タグ: Sekishu rooftiles

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

Sanjukken-dai or the about 54m long base
A view from the Sanjukken-dai base
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
The top of the Main Tower 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 interior of the school
The front gate of the residence of the Tako Clan, a senior vassal of the Tsuwano Domain
The old house of Amane Nishi
Carps in the waterways

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.

Tsuwano Station

That’s all. Thank you.
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66.Tsuwano Castle Part2

Spectacular stone walls remaining on the mountain.

Features

Going Castle Ruins through former Castle Town

Today, visiting Tsuwano Town including Tsuwano Castle Ruins is exciting for many visitors. As you get close to the town by car or train, you will see many houses with reddish brown colored roof tiles called Sekishu Rooftiles on them, which can be used to protect people from a cold climate. You will also see the spectacular stone walls on the mountain beside the town, which are a good contrast with the color of the town.

A view from the train window

The entrance of the ruins at the foot of the mountain is about 1.5km away from Tsuwano Station if you come by train. Even if you also walk from the station to the ruins, it can be another good tour going through the former castle town. The area around the entrance is where the Main Hall for the lord was built. The hall building was turned into Tsuwano High School and the garden for the hall was turned into a square. Two turrets for the hall are remaining as Babasaki or the Near Riding Ground and Monomi or the Lookout Turrets.

The relief map around the castle

Tsuwano High School
The former garden for the Main Hall, called Kiraku-en
The remaining Near Riding Ground Turret
The remaining Lookout Turret

Going to Center of Ruins through Barbican Enclosure

The top of the mountain is about 200m above from the foot, so it would be efficient for visitors to use a lift operated by Tsuwano Town. The lift will take you to the top in few minutes while seeing the steep terrain and the trail for climbing.

The lift going to the top
You can see the trail for hikers

You can walk from the lift platform to the ruins on the trail of the top. You will first arrive at Demaru or the Barbican Enclosure which was used as a lookout, little far from the canter of the castle. There are only remaining stone walls now, but where you can see a great view of the area around. You will next walk to the center on the temporary path probably because the original trail is dangerous or under excavation.

The aerial photo around the castle

Going to the ruins from the lift platform
The entrance of the Barbican Enclosure
The inside of the Barbican Enclosure
A view from the Barbican Enclosure
The temporary path to the center

People manage to maintain Stone Walls

You will see the center is still surrounded by the spectacular stone walls but without buildings. Part of them collapsed being covered with sheets to avoid further damage. This was due to the North Yamaguchi Earthquake and the following heavy rain in 1997.

The map around the castle

Going to the Eastern Gate Ruins
The partially collapsed stone walls

Visitors usually enter the Eastern Gate Ruins also using the temporary steps. You can see the three-tier stone walls on the right, which was used for the Three-Tier Turret in the past. The lower tier is covered by a net to prevent it from collapsing. The other tiers were re-plied in 1972. People in Tsuwano still struggle maintaining these stone walls.

The temporary steps
The three-tier stone walls

Third Enclosure surrounding Top

The Third Enclosure has other gate ruins on the west and south, surrounding the top of the castle like a belt. If you go to the Western Turret Gate Ruins, you can see unaccountable broken pieces of Sekishu Rooftiles which probably came from the original gate building. Please make sure you don’t take them away from the original positions as they are all included to a National Historic Site.

The Western Turret Gate Ruins
The unaccountable broken pieces of Sekishu Rooftiles

The Southern Turret Gate Ruins are at the edge of a ridge just above a steep cliff. You may be thrilled if you are standing by the edge. The stone walls of the ruins are the oldest in the castle which Naomori Sakazaki originally built.

Going to the Southern Turret Gate Ruins
The Southern Turret Gate Ruins
These stone walls are the oldest in the castle
There is a steep cliff below the gate ruins
A view from the gate ruins

If you look back from the Southern Turret Gate Ruins, you can see the stone wall base for Hitojichi or the Hostage Turret. They are the highest stone walls in the castle and their corner curve lines are beautiful. However, if the turret was really used to hold hostages like its name suggests, they could not escape from it, as the stone walls are isolated.

A view when you look back from the Southern Turret Gate Ruins
The stone wall base for the Hostage Turret
The base looks beautiful

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