National historic site – ページ 10 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

75.Hagi Castle Part3

The destination of the Mori Clan’s castle construction

Features

From Third Enclosure to former Castle Town

Going back to the parking lot, walking around the Third Enclosure is also good. This area is designated as Horiuchi Preservation District for Groups of Historical Buildings. The blocks of the senior vassals’ houses remain as they were. Though the insides of them are used as public facilities, Hagi ware shops, summer orange fields, and so on, there are several remaining stone walls, mud walls, and house gates surrounding the blocks. This is where you can feel as if you were on the real castle area.

The map around the castle

The Third Enclosure (Horiuchi Preservation District for Groups of Historical Buildings)

The front gate of the Mori Clan’s villa, it was built in the Meiji Era in another place and moved the current position in the Third Enclosure, it is used for the Hagi Seminar House

The remaining mud walls at the Toida Masuda Clan’s residence

Stone walls along the street with the background of Shizukiyama Mountain

There are summer orange fields inside the stone walls

Over the Outer Moat, you can also enjoy the castle town attractions such as Kikuya family residence and Kido’s old residence.

Kido’s old residence (licensed by そらみみ via Wikimedia Commons)

Shizuki Mountain as Final Castle

Finally, if you have more time, you should consider climbing Shizuki Mountain as the final castle ruins. It will be an about 20 minute little hard climb, but it worth the trouble. The top has the gate ruins surrounded by stone walls, like ones at the foot.

The entrance of the route to the mountain

This gate also has a defensive square space

The two-tier enclosures on the top are also surrounded by stone walls. Six turrets were on them in the past. You can see nice views of Hagi City and the Japan Sea there.

A view of the Japan Sea from the enclosure

Here comes the upper tier as the Main Enclosure

A view of the Hagi City area from the enclosure

You can also see the reservoir inside for preparing for besieged. There are also many notched huge rocks which look outstanding. These notches are usually understood as a process of making stone walls. However, some people speculate these rocks could have been used by the defenders to counterattack their enemies by cutting and throwing the stones at them.

Later History

After Hagi Castle was abandoned, all the buildings of its center were demolished. People are still wondering why the Choshu Domain, which was one of the winners of the Meiji Restoration, had to do it. Many speculate that they gave an example to a new era by doing so. However, the fact seemed that local people in Hagi had no money to maintain these buildings as the local government had moved to Yamaguchi. As a result, the castle ruins have been a park since 1877 as we see now. They were designated as a National Historic Site in 1951.

The Main Tower was scraped in 1874, the same year as the castle was abandoned

My Impression

I think that Hagi Castle was the destination of the Mori Clan’s castle construction. It was a plain castle, a mountain castle, and also a sea castle. The clan built the castle using all their experiences they got before to make it the strongest. That’s why I also think they didn’t reluctantly choose its location, but actively decide it. I hope Hagi City would repair the restored mud walls on the top of the mountain as there are some writings on the wall.

Shizuki Mountain was integrated with the castle

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about 50 minutes away from Mine IC on the Chugoku Expressway. There is a parking lot in front of the Second Enclosure.
By public transportation, It takes about 30 minutes on foot from Hagi Bus Center or Higashi-Hagi Station. Or it may be a good idea to use a rental bicycle from either place as many other historical attractions, such as Shoin Shrine and Ito’s old residence, are disseminated around the city.
To get to Hagi Bus Center or Higashi-Hagi Station from Tokyo or Osaka: Take the Sanyo Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Highway bus “Super Hagi-go” at Shin-Yamaguchi Station.

The building of Shokason-juku, which was established by Shoin, has been preserved in Shoin Shrine (*licensed by ぽこるん via Wikimedia Commons)*

Ito’s old residence (licensed by そらみみ via Wikimedia Commons)

Links and References

・HAGI Sightseeing Guide

That’s all. Thank you.
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174.Ouchi Clan Hall/Konomine Castle Part2

A good combination of the hall and castle

Features

Hall is restoring little by little

Today, the ruins of Ouchi Clan Hall have been designated as a National Historic Site. They are still in the center of Yamaguchi City, which still have parts of names for its streets like “Oji” or Main Street and “Kouji” or Narrow Street similar to Kyoto. Ryufukuji Temple was built inside the hall ruins by Takamoto Mori who was a son-in-law of Yoshitaka Ouchi to worship Yoshitaka. The main building was moved from another in the Meiji Era, but it is very old (built in the Muromachi Period as old as the Ouchi Clan), and it is also an Important Cultural Property. While several researches and excavations have been done at this site, nothing about the Ouchi Clan’s Main Hall was ever found. This may be because it is still under the temple’s main building.

The aerial photo around the castle

Instead, many other items regarding the hall were found. According to the achievements, some of them were restored at the site. For example, there are two restored gardens inside. One is the pond garden in the southeastern part, and the other is the dry landscape in the northwestern part. The earthen walls were also restored at the northern, western and southern sides of the ruins. The Western Gate and some stone work for the water moat were also restored at the western side.

The restored dry landscape (but it’s very small)

Excavated Tsukiyama Hall Ruins

In north of Ochi Clan Hall Ruins, over the Tsukiyama-Kouji street, there is Tsukiyama Hall Ruins which was built as a villa. The southeastern part of them was excavated and developed as a historical park after a Japanese style restaurant had moved out from there to another site. Ruins of some buildings and dry moats were also found by the excavation team. The ruins were buried again for preservation and there are signboards and marks on the ground where they had been found. Historians speculate Norihiro Ouchi first used the hall as a retreat, then it was used to worship him after he died. That’s probably because the main part of the ruins are now used as Yasaka Shrine and Tsukiyama Shrine.

You can see there was the Eastern Moat in the past by the mark and signboard

The photo of the excavated cross section of the Eastern Moat, exhibited by Yamaguchi City Museum of History and Folklore

Konomine Castle Ruins are accessible

The ruins of Konomine Castle have also been designated as a National Historic Site. The castle was built on Konomine Mountain (at 338m above sea level), about 2km away from Ouchi Clan Hall. You can see the mountain standing out from the city area. You can access it by walking or driving. If you use a car, you can park at the mid slope of the mountain, however, you need to walk on the ridge to the top for about 500m.

The mountain where the ruins are can be seen from the city area

You need to walk on the ridge to the top

You will see some enclosures made of soil on the way there. They were thought to be built by the Ouchi Clan and used by the Mori Clan as well. The top is surrounded by stone walls which the Mori Clan built. They partially collapsed because the clan intentionally destroyed them when the castle was abandoned. You can see a nice view of the city area including the hall ruins. The castle and the hall makes a perfect combination.

The remaining stone walls on the Main Enclosure

A view of the city area from the Main Enclosure, the inside of the red circle is the Ouchi Clan Hall Ruins

A view of Konomine Castle Ruins from Ouchi Clan Hall Ruins

To be continued in “Ouchi Clan Hall/Konomine Castle Part3”
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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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