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

173.Nitakayama Castle Part3

After Nitakayama Castle was abandoned, its ruins were used as a place for the practices of the mountain priests. That’s why there are stone buddha statues and monuments they built on the top of the mountain.

Features

Unique Final Enclosure

Tsume-no-maru (meaning the final enclosure) is next to the main enclosure to the southeast. It is also the top of the mountain, where you can enjoy great views of the surrounding area, such as Takayama Castle Ruins, Nuta River, and even Seto Inland Sea. It is also a more interesting place than only the top area. It is the rockiest and steepest area of this mountain. Furthermore, it has lots of stone buddha statues and monuments which mountain priests built. That’s why this site has become unique.

The map around the castle

A view of the Nuta River towards the Seto Inland Sea from the top

Well Enclosure, Lifeline of Castle

Tsurii-no-dan (meaning the well enclosure) is next to the main enclosure to the north. You can go there from the back gate of the main enclosure by walking down another Masugata system. This Masugata is different. It is called the inter type which is highly improved than that of the main gate (the outer type). It also still has clearly remaining earthen walls which form its square shape.

The ruins of the back gate of the main enclosure

The Masugata system of the back gate, seen from its side

Tsurii-no-dan Enclosure is lower than others, like a valley, which still has six large well ruins. It was very important for the castle not only to be besieged for a long time, but also to be able to live in.

One of the six well ruins in the enclosure

Later History

After Nitakayama Castle was abandoned, its ruins were used as a place for the practices of the mountain priests. That’s why you saw the stone buddha statues and monuments on the top they built. They also built chain fields on the steepest route to the top which experienced climbers still use today. However, general visitors shouldn’t use it. As for the castle ruins, they were designated as National Historic Sites with Mihara and Takayama Castles in 1957.

The top area of Nitakayama Mountain, looking very steep

My Impression

Mihara Castle was the final castle of Takakage Kobayakawa. However, I’m not quite sure what the castle looked like when he lived there because it was greatly improved by Fukushima and Asano Clans after Takakage died. Therefore, we can’t find how and where the huge stones from Nitakayama Castle were used in Mihara Castle. That means the ruins of Nitakayama Castle are valuable to see the legacies of Takakage’s period. As for myself, I would like to visit the ruins of Takayama Castle next to Nitakayama Castle someday.

A picture of Mihara Castle, drawn on the wall of Mihara Station

*The part of the Main Tower base of Mihara Castle, which was built by Takakage Kobayakawa*

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car, it is about a 4km drive away from Hongo IC on the Sanyo Expressway. There is a parking lot for visitors near the entrance of the hiking course.

By public transportation, it takes about 25 minutes on foot from JR Hongo Station.
After you get out of the station, turn right and go along the street in front of the station. Then, turn left at the first intersection, and the street leads to a bridge over the Nuta River while it follows a winding road. It may be better for you to walk the sidewalk on the left because the next intersection has a crosswalk only on this side.

Go along the street in front of the station

Walk the sidewalk on the left after turning left

If you walk across it, you will go on the bridge seeing a good view of Nitakayama and Takayama Mountains on the right. After that, turn right, go across another crosswalk and go on a path on the bank beside the river towards the mountains. This path will split into two, but eventually they will meet in front of a shrine. You will eventually arrive at the entrance of the hiking course.

Nitakayama Mountain on the left and Takayama Mountain on the right, seen from the bridge

Arriving at the starting point to the castle ruins

From Tokyo or Osaka to the station: get Sanyo Shinkansen bullet train and transfer to the Sanyo Line at Mihara Station.

That’s all. Thank you.
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173.Nitakayama Castle Part2

Features

Defensive system using Natural Terrain

Today, the ruins of Nitakayama Castle have been well developed for visitors as a hiking course. The course is the same or similar to the original main route of the castle. If you go on a path from the entrance of the route, you will find the path going beside a ridge on the right. There is a shrine called Kojinsha on the ridge, but it was said to be a barbican enclosure to protect the route from enemies.

The map around the castle

The route goes beside the ridge on the right

After you see a large direction board, you will continue to walk the route beside another ridge on the left. The ridge was used as Kane-no-dan (meaning the bell　enclosure) to control the route. This enclosure was said to be one of the oldest parts in the castle, which might have been used as a branch of Takayama Castle, the former home of the Kobayakawa Clan.

The bell enclosure is on the ridge on the left

The bell enclosure on the location map in the direction board, marked by the red circle

The route next goes on a bridge over a river on the valley, to another ridge. The bridge might have been destroyed when a battle happened. The route goes beside the three-tiered ridge on the right, which were protected by guard houses similar to barracks. As you saw so far, the route was built strongly by using only natural terrain.

The road goes over the river on the valley

The ruins of the guard houses are on the right

*The guard house ruins on the location map in the direction board, marked by the red circle*

Takakage Kobayakawa hosted his father there

You will soon reach a spacious area on the middle of the mountain, called “Kyoshinji-Temple Ruins”. This temple was built in 1577 by Takakage Kobayakawa, the lord of the castle, to pray for the repose of his father, Motonari’s soul after his death. The temple was moved to another place near Mihara Castle after Nitakayama Castle was abandoned. You can still see lots of fragments of roof tiles and some remaining stones or rocks on the ground, which the temple left. In addition, the record of Motonari’s stay in this castle in 1561 says that there was a temple in the castle, where Takakage’s brother, Takamoto stayed in, and which had the same or similar name as the one mentioned above. Therefore, Historians speculate that there was also the Kaisho building, where their ceremonies were held, in this site at that time.

You can see lots of fragments of roof tiles

Some stones or rocks, used for the temple, remain

*The Kyoshinji Temple Ruins on the location map in the direction board, marked by the red circle*

You can go further to the top area of the castle via a zigzagged path. You will eventually be at Naka-no-maru (meaning the central enclosure) which is placed between the main enclosure on the right (or the east) and the western enclosure on the left (or the west). This enclosure seemed to have been a pivot point of the castle. The western enclosure was built to monitor and control another route to the castle from this direction. This route is gentler than the main route you used, so many artificial vertical moats were built on the slope to prevent enemies from invading the castle easily. However, you still need to hire a guide to see them clearly because the western area has still not been developed for general visitors.

*The central enclosure on the location map in the direction board, marked by the red circle*

Main Enclosure with few remaining Stone Walls

You will finally walk up to the main enclosure which was surrounded by stone walls using huge stones or rocks. Most of them were removed and brought to Mihara Castle when Nitakayama Castle was abandoned. However, you can still see a few remaining stone walls on its base, so you may imagine what the original stone walls looked like. The entrance of the enclosure has been built as a defensive square space, called Masugata, where the main gate building was also constructed. It was said that the building was moved to the current Koshinji Temple (now called Sokoji) as its gate. The inside of the main enclosure is an empty space, where only stone foundations remain at its corner. These foundations were probably used for the main hall or the pavilion where Takakage hosted his father.

The few remaining stone walls on the base

Walking up to the entrance of the main enclosure

The entrance seen from the inside, the square shape of the entrance slightly remains

The stone foundations in the main enclosure

To be continued in “Nitakayama Castle Part3”
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29.Matsumoto Castle Part1

Location and History

Ogasawara Clan is driven away from Castle, but is waiting for their long-cherished plan to revive

Matsumoto Castle is located in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, which is known for its wonderful remaining five-level Main Tower. Matsumoto Basin, in which the city is located, has also been known for abundant springs flowing from the surrounding mountains since Ancient Times (we can still see many wells in the city area). That’s why the area was originally called “Fukase” or “Fukashi” which seem to have meant “waters running deep”. The Ogasawara Clan, which became the governor of Shinano Province (now Nagano Pref.), was based in this area during the Middle Ages. Many battles occurred during the Sengoku Period, and Ukon Shimadate, who was a retainer of the clan, built Fukashi Castle (the former Matsumoto Castle) in 1504 to protect the clan’s home, Hayashi Castle. However, they were driven away by the Takeda Clan in 1550, following the Siege of Fukashi.

The range of Matsumoto City and the location of the castle

A well in the city area (at Nishibori Park)

The Takeda Clan fortified Fukashi Castle to be a defensive stronghold even on the flat lands of the basin. The clan had the castle surrounded by tripled water moats. The lands inside the moats were called (from the center) the main, second, and third enclosures. The flow of the Metoba River was diverted to run alongside the outer moat, which made the castle more defensive. The clan also improved the gates of the castle by adding Umadashi systems in front of them. The system refers to a small round enclosure connected by a narrow path to the gate. It was a defense system created and frequently used by the clan. It was said that the basic structures of the castle was completed by the Takeda Clan. However, the castle was still basically made of soil at this point.

The miniature model of Matsumoto Castle during the Edo Period, exhibited by Matsumoto City Museum

The few remaining outer moat of the eastern part of the castle

The few remaining earthen walls inside the outer moat, at Nishibori-dorui (the western moat earthen walls) Park

One of the Umadashi systems in the miniature model above, however, they were all removed at the site

A chance for the Ogasawara Clan to revive suddenly came in 1582 when Nobunaga Oda defeated the Takeda Clan before he was also killed by Mitsuhide Akechi in the Honnoji Incident. Sadayoshi Ogasawara who served Ieyasu Tokugawa returned to Fukashi Castle the following year – for the first time in 33 years, his clan held the castle. He renamed the castle Matsumoto to celebrate the event. The new name was said to come from waiting (matsu) for his long-cherished plan (hon-kai, the Chinese symbol for “hon” is also pronounced “moto”). However, the situation rapidly changed. He and his master, Ieyasu were transferred to the Kanto Region in 1590 by the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Hideyoshi gave the castle to Kazumasa Ishikawa who had been a senior vassal of Ieyasu but was acquired by Hideyoshi.

The family crest of the Ogasawara Clan, called Sankaibishi (triple diamonds) (licensed by Minamoto at fr.wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons)

Kazumasa Ishikawa, drawn in the folding screens of “the Battle of Nagashino” (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Ishikawa Clan modernizes Castle by building Main Tower

Kazumasa started to modernize the castle using advanced techniques favoured by Hideyoshi, which was continued by his son, Yasunaga after Kazumasa’s death in 1592. Yasunaga built stone walls surrounding each enclosures, including the five-level Main Tower inside the main enclosure. He also replaced the Umadashi system of major gates with the Masugata system. The system refers to a defensive square space surrounded by stone walls and gated buildings. The gates were called Ote-mon (main gate) for the third enclosure, Taiko-mon (drum gate) for the second enclosure, and Kuro-mon (black gate) for the main enclosure. They were completed in 1594. However, local people suffered because of these rapid construction projects. A local legend says that when a worker, who had carried a huge stone for the Taiko-mon Gate, complained about it, Yasunaga heard about it and immediately executed him. Since then, the stone has been called Genba-ishi(stone). Genba was the name of Yasunaga’s official position.

The map around the castle

The main gate in the miniature model above, Metoba River is in front of it

The castle buildings were allowed to use roof tiles with gold leaf with the special permission of Hideyoshi. Such permission was only given to Hideyoshi’s relatives and trusted senior vassals. Other castles of the trusted vassals, which also used the golden roof tiles, were built around Ieyasu’s Kanto Region in places such as Komoro, Ueda, Kofu, Numata, and Sumpu Castle. These castles (including Matsumoto) formed the anti-Ieyasu network to monitor and threaten him. Yasumasa somehow survived even when Ieyasu gained power after Hideyoshi’s death (the golden roof tiles were then scraped). However, he was finally removed by Ieyasu in 1613. The reasons for this remain unclear, but it was possibly Ieyasu’s revenge against the Ishikawa Clan which had abandoned him.

The castles of anti-Ieyasu network

Castle is completed with building Tsukimi Turret

After that, the Ogasawara Clan returned to the castle again but were soon transferred to Akashi Castle in 1617. The castle and the area around it, called the Matsumoto Domain, were followed by the shogun’s relatives and several hereditary feudal lords during the Edo Period. There were also a few important subsequent events for the castle. One of them occurred when Naomasa Matsudaira lived there. He heard about a plan of the shogun, Iemitsu Tokugawa, to visit the castle (though it would be canceled later) and added a new turret called Tsukimi (seeing the moon) Yagura to the Main Tower in 1634. So far, the tower had entirely been designed with battles in mind. This turret, however, was completely built for entertainment. The tower became what we see now, influenced by different tastes.

The portrait of Naomasa Matsudaira, owned by Gesshoji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The Main Tower with the Tsukimi Turret on the right

The second occurred during the great fire of Matsumoto in 1727. The Main Hall next to the tower was burned down by the fire; the tower itself fortunately survived. People thought that a god called Nijurokuyashin (the god of the 26th night moon), which was worshiped in the tower, had saved it. In addition, the castle town prospered as the intersection of the Zenkoji Road (from north to south) and the Nomugi Road (from east to west). The town also had many guardhouses to make sure to prevent enemies from reaching the castle easily.

The ruins of the main enclosure main hall

The Nijurokuyashin God, which is still worshiped in the tower

The castle town in the miniature model above

To be continued in “Matsumoto Castle Part2”