The more I learn about the castle, the more I want to go back and visit again.
Features
Other Attractions than Main Enclosure
Other than the Main Enclosure, the others were turned into the city area. However, some traces of the castle can be seen in several places. For example, the former Second Enclosure, located in the east of the Main Enclosure, is used for modern buildings such as the city hall. The area is surrounded by low stone walls, which were probably re-piled using excavated stones. Some of them look new and very white!. It could be because they had been buried for a long time before they were found.
The map around the castle
Yatsushiro City Hall and the stone walls surrounding itThere are some pure white stones
The Northern Enclosure, located in the north of the Main Enclosure, was used as the retreat residence of Sansai Hosokawa and the home of the Matsui Clan later. There are still some stone walls surrounding it, which look original. The inside of it is used as Matsui Srine which worships the clan’s ancestors.
The stone walls surrounding the Northern EnclosureThe inside of the Northern EnclosureMatsui Shrine
Later History
After the Meiji Restoration, Yatsushiro Castle was abandoned and all the castle buildings were demolished. Few of them were moved and remain in other places. Most of the castle land was turned into the city area with its moats being filled, while Yatsushiro Shrine was built in the Main Enclosure in 1884. As a result, the group of the three castles, which were called Yatsushiro Castle in each period, as Furufumoto, Mugishima, and present time Yatsushiro Castle, have been designated as a National Historic Site together since 2014.
The entrance of Yatsushiro Shrine, built in the Meiji Era
My Impression
I didn’t know about Yatsushiro Castle at all before my visit. I was first surprised to see the good combination of white stone walls and green water. Then, I understood the elaborate defense system, contributed by the Masugata space. Finally, I enjoyed the great view of the Main Tower stone wall base. After visiting, I learned the two other castles, called Yatsushiro Castle earlier on, and the history of land reclamation in Yatsushiro. In the Edo Period, white stone walls like the castle were built for embankments. I would like to visit the area again some day to see the three Yatsushiro Castles and the white stone walls somewhere.
The stone walls and the Inner Moat at the northern side of the Main EnclosureRuins of the land reclamation in Edo Period in Yatsushiro, called Kochuhi
How to get There
If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about a 6km drive away from Yatsushiro IC on the Kyushu Expressway. There is a parking lot beside the northeastern corner of the Main Enclosure. If you want to use public transportation, you can take the Sanko Bus bound for Yatsushiro-Sanko from Yatsushiro Station and get off at the Yatsushirogu-mae bus stop to get there. From Fukuoka to Yatsushiro Station: Take the Kyushu Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Kagoshima Line at Shin-Yatsushiro Station.
The parking lot of the castle ruins for visitorsYatsushiro Station
First Yatsushiro Castle is targeted by several Lords
Yatsushiso City in Kumamoto Prefecture is known for an agricultural and industrial area in the western part of Kyushu Region. These industries have been developed on the reclaimed land since the Edo Period. People in Yatsushiro tripled the size of Yatsushiro Plain by draining water from the Yatsushiro Sea. Before the land reclamation, Yatsushiro prospered as a junction for land and water transportation. Yatsushiro Castle was originally located near the sea, which could control the transportation.
The range of Yatsushiro City and the location of the castle
In fact, there were three Yatsushiro Castles in history, which were originally named Furufumoto, Mugishima, and Matsue Castles. They also didn’t exist at the same time, so people called the most representative castle in the area, Yatsushiro Castle. If you look into the histories of the three castles, you will see that many of Yatsushiro City. Furufumoto Castle, as the first Yatsushiro Castle, was a typical mountain castle which was located on a hilly area between the 14th and 16th centuries. A local lord, the Nawa Clan governed the castle, while the Sagara Clan, which lived in Hitoyoshi Castle inland, wanted to invade Yatsusiro which is located in a good area. The Sagara Clan attacked Furufumoto Castle several times, and managed to finally capture it in 1504. However, during the process of the unification of Japan in the late 16th Century, the castle was followed by the Shimazu Clan and Hideyoshi Toyotomi in 1587.
The relief map around the castle
The ruins of Furufumoto Castle, quoted from the website of Yatsushiro City
Second Yatsushiro Castle becomes important place for Water Transportation
Hideyoshi sent his retainer, Yukinaga Konishi as the lord of southern Higo Proveince (Higo is almost the same as Kumamoto Pref.). He abandoned Furufumoto Castle and built Mugishima Castle instead, as the second Yatsushiro Castle. The castle was built at the estuary of Kumagawa River, facing the Yatsushiro Sea, to be used for water transportation. One of the reasons for its location was the preparation for the invasion of Korea that Hideyoshi had planned. Yukinaga actually became a vanguard of the invasion in 1592. In addition to its location, the castle was all made using stone walls. This castle was said to be the prototype of the last Yatsushiro Castle that we can see now. After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 where Yukinaga lost, Higo Province was followed by the Kato Clan. Their home base was Kumamoto Castle, while Mugishima Castle was owned by their senior vassal, Masakata Kato as a branch castle.
The excavation site of Mugishima Castle (licensed by Emeraldgreen at Japanese Wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons)The portrait of Masakata Kato, owned by Joshinji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
In 1615, the Tokugawa Shogunate issued the Law of One Castle per Province. All the branch castles in Higo Province were destroyed except for Mugishima Castle which was spared for some reasons. The reason for this exemption has been discussed a lot, but not finalized. One theory says that the lord of the clan, Tadahiro Kato was still very young, so the shogunate thought he would be supported by the senior vassal with Mugishima Castle as a guardian. The castle unfortunately collapsed in 1619 due to an earthquake. However, the castle was allowed to be rebuilt to another place as the next exemption. Or, it was said to be officially just move to another location. Anyway, Masakata was practically able to build a new castle nearby, once called Matsue Castle, now called (the third) Yatsushiro Castle.
The portrait of Tadahiro Kato, owned by Honmyoji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)Part of the illustration of the enclosures of Yatsushiro Castle in Higo Province, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan, This castle was also built near the estuary the sea
Third Yatsushiro Castle is built and survives as Exemption
The new castle was built partially using Mugishima Castle’s design and materials. For example, the four-level Main Tower was build at the corner of the Main Enclosure, which is an old style of castles built in Toyotomi’s period. On the other hand, the castle used an advanced defensive system called Masugata. Masgata refers to a square shaped space which is surrounded by stone walls at a castle’s entrance. The Masugata system of the castle was set slightly overhanging from the outer line of the Main Entrance, which could counterattack the enemies’ sides. This could be considered as the final version of the system. The castle was eventually completed in 1622.
The picture of the miniature model of Yatsushiro Castle’s main portion, from the signboard at the siteThe Main Tower was built at the corner, form the signboard at the siteA Masugata system of Yatsushiro Castle, hanging out from its Main Enclosure
The Kato Clan was unfortunately fired by the shogunate in 1632 before the Hosokawa Clan followed Higo Province. The clan still used Kumamoto Castle as their home base, then Yatsushiro Castle was used as the retreat for the lord’s father, Sansai Hosokawa. He was a survivor of the Sengoku Period and had a self-willed character. That seemed to be another reason that the shogunate couldn’t force to abandon the castle. Sansai even planned to be an independent lord with the castle before his death. As a result, the castle managed to survive all through the Edo Period. The castle was finally owned by the Matsui Clan, a senior vassal of the Kumamoto Domain by the Hosokawa Clan.
The portrait of Sansai Hosokawa, owned by Eisei Bunko Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)Kumamoto CastleThe ruins of Yatsushiro Castle
