main roure – ページ 2 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

197.Shibushi Castle part2

You can experience a castle on the Shirasu Plateau well after looking at a great miniature model.

Features

Great miniature model of Castle Ruins

Today, only the main portion of the ruins of Shibushi Castle called Uchijo has been developed for general visitors. The ruins had been reclaimed by nature after its abandonment, so the officials installed wooden footpaths and guide signboards so that visitors can walk safely and not to lose their way.

The map around the castle

A wooden path installed in the castle ruins

A guide signboard installed in the castle ruins

In addition, I recommend visiting Shibushi City Center for Archaeological operations to see the great miniature model of the Uchijo portion before visiting the real Uchijo. It is a 1/200 scale model which is about 2m long and 1.25m wide, very large for a miniature model, but it is also precisely crafted. You can see how deeply and vertically the dry moats are cut and how the many enclosures equipped with buildings and fences are built by looking at it. If you also check the point of the Main Route and the Back Route of the model, you will understand how they worked well when you visit the real site.

The miniature model of the Uchijo, exhibited in Shibushi City Center for Archaeological operations

Going beside outstanding Turret Place to Main Route

The ruins of Uchijo are on the mountain behind Shibushi Primary School. If you drive to the ruins, you can park at a parking lot for visitors on the opposite side of the school. From the parking lot, go straight on the street beside it, if you want to visit the Main Route of the ruins. Otherwise, if you turn left at the intersection in front of the parking lot, you will reach the Back Route. The signpost leads you to the very narrow path to the Main Route between the school and old houses.

The ruins has 6 major and many other small enclosures and the first major one called Yaguraba or the Turret Place stands out with its vertical cliff on your right side before the Main Route entrance. Even today’s visitors may be scared to see it. There is no telling how enemies in the past felt.

The map around the Uchijo portion, the red broken line is the route from the parking lot to the Main Route, and the blue broken line is the route to the Back Route

the ruins of buildings on the Turret Place

The *Turret Place* part of the miniature model

Main Route on Bottom of Moat

The Main Route climbs up the zigzagged path on the bottom of a deep dry moat to the center of the castle. The path is always surrounded by several high enclosures where the defenders would have attacked enemies. All the enclosures have a similar vertical cliff and defensive entrance called Koguchi to which you need to climb another very steep, unstable and zigzagging path. If you get out of the path, you will be stuck in the rough slope with bushes and the fragile soil made of the volcanic ash. These structures were all created artificially by processing the natural Shirasu plateau.

The entrance of the Enclosure No.2 on the right of the Main Route

The Main Route goes on the bottom of the moat

the Main Route part of the miniature model

Main Enclosure with view of Shibushi Port

After walking in the dry moat for a while, you can enter the Main Enclosure on your left. The enclosure has two tiers which are squares with no buildings but surrounded by earthen walls, same as the others. The front lower tier seemed to be used as a lookout, so it is thought to have had a tall turret. You can still actually see a view of Shibushi Port with the Sunflower ferry anchored. This may also prove the relation of the castle and the trading at the port in the past.

A view of Shibushi Port from the enclosure

The Main Enclosure part of the miniature model

Looking down at the Main Route from the enclosure

The upper tier is the highest in the castle, where a large building like a residence was built. It might have been used for the lord of the castle when a battle happened or other cases. There is only a small shrine in the back of the enclosure, with a huge deep dry moat behind it.

The earthen walls surrounding the Main Enclosure

The small shrine in the back of the enclosure

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

196.Sadowara Castle Part3

Please check the availability ahead of time before your visit.

Features

Main Route is partially available

The Main Route to the top is still closed at the middle of the route where it is being repaired as of May 2023. Therefore, you can not go straight through the route, however you can see what it is by walking up the route from the foot to the repaired point and walking down from the top to the point. The route basically goes along another ridge of the mountain and its entrance is on the bottom of a large deep ditch which was surrounded by high vertically cut cliffs on both sides. Today’s visitors can enjoy a great view of the work by the builders, but past enemies must have felt a threat from the defenders. The narrow route continues to go along the ridge on the right, which the defenders would have attacked from in the past and landslides would easily destroy the route from today.

The map around the castle

The route goes along the ridge on the right

Above the repairing point, the route turns right and takes over another ridge to reach the Main Enclosure. The point taking over it is another artificially-made narrow ditch, which was another defensive point.

The Main route reaches the Main Enclosure over this ditch

The other warning display of the repairing point

Later History

During the Meiji Restoration, the Satsuma Domain, a relative of the Sadowara Domain, got the power in the domestic politics. The Sadowara Domain joined the activities because the lords of both domains came from the same Shimazu Clan. The last lord of the domain, Tadahiro Shimazu was planning to move his home base to a more convenient land, Hirose. He started to build a new castle there and abolished Sadowara Castle where its buildings were all demolished in 1869. However, the launch of the castle was stopped before the abolition of the feudal domain system by the central government in 1871.

The photo of Tadahiro Shimazu, from the Miyazaki Prefecture History (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The ruins of Sadowara Castle had been used as fields (probably only in the plain area) for a long time. The excavation of the plain Second Enclosure was done in 1989 and the Main Hall on it was restored in 1993. The excavation of the Main Enclosure on the mountain was also done in 1996. It found that the foundations of the Main Tower Base and some roof tiles with golden leaf which was often used for Main Towers. That resulted in Sadowara Caste being the southernmost castle which had the Main Tower in Japan so far. As a result, the castle ruins were designated as a National Historic Site in 2004.

My Impression

I visited the ruins of Sadowara Castle three times in total. My first visit was several years ago, which I don’t remember very well. The second one was in 2022 just after the closing of both routes to the mountain part due to the natural disaster, which disappointed me. I didn’t know about the news and the vulnerable nature of the mountain on the Shirasu Plateau. I finally reached the top again after hearing the good news of its re-opening. When I was wandering the top around, I found some other parts were still closed and some trees fell beside the road. I realized the difficulty of maintaining the ruins and thought that nature might have even helped the castle prevent enemies from attacking it. Please check if these routes are open if you want to visit the ruins.

Another major enclosure called the South Castle was still closed

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle ruins by car, it is about a 10 minute drive away from Saito IC on the Higashi-Kyushu Expreesway. There is a parking lot in front of the castle ruins.
If you want to use public transportation, you can take the Miyazaki Kotsu Bus bound for Saito Bus Center at Miyazaki Station and get off at the Koryu-Center-mae bus stop.
From Tokyo or Osaka to Miyazaki Station: Take the Miyazaki-kuko Line from Miyazaki Airport after using a plane.

The parking lot in front of the restored Main Hall

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Sadowara Castle Part1”
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133.Samegao Castle Part2

A typical mountain castle using natural terrain

Features

Three Routes to Castle Ruins

Today, the ruins of Samegao Castle have been developed as part of a historical park called the Hida Historical Village, which also includes ancient house ruins and groups of burial mounds. If you drive to the ruins, you can use the parking lot beside Hida Shrine which also has a long history. You can also stop by the information center of the park from the parking lot, where you can get a guide for the ruins.

The map around the castle

There are three routes to the castle ruins, which are the Eastern, the Northern and the Southern Routes. The former two routes start from the information center. In addition, the northern one has few historical items, so if it is the first time for you to visit the ruins, the eastern one would be better. The northern one can be used when you return.

The three routes, from the signboard at the site, upwards is west on the map, adding the red letters

The well ruins along the Northern Route, called “Kagetora Spring”

Going on Eastern Route

If you choose the Eastern Route as the original back route of the castle, you will walk on the route which goes on or beside the ridge of the mountain. You will eventually see the sign for “O-horikiri” or “Large Ditch 6” in Japanese. This is around the entrance of the ruins. You will come to Large Ditch 5, followed by several other ditches. The route is cut narrow over these ditches.

The relief map around the castle

The sign for “Large Ditch 6” on the right

The earthen bridge on the route is cut narrow over these ditches

Then, you will be in the Eastern First Enclosure which seems to have been a lookout.

Getting close to the Eastern First Enclosure over another ditch

A view from *the Eastern First Enclosure*

After passing Ditch 6, you need to climb a very steep slope with a rope to the next enclosure. This must have been an important point for defense in the past.

You need to climb this slope with a rope

You will soon reach Large Ditch 1, which is also the meeting point of the Eastern and the Southern Routes.

Second and Third Enclosures on Southern Route

In fact, the Southern Route was the original main route of the castle. The route zigzags through a valley and on another ridge to make enemies attack slowly. The Third and Second Enclosures are the last parts of the route after the ruins of the gateway for defense, called Koguchi. The excavation team found traces of a fire from both enclosures, probably because of the Otate Rebellion. In particular, a burned rice ball was found in the Third Enclosure, which may have been the portable ration for a soldier.

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