After that, you can reach the Main Enclosure by passing the Second Enclosure which is also surrounded by the stone walls.

Main Enclosure, symbol of Authority

The Main Enclosure has the greatest and highest stone walls in the castle. It has the front side in the south with the Large Stone Steps and the front entrance called Koguchi. The entrance has a square space inside surrounded by the stone walls, which is also called Uchi-Masugata. You can also climb up the surrounding stone walls and look down the entrance and see the shape of the square space. It is thought that a turret gate building was built on the stone walls, which made the entrance more defensive and displayed the authority of the lord.

The map around the castle

The Large Stone Steps of the Main Enclosure

The Koguchi Entrance of the Main Enclosure

Imitation Main Tower, Symbol of Present Castle

The Main Enclosure also has the imitation Main Tower on the original stone wall base for the Main Tower. It was built to celebrate the enthronization of Emperor Showa in 1928 as a modern observation platform. However, it cannot be used for observation now because it has aged and could prove to be quite dangerous. Therefore, it is used as just a symbol of the castle or a landmark of the city. You can even see a great view of Sumoto city area – the former castle town, and Osaka Bay to the north under the tower. You will once again understand why this was a good location for the castle, which served to protect it and overlook the area around.

The name plate installed when the tower was built

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

77.Takamatsu Castle Part2

A glimpse of Sea Castle remains.

Features

To Inside of Castle with seeing Ushitora Turret

Now, the ruins of Takamatsu Castle have become Tamamo Park (tamamo is an old Japanese word which means something like “beautiful algae”.) The range of the park is inside the inner moat and part of the middle moat of the castle. The park has several entrances, but if you drive to the ruins of the park, you can park in front of the main gate called Asahi-mon. From the parking lot, you will see a great view of the remaining three-story turret called Ushitora-Yagura with the background of some modern buildings. The turret was actually moved from the Eastern Enclosure to the present position in 1967.

The aerial photo around the castle

Ushitora-Yagura Turret that can be seen from the parking lot

You can enter the gate after walking on the Asahi-bashi Bridge over the middle moat. You will also go through a square space surrounded by large stone walls called Masugata, which was built for defense.

Entering the Main Gate after crossing the Asahi-bashi Bridge

Going Third, Second Enclosures, and Main Tower Base in Main Enclosure

The inside of the gate is the riding ground enclosure or Sakura-no-Baba which is now planted with lots of cherry trees. Then, you go across the earthen bridge to enter the ruins of the Sakura-mon Gate and the third enclosure. However, as of February 2022, the gate is under construction and scheduled to be restored by the spring of 2022, so you will have to use the temporary path.

The earthen bridge to the Third Enclosure

The Sakura-mon Gate under the restoration

The third enclosure still has a traditional hall, called Hiunkaku, which is not original to the castle, but was built as the house for the former lord, the Matsudaira Clan, in modern times. It is now owned by Takamatsu City and used for ceremonies and events. The enclosure also has a Japanese garden you can enjoy looking around.

The Japanese garden in the Third Enclosure

You can go further from the third enclosure to the second enclosure and the main enclosure with the stone wall base for the Main Tower. The only way to get to the main enclosure is by crossing the restored roofed wooden bridge called saya-bashi.

From the Second Enclosure to the Main Enclosure

You can also go on the top of the base and see a good city view, and inside of the base which was recently repaired. In fact, the city is considering restoring the main tower.

The inside of the base for the Main Tower

Tsukimi Turret beside Sea in old days

I recommend you also visit the northern side of the park, which was the sea in the past. You will see the other remaining three-story turret called Tsukimi-Yagura with the remaining Mizunote-mon Gate and the Watari-Yagura Turret. The Mizunote-mon Gate was open to the sea and is the only remaining such gate. The Tsukimi-Yagura Turret is also very beautiful with many decorations. You can imagine them standing out beside the sea in the past.

Tsukimi-Yagura Turret, Mizunote-mon Gate and Watari-Yagura Turret

This area in front of the turrets and gate was in the sea

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