53.Nijo Castle Part1

Nijo Castle is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Kyoto, and a World Heritage Site, where many tourists overseas visit. The castle was built by Ieyasu Tokugawa who was the last ruler and the first Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate. However, do you know about other Nijo Castles which other rulers and Shoguns had owned before Ieyasu? The current Nijo Castle, which only remains, is the final version of Nijo Castle including the others.

Location and History

Nijo Castle is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Kyoto, and a World Heritage Site, where many tourists overseas visit. The castle was built by Ieyasu Tokugawa who was the last ruler and the first Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate. However, did you know about other Nijo Castles which other rulers and Shoguns had owned before Ieyasu? The current Nijo Castle, which is the only remaining castle, is the final version of Nijo Castles including the others. That’s because historians call the castles which the rulers and the Shoguns built in the center of Kyoto, the series of Nijo Castles. (Nijo Castle was originally the name for Ieyasu’s one at that time.)

The current Nijo Castle

Shoguns and Rulers of Nijo Castles

The first Nijo Castle was built by Yoshiteru Ashikaga, the 13th Shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate. His ancestors had lived in a residence called “The Flower Palace” but it was weak defensively. When Yoshiteru became the Shogun, he couldn’t stay long even in Kyoto because of the conflicts against his retainers. In 1558, he eventually lived in Kyoto by making peace with Nagayoshi Miyoshi who was the most influential retainer, called “the first ruler”. Yoshiteru launched the building of his new palace, which was actually a castle with doubled moats and stone walls. Living in a simple palace was very dangerous even for a Shogun to survive at that time. Yoshiteru’s government was stable for a while. However, the situation got worse after Nagayoshi, whom Yoshihide relied on, died in 1564. Some of the Miyoshi Party suddenly attacked Yoshihide’s castle the following year. Yoshiteru, who was said to be a master swordman, fought bravely against his enemies, but was eventually killed by them.

The portrait of Yoshiteru Ashikaga, owned by National Museum of Japanese History  (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
“The Flower Palace” from “The views in and around Kyoto (Uesugi version)”  (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The location of Yoshiteru’s Nijo Castle, marked by the red box, the current Nijo Castle is surrounded by the doble moats (Google Map)

The owner of the second Nijo Castle was Yoshiaki Ashikaga, the last shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate. His Nijo Castle had already been known as “The old Nijo Castle”. He decided to build the castle at the same place as Yoshiteru’s one after he came to Kyoto with Nobunaga Oda and became the shogun in 1568. Many may think this castle was given by Nobunaga, but in fact, it was that Nobunaga was mainly in charge of the civil construction of the castle before many buildings and garden items were moved from others. Nobunaga instructed the construction all by himself, which resulted in nearly 8m high stone walls completed in only less than 3 months. Another episode about it is that Nobunaga collected stone materials, including stone buddha status, for the walls by force. The castle is also famous for having the first Tenshu (which means Main Tower) building on record, which provided a historical epoch. The building seemed to look like a three-level turret. Yoshiaki and Nobunaga eventually fought each other; Yoshiaki fortified his castle even more to fight against Nobunaga. However, Yoshiaki escaped from his Nijo Castle to another castle and surrendered to Nobunaga. Nobunaga ordered his retainers to destroy the Nijo Castle.

The seated statue of Yoshiaki Ashikaga, owned by Tojiin Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The location of Yoshiaki’s Nijo Castle, marked by the blue box, the current Nijo Castle is surrounded by the doble moats (Google Map)
Some of the stone walls of Yoshiaki’s Nijo Castle, unearthed and moved to Kyoto Imperial Park

The owner of the next Nijo Castle was Nobunaga, which is still not popular.
He had stayed in temples before that while being in Kyoto for a long time. He decided to build his own castle in Kyoto to stay in, in 1576, which is now called another “Nijo Castle”. The castle had buildings like a palace including a room for the emperor’s visit. The others about the castle were unclear. However, a question about its size is unclear. In fact, experts later confirmed that Nobunaga’s Nijo Castle was in fact smaller than Yoshiteru’s and Yoshiaki’s Nijo Castle. Moreover, Nobunaga gave the castle to the current prince after only two years. He resumed his stay in temples, including Honnoji where he would be easily killed by Mitsuhide Akechi in 1582. His son, Nobutada stayed in another temple with only a few retainers, heard about the incident, and decided to move to Nobunaga’s former Castle. He battled against Mitsuhide’s troops, but was eventually forced to commit Harakiri, while the castle being burned down.

The portrait of Nobunaga Oda, attributed to Soshu Kano, owned by Chokoji Temple, in the late 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The location of Nobunaga’s Nijo Castle, marked by the green box, the current Nijo Castle is surrounded by the doble moats (Google Map)
The portrait of Nobutada Oda, owned by Sokenji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Ieyasu Tokugawa of Nijo Castle

Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the successor of Nobunaga, built Jurakudai Castle as his residence in Kyoto in 1587. The castle was located in the north of Nijo and was much larger than all three Nijo Castles earlier on. He invited the emperor to his castle, which meant its functions were similar to the three other Nijo Castles. However, he had built Myokenji Castle at Nijo to live in before Jurakudai Castle. Myokenji Castle was said to have its Main Tower while its other points are unclear. If more information would have been recovered, the castle would have been called another Nijo Castle.

The Portrait of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, attributed to Mitsunobu Kano, owned by Kodaiji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
“The folding screens of Jurakudai Castle”, owned by Mitsui Memorial Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The location of Hideyoshi’s Myokenji Castle, marked by the brown box, the current Nijo Castle is surrounded by the doble moats (Google Map)

Ieyasu Tokugawa, who won the battle of Sekigahara in 1600, became the last ruler. He started to build his castle in Kyoto the following year, which would be the current Nijo Castle. The castle was completed in 1603, with its Main Tower added three years later by moving it from Yamato-Koriyama Castle. However, the range of it was different from the current one, which was over half the size of it, with only a single square. That’s why the castle at that time was called, Keicho Nijo Castle (Keicho was the name of the Emperor’s Era at that time).

The Portrait of Ieyasu Tokugawa, attributed to Tanyu Kano, ownd by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The range of the Keicho Nijo Castle, marked by the purple box, the current Nijo Castle is surrounded by the doble moats (Google Map)
“The views in and around Kyoto” including the Keicho Nijo Castle, owned by Metropolitan Museum of Art (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Ieyasu used his Nijo Castle to stay in and hold important ceremonies in Kyoto. For example, he invited the envoys from the emperor to the castle where a party was held after he became the first Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate. His successor, Hidetada Tokugawa also used the castle in the same way. Ieyasu met his rival, Hideyori Toyotomi at the castle in 1611. Some say Ieyasu decided to destroy the Toyotomi Clan before they become a big threat to the Tokugawa Clan. The castle was eventually used as Ieyasu’s headquarters when he went to the battle of Osaka Castle in 1614. As a result, Ieyasu held patties at Nijo Castle again after his victory in 1615. Meanwhile, he issued the Acts Governing the Imperial Court and Nobility to control them at the same place in the same year. That meant the castle was an iconic place for the government.

The portrait of Hideyori Toyotomi, owned by Yogenin Temple (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)

Hidetada and Iemitsu Tokugawa of Nijo Castle

After Ieyasu died in 1616, his son, Hidetada and grandson, Iemitsu still had many things to do. One of them was to form a good relationship with the Imperial family. Hidetada married his daughter, Masako to emperor Gomizuo in 1620. He became the emperor’s father-in-law. The final practice for his purpose would be to invite the emperor to Nijo Castle like Hideyoshi had used to do in Jurakudai Castle. Hidetada tried to have a special event to surpass that of the previous ruler.

The portrait of Hidetada Tokugawa, owned by Saifuku-ji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The portrait of Iemitsu Tokugawa, owned by Kinzanji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The portrait of the emperor Gomizuo, attributed to Korin Ogata, owned by Imperial Household Archives (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The portrait of Masako Tokugawa, owned by Kounji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

This event would be held in 1626 during the Kanei Era after Nijo Castle was fully renovated. Therefore, the castle would be called Kanei Nijo Castle as what we see it now. The renovation included the land of the castle being extended to the west. It resulted in the land looking like two overlapped squares. The square on the west became the main enclosure for Hidetada’s main hall while the right one became the second enclosure for Iemitsu’s main hall which is the remaining one. The remaining gorgeous Kara-mon gate in front of it was built at the same time. The main enclosure also had the new main tower being moved from Fushimi Castle. The palace for the emperor’s visit was built in the second enclosure. The front gate of the castle had had two levels but was rebuilt to a single-level gate. This was because someone might have looked down on the emperor from the second floor.

The aerial photo of the current Nijo Castle (Google Map)
The remaining main hall of the second enclosure
The remaining Kara-mon Gate
The rebuilt front gate for the emperor’s visit, quoted from the website of Chiba Prefectural Central Museum
The current front gate being changed to a two-level gate after the visit

The event, called “Kanei Royal Visit”, was held for 5 days from the 5th of September (according to the lunar calendar), in 1626. The parade of about 9,000 people, including the emperor and his wife, Masako, went from the imperial palace to the castle. During the visit, lots of ceremonies were held. The most interesting one for us may be that the emperor climbed the main tower twice. There was the corridor bridge with roof overhead, covering the moat between the main and second enclosures. That meant the emperor was able to go the tower from his palace in the castle without having to go out. His first visit to the tower was on the 3rd day, but the view from the top was not good because of the bad weather. He went there again on the last day just before returning to his home. The royal visit was recorded on many sources, which would make people remember it for a long time. This event also symbolized the arrival of peace. After that, the 3rd shogun, Iemitsu went to Kyoto and Nijo Castle in 1634, which was his last visit there. Since then, the castle has been dormant for over 200 years when no shoguns went to Kyoto.

Part of “the Screens of the Royal Visit to Nijo Castle”, exhibited by Kyoto National Museum
The current bridge between the main and second enclosures, which had the corridor with roof overhead on it in the past

Iemochi and Yoshinobu Tokugawa of Nijo Castle

During the first 200 years, Nijo Castle was devastated. For example, the main hall and main tower of the main enclosure were burned down by accidental fires. The main hall of the second enclosure deteriorated. However, the castle got back to the political scenes at the end of the Edo Period. This was because the 14th shogun, Iemochi Tokugawa went to Kyoto for the first time as a shogun in 229 years, after he had been married to Kazunomiya, the emperor’s daughter. The imperial court was getting more powerful, backed up by some influential domains which later resulted in the Meiji Restoration. The shogun needed to deal with such a situation by himself. The shogunate tried to resume Nijo Castle for Iemochi’s stay. However, it was not enough due to the shortage of their budget. As a result, Iemochi mainly used the restored main hall of the second enclosure. He also used Osaka Castle to battle against the Choshu Domain, where he unfortunately died in 1866 due to illness.

The portrait of Iemochi Tokugawa, owned by he Tokugawa Memorial Foundation (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Iemochi’s successor, Yoshinobu Tokugawa had stayed long in Kyoto to back up Iemochi. However, he didn’t use Nijo Castle. He said the reason was that he couldn’t move freely when he stayed there under bureaucratic official rules. He continued to stay in his retainer’s residence even after he became the last shogun. He finally moved to the castle just one month before the famous Returning of the Power to the Emperor in October (according to the lunar calendar), in 1867. He announced it in the main hall of the second enclosure. The purpose of it was that after he resigned, he assumed he would be given another position to continue working for the imperial court while avoiding attacks from the influential domains. However, the domains refused Yoshinobu’s plan by issuing the Decree for the Restoration of Imperial Rule and asking Yoshinobu to return all his ranks and territories. His retainers got very angry, but it was a provocation from the domains. Yoshinobu eventually decided to escape from Nijo Castle to Osaka Castle with his retainers to avoid conflicts.

Yoshinobu Tokugawa when he was the shogun  (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
The picture of the announcement of Returning the Power to the Emperor, owned by the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery  (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

After that, Nijo Castle belonged to the imperial court. On 3rd February (according to the lunar calendar), in 1868, the emperor Meiji went to the castle and ordered to abolish the shogunate. The castle was used as an iconic place for the government until the end.

The picture of the visit of the emperor Meiji to Nijo Castle, owned by the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Nijo Castle 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 remaining “Hanedashi” stone walls
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)
Matsumae Castle
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 ruins of Shiryokaku
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.

The present Goryokaku

To be continued in “Goryokaku Part2”

183.Kurume Castle Part1

An important castle in the Chikugo Province

Location and History

Debatable ground among Great Warlords

Kurume Castle was located in the Chikugo Province which is now the southern part of Fukuoka Prefecture, in the Kyushu Region. In the late 16th Century, during the Sengoku Period, two great warlords got the power in the northern Kyushu Region. One of them was the Otomo Clan in the Bungo Province, in the east of Chikugo Province. The other was the Ryuzoji Clan in the Hizen Provence, in the west of Chikugo Province. As a result, Chikugo Province was scrambled by the two warlords. During that period, a fortress, called Sasahara Castle, was built in the same place as the later Kurume Castle. The lords of the castle changed quite often because of the context.

The range of Chikugo Province and the location of the castle

Hidekane Mori and Arima Clan complete Castle

During the unification of Japan by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Hidekane Mori was promoted as the lord of the castle in 1587. He renovated the castle, which was renamed Kurume Castle. However, he was fired after losing the battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Instead, the Tanaka Clan was transferred from Okazaki Castle to Yanagawa Castle in the Chikugo Province. Kurume Castle became a branch of Yanagawa Castle and was eventually abandoned in 1615 due to the Law of One Castle per Province by the Tokugawa Shogunate. The castle was revived in 1621 by the Arima Clan, the lord of the Kurume Domain, after the Tanaka Clan was also fired because they had no successors. The Arima Clan completed Kurume Castle and governed the domain until the end of the Edo Period.

The portrait of Hidekane Mori, owned by Gensaiji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Kurume Castle was located beside the Chikugo River flowing from the north to the west of the castle. The eastern side of the castle was surrounded by tripled water moats tripled such as the Chikuzen-bori Moat. The castle town was built in the south of the castle. Four enclosures divided by water moats; the Outer, Third, Second, Main Enclosures were built in a line next to the castle town towards the north. If enemies wanted to capture the castle, they had to first attack the castle town one enclosure at a time. Only the Main Enclosure was made with high stone walls while the others were made with soil. The Main Enclosure was on a hill at in the northernmost part of the castle and had the Main Hall and seven turrets to protect it. These turrets all had three stories and were connected by two-story row-style turrets, called Tamon-Yagura, which looked very spectacular.

The illustration of Kurume Castle, exhibited by the National Diet Library of Japan, adding my own comments

Shinto affects Domain and Castle

The governance of the Kurume Domain was generally stable in the peaceful time of the Edo Period. Shinto, one of the major religions in Japan, spread during this period. One of its main doctrines was to respect the Emperor, which led to the movement for imperialism and exclusionism. The movement eventually resulted in the one against the Tokugawa Shogunate at the end of the period. Many Shinto believers lived in Kurume, and communicated with others in other areas. For example, Hikokuro Takayama, who was a famous loyal supporter of the Emperor, visited Kurume three times and died there in 1793. Maki Izumi, who was the priest of the Kurume Suitengu Shrine, joined the Kinmon Incident in Kyoto in 1864.

The statue of Hikokuro Takayama in Kyoto (taken by あじのすけ from photoAC)

However, the Kurume Domain didn’t play a major role in the Meiji Restoration during which the New Government defeated the shogunate. This is because the domain had an internal conflict between its supporters. The domain even had complains about the New Government changing its policy to open the country. The government punished the lord of the domain and occupied Kurume Castle in 1871, which was the last time the castle was occupied.

The old photo of Kurume Castle (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Kurume Castle Part2”