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

112.Kasama Castle Part3

Due to the damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake back in 2011, it is prohibited to enter the top of the ruins as of November 2023. The city is considering how to repair it to open it to the public again.

Features

Main and Main Tower Enclosures as Center of Castle

The Main Enclosure is an empty space now, where the Main Hall was built in the past. Instead, long and high earthen walls at the southwestern side stands out, which are called Hachiman-dai(base). There was Hachiman-dai Turret on it as a lookout tower or a warehouse. The turret was moved to Shinjoji Temple at the foot after the castle was abandoned, which is consider the only remaining building of the castle. The view from the base or the enclosure is not so good because of the trees surrounding, but you can see the mountains or hills around.

The map of the main portion of the castle

The turret was moved from the original position to the temple

The final place of the castle is the Main Tower Enclosure on the top over the edge of the earthen wall base to the northeast. You can go on the narrow earthen bridge over the ditch in front of the enclosure and reach the foot of the three-tier stone walls of it. The original Main Tower, which had been built on it, was replaced with the Sashino Shrine building during the Meiji Era. It was said that the waste materials of the tower were used for the construction of the shrine. The stone walls seem to partially use large natural rocks, which look rough and wild. However, visitors are unfortunately not allowed to climb the walls to see the top because the walls might collapse as of November 2023. You can only see a glimpse of the shrine building on the stone walls from the foot.

The earthen bridge in front of the Main Tower Enclosure

The stone walls of the enclosure partially collapsed

Returning to Foot by taking another route

You can return to the parking lot at the foot of the mountain going the same way as you took, but there is another route you can try as well but it’s challenging. You can take a trail on the ridge over the earthen wall base opposite the Main Tower Enclosure. The ridge was a defensive point of the castle, where another turret, called Anagasaki Yagura, was built. If you climb down on the trail for a while, the return route goes the bottom of a deep dry moat. This is part of the outer dry moat surrounding the whole castle area, which Satonari Gamo built. You can feel how large it was by walking through it.

The map around the castle

You will finally arrive at the ruins of the suburban residences at the foot, which Naganao Asano built. They have become the Sashiro Sanroku(foot of the mountain) Park which has the Bell Tower including an old bell made at the end of the Edo Period. The parking lot as is your starting point just below the park.

The ruins of the suburban residences (Sashiro Sanroku Park)

You can see the parking lot at the foot below

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Kasama Castle was abandoned and all the castle buildings were demolished or moved like the Hachiman-dai Turret. The mountain area became part of Kasama Prefectural Natural Park and the foot area became the Sashiro Sanroku Park. Kasama City has been researching the castle ruins since 2013 to preserve and to be designated as a national or other historical site in the near future. However, due to the damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake back in 2011, it is prohibited to enter the top of the ruins. The city is also considering how to repair it to open it to the public again.

It looks like just being placed on the newer base

My Impression

There are many attractions of Kasama Castle and the city. In my cases, once I visited and learned about the castle, I wanted to go there again to try seeing what I had missed or other ways to visit. When I first visited the ruins, I got to the great stone walls on top but they partially collapsed. In my recent visit, they were finally covered with sheets and kept out for visitors. I was very sorry about it and hope it will be repaired to open to the public soon.

The Sashino Shrine building on the enclosure as of 2019

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle ruins by car, it is about a 20-minute drive away from Tomobe IC on the Kitakanto Expressway.
There are parking lots at foot and the mid slope of the mountain as mentioned above.
By public transportation, you can take the sightseeing tour bus from JR Tomobe Station and get off at the Nichido-bijutsukan bus stop near the park.
From Tokyo to Tomobe Station: take the Tokiwa limited express from Tokyo or Ueno Stations.

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Kasama Castle Part1”
Back to “Kasama Castle Part2”

112.Kasama Castle Part1

Kasama is a local city, located in the central part of Ibaraki Prefecture and the northeastern part of the Kanto Region. It is known for Kasama Inari Shrine and Kasama Pottery, which attract many visitors. However, they became popular after the emergence of Kasama Castle.

Location and History

Tokitomo Kasama, Mysterious General builds Castle

Kasama Castle[/leaflet-marker]

It is uncertain how the castle was first built. The only record available is called Kasamajo-ki (meaning the Record of Kasama Castle), later written during the Edo Period. According to the record, the castle was first built in 1219 during the Kamakura Period by Tokitomo Kasama who was a relative of the Utsunomiya Clan, one of the most powerful clans in the region. There was the Shofukuji Temple on Sashiro-yama Mountain where Kasama Castle would be built. The temple prospered on the mountain with the One Hundred Quarters and had many monk soldiers to protect it. A fight broke out with a rival temple called Tokuzoji Temple and they were outnumbered, so it asked the Utsunomiya Clan for help. Tokitomo was sent by the clan and defeated the Tokuzoji Temple. He even banished the Shotokuji Temple from the mountain and built the Kasama Castle.

The current Shofukuji Temple at the foot of the mountain

The signpost of the One Hundred Quarters Ruins

However, historians say, using fragments from other records, Tokitomo might have actually not been so radical. He was not only a warrior but also a medium class noble which other warriors rarely became. He was also highly educated and famous as a poet. There are also several remaining Buddha statues and sutras he donated to temples, which proved he was rich and religious. Overall, Tokitomo might have built the castle in a more coordinated manner. As a result, the Kasama Clan governed the castle and the area around for over 300 years until the Sengoku Period. The castle was thought to be a simple mountain castle, made of soil.

The Buddha statue Tokitomo donated to a local temple called Ishidera, quoted from the Kasama City Website

Rengeoin Temple at Kyoto where Tokitomo donated two other Buddha statues *(licensed by Akonnchiroll via Wikimedia Commons)*

Satonari Gamo renovates Castle

The situation changed in the end of the 16th Century during the unification of Japan by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. The Kasama Clan declined and the Utsunomiya Clan was fired by Hideyoshi. Kasama Castle was followed by Satonari Gamo, a senior vassal of the Gamo Clan in 1598. The Gamo Clan served Hideyoshi for a long time and became one of the greatest lords in Japan. The clan also built or improved many castles like Matsusaka and Wakamatsu by building advanced items, such as high stone walls and Main Towers. The lord of the clan, Hideyuki Gamo lived in Utsunomiya Castle and one of his branch castles was Kasama Castle. Satonari improved Kasama Castle using the techniques and resources that the clan used. The Main Tower was built on the top of mountain with three-tier stone walls, called the Main Tower Enclosure. The Main and Second Enclosures were developed below the top and the route from the Main Gate to the top through these enclosures was built. Other stone walls were constructed along the route and each gate and enclosure was protected by an altered entrance or the Masugata system which refers to a square defensive space in the gate. The lord of the castle lived in the Main Hall in the Main Enclosure which also had several other turrets.

The miniature model of Kasama Castle, exhibited by Kasama History Exchange Center “Izutsuya”

Satonari developed Kasama Castle more in 1600 during a decisive battle when all the lords of Japan joined the Eastern Alliance or the Western Alliance. He joined the Eastern Alliance while the Satake Clan at Mito Castle in the neighboring area to the east of Kasama joined the Western Alliance. That’s why he needed to prepare to avoid the Satake Clan from invading. It is thought that Satonari built forts on three hills around the mountain and deep dry moats surrounding all the castle and the forts. The Eastern Alliance, which would be the Tokugawa Shogunate, finally won after nothing happened to Kasama Castle fortunately.

The dry moats surrounding the castle are put on the miniature model above as well

Other Clans like Asano and Makino follow Castle

The shogunate transferred the Gamo Clan to another in 1601. Since then, Kasama Castle and the area around it were considered as the Kasama Domain, but the lord’s clan changed 8 times. A major event for the castle happened when the Asano Clan governed the domain between 1622 and 1645. The second lord, Naganao Asano built suburban residences, in fact a new Main Hall, at the foot of the mountain, for the convenience of the government. An episode about it was that the residences were very large and surrounded by earthen walls and white mud walls, which looked like a new castle that the shogunate banned from being built. Naganao conveted the mud walls to hedge fences to hide and not to make it look like a castle before the shogunate heard about it. He was transferred to Ako Castle in 1645 and renovated it, so he seemed to like castle constructions. His grandchild was Naganori Asano who would cause the Ako Incident which is one of the most popular events of Japanese history.

*The portrait of Naganao Asano, owned by Kagakuji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The last clan to rule the Kasama Domain was the Makino Clan between 1747 and 1871, the longest and most stable period among the others. The Kasama Pottery started to be made and developed with the help from the domain during this period. In addition, the Kasama Inari Shrine also became popular during the Edo Period, which was visited by several clans governing the domain.

Part of the Illustration of Kasama Castle in Hitachi Province, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan

Kasama Potteries in the Kasama Pottery Cooperative Selling Center

The Worship Hall of Kasama Inari Shrine *(licensed by On-chan via Wikimedia Commons)*

To be continued in “Kasama Castle Part2”

60.Ako Castle Part1

Ako Castle was located on the western edge of Harima Province, facing the Seto Inland Sea, which is now known as Ako City in Hyogo Prefecture. The castle is known as a stage for the Ako Incident, one of the most popular historical events in Japan. It’s also famous for salt industry since salt fields were developed during the Middle Ages. There is little rain in the area.

Location and History

Naganao Asano renovates Castle

The range of Harima Province and the location of the castle

It is said that Nagamasa Ikeda, a little brother of Terumasa Ikeda who was the lord of Himeji Castle, first built the castle in 1600 as their branch castle. A branch family of the clan eventually became an independent lord living in the castle as the Ako Domain in 1615. However, the second lord was fired by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1645 due to his murder from madness. The details of the first stage of the castle are unknown as Naganao Asano, following the castle and domain in the same year, renovated the castle as we know today. He was the lord of a branch family of the Asano Clan which lived in Hiroshima Castle, and was transferred from Kasama Castle. It was very rare to be allowed to renovate castles by the shogunate after 1615 when it defeated the Toyotomi Clan at Osaka Castle and its government became stable.

The renovation was done between 1648 and 1661. The layout of the castle was designed by scholars of military science, Masazumi Kondo and Soko Yamaga. They designed the stone walls of the castle to be bent sophisticatedly to shoot guns at any direction. The Main Enclosure and the Second Enclosure surrounding it were the main portion of the castle, backed by the sea in the south. The Third Enclosure, including the Main Gate, was added to the main portion in the north. These enclosures were divided by water moats on a flat ground, so the castle can be classified a Plain or Sea Castle. The Main Enclosure had the Main Hall for the lord and the stone wall base for the Main Tower, however, the tower was not built on the base.

The sitting statur of Soko Yamaga at Ako Castle Ruins

The stone walls of the Main Enclosure of Ako Castle

The layout of Ako Castle, from the signboard at the site, adding the red English letters

The stone wall base for the Main Tower of Ako Castle

Naganori Asano causes Ako Incident and is fired

The Ako Incident happened in 1701 when Naganao’s grandson, Naganori Asano (also known as his official position, Takumi-no-kami) was the lord. He was in charge of entertaining the Imperial envoy to the shogun, Tsunayoshi Tokugawa in the Main Hall of Edo Castle, instructed by Yoshihisa Kira (Kozuke-no-suke). On the 14th of March when one of the most important ceremonies would be held, Asano suddenly cut Kira by using a sword at the back, trying to kill him, but failed. Asano was then arrested and ordered by the shogun to kill himself by performing Harakiri on the same day because using swords in the hall was strictly prohibited. Asano was also fired with about 300 retainers and many more of their families. On the other hand, Kira was innocent, as he was just hurt by Asano, by not using swords.

*The portrait of Naganori Asano, owned by Kagakuji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

*The portrait of Tsunayoshi Tokugawa, attributed to Mitsuoki Tosa, owned by Tokugawa Art Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The reason for Asano’s attempted murder was uncertain. Some records suggested that he said he had a grudge against Kira, but he didn’t tell what it was before his death. According to some recent studies, it was thought as the following. It was the second opportunity of entertaining the Imperial envoy for Asano, so he would think he doesn’t need to pay so much for the instruction from Kira, though Asano was rich because of the income from the salt industry. While Kira would need more money for his duty but unfortunately he didn’t have enough of it because he was poor dispite having a higher position. These resulted in Kira might not having instructed Asano and might have criticized him in public. If they are true, who would generally cause such a serious incident? Some, including those at that time, have thought that Asano was going mad.

The ruins of the Main Enclosure of Edo Castle where the incident happened

The miniature model of the Main Enclosure Main Hall of Edo Castle, exhibited by the Edo-Tolyo Museum

47 Ronin assaults Kira’s Residence

The retainers of the Ako Domain were very confused to hear about the incident and the following order of opening Ako Castle by the shogunate. They discussed protesting against the shogunate’s decision or simply handing the castle over following the order. Some warriors who served Asano closely never accepted the decision and thought their master must have had a reason. Yoshio Oishi (Kura-no-suke), who was the head of the senior vassals, finally decided to open the castle on the 12th of April. He thought the shogunate might allow Naganori’s brother, Daigaku to follow the domain if they would behave.

*The portrait of Yoshio Oishi, owned by Ako Oishi Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Unfortunately, this didn’t happen. The shogunate decided to banish Daigaku to the head family of the Asano Clan at Hirosima Castle. Oishi eventually became the leader of the 47 Ronin under the influence of the hardliners, which attacked Kira’s residence and killed him on the 14th of Dec in 1702 (according to lunar calendar). Oishi left his verbal notice at the site, which says they would do this to complete their master’s work. They were all arrested but it became complicated and cabinet officials of the shogunate discussed how they would treat the Ronin. Some said the Ronin should be executed strictly because they broke the law by assaulting Kira’s residence and killing the innocent man. Some argued that they were real loyal retainers to show a mirror of knighthood. The shogun, Tsunayoshi’s decision was to compromise both opinions to make the Ronin kill themselves by Harakiri. This was the same judgement as their master’s, but very honorable for their positions and actions.

A Ukiyoe-painting of the assaulting Kira’s Residence, attributed to Kuniyoshi Utagawa *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Domain and Castle is followed by Other Clans

Ako Castle and the Ako Domain was followed by the Nagai Clan and the Mori Clan. The Mori Clan governed the area for a long time from 1706 until 1871 when the feudal domain system was abolished. The salt industry of Ako prospered more and the salt fields increased looking like they surrounded the castle. On the other hand, the domain by the Mori Clan faced financial difficulties because they had much less territory than the Asano Clan. For example, the former residence of Oishi in the Third Enclosure was burned down in 1729, but not rebuilt. This was probably because the domain had fewer retainers and budget than before so that they wouldn’t use the residence again.

To be continued in “Ako Castle Part2”