タグ: Masamune Date

105.Shiroishi Castle Part2

The restored three-level Main Tower is on the corner of the stone walls of the main enclosure, which looks really great! Not only is it a symbol of the castle but also of the city. It could also had been seen as the authority of the lord as well as a threat to enemies when the original tower was there.

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Kuniori Katakura, the last lord of the castle moved to Hokkaido with his some retainers. All the castle buildings and stone walls were demolished and sold to earn their expenses. The vacant castle ruins were turned into Masuoka Park which has became famous for cherry blossoms for some time. In 1987, a NHK drama called “Dokuganryu (one-eyed hero) Masamune” aired and became very popular. The drama featured not only Masamune Date but also the Katakura Clan, so many visitors visited the Shiroishi Castle Ruins but were disappointed at the ruins with few historical items. The mayor of the city saw the situation and decided to restore the castle in 1988.

One of the most important topics about it was that the castle would be restored using the traditional wooden construction. However, there was a big problem with the law. The original Main Tower was 16.7m high. Meanwhile, Japan’s Building Standard Act basically doesn’t allow builders to build wooden buildings which are over 13m tall. According to this law, the tower would not be able to be built. After that, The city negotiated with the central government, and finally got an exemption by the competent minster to build the tower at its original height. The restoration was completed in 1997.

The restored Main Tower of Shiroishi Castle

Features

Many Historical Items in Main Enclosure

Today, the Shiroishi city area still has a traditional atmosphere of Shiroishi Castle and its castle town. This is probably because the Main Tower was restored on the hill and the old waterways are still intact in the city area. There were several enclosures on the hill in the past, but they were turned into shrines, parks, and playgrounds, excluding the main enclosure with the restored items.

A waterway in the city area
Shinmeisha Shrine in the second enclosure
The Masuoka Park in the second enclosure
A playground in Numa-no-maru Enclosure

That’s why most visitors go to the main enclosure by walking on the eastern or northern slopes on the hill. If you take the eastern one, you will see the few remaining original stone walls at the base of the enclosure. The other stones above were all demolished and sold during the early Meiji Era. You will next see the restored stone walls which were piled up using natural large stones in Nozura-zumi method. They look mild rather than wild as most of the stones were round-shaped.

The map around the main enclosure

The northern slope
The eastern slope
The few remaining original stone walls
The restored stone walls
The walls were piled up using natural stones

Well restored Main Tower and Main Gate

The restored three-level Main Tower is on the corner of the stone walls, which looks really great! Not only is it a symbol of the castle but also of the city. It could also had been seen as the authority of the lord as well as a threat to enemies when the original tower was there. In fact, there were three-generation towers on the walls during the Edo Period, which meant it had been rebuilt twice, according to the excavations. The current tower was restored on the second stone foundations because they remain in the best conditions. In addition, the appearance of the tower came from the third generation which was drawn in some pictures. The second and third ones are probably almost the same or similar since the third one was restored in 1823 after the second one burned in 1819.

The restored Main Tower
Part of the Illustration of Shiroishi Castle, attributed to Unyo Koseki, owned by Shiroishi City, exhibited in the Main Tower

The main gate of the enclosure was also restored at the same time as the Main Tower. The gate consists of two gates and stone walls, which form a defensive space called Masugata. The Masugata systems in other castles are usually a square and closed space but that of Shiroishi Castle is very unique. The first gate is always open with no doors (according to the excavations so far) and the space inside is half occupied by a corner of the stone walls of the enclosure. Visitors can’t clearly see the inside, because it is blocked by the walls. That may be the reason for the first gate having no doors.

The first gate
The second gate is half blocked by the stone walls
The Masugata system seen from the Main Tower

Other Ruins in Main Enclosure

The inside of the main enclosure is empty with the signboard of the Main Hall which was built there. The other sides of the enclosure look like earthen walls which remained after the covering stone walls had been removed. There are the Back Gate Ruins on the opposite side of the Main Gate. There are also the ruins of Tatumi (southeastern) Turret and Hitsujisaru (southwestern) Turret at other corners of the enclosure.

The ruins of the Back Gate
The ruins of the Southeastern Turret
The ruins of the Southwestern Turret
The Back Gate is marked by the red circle, the Southeastern Turret is marked by the blue circle and the Southwestern Turret is marked by the green circle, in the miniature model exhibited by the Shiroishi Castle History Museum

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

105.Shiroishi Castle Part1

Each independent lord was not allowed to have castles, excluding the only one the lord lived in, by the shogunate. However, Shiroishi Castle, where the Katakura Clan as a retainer lived in, remained as an exemption. This was probably due to Date’s strong influence as well as Katakura’s contributions.

Location and History

Castle owned by Katakura Clan, Senior Vassal of Date Clan

Shiroishi Castle is located in modern day Shiroishi City at the southern edge of Miyagi Prefecture. It was also located in the southern edge of the Date Clan’s territory during the Edo Period. The lords of the clan had the area around the castle being governed by their trusted senior vassal family, the Katakura Clan all through the period. The castle had a three level turret called the Large Turret which was actually equivalent to the Main Tower. That’s why the castle looked like a symbol of an independent lord.

The range of MIyagi Prefecture, the range of the Sendai Domain was larger than the prefecture

The restored Main Tower of Matsumoto Castle

The founder of the Katakura Clan, Kagetsuna Katakura served his master, Masamune Date from his childhood because Kagetsuna’s older sister, Kita became Masamune’s foster mother. Since then, Kagetsuna contributed to Masamune becoming the greatest warlord in the Tohoku Region during the late 16th Century by joining many battles and being a diplomatic agent with other warlords. When the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi invaded the Kanto Region to complete his unification of Japan in 1590, Masamune was wondering if he should follow Hideyoshi or not. Kagetsuna advised Masamune to do so, and as a result, they were able to survive. Masamune eventually gave Kagetsuna the important Shiroishi area in 1602 after the Date Clan’s territory was fixed as the Sendai Domain by the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The portrait of Kagetsuna Katakura, owned by Sendai City Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The portrait of Masamune Date, owned by Sendai City Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Kagetsuna’s son, Shigenaga was very active in the summer campaign of the Siege of Osaka in 1615 where the shogunate defeated the Toyotomi Clan. There is a heroic story about him and his rival, Nobushige Sanada. They once fought each other in the battle, but Nobushige sent a letter (affixed to an arrow) to Shigenaga, which asked him to accommodate Nobushige’s children before his death. Kagetsuna accepted it, and then, Oume, Nobushige’s daughter would be Shigenaga’s second wife and another son, Daihachi would be a retainer of the Sendai Domain. One theory seems to be that Shigenaga took Oume away from Osaka Castle when it was falling and accommodated the other children when they later visited her in Shiroishi Castle. In either case, Shigenaga must have been a man of great capacity.

The portrait of Shigenaga Katakura, drawn in a Ukiyoe-painting, attributed to Yoshiiku Ochiai (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The summer campaign of the siege of Osaka folding screens, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The portrait of Nobushige Sanada, owned by Ueda City Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Castle survives as exemption of One Castle per Province

Shigenaga’s successor, Kagenaga was also important for the domain. When an internal trouble of the Date Clan, called Date-sodo (feud), happened in 1671, the government of the domain got out of control due to a bloody affair at the shogunate court in Edo. Kagenaga stayed local to keep other retainers calm and kept the government. These events were decisive for the position of the Katakura Clan. In addition, each independent lord was not allowed to have castles, excluding the only one the lord lived in, by the shogunate. However, Shiroishi Castle, where the Katakura Clan as a retainer lived in, remained as an exemption. This was probably due to Date’s strong influence as well as Katakura’s contributions.

The ruins of Sendai Castle, the home of the Date Clan

Castle is completed by Gamo and Katakura Clans

As for Shiroishi Castle itself, it is uncertain when it was first built, but it was considered an important strategic location for transportation. After the unification of Japan by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Satonari Gamo, a senior vassal of the clan owned and modernized the castle by building stone walls and the Main Tower. He would later improve several other castles like Kasama Castle, which can be seen as a hidden master of castle constructions. The Katakura Clan lived and improved the castle more based on the essential structures Satonari built.

The ruins of Kasama Castle

The castle had several enclosures on a hill. The Main Enclosure on the top had the main buildings of the castle, such as the three-level Main Tower, Main Gate, Back Gate, Main Hall, and two two-level turrets. They were exactly the same items as what other independent lords had. However, the Main Hall also had an interesting feature. The hall had two front entrances, one for locals and the other only for the lord of the Date Clan, the master of the Katakura Clan. The hall also had the rooms, called Onari-goten, where only the lord could stay.

The miniature model of Kasama Castle, exhibited by Shiroishi Castle History Museum
The miniature model of the main enclosure of Shiroishi Castle
The part of the Main Hall in the miniature model above, the entrance for the locals is marked by the blue circle and that only for the lord of the domain is marked by the red circle

The Katakura Clan also developed the castle town below the hill, where the retainers and other citizens lived in. Waterways were also developed in the town for defensive purposes and living. For example, there were Samurai residences in the Third Enclosure, part of the town, which was surrounded by the Sawabata River and the waterways. The residences were relatively smaller than other residences of independent domains. This was because the retainers under the Katakura Clan had lower incomes than those who served independent lords.

Part of the Illustration of Shiroishi Castle in the Sendai Domain, Oshu Region, the third enclosure along the Sawabata River is in the front, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan
The remaining Samurai residence along the Sawabata River

One of stages of Meiji Restoration

In 1868 during the Meiji Restoration, an important event happened to the castle again. Many domains against the New Government in the Tohoku Region held the Shiroishi Meeting in the castle. This was because the Sendai Domain was their leader and the castle could also be a hub for them. This event would be the trigger for the Boshin War between the government and the domains. However, the castle was eventually opened as its real master, the Sendai Domain had surrendered to the government.

The current Shiroishi Castle

To be continued in “Shiroishi Castle Part2”

111.Mukai-Haguroyama Castle Part1

Moriuji Ashina. who became a great warlord, retired, transferred the headship of the family to his son and started the construction of a new castle as his retreat, which would be Mukai-Haguroyama Castle.

Location and History

Origin of Castle’s name

Mukai-Haguroyama Castle was located in the Aizu area of the modern day Fukushima Prefecture. Regarding castles and ruins, the area is much more known for Wakamatsu Castle which was the home base of the Aizu Domain during the Edo Period. However, the castle had been called Kurokawa Castle when the Ashina Clan owned it and the clan had a much larger Mukai-Haguroyama Castle than Kurokawa Castle at that time. The mountain that Mukai-Haguroyama Castle was built on was originally called Iwasaki Mountain, so the castle was first called Iwasaki Castle as well. Alternatively, the mountain was called Mukai-Haguroyama Mountain, which means the mountain opposite of Haguroyama Mountain. These two mountains actually look like they are standing in a row, so the castle was eventually called Mukai-Haguroyama Castle sometime later.

Wakamatsu Castle seen from Odayama Castle Ruins
Mukai-Haguroyama (or Iwasaki) Mountain on the left and Haguroyama Mountain on the right, seen from Odayama Castle Ruins

Ashina Clan settles in Aizu area

The Ashina Clan originally came from the Sawara Clan, a branch family of the Miura Clan, which was a senior vassal family of the Kamakura Shogunate in the early Middle Ages, which was based in Miura Peninsula of Sagami Province (now Kanagawa Pref.). After Yoritomo Minamoto, the founder of the shogunate invaded the Tohoku Region in 1189, the Sawara Clan got a territory in the Aizu area for their contributions. Some of the clan settled in the area and renamed their family names, such as the Inawashiro, Kitada, and Shingu Clans. In the early 14th Century when the Ashikaga Shogunate was established, the Ashina Clan, another branch family of the Sawara Clan, was active in the Tohoku Region including the Aizu area, who called itself “the Aizu Governor”. As a result, the clan moved their home base from Ashina in Miura Peninsula to the Aizu area and built a new hall called Otakaki-no-tate in the middle of the century, which would later be known as Kurokawa Castle.

The location of the castle and the birthplace of the Ashina Clan

However, the Ashina Clan was not able to govern the area easily because the other relatives of the Sawara Clan and other local clans did not obey the Ashina Clan just with its authority. The Ashina Clan needed to force them to obey the clan by force, otherwise it had to defeat them. For example, the Ashina Clan battled and defeated the Kitada and Shingu Clans. All of which, including the Ashina Clan, came from the same Sawara Clan. Another relative, the Inawashiro Clan became a senior vassal of the Ashina Clan after they fought with each other. The Ashina Clan also needed to prevent great lords outside the Aizu Area, such as the Date, Nikaido, and Satake Clans from invasion of the area. The lords of the Ashina Clan usually lived in Kurokawa Castle in the plain Aizu Basin. They also built Odayama Castle on Odayama Mountain beside the basin, about 1.5km away from Kurokawa Castle, as a final place for emergencies. Such a combination can also be seen in the cases of other clans over the whole country during the Sengoku Period. Odayama Castle was also used as their ancestors’ graveyard.

The relief map around Kurokawa Castle

The ruins of Odayama Castle (its Main Gate)
The ruins of the Ashina Clan’s graveyard

Moriuji Ashina builds Mukai-Haguroyama Castle as his Retreat

The Ashina Clan’s power reached its peak when Moriuji Ashina, the lord of the clan at that time, reigned in the middle of the 16th Century. His government of the Aizu area became stable and he also had diplomatic relationships with other great warlords in Japan, like Kenshin Uesugi, Shingen Takeda, and Masamune Date, which meant he became a great warlord as well. What he did next was retire and transfer the headship of the family to his son and start the construction of a new castle in 1861 as his retreat and the replacement for Odayama Castle, about 5km away from Kurokawa Castle in the south, which would be Mukai-Haguroyama Castle. However, the castle was too large for the retreat and the replacement, in fact, Moriuji still had the real power of the clan and the castle looked like a new home base for the clan. The construction lasted for 8 years until 1568, which resulted in one of the largest mountain castles in the Tohoku Region. The castle was built using soil, which was a typical method of building castles in eastern Japan, and had uncountable enclosures protected by structures using and processing natural terrain, such as deep dry moats, thick earthen walls and artificial vertical cliffs.

The portrait of Moriuji Ashina, from the database of Historiographical Institute, the University of Tokyo (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The imaginary drawing of Mukai-Haguroyama Castle, from the signboard at the site

Castle is abandoned after being followed by Several Loads

The Ashina Clan’s power decreased after Moriuji died in 1580 as his successors died young. Because of that, the clan and its senior vassals had to accommodate their new lord from a great warlord outside to maintain their territory. The candidates were ones from the Satake Clan and the Date Clan. As a result, they concluded that the successor would come from the Satake Clan, named Yoshihiro Ashina in 1587. However, this event caused a split in the clan, into the faction in power and the other supporting Date. In 1589, Masamune Date started to invade Ashina’s territory. Yoshihiro tried to repel the invasion, but many of his senior vassals, including the relative Inawashiro Clan, supported the Date’s side or left him. He was defeated by Masamune in the battle of Suriagehara and escaped form the Aizu area to his parents’ home. This battle resulted in Kurokawa Castle, the home base of the Ashina Clan being captured by Masamune and the clan’s destruction.

The portrait of Masamune Date, owned by Sendai City Museum, (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Mukai-Haguroyama Castle was followed by Masamune Ujisato Gamo, and Kagekatsu Uesugi like they used Kurokawa Castle (renamed to Wakamatsu Castle). This was because they still needed to use it as a final castle for emergencies like a battle. However, the castle was eventually abandoned after Kagekatsu was transferred to Yonezawa Castle in 1601 due to the defeat in the decisive battle in 1600 against Ieyasu Tokugawa who would be the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The portrait of Ujisato Gamo, owned by Aizu Wakamatsu Library (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The portrait of Kagekatsu Uesugi, owned by Uesugi Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The ruins of Mukai-Haguroyama Castle

To be continued in “Mukai-Haguroyama Part2”