Matsumae castle – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

187.Fukue Castle Part1

Fukue Castle was located in Fukue Island, which is the largest one of Goto Islands. It was built by the Goto Clan, the lord family of the Fukue Domain during the Edo Period. Goto Islands are at the westmost part of the Kushu Region. That’s why they have a long history including close relationships with foreign countries through sea transportation. However, the castle is one of the latest castles in Japan because of the special conditions and matters of the islands.

Location and History

Fukue Castle was located in Fukue Island, which is the largest one of Goto Islands. It was built by the Goto Clan, the lord family of the Fukue Domain during the Edo Period. Goto Islands are at the westernmost part of the Kushu Region. That’s why they have a long history including close relationships with foreign countries through sea transportation. However, the castle is one of the youngest castles in Japan because of the special conditions and matters of the islands.

The location of the castle

Goto Islands with Matsura Party, Kaizoku warriors, and Wako pirates

In the ancient times, Goto Islands were on the southern route for Japanese missions to the Tang dynasty of China. For example, a famous priest, Kukai, left the islands to the dynasty by ship. In the Middle Ages, warriors, called Matsura Party, invaded the islands in order to govern it. Though their leader, the Matsura Clan stayed in Hirado of the main Kyushu Island, other members like the Uku and Aokata Clans moved to Goto Islands. Apart from the jobs for ruling their lands, they usually acted as sea guards and navies. They also pirated cargos from the ships which meant they didn’t have to pay to enter certain areas or were wrecked. So, they were sometimes called Kaizoku, which directly means ‘pirates’.

The restored Kobayabune boat, which is an example of navies’ or Kaizoku’s boats, exhibited by Murakami KAIZOKU Museum

Another leading group at that time were Wako pirates, which used Goto Islands as a base. They were classified in the former Wako during the Muromachi Period and the later one during the Sengoku Period. The latter was, in fact, ruled by Chinese people, who were like armed merchants. It was said that some Japanese people from the Matsura Party might have joined the Wako pirates. The lords of the party tried to build a strong connection with those of the pirates to improve their power.

A picture of the Wako attack (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Rule of Goto Clan as Fukue Domain

In the 14th Century during the Muromachi Period, one of the Matsura Party, the Uku Clan managed to unify Goto Islands. As a result, the clan moved its home from Uku Island to Fukue Island, the largest one in the islands. Morisada Uku, who was the lord of the clan in the middle of the 16th Century tried to increase trading by building Egawa Castle near the estuary of Fukue River. He met a Chinese big shot from the Wako Pirates, called Wang Zhi, in the process. Morisada allowed Wang Zhi to live and trade in Fukue, by building a Chinatown near the castle. Some historical items, such as Minjin-do (a mausoleum) and Rokkaku Well, can be seen in the town ruins. Goto Islands became a trading center following Hirado.

The portrait of Wang Zhi, exhibited by Minjin-do Mausoleum

The imaginary image of the Chinatown, exhibited by Minjin-do Mausoleum

The Uku Clan also adapted to its new environment. When Christianity came to Goto Islands, Morisada’s son, Sumisada became a Christian. Sumisada’s grandson, Sumiharu changed his family name from Uku to Goto, as the representative of the islands, during the unification of Japan by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Sumiharu’s successor, Harumasa Goto survived even when Ieyasu Tokugawa became the last ruler. Harumasa was the first lord of the Fukue Domain which governed the area all through the Edo Period. The second lord, Moritoshi Goto forced all the warriors of the domain to live in Fukue town to rule over them completely. Fukue Samurai Residence Street is the ruins for the middle-class warriors’ residential area.

However, the situation of the domain was not stable. Even though the income of the domain had been good because of the prosperous fishing industry, both of them declined rapidly. Therefore, the domain needed to make counterplans. Their first plan was to tax each person in the domain, It seemed unusual but the second counterplan was more unorthodox. Their second plan was to force some girls to serve high-class warriors like slaves for three years! This was obviously a tribble law even during the Edo Period, which lasted until the end of the period. On the other hand, another plan might have unknowingly brought a good thing to Goto Islands. Fukue Domain asked Omura Domain in the main island of Kyushu to move farmers to Goto Islands. They agreed with each other, and then, thousands of farmers went to the islands. In fact, many of the farmers were underground-Christians. Being Christian was prohibited at that time, but Fukue Domain accepted them carelessly without checking their background because they wanted to increase their income. As a result, Christianity was secretly worshiped by the farmers, which would lead to some Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region (as a World Heritage) in Goto Islands.

Kashiragashima Church in Kashiragashima Island of Goto Islands *(licensed by Indiana jo via Wikimedia Commons)*

As for the castle’s matter, Egawa Castle was eventually burned down by accident in 1614. Fukue Domain tried to build another one, however, it was not allowed by the shogunate. This was because the domain was too small for having a castle. The shogunate controlled all the domains by classifying them and permitting what they could do. Instead, Fukue Domain built Ishida Encampment at a seashore where Fukue Castle would later be built.

The ruins of Egawa Castle, where only a monument stands beside the hotel

Road to Fukue Castle

Fukue Domain was also not allowed to trade with foreign countries because it was allowed to do so with Netherlands and China. The only trading that was allowed was in Nagasaki Port. Furthermore, the domain was ordered by the shogunate to monitor the foreign trading ships on route to Nagasaki near Goto Islands. The domain built 11 lookout posts on the islands in order to monitor foreign ships. That made the domain become more careful of foreign affairs. The domain sent some officers to Nagasaki to collect foreign information. As time passed, unidentified Western ships often appeared in the sea around Japan. The domain felt a sense of crisis and applied the first permission to build a castle in 1806 but was rejected in the end.

Dejima Island in Nagasaki Port, which was used for the trading with the foreign countries *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Meanwhile, there were big incidents at Nagasaki. In 1808, a British warship, called Phaeton, rushed towards Nagasaki, to catch some ships of Netherlands under a state of war between the countries. Then, in 1844, a Dutch warship, called Palembang, visited Nagasaki with a diplomatic massage by the Dutch king, which encourage Japan to open the country. This information was basically confidential, but Fukue Domain got it through the officers at Nagasaki.

The British warship, Phaeton *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The Dutch warship, Palembang *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Therefore, it asked the shogunate to allow them to build the castle again and again. Eventually, they were allowed to do it in 1849, which was the same year as that of Matsumae Castle in Hokkaido was built.

Construction of Castle

Fukue Domain lauched the construction of Fukue Castle at the same site as its encampment right away. However, it took a very long time as long as 15 years. This was because of the lack of the budget and its location near the estuary. There is the ruins of a lighthouse called Jotobana near Fukue Port. it was originally built as banks to protect the construction site from the big waves. The castle was eventually completed in 1863. It was one of the youngest castles in Japan and unique one devoted to guarding the sea.

For these reasons, it had several distinct features. First, the castle faced Eastern China Sea in the east and surrounded by it in the east, north, and south directions. The sea could be a natural moat for the castle too, but it made enemy ships attack that area more easily. Therefore, the stone walls at the eastern side were very thick. A water gate was also built to sail the castle’s ships. Secondly, the castle had several enclosures such as the Main, Second and Northern Enclosures like other castles. However, the corners had cannon bases, not turrets which Japanese castles used to have. The residence and garden for the lord were built in the western part of the castle, which was the farthest from the sea, which was also the safest area of the castle. Finally, the stone walls of the castle used many natural stones which the island produced. The stones were piled in a method called Nozura-zumi by a special stone craftsman group called Ano-shu.

The illustration of Fukue Castle, quoted from the board of education of Nagasaki Prefecture

The stone walls at the eastern side of the castle

The stone walls which were piled in the Nozura-zumi method

Though the castle was built after the great efforts after a long time, it was abandoned in 1872 after the Meiji Restoration when it was only 9 years old.

To be continued in “Fukue Castle Part2”

101.Shinori-Tate Part1

The center of the trading between Japanese and Ainu people

Location and History

One of Dounan Twelve Halls

Shinori-Tate was a hall which Japanese warriors built in the Middle Ages in what is now Hakodate City of Hokkaido Island. At that time, the island was called Ezo, where the native Ainu people lived. They spoke a different language and had a different way of life from people living in the mainland of Japan (called “Japanese people” later in this article). They earned a living by hunting, fishing, and trading, not by farming like “Japanese people” usually did. The first “Japanese people”, who moved from the mainland to Ezo, were said to be exiles, surviving warriors and merchants. Some historians speculate these moving people became a group, called Watari-To or the Migrating Party, who traded with the people of the mainland. The Ando Clan, which governed the northern edge of the mainland, monitored and controlled the party as the Shogunal Deputy for Ezo since the 13th Century.

The painting of Ainu men, attributed to Isabella Lucy Bird, in the 19th Century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

In the late 14th Century, the Migrating Party and other “Japanese people” were very active in Oshima Peninsula at the southern edge of Hokkaido. The leaders of them started to build several halls for living and trading alongside the peninsula. Shinori-Tate was one of the Dounan (southern part of Hokkaido) Twelve Halls, the easternmost and probably earliest one of the halls. Historians think the Kobayashi Clan which worked under the Ando Clan built the hall.

The location of the castle

Hall prospers with Shinori Town

Shinori town beside the hall also prospered in commerce and industry between the “Japanese” and Ainu people. Records say there was a blacksmith town with hundreds of houses because Ainu people could not produce iron items. In 1968, about 370 thousand buried old coins in three big jars were found at the seaside of Shinori, 100m away from the hall ruins. The jars are partially broken, so if they were intact, the number of coins would reach 500 thousand. Upon checking the kinds of the coins, it was found out that they were buried in the same period as the hall. That would prove that a rich merchant or lord was there. Some historians even speculate the Kobayashi Clan might have buried the coins for the Ground-breaking ceremony of Shinori Tate.

The buried old coins which were designated as an Important Cultural Property, quoted from the website of Hakodate City

The hall was built on an over 20m high hill beside the seaside in the south. The ground for the hall was a square space which was 70m from the east to the west and 50m from the south to the north. It was surrounded by earthen walls and dry moats outside. The western side of it has its entrance and double dry moats. It is thought that the hall was usually used for a living or trading but also used for a base like a castle when an emergency situation or battle happened.

The relief map around the castle

The location map of Shinori-Tate Ruins at the site

Hall is captured twice by Ainu Rebellions

The situation dramatically changed after the Ando Clan was defeated and evicted from the mainland by the Nanbu Clan in 1432. The Ando Clan had to move their home base to Hokkaido. Since then, tension increased between the “Japanese” and Ainu people because the clan tried to rule the island directly. In 1456, an incident happened at a blacksmith in Shinori. An Ainu boy complained about the short sword that he ordered to a craftsman who made it. However, the craftsman killed the boy. This made the Ainu people very angry and resulted in an uprising led by their leader, Koshamain.

The Ainu style short swords called Makiri *(licensed by Haa900 via Wikimedia Commons)*

Shinori Tate, which was owned by Yoshikage Kobayashi, was attacked and captured by the uprising people. Yoshikage was also killed. Then, ten out of the Dounan Twelve Halls fell. In the following year, a “Japanese” general, Nobuhiro Takeda defeated Koshamain and crushed the rebellion. After that, Shinori Tate was restored by Yoshisada Kobayashi, the son of Yoshikage. However, the Ainu people raised a rebellion and captured Shinori Tate again in 1512. During this encounter, Yoshisada was killed. As a result, the “Japanese” people decided to get together in the western part of Oshima Peninsula, which led to the launching of the Matsumae Domain and Matsumae Castle in the Edo Period. Shinori Tate, which was located in the eastern part of the peninsula, was eventually abandoned.

The portrait of Nobuhiro Takeda (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Shinori-Tate Part2”

2.Goryokaku Part1

A European style fort which was the final place of the Battle of Hakodate

Location and History

European style fort, located in Hakodate

Goryokaku was one of the earliest European style forts in Japan and the site of a major event during the Meiji Restoration. It is also one of the most famous symbols of Hakodate City in Hokkaido. In 1854, Japan opened the country to several Western Countries such as the US through the Shimoda and Hakodate Ports. The Tokugawa Shogunate, which was the Japanese Government at that time, decided to take direct control of Hakodate port and built the Hakodate Magistrate’s Office to control the relationship with the aforementioned countries. The office was first located near the port at the foot of Hakodate Mountain. However, some argued that its location was not good for security because the office might be attacked from both the sea and mountain sides. Because of that, the shogunate built the Benten Cape Battery beside the port and moved the office to an inland area, about 3km away from the port, where it was thought it would provide protection from shots from canons of the Western ships.

The location of the castle

The person in charge of both constructions was Ayasaburo Takeda, a scholar of Western science. He learned a lot from military books and designed the office to be a European style fort, with five bastions like a star. He also planned to add five ravelins between the bastions, but only one was built in the front, probably because of a lack of budget. The new fort was completed in 1864 and called Goryokaku, which means the Pentagonal Style Fort. Its style came from Europe while the techniques used in the construction were traditionally Japanese. The basic five pointed star shape was made of soil, partly using stone walls. Some of the stone walls had a feature called “Hanedashi” in which all the stones in the second row from the top are so layered to prevent enemies from invading. Water moats were dug outside the structures. The office buildings were built inside in the Japanese style.

Ayasaburo Takeda (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The drawing of Goryokaku, one of its final design plans, owned by Hakodate City Museum *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The old photo of the Hakodate Magistrate’s Office building, in the winter of 1868 *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Escaping force occupies Goryokaku

In 1868 when the Meiji Restoration occurred, Goryokaku, including the magistrate’s office, was first handed over to the new government peacefully. However, the former Shogunate fleet, led by the deputy Admiral, Takeaki Enomoto, escaped from Edo Bay to Hokkaido looking to found their own government. They brought nearly 4,000 soldiers, excellent commanders like Toshizo Hijikata, and the strongest battleship, the Kaiyo. The new government officers left Goryokaku and withdrew to the mainland of Japan, so the escaping force occupied Goryokaku easily and set it as their home base. They also captured other castles in southern Hokkaido, such as Matsumae Castle. They finally declared independence from the new government, which was never accepted. A bad sign for the escaping force was that the Kaiyo had become stranded on a reef at Esashi and sank in the previous battle.

The photo of Takeaki Enomoto, in 1868 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The photo of Toshizo Hijikata, taken by Kenzo Tamoto, in 1868 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The photo of the Kaiyo, in August of 1866 *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The restored Kaiyo beside Esashi Port as a museum

Goryokaku is open by Attack of New Government Army

The new government prepared over 10,000 soldiers and its own fleet, including the Kotetsu, thought to be the strongest after the Kaiyo, led by Kiyotaka Kuroda. The escaping force fortified Goryokaku and built another European style fort called Shiryokaku or the Square Style Fort. The new government forces invaded southern Hokkaido in 1869. They had more soldiers and were more equipped than the escaping force, which resulted in Matsumae Castle and Shiryokaku being captured immediately. The Benten Cape Battery and the remaining escape force fleet fought hard against the new government fleet in Hakodate Port. They even got one of the new government ships, the Choyo sunk. However, they had to surrender because their supplies ran out. Hijikata was also killed by a shot when he was trying to help them. Goryokaku was isolated.

The photo of Kiyotaka Kuroda (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The illustration of the Kotetsu, published in 1933 (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The photo of the Benten Cape Battery *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The cannon shots from Goryokaku didn’t reach the fleet. On the other hand, the shots from the Kotetsu easily hit Goryokaku because the quality of cannons had rapidly improved. It is said that the copper roof tiles on the drum tower of the magistrate’s office were targeted. Enomoto finally accepted the suggestion of surrender from Kuroda. These battles are called the Battle of Hakodate and considered to be the event that the completed the establishment of the new government.

To be continued in “Goryokaku Part2”