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

195.Nobeoka Castle Part1

A castle all built using stone walls by Mototane Takahashi

Location and History

Only Castle completely built using Stone Walls in Hyuga Province

Nobeoka is an industrial city, located in the northern part of Miyazaki Prefecture which used to be called Hyuga Province. The province was very long from the north to the south and its terrain was complex with plain and mountain areas, so it was divided by many lesser lords until the end of the Edo Period, except for a short period when the Ito Clan prospered in the late 17th Century. These lesser lords lived in castles mainly built using soil from the natural terrain, such as Sadowara and Obi Castles. However, Nobeoka Castle was the only castle which was completely built using stone walls in the province by Mototane Takahashi.

The range of Hyuga Province and the location of the castle

Talented Mototane Takahashi

Mototane originally came from the Akizuki Clan, which governed part of Chikuzen Province, north of Hyuga, and he was adopted by the Takahashi Clan. When the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, invaded the Kyushu Region in 1587 for his unification of Japan, Mototane and his parents’ clan quickly surrendered and supported Hideyoshi. Mototane was loved by Hideyoshi, which resulted in him becoming the lord of the Nobeoka area after Hideyoshi’s conquest of the region. Motonane must have made an good impression on his boss.

豊The Portrait of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, attributed to Mitsunobu Kano, owned by Kodaiji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

In 1600, after Hideyoshi died, the East Squad, led by Ieyasu Tokugawa and the West Squad, led by Mitsunari Ishida, supporting the Toyotomi Clan, fought a decisive battle in the Sekigahara field. Mototane joined the West Squad and stayed in Ogaki Castle near the field. Once he heard that his side had been beaten, he quickly changed his sides, killed some of the lords of the West Squad, and surrendered to Ieyasu. That also resulted in his territory being maintained by the Tokugawa Shogunate, established by Ieyasu. Mototane must have had great tact.

Very Defensive Castle built in Sandbank

After that, he started to build his new home base in 1601, which would be called Nobeoka Castle, on a hill in a sandbank which was sandwiched by the Gokasegawa and Osegawa rivers. The Main Tower, Main, Second and Third Enclosures were built on the hill from the top in a tiered form and they are all surrounded by stone walls. However, the Main Tower Enclosure actually did not have the Main Tower building. The sandbank was divided into warriors’ residences, including the castle, and townsmen area, by a moat which can be crossed over by only one bridge. Moreover, the rivers around the sandbank had no bridges at that time, which would be very defensible. If enemies somehow arrived at the Main Gate of the castle at the foot, they would need to pass 5 gates and turn 11 times to reach the top.

The greatest stone walls of the castle are the ones called “The one thousand murder stone walls” which is about 19m high. They are the third highest stone walls in the Kyushu Region, following Kumamoto and Kokura Castles. The top two castles were built by great lords under Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Ieyasu Tokugawa, such as Kiyomasa Kato and Tadaoki Hosokawa, who also had much larger territories than Mototane who was just a local lord. In addition, the stone walls were piled using natural stones which would have been impossible to pile to such height, unless an excellent stone wall guild had been invited. Mototae must have had more power and a better connection than we expect. The nickname originates from the scale of the stone walls which would collapse and kill 1,000 soldiers below the walls if the corner base stone was pulled out.

“The one thousand murder stone walls” of Nobeoka Castle

Mototane is suddenly Fired

Mototane was suddenly fired by the shogunate in 1613. He had accommodated his wife’s relative who caused a trouble in the Tsuwano Domain and escaped from it. The domain’s lord, Naomori Sakazaki was monomaniac and sued Mototane in the Shogunate Court. Though it is still uncertain if that really caused such a serious outcome, the fact is that Mototane emerged and left in a short time. His work should be studied more. Nobeoka Castle and the area around it called the Nobeoka Domain were followed by the Arima Clan, which completed the castle building some turrets in 1656. During the peaceful Edo Period, bridges were built over the rivers around the castle and the Drum Tower in the Main Tower Enclosure which announced the time to people. Luckily, no battles happened to the castle until the end of the Edo Period when the Naito Clan took over.

The portrait of Naomori Sakazaki, private owned (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

To be continued in “Nobeoka Castle Part2”

66.Tsuwano Castle Part3

Tsuwano Town is making great efforts to maintain the ruins.

Features

Sanjukken-dai and Main Tower Bases

The next is the highest point of the castle, called Sanjukken-dai or the about 54m long base. It was surrounded by mud walls in the Edo Period, and it is a square now which is definitely a great view spot. Please enjoy a view of Tsuwano Town with reddish brown colored roofs.

The map around the castle

The view of Tsuwano Town with reddish brown colored roofs

A view of the Hostage Turret Ruins from the Sanjukken-dai base

A steep slope beside the Sanjukken-dai base where many of its stone walls have collapsed

The next is the stone wall base for the Main Tower just blow the Sanjukken-dai Base. It was rare that the Main Tower was not at the highest point among Japanese castles.

The Main Tower base blow the Sanjukken-dai Base

Attractions of former Castle Town

If you have time, you should check out many historical items in the former castle town such as the restored domain school, some remaining gate buildings of senior vassals, the old houses of Amane Nishi and Ogai Mori, and the carps in the waterways which Naomori started to breed.

The restored domain school called Yorokan

The front gate of the residence of the Tako Clan, a senior vassal of the Tsuwano Domain

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Tsuwano Castle was abandoned and most of the castle buildings were demolished. One of them, a gate at the foot was used as the front gate of Hamada Prefectural Government and finally moved to the ruins of Hamada Castle. The Tsuwano Domain was just merged to the prefecture at that time. The gate is still remaining at the site. Tsuwano Castle Ruins were designated as a National Historic Site in 1942. Tsuwano Town has been researching and repairing them one by one to maintain them.

The gate of the Tsuwano Castle at Hamada Castle Ruins

My Impression

I can’t imagine how tough the castle construction including the stone walls on such a steep mountain was in a short period of Naomori Sakazaki at only 16 years. I hope Tusuwano Town will somehow maintain and develop the castle ruins, which should be hard work. I would like to visit the ruins again by climbing the trail from the foot next time, where the older castle ruins the Yosimi Clan first built can be seen.

The stone walls of the Southern Turret Gate Ruins on the mountain

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle ruins by car, it is about 40 minutes away from Muikaichi IC on the Chugoku Expressway. There is a parking lot in front of the lift platform at the foot of the mountain.
By public transportation, It takes about 20 minutes on foot from Tsuwano Station. Or you can take the Iwami-Kotsu Bus or Tsuwano Town Bus from the station and get off at the Mori bus stop to get the lift.
To get to Tsuwano Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Sanyo Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Yamaguchi Line at Shin-Yamaguchi Station.

That’s all. Thank you.
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66.Tsuwano Castle Part2

Spectacular stone walls remaining on the mountain.

Features

Going Castle Ruins through former Castle Town

Today, visiting Tsuwano Town including Tsuwano Castle Ruins is exciting for many visitors. As you get close to the town by car or train, you will see many houses with reddish brown colored roof tiles called Sekishu Rooftiles on them, which can be used to protect people from a cold climate. You will also see the spectacular stone walls on the mountain beside the town, which are a good contrast with the color of the town.

The entrance of the ruins at the foot of the mountain is about 1.5km away from Tsuwano Station if you come by train. Even if you also walk from the station to the ruins, it can be another good tour going through the former castle town. The area around the entrance is where the Main Hall for the lord was built. The hall building was turned into Tsuwano High School and the garden for the hall was turned into a square. Two turrets for the hall are remaining as Babasaki or the Near Riding Ground and Monomi or the Lookout Turrets.

The relief map around the castle

The former garden for the Main Hall, called Kiraku-en

Going to Center of Ruins through Barbican Enclosure

The top of the mountain is about 200m above from the foot, so it would be efficient for visitors to use a lift operated by Tsuwano Town. The lift will take you to the top in few minutes while seeing the steep terrain and the trail for climbing.

You can walk from the lift platform to the ruins on the trail of the top. You will first arrive at Demaru or the Barbican Enclosure which was used as a lookout, little far from the canter of the castle. There are only remaining stone walls now, but where you can see a great view of the area around. You will next walk to the center on the temporary path probably because the original trail is dangerous or under excavation.

The aerial photo around the castle

Going to the ruins from the lift platform

People manage to maintain Stone Walls

You will see the center is still surrounded by the spectacular stone walls but without buildings. Part of them collapsed being covered with sheets to avoid further damage. This was due to the North Yamaguchi Earthquake and the following heavy rain in 1997.

The map around the castle

Visitors usually enter the Eastern Gate Ruins also using the temporary steps. You can see the three-tier stone walls on the right, which was used for the Three-Tier Turret in the past. The lower tier is covered by a net to prevent it from collapsing. The other tiers were re-plied in 1972. People in Tsuwano still struggle maintaining these stone walls.

Third Enclosure surrounding Top

The Third Enclosure has other gate ruins on the west and south, surrounding the top of the castle like a belt. If you go to the Western Turret Gate Ruins, you can see unaccountable broken pieces of Sekishu Rooftiles which probably came from the original gate building. Please make sure you don’t take them away from the original positions as they are all included to a National Historic Site.

The unaccountable broken pieces of Sekishu Rooftiles

The Southern Turret Gate Ruins are at the edge of a ridge just above a steep cliff. You may be thrilled if you are standing by the edge. The stone walls of the ruins are the oldest in the castle which Naomori Sakazaki originally built.

These stone walls are the oldest in the castle

There is a steep cliff below the gate ruins

If you look back from the Southern Turret Gate Ruins, you can see the stone wall base for Hitojichi or the Hostage Turret. They are the highest stone walls in the castle and their corner curve lines are beautiful. However, if the turret was really used to hold hostages like its name suggests, they could not escape from it, as the stone walls are isolated.

A view when you look back from the Southern Turret Gate Ruins

The stone wall base for the Hostage Turret

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