Nobunaga ODA – ページ 8 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

136.Torigoe Castle Part2

Well developed ruins of a mountain castle

Features

Enclosures built using Natural Terrain

Today, the ruins of Torigoe Castle are well restored for visitors. If you drive to the ruins, you can easily go up to the parking lot near the top of the mountain. After parking, you can walk on the path to the center of the ruins. This path goes through the Rear Third Enclosure and the Rear Second Enclosure. These enclosures protected the Main Enclosure in the north. Similarly, the Third Enclosure and the Second Enclosure also protected the Main Enclosure in the south. Moreover, the Belt Enclosures surrounded the enclosures mentioned above for connection or a defense perimeter.

The aerial photo around the castle

For example, if you look at the Rear Second Enclosure, you can see it has a deep dry moat and is highly heaped. You can imagine the builders dug the moat and made the enclosure by heaping the soil from the moat on natural terrain. Some wooden fences were probably built along the enclosure. Some buildings were also built in the enclosure, where you can see the remnants of them now.

The Rear Second Enclosure seen from the Main Enclosure

Restored Buildings and Stone Walls

You can go further to the Central Enclosure in front of the Main Enclosure. Due to the achievement of the excavation, some buildings were restored. One of them is the Central Enclosure Gate, which may have been the front gate of the castle. Another is a barrack which is also currently used as the rest house.

The restored barrack and rest house for visitors

You can finally enter the Main Enclosure through the Masugata-mon Gate which is surrounded by the only stone walls in the castle. They were also restored in recent times, and originally built by Nobunaga Oda’s troops. This was because the castle was changing hands between the Kaga Ikko uprising and Oda during the conflict. Masugata refers to a square space inside or outside of the entrance, which has made it more defensive. In the back of the Masugata, there is, likewise, the restored turret styled Main Enclosure Gate, which was originally built by the Kaga Ikko uprising.

You can enjoy View and see Good Location

Inside the Main Enclosure, there were a lot of buildings discovered during the excavation. However, the purpose of them is still uncertain, so only columns and stone foundations are shown for visitors. In addition, some wooden fences on the earthen walls, a well, and large jars for storage are restored in the enclosure. From the enclosure, you can see a good view of both sides of the mountain in the east and west, being at a good location for lookout and protection.

A view from the Main Enclosure (the eastern side)

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

136.Torigoe Castle Part1

It’s history and role in the Kaga Ikko Uprising

Location and History

Emergence of Ikkoshu Sect

Torigoe Castle was located at the foot of the Hakusan Mountain in Kaga Province, which is now Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture. It is known for the final place where the people of the lkkoshu Sect in the province, fought with the warlords to the last man in a conflict known as the Kaga Ikko uprising. After the Onin War in Kyoto in 1467, almost all the people in Japan had to protect themselves because the authority of the Ashikaga Shogunate had decreased in power. This is called the Sengoku Period, also known as the Warring States Period. Not only the lords and warriors, but also farmers and merchants along those at the temples had the power to maintain their territory and rights.

The location of the castle

A scene of the Onin War, from a picture scroll of the Origin of Shinnyo-do Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The lkkoshu was one of the sects of Buddhism, which spread across the country during that period. Many people believed it because the sect says if you only speak “Hail to Amitabha Buddha”, you would go to heaven. In addition to this simple doctrine, the 8th head of the sect in the 15th Century, Rennyo worked actively to build local organizations especially in what is now the Chubu Region, including Kaga Province. The organizations were primarily religious, but they eventually had political, economic, and military power with the situation of the period. Even a warlord asked the sect for help when fighting another warlord. When the sect fought for something, it was called Ikko-Ikki, or the Ikko uprising, having a big impact on the entire country. As a result, the sect acted like a warlord and his warriors, with its headquarters, called Ishiyama-Honganji Temple, at the former Osaka Castle.

The portrait of Rennyo (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The miniature model of the Ishiyama-Honganji Temple, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed by ブレイズマン via Wikimedia Commons)

Castle in Province owned by Peasants

Kaga Province had one of the strongest organizations in the sect. The people in the organization, called the Kaga Ikko uprising, first supported the governor of the province, from the Togashi Clan, but soon fought against and defeated the clan. This was due to the high taxes the clan imposed, but the local lords in the sect also wanted to take lands away from the clan. The sect established Oyama-gobo Temple, the former Kanazawa Castle, to govern the province by themselves. Kaga Province was known as “a province owned by peasants”. The temple was the home base of the Kaga Ikko uprising and probably looked like a castle. The Kaga Ikko uprising also had many branch castles, including Torigoe Castle, in the province to protect themselves.

Gokuraku-bashi Bridge in Kanazawa Castle, which derived its name from the period of Oyama-Gobo Temple

The restored Torigoe Castle in the present time

Torigoe Castle was the site of an internal group, called Yamanouchi-shu, in the Kaga Ikko uprising. The castle was built on a mountain above the meeting point of the Tedori-gawa and Dainichi-gawa Rivers. The castle had the Main Enclosure on the top. The other enclosures were around the Main Enclosure and along the ridge of the mountain. All the enclosures were made of soil and divided by the dry moats, using natural terrain. Such a castle could have been seen across Japan at that time as a “mountain castle”. It is thought that the head of the group, Suzuki Dewa-no-kami built the castle to protect them from Nobunaga Oda’s attacks.

The map around the castle

The relief map around the castle

Torigoe Castle was built using natural terrain

End of Kaga Ikko uprising

Nobunaga Oda was a great warlord who processed the unification of Japan in the 1570s-80s. He asked the religious institutions to waive their political and military power. If a temple rejected his request, he would destroy the temple completely, such as the fire attack on Mt. Hiei in 1571. Previously, in 1570, Nobunaga asked the Ikkoshu Sect to withdraw from its home base, Ishiyama-Honganji Temple. The sect refused, and after that, they fought each other for the next 11 years, known as the Battle of Ishiyama. Nobunaga’s retainers also attacked the local organizations of the Ikkoshu Sect, including the Kaga Ikko uprising. The Yamanouchi-shu group battled Nobunaga’s troops at Torigoe Castle even after Ishiyama-Honganji Temple surrendered in 1580. However, they were finally defeated, and with the rest of the survivors being killed in 1582. This could be considered as the final resistance of the Kaga Ikko uprising.

The portrait of Nobunaga Oda, attributed to Soshu Kano, owned by Chokoji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The image of Battle of Ishiyama, owned by Wakayama City Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Torigoe Castle, the final place for the people of the Kaga Ikko uprising

To be continued in “Torigoe Castle Part2”

37.Ichijodani Castle Part1

The castle started and ended with the Asakura Clan.

Location and History

Integration of Castle and Castle Town

Ichijodani Castle was located in Echizen Province (now Fukui Prefecture) which the Asakura Clan governed during the Sengoku Period. People usually consider this castle as a fortified city the Asakura Clan built. The city was integrated with a castle and castle town parts. Because of that, people at that time called the castle, just “Ichijodani”. People in the present time call it the Ichijodani Aasakura Clan Ruins.

The location of the castle

The Asakura Clan originally served the Shiba Clan, the family of the governor of Echizen Provence. Takakage Asakura was distinguished in the Onin War in Kyoto in the late 15th Century to support the Ashikaga Shogunate. As a result, the Shogunate assigned him the governor of Echizen Provence instead of the Shiba Clan. After that, the Asakura Clan governed the province over five generations for about 100 years. The clan chose a long narrow valley called Ichijodani as their home base, not the flat area called Fuchu which the Shiba Clan lived. The reason for the Aasakura Clan’s choice is thought that the clan had to continue fighting with the Shiba Clan and others like the Ikkoshu Sect.

The portrait of Takakage Asakura, owned by Shingetsuji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The relief map around the castle

The valley was about 3km long from the north to the south, and about 500m wide. It was protected by several mountain castles on the mountains in the eastern and western side of the valley. “Ichijo-dani Castle” was one such castle but provided a limited amount of protection. Both edges of the valley also had fortress entrances built using earthen walls and water moats called the Inbound Fortress Entrance and Outbound Fortress Entrance. The area between the entrances, where Ichijo-dani River flowed, was called the Inside of the Entrances. The castle town was built along the narrow area, including the Asakura Clan Hall, the warriors’ houses, the merchants and craftsmen area, and temples.

The entrance to “Ichijo-dani Castle” as a mountain castle

The miniature model of the castle town, exhibited by the Restored Town area

One of Largest City in Sengoku Period

Ichijodani greatly prospered. Echizen Province was basically wealthy and the Asakura Clan earned lots of profits from trading by ships. The clan also united with their relatives and retainers to prevent enemies, like the Ikkoshu Sect, from invading their territory. These made the people in Ichijodani rich. The hall of the clan was very similar to that of the shogun’s deputy in Kyoto and had a gorgeous Japanese garden. The clan accommodated many nobles, high priests, and intellectuals from Kyoto, which was devastated after the Onin War. Warriors played Japanese chess inside their houses and priests enjoyed tea ceremonies. Trading and production were actively done in the town. The population of Ichijo-dani was said to reach about 10,000. The city became one of the largest cities in Japan, sometimes called a Little Kyoto.

The miniature model of the Asakura Clan Hall, from the signboard at the site

Destroyed by Nobunaga Oda

In 1567, Yoshiaki Ashikaga, who would be the last shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate, visited Yoshikage Asakura, the last lord of the clan, in Ichijodani. Yoshiaki asked Yoshikage to take Yoshiaki to Kyoto and defeat his enemies. Yoshikage rejected it, so Yoshiaki left Ichijodani and visited Nobunaga Oda in Owari Province (now part of Aichi Pref.). Nobunaga went to Kyoto with Yoshiaki who became the shogun in 1568. They ordered Yoshikage to go to Kyoto and serve them. Yoshikage rejected it again and finally became an enemy of the shogun in 1570. Nobunaga and Yoshikage fought against each other for three years. The unity of the Asakura Clan collapsed after the long battle. Yoshikage had to escape from Ichijo-dani and was defeated in the end. Nobunaga’s soldiers attacked Ichijodani without its master. The city burned for three days and ended its history in 1573. The castle was destroyed.

The seated statue of Yoshiaki Ashikaga, owned by Tojiin Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Yoshikage Asakura, owned by Shingetsuji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

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)

To be continued in “Ichijodani Castle Part2”