reconstructed main tower – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

181.Kokura Castle Part3

In the morning of the 9th August of 1945, a US B-29 bomber, called Bockscar, was carrying the second atomic bomb to Japan. In fact, its first target was the arms factory of Kokura (in the third enclosure of Kokura Castle).

Features

Other Enclosures of Castle

The park still has other enclosures. Kita-no-maru (meaning the northern enclosure) was used as the lord’s family residence or retreat and is used as Kokura-Gion-Yasaka Shrine. It is connected to the main enclosure via Tamon-guchi-mon Gate where you can see the oldest stone walls in the castle around. The walls had been built by Katsunari Mori before Tadaoki Hosokawa came. There are also well-maintained stone walls and water moats around the Kita-no-maru Enclosure, so this is a good walking spot.

The aerial photo around the castle

The Kita-no-maru enclosure (the current Kokura-Gion-Yasaka Shrine)

The Tamonguchi-mon Gate, quoted from Kokura Castle Website

The stone walls and water moats surrounding the Kita-no-maru Enclosure

Matsu-no-maru (meaning the pine enclosure) is in the south of the main enclosure. It was used as Tadaoki’s father’s residence or warehouses when the castle was active; it is currently an event square. It was once used as the headquarters of the 12th Brigade like the main enclosure.

Third Enclosure including Monument for Atomic Bomb Victims

If you go further to the south, there is a modern park area which was the third enclosure used as the senior vassals’ residences. During World War II, there was a large arms factory, but now there is a monument for atomic bomb victims. The reason for it will be written in the next section.

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, the main portion of Kokura Castle was turned into military facilities and the other area became the city area of Kokura. It changed from a Samurai city to a military city. In the morning of the 9th August of 1945, a US B-29 bomber, called Bockscar, was carrying the second atomic bomb to Japan. In fact, its first target was the arms factory of Kokura. However, it could not focus on the target because of thick cloud and finally dropped the bomb into Nagasaki. As a result, people in Kokura were lucky, but they should not be pleased about it. That’s why the former factory site has the monument. After the the war, the occupation army used the castle site until 1957. The current Main Tower was rebuilt in 1959.

Bockscar, exhibited by National Museum of the United States Air Force *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

The monument for the atomic bomb victims in the third enclosure

My Impression

I think that if the current Main Tower of Kokura Castle had kept the original design of the Western style, it would be more popular than now. This is because the design is very unique which would attract more current visitors. However, the people who wanted to rebuild the tower chose another direction. That was probably because they wanted a tower which was competitive with other castles. I don’t think the tower ever needs to be replaced with a new one with an original design because it would cost a lot and the current tower is also a historical item.

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car, it is about a 5-minute drive away from Katsuyama Exit on the Kitakyushu Expressway.
There is a parking lot in the park.
By public transportation, it takes about 15 minutes on foot from JR Kokura Station.
From Tokyo or Osaka to the station: take the Sanyo Shinkansen super express.

Links and References

・Kokura Castle Official Website

That’s all. Thank you.
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181.Kokura Castle Part2

The design of the current Main Tower is very different from the original one which had simple roofs. The current tower apparently has many decorations like large hip-and-gables, which the original one didn’t have.

Features

Castle is near Kokura Station

Today, the current Kokura Castle is near Kokura Station, only about a 15 minute walk away from the station. Unfortunately, you can’t see the castle from the station because of the high buildings around. If you first reach a side of Murasaki River and walk on the promenade alongside it for a while, you can see the Main Tower of the castle among the buildings. This is the moment when you can understand the castle was developed together with the rivers.

The map around the castle

The main portion of the castle, including the tower, has been developed as Katsuyama Park. It was once surrounded and divided by many water moats, so there were few gates and bridges such as Tora-no-mon Gate and Nishi-no-mon Gate. However, few of the moats remain, so that’s why visitors can easily access the park now. For example, if you walk from the river to the park by passing the Kitakyushu City Hall beside Otesaki-mon Gate Ruins, you can get close to the Main Tower soon.

The original gates of the main portion (adding their English names by the red letters) in the Illustration of Kokura Castle in Buzen Province, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan

Current Main Tower is apparently very different from Original Tower

The current Main Tower, which was reconstructed in 1959, is 28.7m high, 5.9m higher than the original one. It is also the sixth tallest existing Main Tower in Japan. The total height including the original stone walls is 47.5m. If you stand by the inner moat surrounding the tower and the walls, they look really great; it is certainly a good viewing spot of the castle. However, there is a controversial issue about the tower. The design of the current Main Tower is very different from the original one which had simple roofs. The current tower apparently has many decorations like large hip-and-gables, Chinese styled gables and triangular shaped gables, which the original one didn’t have. It is said that the designer of the current one tried to build a tower with the same design as the original one but he couldn’t. That was because the sponsor requested him to use the current design. People at that time wanted a showy symbol which could attract many visitors.

The top 10 tallest Main Towers of castles in Japan, the No.1 is Osaka Castle on the very left, Kokura Castle is the 6th from the left, exhibited by Kokura Castle Tower

The miniature model of the original Main Tower, exhibited by Kokura Castle Tower

Several Gate Ruins of Main Enclosure

To enter the Main Tower, you have to go to the main enclosure by passing the great stone walls of the Main Gate Ruins. The walls have some huge ornamental stones and form a defensive square called Masugata.

An ornamental stone used at the corner of the stone walls of the Main Gate

After that, you only need to walk up a gentle slope to reach the enclosure and the tower. However, in the past, high-class warriors went through another gate called Keyaki-mon which remains as ruins. Meanwhile, low-class warriors had to enter Kurogane-mon Gate instead. These came from a clear discrimination of how to get the castle even among the warriors.

The Main Gate is marked by the red circle, the Keyaki-mon Gate is marked by the blue circle and the Kurogame-mon Gate is marked by the green circle, in the restored image by CG exhibited by Kokura Castle Tower

The path direct to the Main Tower for the current visitors

In the main enclosure, there was the main hall and there are the ruins of the Imperial Japanese army’s 12th division headquarters.

Renewed Interior of Main Tower

The Main Tower is used as a historical museum whose interior was recently renewed in 2019. Its top floor is used as an observation platform like the original one used to be. The appearance of the floor was also restored hanging out in the Nanban (Western) style, so its interior was built being wrapped in by the outer part.

A view of the Murasaki River from the floor

To be continued in “Kokura Castle Part3”
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161.Kishiwada Castle Part3

The only thing I would ask the city to improve on the castle would be to open the views from the Main and Second Enclosures.

Features

Outside of Main Enclosure

The Main Enclosure is only connected to the Second Enclosure by the earthen bridge which is the same as the past. It looks like a castle island floating on the moat which must have had a defensive design.

The aerial photo around the castle

The earthen bridge to the Main Enclosure

However, if you go around the back side, you will find its back entrance ruins with stone steps, where a bridge to the outside was built. The bridge can not be seen in the drawing of the castle submitted to the shogunate. The reason for it could be that it was built after the drawing had been submitted or it was removed from the drawing intentionally.

The back entrance ruins of the Main Enclosure

The bridge in the back was not seen in the drawing (the upper right part)

The high stone walls surrounding it also look technical as they are curved elaborately to counterattack the enemies’ sides. They also use the lips as their base which is a rare case in Japanese castles. Some historians think that the reason may be to support the sandstones used for the walls which are weaker than the other types of stones. That’s why the stone walls were partially repaired in the present time, using granite to make them durable.

These stone walls were built on the lips

The white stones seem to have been used for the repair

Inside of Main Enclosure

The inside of the Main Enclosure has the reconstructed Main Tower, a gate, a corner turret and white walls. They have different designs from the original ones compared with those in the drawing. For example, the current Main Tower has three levels with many decorations while the original one had five levels with a simple roofing. In case like the current Main Tower of Kishiwada Castle, which was rebuilt but has a different design, should be called “reconstructed”. The enclosure also has a modern Japanese dry garden, called Hachijin-no-Niwa or the Garden of Eight Battle Formation, which was built in the same period as the current Main Tower and was designated as a National Scenic Beauty in 2014. The builders might also have created the Main Tower freely without its original design as a modern building.

The reconstructed buildings in the Main Enclosure

The tower is used as a historical museum inside and an observation platform on the top floor. The floor has a good viewing spot where you can enjoy the scenery of the area around including Osaka Bay. However, you can’t see anything on the outside from the enclosure except for the platform due to the high white walls on the top of the stone walls.

A view of the city area towards Osaka Bay from the platform

*This is also not a good view point because of the walls*

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Kishiwada Castle was abandoned and all the castle buildings were demolished. The castle land excluding the Main and Second Enclosures was turned into the city area. There was probably no other way to use it, other than modernizing the city of Kishiwada. After a long time, people in Kishiwada wanted to rebuild the Main Tower of the castle though they needed donations for it. As a result, it was finally completed in 1954 as the three-level Main Tower, but actually a modern concrete building has become a symbol of the city. Some people had argued that it should have been a five-level wooden one which was the same as the original tower, but there was a budget problem and the former lord, the Okabe Clan supported the original reconstruction plan. Kishiwada City is currently struggling to consider the earthquake-resistance measures of the reconstructed Main Tower due to its old age and the stricter regulations than before. It is also continuing to repair the remaining stone walls by replacing collapsed sandstones with new granite stones.

My Impression

I think the more you visit the current Kishiwada Castle, the more you will be interested in its history. The castle started out as a small one facing the sea, and it developed into the only one in Izumi Province, and finally became the symbol of the city. However, the only thing I would ask the city to improve on the castle would be to open the views from the Main and Second Enclosures. Currently, visitors can’t see the views below from them because of the walls or hedges probably for the safety reasons. I think the city will be able to replace them with other fences which can provide the views so that visitors can fully understand how the castle was developed more.

How about using this fence, partially used in the Second Enclosure, more?

*This is a good view point because of the fence*

That’s all. Thank you.
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