People in Ozu struggled to restore the Main Tower.
Later History
After the Meiji Restoration, Ozu Castle was abandoned and once used as a government office. However, the castle land was eventually sold and the castle buildings were demolished. Four turrets lastly remain as Owata Turret in the Second Enclosure, the Southern Corner Turret in the Third Enclosure, and the two ones in the Main Enclosure. People in Ozu were afraid to lose the castle ruins, so they turned them into a park with peach trees in the Meiji Era.
The remaining Owata Turret in the Second Enclosurethe remaining Southern Corner Turret in the Third EnclosureThe remaining Handrail TurretThe old photo of the Main Enclosure after being planted with peach trees, exhibited in the castle
After World War II, people in Ozu had been thinking about restoring the Main Tower in the original way, while many other Main Towers in Japan were restored in a modern way like Nagoya Castle. This was because many materials for the restoration remained, such as drawings, the frame model of the tower made when it was repaired, and several clear photos taken before it was scraped, which was a very rare case in Japan.
The Main Tower of Nagoya Castle, restored in a modern waythe frame model of the Main Tower of Ozu Castle, used for the restoration, from the signboard at the site
However, there was a big problem with the law. Japan’s Building Standard Act has very strict rules on wooden buildings which are over 13m tall. The original Main Tower of Ozu Castle was over 19m, which meant it couldn’t be restored. The good news came in the 1990’s, the wooden towers in the other castles of Shirakawa-Komine, Kakegawa and Shiroishi were allowed to be restored. Ozu Castle’s Main Tower is the tallest among other towers, but after a long negotiation with the officials, the tower’s restoration was completed in 2004.
The restored wooden three-leveled turret of Shirakawa-Komine CastleThe restored wooden Main Tower of Kakegawa CastleThe restored wooden Main Tower of Shirakawa-Komine CastleThe restored wooden Main Tower of Ozu Castle
My Impression
I think the Main Tower of Ozu Castle is the best one out of the restored Main Towers in Japan. This is because the tower and two remaining turrets both sides are in perfect harmony. In addition, I recommend seeing the castle from the riverside. River traffic was one of the main means of transportation, so the castle’s design was done considering the view from the riverside. You can see a beautiful completely restored appearance of the Main Tower and the collaboration with the turrets.
A view of Hijikawa River from the Main EnclosureThe riverside of Hijikawa RiverA view of the Main Tower and the Handrail Turret from around the river
How to get There
If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about 10 minutes away from Minami-Ozu IC on the Matsuyama Expressway. There is a parking lot for visitors in the city area near the castle. By public transportation, it takes about 25 minutes on foot from the JR Iyo-Ozu Station. If you go there from Tokyo or Osaka, I recommend traveling by plane or using an express bus.
Tamura Clan first governed Castle which became branch of Wakamatsu Castle later
Miharu Castle was located in the Tamura District of Mutsu Province (what is now the modern day Miharu Town in Fukushima Prefecture). The area connected the inland and seaside areas, so it was regarded as being important. In the first 16th Century, the Tamura Clan governed the area and built Miharu Castle on the highest hill around the area. In the middle 16th Centrury, the lord of the clan, Kiyoaki Tamura was threatened by other larger warlords such as the Ashina Clan in the west, the Soma Clan in the east and the Satake Clan in the south. Therfore, he decided to form an allegiance with Masamune Date, a great warlord in the north, by marrying his daughter with Masamune. Masamune stayed in Miharu Castle for a while in 1588 before conquering the Tohoku Region and beating the Ashina Clan in 1589. The Tamura Clan succeeded to survive under Masamune. Miharu Castle was developed and it spread to other hills by the clan.
The location of the castle
However, the Tamura Clan was disbanded by the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi in 1590. This is because the lord of the clan, Muneaki Tamura didn’t respond to the call from Hideyoshi who considered the Tamura Clan as an indipendent lord. However the Tamura Clan didn’t feel this way. It may have been the clan’s mistake, but some historians say it might have been a conspiracy of Masamune who should have madiated Hideyoshi and the Tamura Clan because of the clan’s territory including Miharu Castle finally belonging to Masamune.
The family crest of the Tamura Clan called the Tamura Japanese Ginger (licensed by Fraxinus2 via Wikimedia Commons)The portrait of Masamune Date owned by Sendai City Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
Miharu Castle became a branch castle of Wakamatsu Castle which became Masamune’s home base. After that, the lords of Wakamatsu Castle were changed to other clans – the Gamo, Uesugi and Kato Clans. Miharu Castle was made stronger by them. They built stone walls and developed a castle town. However, sometimes it was not used and would eventually be abandoned. Finally in 1627, the Matsushita Clan was transferred by the Tokugawa Shogunate to Miaharu Castle. This meant it had been a while since they had been independent . Miharu Castle remained a mountain castle until the end.
Wakamatsu Castle
Akita Clan maintained Castle as home base of Miharu Domain in Edo Period
After the Matsushita Clan was unfortunately disbanded in 1645, the Akita Clan governed Miharu Castle and the Miharu Domain until the end of the Edo Period. They modernized Miharu Castle. The lord built the Main Hall for him at the foot of the mountain and he usually lived there. There were also the former Main Hall and the Three Story Turret in the Main Enclosure at the top of the mountain. These older buildings were used for ceremonies and became the symbols of the castle. When the great fire burned most of the castle buildings in 1785, the buildings at the foot were restored. Everything on the top was burned by the fire, and only the Three Story Turret was restored in the end.
The place where the main hall for the lord was (what is now Miharu Primary School)The layout of Miharu Castle ( from the signboard at the site)
Castle survived in Meiji Restoration
In 1868 during the Meiji Restoration, the Boshin War between the New Government and the domains supporting Tokugawa Shogunate finally happened. The Miharu Domain first belonged to the domains, but it secretly surrendered to the New Government which opened Miharu Castle. The domains eventually left. However, the domains who were abandoned felt very angry. The people in Miharu survived and aviided a serious tragedy. Otherwise, they would have been defeated by the New Government such as those in Shirakawa-Komine Castle, Nihonmatsu Castle and Wakamatsu Castle.
Akisue Akita, the last lord of the Miharu Domain (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)Shirakawa-Komine CastleNihonmatsu Castle
白河駅から見た白河小峰城（A view of Shirakawa-Komine Castle from Shirakawa Station）
Location and History
現在白河市となっている地域は、日本の東北地方の入り口でありました。古代にはこの地域には、現代においてもよく知られている白河の関がありました。中世にはこの地域にはいくつか城が築かれましたが、白河小峰城はそのうちの一つでした。江戸時代になって、丹羽氏がこの城を治め、御三階櫓と呼ばれた三層の櫓を含め城を完成させました。御三階櫓は１４ｍの高さがあり、その大きさからは事実上の「天守」と言っていいものでした。 The area now called Shirakawa city was the entrance of the Tohoku district in Japan. In the Ancient Ages, the area had the Shirakawa Barrier which is very famous even now. In the Middle Ages, several castles were built in this area, one of them was the Shirakawa-Komine Castle. In the Edo Period, the Niwa clan took over and completed the castle including the three story turret called “Gosankai-Yagura”. Gosankai-Yagura was so large that it could actually be the castle keep “Tenshu” which was 14m tall.
奥州白河城絵図部分、江戸時代（Part of the illustration of Shirakawa Castle in Oshu District in Edo Period）｜出典：国立公文書館
城主は丹羽氏から松平氏など他の大名に何度か変わりました。明治維新のとき、白河口の戦いがこの城の周辺で、新政府軍と旧幕府軍の間で起こりました。幕府軍は新式の装備を備えた政府軍に敗れ去りました。そしてこの城は破壊され、御三階櫓もまた焼け落ちたのです。 The lords of the castle changed from Niwa to others such as the Matsudaira clan. During the Meiji Restoration, the Battle of Shirakawaguchi took placed between the new Government Amy and the former Shogunate Amy around the castle. The Shogunate Amy was beaten by the Government Amy with modern equipment, and the castle was destroyed. Gosankai-yagura was also burned down.
破壊された白河小峰城（The destroyed Shirakawa-Komine Castle）licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Features
それでも今なお、元の御三階櫓と全く同じ木造建築を見ることができています。 We can still see the wooden building exactly the same as the original Gosankai-Yagura.
復元された御三階櫓（The restored Gsankai-Yagura）
それは、一時期城主だった松平定信が詳細な図面を作成させ、それが幸運にも現代に残っているからです。それに加えて白河市が、元来の工法で櫓を再建することを決断したからです。 That’s because the once lord Sadanobu Matsudaira ordered to make drawings of the castle in details and they luckily still remain. In addition, officials decided to rebuild the building in the original way.
松平定信自画像（The self-portlait of Sadanobu Matsudaira）licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedea Commons
ビジターは中に入ることができます。中はどちらかというと狭く、暗く、階段は急です。それは元通りに作られ、そもそも戦いのための建物だったからなのですが。案内係の方が安全に見て回れるよう誘導してくれます。また、城の周りを囲む石垣も見ものです。この石垣は、２０１１年の東日本大震災でかなり崩れてしまったのですが、現時点では復旧しています。 Visitors can enter inside. The inside is rather narrow, dark and the stairs are steep as it is made in the old style and originally made for battles. Official instructors will guide you in order to look around safely. It is also recommended to see stone walls surrounding the castle. These walls partly collapsed due to the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. But they have already been restored now.
石垣とその向こうに見える御三階櫓（The stone walls with Gosankai-Yagura over there）
Later Life
明治時代、城跡は公園に転用され、そこには野球場が建設されました。しかし、昭和時代の後半になって、市民の多くの要望により白河市は城跡の整備方針を変更しました。城を往時の状態のまま復元できないか考え始めたのです。それは、大型の城郭建築物を再建する方法としては、現代日本において初めての試みでした。 In the Meiji Era, the ruins of the castle were turned into a park in which the baseball stadium was constructed. But in the late Showa Era, officials changed its policy of developing the ruins because of a lot of request from citizens. They were wondering if the castle would be restored to the original condition. That would be the first attempt in the way large castle buildings are rebuilt in present day Japan.
１９７０年代の城周辺の航空写真（The aerial photo of the area around the castle in 1970s）
しかし、そこには大きな法的制約がありました。日本の建築基準法は高さ１３ｍを超える木造建築物に厳しい規制を課していました。この法に従えば、白河小峰城の櫓のような新築で大型の、且つ伝統的工法の木造建築物は作れないことになっているのです。そこで白河市は櫓の復元を続けるにあたって、それを建築物ではなく、法で認められる工作物として届け出ました。そして１９９１年に復元は完成したのです。 However, there was a big problem with the law. Japan’s Building Standard Act has very strict restrictions on wooden buildings which are over 13m tall. According to this law, new large old-style wooden buildings like the Shirakawa-Komine castle turret are not allowed to be built. So officials continued the restoration of the turret as not a building, but a structure that would be allowed by the law. It was completed in 1991.
復元された御三階櫓（The restored Gsankai-Yagura）
ところが新たな問題が発生しました。国の当局が、櫓は「建築物」ではないのだからビジターを櫓のほとんどの場所には入れてはいけないと言ってきたのです。最終的には１９９３年に建築基準法に歴史的建築物に対する例外規定が追加され、御三階櫓は全て公開されることになったのです。 But another problem occurred as the government made the most part of the turret inaccessible visitors, because it was not “a building”. At last, the law had the provisions to be exempt for historical buildings in 1993. The three story turret Gosankai-yagura was finally open to visitors.
御三階櫓を見上げる（Looking up Gosankai-Yagura）
My Impression
本当に白河市の職員、市民の方々の成果に対しては尊敬の念を抱きます。その真摯な努力は、日本の城郭維持の新しい方法への流れを導いたと言えます。白河小峰城のケースは、その後続く白石城、掛川城、大洲城などの「平成の木造復元ブーム」のさきがけとなったのです。 I really respect the achievement of the officials and people in Shirakawa City. Their great effort led to the movement towards new methods for maintaining castles in Japan. The case of Shirakawa-Komine Castle was the pioneer of “The boom of wooden restoration in the Heisei era” followed by other castles such as Shiroishi, Kakegawa, Ozu and so on.
復元された掛川城（The restored Kakegawa Castle）taken by Oshiro-man from photo AC復元された大洲城（The restored Ozu Castle）
How to get There
白河小峰城は、ＪＲ白河駅からすぐ近くです。白河駅のプラットフォームからも御三階櫓の素晴らしい眺めを見ることができます。 東京から白河駅まで：東北新幹線で新白河駅まで行き、東北本線に乗り換え。次の駅が白河駅です。 The castle is very near the JR Shirakawa station. You can even see the nice view of Gosankai-yagura from the platform. From Tokyo to the station: Get the Tohoku Shinkansen super express to the Shin-Shirakawa st., and transfer to the Tohoku Line. The destination will be the next station.
白河駅のプラットフォームからの眺め（A view from the platform of Shirakawa Station）
