Kurume Castle was located in the Chikugo Province which is now the southern part of Fukuoka Prefecture, in the Kyushu Region. In the late 16th Century, during the Sengoku Period, two great warlords got the power in the northern Kyushu Region. One of them was the Otomo Clan in the Bungo Province, in the east of Chikugo Province. The other was the Ryuzoji Clan in the Hizen Provence, in the west of Chikugo Province. As a result, Chikugo Province was scrambled by the two warlords. During that period, a fortress, called Sasahara Castle, was built in the same place as the later Kurume Castle. The lords of the castle changed quite often because of the context.
The range of Chikugo Province and the location of the castle
Hidekane Mori and Arima Clan complete Castle
During the unification of Japan by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Hidekane Mori was promoted as the lord of the castle in 1587. He renovated the castle, which was renamed Kurume Castle. However, he was fired after losing the battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Instead, the Tanaka Clan was transferred from Okazaki Castle to Yanagawa Castle in the Chikugo Province. Kurume Castle became a branch of Yanagawa Castle and was eventually abandoned in 1615 due to the Law of One Castle per Province by the Tokugawa Shogunate. The castle was revived in 1621 by the Arima Clan, the lord of the Kurume Domain, after the Tanaka Clan was also fired because they had no successors. The Arima Clan completed Kurume Castle and governed the domain until the end of the Edo Period.
The portrait of Hidekane Mori, owned by Gensaiji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Kurume Castle was located beside the Chikugo River flowing from the north to the west of the castle. The eastern side of the castle was surrounded by tripled water moats tripled such as the Chikuzen-bori Moat. The castle town was built in the south of the castle. Four enclosures divided by water moats; the Outer, Third, Second, Main Enclosures were built in a line next to the castle town towards the north. If enemies wanted to capture the castle, they had to first attack the castle town one enclosure at a time. Only the Main Enclosure was made with high stone walls while the others were made with soil. The Main Enclosure was on a hill at in the northernmost part of the castle and had the Main Hall and seven turrets to protect it. These turrets all had three stories and were connected by two-story row-style turrets, called Tamon-Yagura, which looked very spectacular.
The illustration of Kurume Castle, exhibited by the National Diet Library of Japan, adding my own comments
Shinto affects Domain and Castle
The governance of the Kurume Domain was generally stable in the peaceful time of the Edo Period. Shinto, one of the major religions in Japan, spread during this period. One of its main doctrines was to respect the Emperor, which led to the movement for imperialism and exclusionism. The movement eventually resulted in the one against the Tokugawa Shogunate at the end of the period. Many Shinto believers lived in Kurume, and communicated with others in other areas. For example, Hikokuro Takayama, who was a famous loyal supporter of the Emperor, visited Kurume three times and died there in 1793. Maki Izumi, who was the priest of the Kurume Suitengu Shrine, joined the Kinmon Incident in Kyoto in 1864.
The statue of Hikokuro Takayama in Kyoto (taken by あじのすけ from photoAC)
However, the Kurume Domain didn’t play a major role in the Meiji Restoration during which the New Government defeated the shogunate. This is because the domain had an internal conflict between its supporters. The domain even had complains about the New Government changing its policy to open the country. The government punished the lord of the domain and occupied Kurume Castle in 1871, which was the last time the castle was occupied.
The old photo of Kurume Castle (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
この城は徳川家康の生誕地として知られていますが、実際にはもう少し複雑なのです。
This castle is considered to be the birthplace of Ieyasu Tokugawa was born, but actually the story is more complicated.
立地と歴史～Location and History
三河ではよくある立地～Typical location in Mikawa
岡崎城は元々、矢作川と乙川の合流地点にある、龍頭山と呼ばれる小山の上にありました。この城は三河国（現在の愛知県東部に該当）に属してしました。この国においてはよく見られる戦略的立地です。 Okasaki Castle was originally located on a hill called Ryutozan, at the meeting point of the Yahagi River and Oto River. The castle belonged to Mikawa Province (what is now the eastern part of Aichi Pref.). It had s typical strategic location in the province.
城周辺の地図～The map around the castle
城の最初の姿～Its first appearance
１５世紀の中頃に西郷稠頼が最初にこの城を築いたと言われています。本丸にある堀の一つが彼の法名を取って「清海」堀と呼ばれています。その後、松平氏がこの城を支配していました。その子孫、徳川家康が更に城を拡張します。その当時の城がどうだったか定かでありませんが、いくつかの曲輪があり、石垣や天守はなかったと思われます。歴史家は、今に残る持仏堂曲輪の形が、その当時の城の特徴を残していると言います。 It is said that Tsuguyori Saigo first built the castle in the middle of the the 15th Century. One of the moats still carries his Buddhist name. It’s called “Seikai” moat of the Main Enclosure or “Honmaru”. After that, the Matsudaira clan took control over the castle. Their descendant Ieyasu Tokugawa improve it. We don’t know exactly what the castle looked like back then, but it seemed to have just a couple of enclosures, no stone walls, and no Main Tower or “Tenshu”. Historians say the shape of the Jibutsu-do enclosure shows the features of the castle at that time.
清海堀～Seikai moat持仏堂曲輪～Jibutsu-do enclosure
城の完成～The completion of the castle
豊臣氏に仕えた田中吉政が１５９０年に関東地方に移っていった徳川氏に代わって城に入ってきました。彼は、初代の天守を築き、石垣で取り囲み、外郭を巡らした城下町を作り、城を近代化しました。１６００年に家康が天下を取った後は、城は江戸時代を通して譜代大名によって所有されました。本田氏は１６世紀中頃までに、天守を置き替え、城の周りの石垣を完成させました。 Yoshimasa Tanaka who served the Toyotomi clan was governing the castle in 1590, instead of Tokugawa who had been transferred to Kanto Region. He modernized the castle by building the first Main Tower or “Tenshu”, surrounding it with stone walls, and making the castle town with an outline. After Ieyasu got the power in 1600, the castle was owned by hereditary feudal lords all through the Edo Period. The Honda clan replaced the Tenshu, and completed the stone walls around the castle by the middle of the 16 century.
現在の復興天守～The present reconstructed Tenshu三州岡崎城図、江戸時代～The illustration of Okazawaki Castle in Mikawa Province（出典：国立国会図書館）
維持するのは大変～It was hard to maintain
城を統治した大名たちの領地や石高は大きくなかったのですが、幕府創始者である家康ゆかりの城として維持する必要がありました。更には川の氾濫や地震の被害も受けながら、城と周辺地の修繕、改修に努めました。２０１５年、乙川に沿った４００ｍもの長さの石垣が発見されました。この石垣を築いた理由の一つは洪水を防ぐためだったようです。 Several clans that governed the castle didn’t have large territories and earnings, but they had to maintain it as the founder Ieyasu’s home. They also suffered from river floods as well as earthquakes. They struggled to repair and improve the castle and the area around. In 2015, 400m-long stone walls were discovered along the Oto River. One of the reasons for building them was to prevent floods.
過去の岡崎城のミニチュアモデル～The miniature model of Okazaki Castle in the past（岡崎城内博物館より）乙川と発見された石垣～Oto River and the stone walls alongside it
その後～Later History
日本最初の「公園」～The first “Park” in Japan
明治維新後、岡崎城は廃城となり、その全ての建物は撤去されました。城跡はその後すぐの１８７４年に岡崎「公園」となりました。２０世紀の初め、有名な造園家である本田静六と、当時岡崎市長であった小瀧喜七郎は、木を植え、図書館や病院などの公共施設を建設し、公園を整備しました。 After the Meiji Restoration, Okazaki Castle was abandoned, and all of their buildings were demolished. The ruins were soon turned into a park called Okazaki “Park” in 1874. In the early 20th century, Seroku Honda, a famous garden designer, and Kishichiro Odaki, the mayor of Okazaki City at that time, improved the park by planting trees, and building public facilities such as a library, and a hospital.
「公園」碑～The monument of “Park”公園にある小瀧喜七郎の銅像～The statue of Kishichiro Odaki in the park
城の建物の再建～Rebuilding of castle buildings
第二次世界大戦後、公園は歴史公園としても注目されました。城の中心の石垣を伴った基礎部分はよく残っていたためです。１９５９年、元からあった天守台の上に天守が復興されました。元の天守の詳細は不明でしたが、建築家の城戸久が古写真を参考にして設計しました。戦後日本復興のシンボルの一つと言われています。最近、大手門や東隅櫓なども伝統的建築物として再建されてます。 After World War II, the park was also featured as a historical park, since the foundation with stone walls in the center of the castle still remained. In 1959, the Tenshu was reconstructed on the original Tenshu base. The details of the original Tenshu were uncertain, but Hisashi Kido, an architect, designed it based on old photographs. It is said to be one of the symbols for the reconstruction of Japan. More traditional buildings were recently restored like the Main Entrance Gate “Ote-mon” and the East Corner Turret “Higashi-Sumi Yagura”.
復興天守～The reconstructed Tenshu再建された東隅櫓～The rebult East Corner Turret
最近の動向～The recent movement
更に最近では、岡崎市は公園を、徳川幕府の創始者、徳川家康の生誕地として位置づけようとしてます。恐らくこれは、観光振興や市のシンボルとするためなのでしょう。市は更に城の建物を復元しようとしていますが、歴史家は植物が育つことで石垣が痛んだり、城としての景観が損なわれると指摘しています。困ったことですが、どう解決するのか見ていきたいと思います。 In more recent years, Okazaki City has been trying to identify the park as the place where Ieayasu Tokugawa, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate was born. That’s probably done for tourism and in order to make it a symbol of the city. The city plans to restore more castle buildings, but historians say that growing plants are damaging the stone walls and landscape for the castle. Removing some plants is essential for conserving the ruins of the castle. That’s troubling. I am yet to see how they will solve this problem in the future.
徳川家康肖像画、加納探幽筆、大阪城天守閣蔵～The Portrait of Ieyasu Tokugawa, attributed to Tanyu Kano, owned by Osaka Castle Museum（licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons）公園は木々に覆われています～The park is covered with trees
特徴～Features
城エリアに入る～Entering the castle area
城周辺の地図～The map around the castle
東岡崎駅から来られる場合は、乙川の川縁から城の遠景が目に入ってきます。そこには、２０１５年に発見された長い石垣が川岸に沿っています。 If you come from Higashi-Okazaki Station, you can see the view of the castle ruins from the riverside of the Oto River. There are long stone walls along the riverside which were discovered in2015.
岡崎城の遠景～A dintant view of Okazaki Castle
最初に到着するのは菅生曲輪で、丘の上の城の中心部分も見えます。 You will first reach the Sugo enclosure where you can also see the center of the castle on the hill.
菅生曲輪～Sugo enclosure
復元された大手門に行くには、東曲輪に沿って掘られた道を進みます。この道はかつては堀の底でした。 To reach the restored Ote-mon Gate, go through the road cut along the Higashi enclosure. The road was once used as the bottom of the moat.
ここは堀の底でした～This is where the bottome of the moat was
大手門は岡崎公園の入り口でもあります。門を過ぎると、花壇がある近代公園となった二の丸に入っていきます。 The gate is also the entrance of Okazaki Park. After passing the gate, the Ninomaru enclosure can be seen as a modern park with a flower garden.
再建された大手門～The rebuilt Ote-mon Gate二の丸にある花時計～The flower clock at Ninomaru（taken by tkworks from photoAC）
本丸エリア～The Honmaru area
本丸の地図～The map of Honmaru
更に本丸の方に進むと、清海堀の前の持仏堂曲輪が見えます。この曲輪は明らかにその丸い形が突き出た格好になっています。空堀により囲まれています。これらは古い時代の徳川の城の特徴であり、家康の時代まで遡る可能性があります。 Going further to the Main Enclosure or “Honmaru”, you can see the Jibutsu-do enclosure in front of the Seikai moat. The enclosure clearly stick out due to its round shaped. It is surrounded with earthen walls. They are the features of the older Tokugawa castle’s defense system that could date back to the Ieyasu Era.
持仏堂曲輪の外側～The outside of Jibutsu-do enclosure持仏堂曲輪の内側～The inside of Jibutsu-do enclosure
本丸へは大手口、埋門口、風呂谷門口の３つのルートがあります。石垣が残っており、恐らく田中または本田時代に築かれたものです。過去には門や櫓によって厳重に守られていました。 There are three routes to Honmaru, the Ote route, the Uzumi-mon Gate route, and the Furotani-mon Gate route. Their stone walls still remain and they were probably built in the Tanaka and Honda Era. The routes must have been strictly protected by gates and turrets in the past.
復興天守は実際にはビル建築であり、歴史博物館としても使われていますが、天守台の石垣は田中氏によって積み上げられました。 The reconstructed Tenshu is actually a modern building which is also used as a historical museum, but the stone walls for its base were originally built by the Tanaka clan.
復興天守とオリジナルの石垣～The reconstructed Tenshu and the original stone walls
家康の史跡～Ieyasu’s landmarks
更には、徳川家康にまつわる史跡としては、家康の銅像や家康公産湯の井戸があります。 In addition, there are landmarks related to Ieyasu Tokugawa such as his statues and the well which was used for his first bath.
公園にある徳川家康の銅像～The statue of Ieyasu Tokugawa家康公産湯の井戸～The well which was used for Ieyasu’s first bath
私の感想～My Impression
岡崎城の城跡には過去の遺産が染み渡っています。岡崎公園は城の主要の曲輪があった場所に作られました。外郭を含む他の曲輪は既に市街地に変わってしまっています。城の研究や発掘が進めば、新しい発見もあるでしょう。そういったニュースを聞くのが楽しみです。 The ruins of Okazaki Castle are steeped in along legacy. Okazaki Park is built on the spot of the primary enclosures of the castle. Other enclosures including the outline were already turned into the city area. As the studies and the excavation for the castle increase, new discoveries will come. I’m looking forward to hearing about them.
本丸の風呂谷門口近くの古い石垣～The old stone walls near Furotani-mon Gate route at Honmaru
ここに行くには～How to get There
名鉄線東岡崎駅から歩いて約１５分です。 東京から東岡崎駅まで： 東海道新幹線に乗り、豊橋駅で名鉄名古屋本線に乗り換えてください。 名古屋から東岡崎駅まで： 名鉄名古屋駅から名古屋本線に乗ってください。 車で行く場合：東名高速道路岡崎ＩＣから約３ｋｍです。公園に駐車場があります。 It takes about 15 minutes From Meitetsu Higashi-Okazaki station to get there on foot. From Tokyo to Higashi-Okazaki st.: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen superexpress to Toyohashi station, and transfer for Meitetsu Nagoya line. From Nagoya to Higashi-Okazaki st.: Take the train on Meitetsu Nagoya line at Meitetsu-Nagoya station. If you want to go there by car: It is about 3 km away from the Okazaki IC on Tomei Expressway. The park offer a parking lot.
