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

148.Hamamatsu Castle Part1

The Castle Ieyasu Tokugawa successfully built

Location and History

Home base of Ieyasu Tokugawa after his independence

Hamamatsu Castle was located in the center of Totoumi Province, which is now Hamamatsu City in the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture. The castle is known for the place where young Ieyasu Tokugawa, who would be the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, lived. This is one of the reasons why the castle is also called “Shusse Castle” which literally means “Success Castle”. The former Hamamatsu Castle was called Hikuma Castle which was built on a hill near the branch of Tenryu-gawa River. It is uncertain who first built it around the 15th Century. In the first 16th Century during the Sengoku Period, the Imagawa Clan, a great warlord which was based in Suruga Province (now the central part of Shizuoka Prefecture) owned the castle.

The range of Totomi Province and the location of the castle

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

Ieyasu was originally based in Mikawa Province, the west of Totoumi, and worked under the Imagawa Clan. When the power of Imagawa decreased, Ieyasu got independent and aimed to invade Totoumi Province. In 1568, he succeeded in capturing Hikuma Castle to govern the province. However, this castle was not enough for Ieyasu, as he needed to prepare for possible battles with the Takeda Clan who invaded Suruga Province next to Totoumi. Ieyasu extended the castle to another hill in the west direction, renaming it Hamamatsu Castle. Hamamatsu Castle had several enclosures on the hill, and the old Hikema Castle became part of it. It is thought that these enclosures were made of soil with shingle-roofed buildings in them. This was because Ieyasu still didn’t have advanced techniques and craftsmen for building castles like Azuchi Castle which belonged to Nobunaga Oda, Ieyasu’s ally.

The relief map around the castle

The imaginary drawing of Hamamatsu Castle in Ieyasu’s period

The imaginary drawing of Azuchi Castle, exhibited by Gifu Castle Museum

One of Battlefields for Battle of Mikatagahara

The most impressive event for Ieyasu living in Hamamatsu Castle was the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1573. Shingen Takeda, one of the greatest warlords, invaded the territories of Ieyasu and Nobunaga and captured several Ieyasu’s branch castles such as Futamata Castle. Shingen lured Ieyasu in the castle to the field of Mikatagahara by demonstrating his troops around the castle. Ieyasu fell into Shingen’s trap and was totally defeated. He could somehow turn back to Hamamatsu Castle to survive. Shingen’s troops eventually withdrew after he died of disease in the next year. There have been some traditions about Ieyasu’s actions after his defeat. One says Ieyasu made the castle’s gates open when Shingen’s troops pursued. The troops doubted it and they thought it might be a trap, then withdrew. Another says Ieyasu made a fabric bridge over a deep valley called Saigagake and counterattacked Shingen’s troops to make them fall into the valley. However, it is unclear whether they really happened or not.

The portrait of Shingen Takeda, owned by Jimyo-in, in the 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The diorama of Ieyasu’s troops withdrawing from the battlefield. exhibited by the Saigagake Museum

Yoshiharu Horio improves Castle

After Ieyasu was transferred to Edo Castle (located in now Tokyo) by the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyoyomi in 1590, Yoshiharu Horio, who worked under Hideyoshi, governed the castle. He improved the castle by building stone walls and the Main Tower in the Main Tower Enclosure on the top. The remaining stone walls and stone wall base for the tower were built by him. However, it is quite unknown what the Main Tower looked like because there is no record for it. Only some roof tiles and the well for the tower were excavated. Historians speculate the tower might have looked like the remaining Main Tower of Matsue Castle which was built by the Horio Clan after they were transferred from Hamamatsu in 1600. Both stone wall bases for the towers were similar, so the clan might have used the design plans of Hamamatsu Castle when they built Matsue Castle.

The portrait of Yoshiharu Horio, owned by Shunkoin Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The imaginary drawing of Hamamatsu Castle in Yoshiharu’s period

Promotional track for hereditary feudal lords

Ieyasu got the power and founded the Tokugawa Shogunate at the beginning of the 17th Century. Since then, Hamamatsu Castle had been owned by nine hereditary feudal lord families during the Edo Period. The lords of the castle were often promoted to important roles of the shogunate such as a shogun’s council of elders. This is another reason the castle is called “the Success Castle”. For example, Tadakuni Mizuno, the lord of Karatsu Castle in the first 19th Century, applied to be the lord of Hamamatsu Castle. As a result, he succeeded to both owning the castle and imposing the Tenpo Reforms as the head of the shogun’s council of elders. As for the castle itself, the main tower had eventually been lost, only the Main Tower Gate remained on the top as the symbol of the castle. The center of it was moved to the Second Enclosure beside the hill, which had the Main Hall for the lord to govern the Hamamatsu Domain around the castle.

The portrait of Tadakuni Mizuno, owned by Tokyo Metropolitan University (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The imaginary drawing of Hamamatsu Castle in the Edo Period

To be continued in “Hamamatsu Castle Part2”

147.Takatenjin Castle Part1

The critical point between the Takeda and Tokugawa Clans

Location and History

Mountain being meant for Castles

Takatenjin Castle was located in Totomi Province which is the modern day the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture. It was a simple mountain castle made of soil, but it had a very good location for controlling the province. Many warlords wanted to capture this castle, as a result, what happened in the castle ultimately decided the destinies of both the Takeda Clan and Tokugawa Clan. The mountain where the castle was built on is only 132m high, about 100m from the foot. However, the ridges of it are complicatedly curved and its slopes are quite steep. Moreover, the top of it is not so large, and the view from the top is very clear. That means small defenders could easily protect this castle from attacks of large troops. This mountain was meant for castles.

The range of Totomi Province and the location of the castle

The relief map around the castle

The imaginary drawing of Takatenjin Castle, from the signboard at the site

Battles between Imagawa, Takeda and Tokugawa Clans

It is uncertain when the castle was first built, but the Imagawa Clan was the latest owner of the castle in the first 16th Century. After the Imagawa Clan’s power weakened, Ieyasu Tokugawa managed to capture the castle. Shingen Takeda, who was one of the greatest warlords, also wanted this castle, therefore attacked the castle in 1571. however, he failed to do so before his death in 1572. Singen’s son, Katsuyori Takeda tried to achieve this by building Suwahara Castle in 1573, the north region of Takatenjin Castle, as a foothold. Katsuyori assaulted Takatenjin Castle in 1574, then he managed to capture the castle because the defenders surrendered. He was probably at peak of his power having the largest territory and the highest reputation for the clan at that point.

The Portrait of Katsuyori Takeda, owned by Koyasan Jimyoin, in the late 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

However, the trend quickly changed after Katsuyori was completely defeated in the Battle of Nagashino near Nagashino Castle by the allies of Nobunaga Oda and Ieyasu in 1575. Ieyasu then started to counterattack in order to get the territory in Totomi Province which included Takatenjin Castle one by one. He first took Suwahara Castle away from Katsuyori in 1576. The castle had been the foundation of capturing Takatenjin Castle once for Katsuyori, but became the one for Ieyasu later on. Ieyasu next built a new castle called it Yokosuka Castle, in the west of Takatenjin Castle, in 1578 to supply his troops and avoid Takeda’s effort to supply to Takatenjin. On the other hand, Takeda improved Takatenjin Castle by building earthen walls, dry moats and ditches between enclosures in the western part of the castle. This was the only the part connected to other mountains. As a result, the castle became much stronger. The final battle was on the horizon.

Part of “Battle of Nagashino”folding screens, owned by Tokugawa Art Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Ieyasu’s careful attack

Unlike Katsuyori, Ieyasu didn’t assault the castle. He probably understood he couldn’t get the castle so easily. He took a long time building many other fortresses around the castle to besiege it. The Six Takatenjin Forts (Fort Ogasayama, Nogasaka, Higamine, Shishigahana, Nakamura, and Mitsuiyama) are well known, but in fact, there were as many as 20 fortresses built. Each fortress had a distinct role, such as supplying like Fort Nakamura or preventing from Takeda’s attack like Fort Higamine, and containing the castle like Fort Sannosan. Therefore, Takatenjin Castle was completely isolated.

The location of Takatenjin Castle, Six Takatenjin Forts and Yokosuka Castle

Ieyasu’s long-awaited attack of Takatenjin Castle started in 1580, while Katuyori had problems sending his reinforcement to the castle. This was because Katsuyori’s strength decreased and had to prepare for many other enemies. The starving defenders of the castle urged Ieyasu to surrender. However, the leader of the allies, Nobunaga couldn’t accept it, which was a rare case even during the Sengoku Period when many battles happened. In 1581, the defenders made one last desperate attack from the castle and but were eventually defeated before the castle fell in the end.

The portrait of Nobunaga Oda, attributed to Soshu Kano, owned by Chokoji Temple, in the late 16th century (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Turning point of destinies of Ieyasu and Katsuyori

It was said that Nobunaga aimed to ruin Katsuyori’s reputation by showing that Katsuyori couldn’t protect the castle until the last moment. As a matter of fact, when Nobunaga invaded Katsuyori’s territory the next year, almost all retainers of Katsuyori surrendered or escaped from their master without fighting any battles. The battle of Takatenjin Castle would eventually lead to the destruction of the Takeda Clan which may have been a trigger for Ieyasu to be the final ruler of Japan later on.

A distant view of the ruins of Takatenjin Castle

To be continued in “Takatenjin Castle Part2”

145.Kokokuji Castle Part1

Is this castle a symbol of peace or of battles?

Location and History

Kokokuji Castle was located in what is now Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area of the city was in Suruga Province (now central part of Shizuoka Pref.) which many warlords tried to take over in the 16 Century during the Sengoku Period.

The location of the castle and the range of Suruga Province

The castle was on the southern edge of the hilly terrain of Ashitaka-yama Mountain. There was a marshland to the south, east and west of the castle which was as natural hazard that helped to protect the castle. The castle was built using the natural terrain of the mountain and marshland. The castle was also an important point for transportation. A road at the foot of the mountain called the Nekata Road passed beside the castle. In addition, the Takeda Road close to the castle ran from the Nekata Road to the Tokaido Road at the seaside.

A relief map around the castle

The two roads are still connected to the castle ruins

The castle mainly consisted of three enclosures on the hill in a terraced manner. The Main Enclosure was at the highest, and there was a large deep dry moat behind the enclosure to prevent enemies’ attacks from the north. The castle even had ports on both sides for ships on the marsh.

Part of the illustration of Shinkokuji Castle in Suruga Province, exhibited by the National Diet Library (It is supposed to be Kokokuji Castle)

The castle itself might have been simple but is well known for its history. This is because some history books say that Kokokuji Castle was the first castle for a famous warlord, Soun Hojo to govern. He was one of the earliest warlords in the late 15 Century who supported the Imagawa Clan in Suruga Province. He was given the castle by the clan in 1487. His success story starts at this castle, and he went on to capture a part of the Kanto Region. His descendants followed in his footsteps to capture the other parts of the Kanto Region.

*The replica of the portrait of Soun Hojo, owned by Odawara Castle (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

However, there is no other evidence of the castle existing at the same time as Soun. The first appearance of the castle in a public document can only be traced back to 1549. At that time, Yoshimoto Imagawa ordered that the Kokoku-ji Temple be moved to another location to make space for building a new castle there. What is the truth about the matter? A historian gives us an interesting hypothesis that the castle was a temple called Kokoku-ji when Soun owned it. Kokoku-ji is originally a name of temple (“ji” means temple in Japanese). Kokokuji Castle is thought to be named after the Kokoku-ji Temple.

The statue of Yoshimoto Imagawa at Okehazama Battlefield Park (*taken by HiC from photoAC)*

The historian suggests another speculation about why the castle was built. A period of peace once came to the area around Suruga Province with Imgawa, Hojo, and Takeda Clans when the castle was built. Castles were basically built for battles, but Kokokuji Castle might have been built for the meeting with the three clans or as a symbol of peace. It is said that the three clans had a conference for their alliance at the Zentokuji-Temple. The temple may have been Kokokuji Caste.

*The portrait of Shingen Takeda, the lord of the Takeda Clan at that time, owned by Jimyo-in Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons*)

Unfortunately, the alliance broke in 1568, while Kokokuji Castle was involved in war. The lords of the castle were rapidly changed several times from the Imagawa Clan to the Hojo, Takeda, Toyotomi, and Tokugawa Clans. As the number of the lords increased, the range of the castle seemed to become larger. In 1601, Yasukage Amano under Tokugawa became the last lord of the castle and the founder of the Kokokuji Domain. He governed the area well, but he ran away from the castle because of trouble between his citizens and others. The castle was finally abandoned when the domain was abolished in 1607.

Yasukage Amano from the *Battle of Komaki-Nagakute folding screens (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

To be continued in “Kokokuji Castle Part2”