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

167.Shingu Castle Part3

The ruins are still developing.

Features

Other Enclosures

Other than that, a small enclosure, called Demaru or Barbican, sticks out of the Main Enclosure towards the river. It looks sharp and cool. It was used to look outside. Because of it, a view of the Kumano-gawa River from around the enclosure is so great.

The map around the castle

You can also climb down to the Water Supply Enclosure beside the river from the Matsunomaru Enclosure if the path is open. It was recently excavated and discovered that it was used as a trade route of the charcoal product which have been known as Binchotan until now. The area around has been developed for visitors to walk around after the excavation.

The path to the Mizunote Enclosure from the Matsunomaru Enclosure

The whole view of the Water Supply Enclosure

The stone walls of The Water Supply Enclosure

The promenade along the Kumano-gawa River

Another attraction of the castle is the remaining stone walls of the Second Enclosure at the foot of the hill. The inside of it is used as a kindergarten, but you can see the stone walls outside, which still stands out among the city area. You should also check out the corner of the walls, which are piled using rectangular stones alternating each other in a method called Sangi-zumi.

The corner of the walls, piled using rectangular stones alternating each other

Later History

Shingu Castle was abandoned after the Meiji Restoration. All of the castle buildings were demolished. The ruins were eventually privately-owned, as a result, the Ryokan opened in the Kanenomaru Enclosure in 1952. Other amusement facilities, like a cable car and a beer garden, also opened around the Main Enclosure. The modification of the enclosure was probably done at that time. In 1980, Shingu City bought the ruins to make them to convert them into a park. The city has been researching and preserving the ruins since they were designated as a National Historic Site in 2003. The city is also thinking about restoring some castle buildings in the future.

The trace of the platform of the cable car below the Main Enclosure

My Impression

I think Shingu Castle Ruins has a big potential to be a great historical site, and soon this will happen. I also think that the city has a lot of things for visitors to do. It at least has to classify historical items and other items first in order to make people understand what they were. Then, it also has to preserve them in good condition before they start restoring some buildings. I would like to go back to the ruins again once the situation has improved.

The current situation of the Mian Enclosure

How to get There

It is about a 40-minute drive away from Kumano-Odomari IC on the Kumano-Owase Road. There is a parking lot halfway up the hill near the eastern entrance of the park to the Main Enclosure.
If you want to use public transportation, It takes about 15 minutes on foot from JR Shingu Station.
To get to Shingu Station from Tokyo: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express, and transfer to the Nanki super express at Nagoya Station.

That’s all. Thank you.
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167.Shingu Castle Part2

Castle ruins with a mysterious atmosphere

Features

Developed as Tankaku Castle Park

Today, the ruins of Shingu Castle have been developed by Shingu City as the Tankaku Castle Park. The park actually has a mysterious atmosphere because it consists of the castle ruins, the ruins of an amusement facility developed in the Showa Era, and the modern park facilities. It has two entrances but they were not originally for the castle. If you enter it from the main entrance on the western side, you will walk up the stairs to the hill for a while.

The map around the castle

Walking up the stairs from the main entrance

Then, you will eventually walk on the original Main Route which comes from another side and meets at some point. You can see the rest of the original route goes down, but you can not to go there directly over the poles and ropes.

The meeting point with the original Main Route

If you want to go there, you need to go around the residential area which surrounds the route.

The remaining sone walls among the residential area

Enclosures surrounded by Precise Stone Walls

There are four enclosures on the hill, which are the Matsunomaru, Kanenomaru, Main, and Barbican from the west to the east, with only the stone walls remaining. The Matsunomaru Enclosure is the first one from the Main Route, whose entrance is a defensive square space surrounded by stone walls, called Masugata. This enclosure also has the route to the Water Supply Enclosure beside the river, it should have been the pivot point for defense.

The entrance of the Matsunomaru Enclosure

The next is the Kanenomaru enclosure which has another Masugata entrance. Its stone walls were well processed and piled with precision, in a method called Kirikomi-Hagi. It had had the Main Hall for the lord in Asano’s period, but the hall was moved to the Second Enclosure at the foot during Mizuno’s period. It now has a square and a Japanese Garden which was probably built when it was used as a Ryokan or a traditional Japanese style hotel in the Showa Era.

The entrance of the Kanenomaru Enclosure

*The stone walls of the Kanenomaru Enclosure* seen from the foot of the hill

Main Enclosure with complex design

You will next reach the Main Enclosure, which has a more complex design. Basically, it has many different kinds of great remaining stone walls. First, it has doubled front gate ruins, especially, the second one is surrounded by stone walls piled with the most precision in the castle, using a method called Kikko-zumi or Piling like Tortoise Shell.

The map around the Main Enclosure

From the first gate ruins to the second gate ruins

The stone walls of the second gate ruins, built using a method called Piling like Tortoise Shell

Second, the stone walls of its Back Gate Ruins show an excellent surface treatment.

Finally, the stone walls surrounding the enclosure are curved elaborately like a folding screen called Byobu-ore which made it possible for the defenders to counterattack to the enemies’ side.

The stone walls of the Main Enclosure, like a folding screen

The top of the folding screen stone walls

These stone walls have two tiers with the upper one being newer which was built by the Mizuno Clan, contrasted by the older lower tier which was built by the Asano Clan. The enclosure looks like a museum for stone walls.

The stone walls of the Main Enclosure have two tiers, but the lower one is covered with grass

The stone walls of the Main Enclosure, seen from the Matsunomaru Enclosure

Unfortunately, the stone wall base for the Main Tower had mostly collapsed due to a typhoon in 1952. Only one side of it remains.

The few remaining stone wall base for the Main Tower

On the other hand, the enclosure was also heavily modified by several stairs and paths which could have been built using the collapsing stone walls. The added structures are supposed to have been built for the amusement facility during the Showa Era. Visitors may be confused to see these structures made of stones because there are not enough explanations for it.

The stone steps which were added in a later period

The enclosure is mixed with the original structures and added ones later

To be continued in “Shingu Castle Part3”
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167.Shingu Castle Part1

A castle with advanced stone walls

Location and History

Singu City has Long History

Shingu City is located in the southern part of Wakayama Prefecture, around the estuary of Kumano-gawa River. It has a rich nature and a long history. It even has a tradition that Jofuku of the Qin Dynasty in ancient China. He arrived in search of the elixir of life. It is also known for the location of Kumano Hayamizu Taisha, one of the three main Kumano Shrines. Because of the location, the Chief Priest or Betto of Kumano Shrines had governed the area. However, the Shrines’ power decreased during the Sengoku Period when many battles happened.

The Jofuku Park in Shingu City (*licensed by 663highland via Wikimedia Commons)*

Kumano Hayamizu Taisha Shrine (*licensed by 663highland via Wikimedia Commons)*

Tadayoshi Asano builds Castle, followed by Shigenaka Mizuno

Instead, a local lord of the Horiuchi Clan got the power to govern. In 1600 when the Battle of Sekigahara occurred, the clan supported the Western Squad. That resulted in the clan’s destruction because the Eastern Squad, led by Ieyasu Tokugawa who was the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, won. The shogunate sent the Asano Clan to Kii Province, what is modern day Wakayama Prefecture, as its lord. The Shingu area was governed by Tadayoshi Asano, the clan’s relative, who first built Shingu Castle.

The range of Kii Province and the location of the castle

The area prospered as a junction for water transportation connecting Kumano-gawa River and the Pacific Ocean. Wooden materials such as the Kumano Cedar were gathered in and carried from there using it. People, who had been called the Kumano Navy in the Sengoku Period, operated it. Tadayoshi needed to control them by building the castle, which was built on a hill called Tankaku-yama near the estuary of the river. He was also required to make the castle strong because some local warriors and farmers called the Kitayama Uprising were against him. In 1614, the uprising people actually tried to attack the castle, but were repelled by the Asano troops with the former Navy people.

Part of the illustration of Shingu Castle in Kii Province, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan

The castle was once abandoned in 1615 because of the Law of One Castle per Province by the Tokugawa Shogunate. However, Tadayoshi was allowed to start rebuilding the castle probably at the same place in 1618 for some reasons. After he was transferred to another territory by the shogunate, the Tokugawa Clan owned the province. The clan was one of the three branches of the Tokugawa Family, based in Wakayama Castle as the Kishu Domain. A senior vassal of the clan, Shigenaka Mizuno entered Shingu Castle following the construction that Tadayoshi Asano launched. The construction continued for many years and was finally completed in 1667.

The portrait of Shigenaka Mizuno, owned by Kinshoji Temple (*licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Advanced Stone Walls and Water Supply Enclosure used for Trading

The castle had several buildings on the hill, including the three-level Main Tower. However, one of the most important features of it have been its advanced stone walls. The construction of the castle was done in the later period than those of other castles in Japan. This was because building new castles were basically not allowed after the law in 1615. Methods of processing and piling stone walls were much improved until then. Shingu Castle was one of the few cases which could enjoy the advanced technology completely.

Another outstanding feature of it was Mizunote or the Water Supply Enclosure below the hill along the river. This was used as a port probably for the Navy at the first stage of the castle. However, in the peaceful time of the Edo Period, there were a lot of storage rooms for charcoal in the enclosure. It is thought that the charcoal was delivered from the castle to sell to large cities like Edo and Osaka. The Kii Domain made a profit on it. This was a rare example of economic activities which were done in Japanese castles.

THE charcoal, unearthed in the enclosure, , exhibited by Shingu City Museum of History and Folklore

To be continued in “Shingu Castle Part2”