Masugata – ページ 4 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

60.Ako Castle Part3

According to Historians, The 47 Ronin assaulted Kira due to their Samurai Spirit. If it’s true, why is the story still so popular among many current Japanese people?

Features

Many Attractions in Main Enclosure

The Main Enclosure is compact and all surrounded by stone walls and water moats, so you can easily see its complex layout. There are three entrances to it but only two of them are available excluding Hanebashi-mon (meaning Draw Bridge Gate) in the back of the southern side.

The aerial photo around the Main Enclosure of the castle, the red markers indicates its three entrances

The stone walls and water moats of the Main Enclosure

The front gate of the northern side was restored and has the Masugata system as well.

The other one of the eastern side, called Umaya-guchi-mon (meaning Stable Side Gate), was also restored. The gate was simple but the stone walls around are bent elaborately to protect the gate from guns and arrows from the walls.

There was the Main Hall inside where the lords including Asano (Takumi-no-kami) lived. Now, there is a flat exhibition of the hall instead, where you can see its layout and what rooms were in it.

The layout of the Main Hall drawn in the illustration during the Edo Period, from the signboard at the site

The large stone wall base for a Main Tower stands out at its corner and you can climb it and see the view of the area around from the top.

There is also a small but beautiful pond garden which is designated as a National Place of Scenic Beauty, together with that of the Second Enclosure.

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Ako Castle was abandoned and all the castle buildings were sold or demolished. Most of the moats were buried and turned into fields and residences area with other castle’s land. The Main Enclosure was used as a school until 1981. The Oishi Shrine was established in 1912. The restoration of the castle started in 1935 where the moats in front of the Main Enclosure were re-dug. Since then, many other buildings and structures of the castle have been restored probably because of the popularity of the incident and Ronin. The ruins have been designated as a National Historic Site since 1971.

The old photo of the Main Enclosure front gate, from the signboard at the site

*The old photo of the Second Enclosure gate, from the signboard at the site*

The ruins of Ako Castle in the 1930’s *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

My Impression

I honestly say I don’t like the Ako Incident story because there was no good reason for killing Kira (in addition, in the very popular play “Chushin-gura” based on this incident, Asano cuts Kira at the front (in fact, it was from the back) after Kira’s bullying due to Asano refusing the huge bribe or Asano’s wife refusing Kira’s love). Historians say this was done due to Bushi-do (the Samurai Spirit) which refers to their devotion to their master or domain with honor and pride even without any reasons. If it’s true, why is the story still so popular among many current Japanese people? I guess it’s because they still have the same or similar devotion to Samurai in the Edo Period as they sometimes look devoted to their boss or company without any reasons to survive. I also speculate that Oishi might have understood his master was mad but he didn’t have any other choice.

*A Ukiyoe-painting of Asano assaulting Kira in the Edo Castle, attributed to Kuniteru Utagawa (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car, it is about a 10 minutes’ drive away from Ako IC on the Sanyo Expressway. There are several parking lots around the castle ruins.
By public transportation, it takes about 15 minutes on foot to get there from JR Banshu-Ako Station.
From Tokyo or Osaka to the station: Take the Sanyo Shinkansen super express express and transfer to the Sanyo Line at Himeji Station or the Ako Line at Aiou Station.

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “AKo Castle Part1”
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60.Ako Castle Part2

Features

One of Three Major Water Supply systems during Edo Period

Today, the ruins of Ako Castle have been well developed with lots of restored items probably thanks to the Ako Incident and the 47 Ronin. However, the ruins are worth more than its popularity and have distinct perspectives. For example, if you walk from JR Banshu-Ako Station to the ruins along the central street, you will find some explanation boards and relics for the old Ako Water Supply system. The system is considered one of the Three Major Water Supply systems during the Edo Period in Japan. This was due to few wells in the Ako area because of its salt industry.

The water supply pipes exhibited in the turret gate of the Main Enclosure

Third Enclosure, Front of Castle

After walking for a while, you will get to the Main Gate with the Corner Turret at the northern edge of the Third Enclosure. These buildings were restored during the 1950’s and have become a symbol of the castle.

Main Gate[/leaflet-marker]

The castle ruins are at the end of the street

The Corner Turret in the front and the Main Gate in the back

If you enter the gate after crossing the bridge over the moat in front of it, there is a square space surrounded by stone walls, called Masugata system. In the case of Ako Castle, the space consists of connected squares, more complex than a simple one, so the path has zigzag design, which would make the enemies get stuck.

Entering the Main Gate by going across the bridge

There is the Third Enclosure inside, which was used as the senior vassals’ residences, where only Oishi and Kondo’s row-house style gates remain on both sides of the path.

Entering the center of the Third Enclosure

The Oishi’s row-house style gate on the right

The Kondo’s row-house style gate on the left

Oishi’s main residence was turned into Oishi Shrine where he and the Ronin have been worshiped as the heroes of the incident. It may be the most popular spot in the castle. There are also some ruins of other 47 Ronin’s’ residences around.

The ruins of Kataoka’s residence, one of the 47 Ronin

Second Enclosure facing Sea in Past

If you go further to the center of the castle, you will get to the ruins of the Second Enclosure Gate. The enclosure is mostly surrounded by its water moats and surrounds the Main Enclosure.

The water moats and the stone walls surround the Second Enclosure

There was the residence of another Oishi (Tanomo-no-suke, Kura-no-suke’s great uncle) and the Second Enclosure Garden in the northern part inside. The residence’s gate and the garden were recently restored where you can enjoy walking and looking at the beautiful scenery. The partition gate dividing the northern and southern parts was also restored at the edge of the garden and you can use it during opening hours.

The restored gate of Oishi Tanomo-no-suke’s residence

The partition gate dividing the northern and southern parts of the Second Enclosure

The southern part was turned into a modern flower park, which used to face the sea in the past. The sea area was reclaimed to public facilities, so you may not understand what it looked like. However, there are ruins of the pier and gate, and Shiomi (meaning Watching Tide) and Minami-Oki (South Ocean) Turrets on the southern side of the enclosure, where you may understand its location.

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

56.Takeda Castle Part2

The current tourist route is very similar to the bypass route the castle originally had. Hence, the route for the defenders of the castle in the past makes it possible for current visitors of the ruins to move smoothly as well.

Features

Well-developed Castle Ruins

Today, the ruins of Takeda Castle have been well developed to maintain them and control many visitors. If you want to drive to the ruins, you need to park at a tourist facility called “Yamajiro-no-sato” (or “the Village of the Mountain Castle”) and get to the ruins by a taxi, a bus, or walking. Even if you use a taxi, you will still need to walk the last kilometer from where you are dropped off to the ticket office, the entrance of the ruins. The path to the entrance is paved, but the terrain of the mountain is steep and rough when you walk along this path. You may wonder why and how the builders built a castle with great stone walls on such a mountain.

The map around the castle

You can see very steep and rough slopes beside the path

In the ruins, the tour routes are set one way and the range for visitors to walk around is also limited by poles and ropes. The stone walls and the foundations of the castle look well maintained. This is done by officials closing the ruins for a certain period of time to repair them every year. These activities contribute to keep the ruins in a good condition as well as securing the safety of visitors. For instance, visitors first enter the entrance of Kita-Senjo (meaning Northern 1,000 mat Enclosure in Japanese) at the edge of the northern ridge, then, walk on the ridge, pass the side of the stone wall base for the Main Tower at the Main Enclosure, walk on the southern ridge, and finally get out from the edge of it. This route is very similar to the bypass route the castle originally had. Hence, the route for the defenders of the castle in the past makes it possible for current visitors of the ruins to move smoothly as well.

The map around the castle

You can’t access the edge of an enclosure at the site

Entrances and routes are strictly protected

To get back to the entrance at the edge of the northern ridge, it has a defensive square space surrounded by high stone walls, called “Masugata”. It also had gate buildings on it, where the defenders would attack enemies outside by using guns and arrows. If the enemies reached the gate, they would be locked in the Masugata system.

The Masugata system at the edge of the northern ridge (called the Main Gate at the site)

The Masugata system seen from the inside

Inside the entrance, there is the extensive Kita-Senjo Enclosure, where as the name suggests, could accommodate lots of soldiers and supplies in the past, or tourist groups and events in the present.

The Third Enclosure seen from the Kita-senjo Enclosure

If you want to go to the center of the ruins, you will pass another Masugata system to the Third Enclosure and an altered gate built with stone walls to the Second Enclosure through the zigzagging path.

The Masugata system in front of the Third Enclosure

You will next walk on a narrow northern ridge through the Third and Second Enclosures, looking at the center of the castle with lots of stone walls and a view of the area around below. The route is guided by the official instructions to walk around safely in the narrow area.

The tourist routes are guided by the official instructions

The lots of stone walls in the center, seen from the Second Enclosure

Main Enclosure with remaining Stone Wall Base for Main Tower

You will eventually reach the center, the Main Enclosure with the stone wall base for the Main Tower. The route goes beside the base on wooden steps and there are other wooden steps to the base. The base was built using natural or roughly processed stones in the Nozura-zumi method, which look really great. Some historians speculate that a three-level Main Tower might have been built on the base, according to the size of the base.

The route goes on the wooden steps beside the base

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