Osaka castle – ページ 2 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

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

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”

18.Hachigata Castle Part3

I climbed Kuruma-yama Mountain to its top to confirm that the idea of the attackers firing upon the castle in the battle in 1590 would was realistic.

Features

Well-Restored Dry Moats

Zigzagged large dry moats with wooden fences between the Third and Second Enclosures, which allowed the defenders to attack enemies’ sides, have also been restored. Only two routes were available between them – the one via the Main Route and the other via the well restored Umadashi system. Also, if you compare the two enclosures, you will find the Third is higher than the Second. In other castles, the Second (which is closer to the Main Enclosure) is usually higher than the Third. However, in the case of Hachigata Castle, it is the other way around. In addition, the Third Enclosure had strong defense systems with four Umadashi which are originally designed by the Hojo Clan. That’s why author, Jun Ito says the Hojo Clan might have moved the center of the castle from the Main Enclosure to the Third in the final stages of the castle.

The aerial photo around the castle. the red markers indicates the four Umadashi systems

The dry moats between the Third and Second Enclosures

The Umadashi system connecting the Third and Second Enclosures

The Third Enclosure is higher than the Second one

Panorama of Main Enclosure

A paved car road goes between the Second and Main Enclosures, so it may be difficult to imagine what it used to look like. According to information at the Hachigata Castle History Museum, there used to be a large gate to the Main Enclosure and a wooden bridge over the deep dry moat in front of the gate.

The map around the castle

The paved car road between the Second and Main Enclosures

The part of the entrance to the Main Enclosure in the diorama

The enclosure has the other peak of the castle, standing beside a 30m tall cliff. no castle buildings remain, and it is purely made of soil, but the ground is still leveled so you can imagine the Main Hall for the lord as it was in the past. You can enjoy a great view of the Arakawa River and the surrounding area from the peak. You can also understand how the castle was naturally protected.

You will finally reach the Sasa Enclosure, near the tip, which is lower than the Main Enclosure. It is another entrance to the castle ruins, beside Shoki-bashi Bridge.

The Shoki-bashi Bridge beside the castle ruins

The tip area is a private area where visitors can’t enter, so you can only see this area from the opposite side of the river. If you cross to the opposite, you should check out another great view of the castle ruins on the cliff from the Tamayodo riverbed beside the bridge.

The tip area seen from the opposite side

The castle ruins seen from the Tamayodo riverbed

Later History

At the beginning of the Showa era (around 1930), the JR Hachiko line was planned to be constructed through the ruins. Locals argued the plan needed to be changed and asked the government to preserve the ruins. They were successful and the ruins was designated as a National Historic Site in 1932. Yorii Town excavated and researched the Second, Third and Sasa Enclosures between 1997 and 2001. Based on these achievements, the town developed the Hachigata Castle Park and restored some structures of the castle. It also opened the Hachigata Castle History Museum in 2004 to display and educate people about the history of the castle and the studies into it.

My Impression

I climbed Kuruma-yama Mountain to its top to confirm that the idea of the attackers firing upon the castle in the battle in 1590 would was realistic. It is widely accepted that General, Tadakatsu Honda brought large guns, fired upon the castle, and broke the Main Gate. The mountain is 227m above sea level and about 100m above the castle, which is about 1km away (the Third Enclosure). A view of the castle ruins from above was actually not good because of the trees surrounding. My conclusion is that not all of the wildly accepted lore is correct. I think the firing itself is the fact, because a large gun shell of several cm in diameter was excavated from the Outer Enclosure of the castle. However, I don’t think shooting from the mountain would have been useful. In the winter campaign of the siege of Osaka in 1614, Ieyasu Tokugawa borrowed the large Western guns and fired upon Osaka Castle from his stronghold on a river delta , about 500m away the castle. Considering this case, shooting at the castle using (probably) Japanese guns 24 years previously, from more than 500m away, even from a mountain could not be done. My speculation is that Tadakatsu put his stronghold on the mountain but fired upon the castle from a place much closer to it than the mountain.

The Kurumayama Mountain seen from around the southern entrance of the ruins

I could just see part of the Main Enclosure from the top due to the trees surrounding

The portrait of Tadakatsu Honda, owned by Ryogenji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The relief map around Hachigata Castle

The relief map around Osaka Castle, using the same reduced scale as above

How to get There

I recommend using a car when you visit the castle ruins because there are only a few buses available. It is about a 20-minute drive away from Hanazono IC on the Kanetsu Expressway. There are several parking lots in the park.
If you want to use public transportation, it takes about 30 minutes on foot to get there form Yorii Station.
From Tokyo to Yorii Station.: Take the Tobu-Tojo line from Ikebukuro Station, or take the Joetsu Shinkansen super express from Tokyo Station to Kumagata Station, and transfer to Chichibu Railway.

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

57.Sasayama Castle Part1

One of the castles which were built to surround Osaka Castle

Location and History

Tanba, Important Province for Rulers

Sasayama Castle was located in modern day Tanba-Sasayama City, in Hyogo Prefecture. Hyogo is a large prefecture which covers the western part of the Kansai Region. However, the castle was located at that time in Tanba Province which is much smaller than Hyogo Prefecture but was located in mountain areas just behind the northwest of Kyoto, the previous capital of Japan. That meant governing Tanba Province was very important to protect Kyoto and monitor if the lords in western Japan would do something effective to the central political circles.

The range of Tanba Province and the location of the castle

Castle construction is ordered by Shogunate

Ieyasu Tokugawa defeated Mitsunari Ishida supporting the Toyotomi Clan in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and established the Tokugawa Shogunate by becoming the shogun in 1603. However, the situation was still unstable because the Toyotomi Clan was still living in Osaka Castle, which was uncontrollable by the shogunate. In addition, there were many lords in western Japan, who were in favor of the Toyotomi Clan and might have been against the shogunate in the future. The response of Ieyasu to the situation was to build several strong castles around Osaka Castle to contain the Toyotomi Clan and divide the Toyotomi Clan and its favors. They are known as Nagoya, Iga-Ueno, Hikone, Zeze, Nijo in Kyoto, Kameyama and Sasayama Castles. These castles were built as the construction orders by the shogunate, which made lords including the Toyotomi Clan favors join at their own expenses. The side effects of the constructions were to reduce the lords’ money and force them to give up their rebellious split to be against the shogunate by showing the strong network of the castles.

The Portrait of Ieyasu Tokugawa, attributed to Tanyu Kano, owned by Osaka Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The network of the castles around Osaka Castle, which Ieyasu built

The construction of Sasayama Castle launched in 1603, which was instructed by Terumasa Ikeda who was the lord of Himeji Castle, with the help of 20 lords from 15 provinces and was designed by Takatora Todo who was considered as a master of castle constructions. The castle was built on a hill called Sasayama, in the Sasayama Basin. The main portion of the castle was on the hill, using the natural terrain and building high stone walls over the hill. Other than that, the castle had simple flat square enclosures and double water moats surrounding it. That designs made it easier to build the castle, but it would made it weaker to protect the castle instead.

The Portrait of Terumasa Ikeda, owned by Tottori prefectural art museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Takatora Todo, private owned (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The main portion of Sasayama Castle, from the miniature model of the castle, exhibited by the historical museum in the Large Study Hall of Sasayama Castle

The castle was surrounded by the double water moats, from the miniature model of the castle, same as above

Castle is designed by Takatora Todo

To prevent enemies from attacking it easily, Takatora designed the castle’s entrances to be strictly protected using the Masugata system. The Masugata refers to a defensive square space which was surrounded by gates and stone walls where enemies would be locked out. Another defensive system that Takatora designed was the Umadashi. It refers to a square enclosure sticking out from the entrance connected by a narrow path among the moat. The enclosure had another moat in front of it, so its entrances were at both sides where the defenders could counterattack from them. Takatora established these structures in his own Imabari Castle which was completed in 1604.

The Umadashi and Masugata systems at the Main Gate of Sasayama Castle, from the miniature model of the castle, same as above

The Masugata system of Imabari Castle, from the signboard at the site

Main Tower is not built

On the other hand, Sasayama Castle didn’t have its Main Tower in the Main Enclosure on the top. In fact, the stone wall base for the tower was built, however, the tower was not built. This was because the shogunate determined the castle would not need it as it would be enough to protect the castle without it. Another reason was that the lords working for the construction also needed to move to the another site for Nagoya Castle. That’s why Sasayama Castle was completed after only a half year of construction. Instead, several turrets were built in the Main Enclosure and the Main Hall for the lord was built in the Second Enclosure, which constituted the main portion of the castle.

The stone wall base for the Main Tower of Sasayama Castle

The Main Enclosure of Sasayama Castle, where its Main Tower was not built, from the miniature model of the castle, same as above

The Large Study Hall, the restored building of the Main Hall in the Second Enclosure of Sasayama Castle

The castle was first owned by Yasushige Matsudaira, a relative of Ieyasu Tokugawa. After the shogunate defeated the Toyotomi Clan in 1615, several hereditary feudal lords followed the castle to monitor non-hereditary feudal lords in western Japan as the Sasayama Domain, such as the Aoyama Clan which governed the area until the end of the Edo Period.

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

A general view of Sasayama Castle, from the signboard at the site

To be continued in “Sasayama Castle Part2”