Masugata – ページ 13 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

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”

78.Marugame Castle Part2

Great stone walls, great view and the remaining Main Tower

Features

Today, Marugame Castle is open to the public as Marugame Castle itself or the Kame-yama Park. The range of the park is inside the Inner Moat. When you stand in front of the moat, you would be surprised to see the amazing high stone walls with the remaining Main Tower on them. The high stone walls are about 60m which is said to be the highest stone walls among other multiple tiers in Japan. (the highest in single tier is the stone walls of Osaka Castle which is about 33m high).

The aerial photo around the castle

From Main Gate to Third Enclosure

Visitors usually enter the castle through the remaining Main Gate after crossing the bridge over the moat from the north. This gate has a typical defensive gate building style called Masugata. It consists of a square space surrounded by two gate buildings, mud walls, and stone walls.

Then, you will walk up on the long steep slope called Mikaeri-zaka or the Look-back Slope to the eastern direction. On the way of the slope, you will see the highest single tier stone walls in this castle which is 22m high of the Third Enclosure. In particular, the corner of the stone walls is very beautiful called the Slope of a Folding Fan which means its lower part is not steep, but its upper part becomes vertical.

The high stone walls of the Third Enclosure

You will eventually arrive at the eastern part of the Third Enclosure. You can see a great view of the Sanuki-Fuji from the ruins of Tsukimi-Yagura or the Moon Watching Turret.

The ruins of the Moon Watching Turret at the Third Enclosure

A view of the Sanuki-Fuji from the ruins of the Moon Watching Turret

From Second Enclosure to Main Enclosure

After that, you will enter the Second Enclosure between the Main and the Second Enclosures. The enclosure once had several turrets connected with mud walls like the Main Enclosure, now has a square with cherry trees and which local people are familiar with.

You will finally enter the Main Enclosure at the highest in the castle. A 360-degree view from there is so great. You can see not only the Sanuki-Fuji but also the islands and the Great Seto Bridge on Seto Inland Sea.

A view of Marugame City area and Seto Inland Sea from the Main Enclosure

The Great Seto Bridge on Seto Inland Sea

Devised Remaining Main Tower

The enclosure now has only the Main Tower, one of the twelve remaining main towers in Japan. It is a kind of three-story turret and, in fact, the smallest one among the twelve main towers.

The back side of the remaining Main Tower that can be seen from the Main Enclosure

However, it was improved in some points to look bigger than it is when looking up it from the foot of the mountain. The first point is the reduction rate to the top of the tower is relatively large. The second one is that the decorations of the tower like the hip-and-gable roof and the Chinese styled gable are facing outside. They help the Main Tower looks big from below.

The front side of the remaining Main Tower that can be seen from the foot of the mountain

You can also enter the tower and may feel it was made practical as a turret. The steps to upstairs are very steep. It equips machicolations and loopholes for battles. It also exhibits the historical explanation and miniature model of the castle now.

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

4.Hirosaki Castle Part2

The castle remains in nearly its original range.

Features

From Outer Moat to Third Enclosure

Surprisingly, almost all the range of Hirosaki Castle remains as Hirosaki Park.

The aerial photo around the castle, it looks almost the same as the old illustration of the castle below.

Part of the illustration of Hirosaki Castle in Tsugaru District, in the Edo Period, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan

If you visit the park from the south such as Hirosaki Station, you will enter the Main Gate at the Third Enclosure surrounded by the earthen walls and the Outer Moat. You will also find huge amount of cherry trees planted on the earthen walls and can imagine beautiful cherry blossoms even if it is not spring.

Around the Outer Moat with cherry trees planted

The gate is one of the two remaining gate buildings at the enclosure. You may also find the gate turning to the other side not facing you. This is because other castles built in the same period as Hirosaki Castle usually have a gateway with two gate buildings. The first one is facing the visitors and the second one is turning to other the side. The two buildings form a square space with other walls to protect the castle, called “Masugata”. In the case of Hirosaki Castle, the first one was omitted, which has a very unique style.

An example of the Masugata style from the restored Yamanote-mon Gate of Kofu Castle

There is an Information Center in the enclosure.

Second Enclosure still has all its Gates and turrets

The aerial photo of around the Second Enclosure

You will walk inside, then see the Second Enclosure surrounded by the earthen walls and the Central Moat. It is also amazing that the two gates and three Three-Story Turrets of the enclosure all remain now. These turrets have cooper plate roof tiles, which make them look thin. The combination of the turrets and the earthen walls also look very good. There is an Information Center in the enclosure.

The remaining Second Enclosure South Gate

The remaining Second Enclosure Tatsumi Turret

The remaining Second Enclosure Hitsuji-saru Turret

Main Enclosure where Main Tower was once moved

The aerial photo around the Main Enclosure

You will soon reach the Main Enclosure with the remaining Main Tower inside the Inner Moat. In fact, the stone walls on the eastern side of the enclosure are being repaired (as of Sep 2021). This is because the surface of the stone walls are inflated that might collapse if there’s an earthquake.

The stone walls of the Main Enclosure which are being restored

For this reason, the Main Tower was once moved from the stone wall base at the southeast corner to the center of the enclosure. Therefore, you can see the Main Tower close by. The two sides of the tower that faces the outside are much decorated. On the other hand, the other sides facing the inner part are very simple. It might be for that the tower was at first built as a substitute, anyway it’s so interesting.

The present stone wall for the Main Tower without it

The sides of the Main Tower which are decorated

The sides of the Main Tower which are very simple

You can also see the large stone base for the first five-layer Main Tower at the southwest corner in the enclosure. If the weather is fine, you can see a great view of Iwaki-san Mountain from there.

The stone wall base for the first Main Tower

The view could be like this if the weather is fine (taken by u**m from photoAC)

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