three story turret – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

137.Fukui Castle Part2

A park and office buildings stay together in the castle ruins.

Features

Still active Main Enclosure front gate

Now, the ruins of Fukui Castle have been used as a park and the ground for official buildings including the prefectural office. The area of the ruins is inside the Inner Moat including the Main Enclosure.

The aerial photo around the castle

The public workers commute by entering the front gate of the enclosure in the south, after crossing the Gohonjo Bridge over the Inner Moat, like the warriors of the Fukui Domain used to do. In the past, the front gate consisted of a defensive square space surrounded by two gate buildings and the stone walls, called Masugata. You can climb up to part of the remaining stone walls to look around the gate.

Going to the front gate of the enclosure by crossing the Gohonjo Bridge

The old photo of the front gate, from the signboard at the site

Climbing up to the top of the stone walls

The front gate seen from the top of the stone walls

Must-see Main Tower Base

You can walk around the inside of the Main Enclosure, but only outside the office buildings where the Main Hall was.

The ruins of the Main Enclosure are close to the office buildings

You should check out the remaining stone wall base for the Main Tower at the northwest corner of the enclosure. The base has two tiers, and the upper tier is for the large Main Tower and the small Main Tower. The stone walls look great but appear to have partially collapsed or are misaligned. This is due to the Fukui Earthquake in 1948.

The upper tier on which the large Main Tower was

The restored well, called Fuku-no-i or the Fortune Well, is still on the lower tier. In fact, some people say the name of the well may be the origin of the castle’s later name, Fukui.

Restored Gate and Bridge

At the western entrance of the Main Enclosure near the base for the Main Tower, the gate building called Yamazatoguchi-gomon and the roofed Passage Bridge called Oroka-bashi over the Inner Moat were restored recently in the original method.

The restored Yamazatoguchi-gomon Gate and Oroka-bashi Bridge

The lord of the castle passed the original bridge and gate from his residence called Gozasho outside the enclosure to the Main Hall in the enclosure to govern the domain.

The old photo of the gate and roofed Passage Bridge, from the signboard at the site

You can try walking on the restored bridge and gate as well as entering the second floor of the gate to see its interior and an exhibition for the castle.

The interior of the second floor of the Yamazatoguchi-gomon Gate

Remaining Inner Moat and Main Enclosure stone walls

How about walking around the outside of the Inner Moat as well?

The Main Enclosure seen from the outside of the Inner Moat

For example, you can see the great stone walls for the Tatsumi-Yagura Turret at the southeast corner of the Main Enclosure. It was a three-story turret which was considered the substitute for the Main Tower after the tower was burned. The Main Enclosure originally had the Main Tower or turrets for its four corners.

The stone walls of the Tatsumi-Yagura Turret

The old photo of the Tatsumi-Yagura Turret, from the signboard at the site

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

77.Takamatsu Castle Part2

A glimpse of Sea Castle remains.

Features

To Inside of Castle with seeing Ushitora Turret

Now, the ruins of Takamatsu Castle have become Tamamo Park (tamamo is an old Japanese word which means something like “beautiful algae”.) The range of the park is inside the inner moat and part of the middle moat of the castle. The park has several entrances, but if you drive to the ruins of the park, you can park in front of the main gate called Asahi-mon. From the parking lot, you will see a great view of the remaining three-story turret called Ushitora-Yagura with the background of some modern buildings. The turret was actually moved from the Eastern Enclosure to the present position in 1967.

The aerial photo around the castle

Ushitora-Yagura Turret that can be seen from the parking lot

You can enter the gate after walking on the Asahi-bashi Bridge over the middle moat. You will also go through a square space surrounded by large stone walls called Masugata, which was built for defense.

Entering the Main Gate after crossing the Asahi-bashi Bridge

Going Third, Second Enclosures, and Main Tower Base in Main Enclosure

The inside of the gate is the riding ground enclosure or Sakura-no-Baba which is now planted with lots of cherry trees. Then, you go across the earthen bridge to enter the ruins of the Sakura-mon Gate and the third enclosure. However, as of February 2022, the gate is under construction and scheduled to be restored by the spring of 2022, so you will have to use the temporary path.

The earthen bridge to the Third Enclosure

The Sakura-mon Gate under the restoration

The third enclosure still has a traditional hall, called Hiunkaku, which is not original to the castle, but was built as the house for the former lord, the Matsudaira Clan, in modern times. It is now owned by Takamatsu City and used for ceremonies and events. The enclosure also has a Japanese garden you can enjoy looking around.

The Japanese garden in the Third Enclosure

You can go further from the third enclosure to the second enclosure and the main enclosure with the stone wall base for the Main Tower. The only way to get to the main enclosure is by crossing the restored roofed wooden bridge called saya-bashi.

From the Second Enclosure to the Main Enclosure

You can also go on the top of the base and see a good city view, and inside of the base which was recently repaired. In fact, the city is considering restoring the main tower.

The inside of the base for the Main Tower

Tsukimi Turret beside Sea in old days

I recommend you also visit the northern side of the park, which was the sea in the past. You will see the other remaining three-story turret called Tsukimi-Yagura with the remaining Mizunote-mon Gate and the Watari-Yagura Turret. The Mizunote-mon Gate was open to the sea and is the only remaining such gate. The Tsukimi-Yagura Turret is also very beautiful with many decorations. You can imagine them standing out beside the sea in the past.

Tsukimi-Yagura Turret, Mizunote-mon Gate and Watari-Yagura Turret

This area in front of the turrets and gate was in the sea

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

4.Hirosaki Castle Part3

Park with beautiful cherry blossoms

Features

There is one more remaining gate building at the North Enclosure, the northmost one in the castle. It had originally been the Main Gate before the route to the castle was changed. That’s why the gate is larger than other remaining gate buildings. If you visit all the remaining buildings in the castle, you can see how large the castle is.

The remaining North Gate of the North Enclosure

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Hirosaki Castle was abandoned and many residential buildings such as the Main Hall for the lord were demolished. However, The Main Tower, the turret and gate buildings fortunately remained, though some of them were accidentally burned. In 1895, the castle ruins were turned into Hirosaki Park. Since then, cherry trees have been planted little by little, and the number of them reached about 2,600 by now. The first cherry blossom viewing party was held as early as in 1918. Its 100th event was held in 2021.

The Main Tower of Hirosaki Castle with cherry blossoms

As for historical issues, the Main Tower, three Three-story Turrets and five gate buildings lastly remain and all designated as the Important Cultural Properties.

The Second Enclosure Ushitora Turret, one of the three Three-story Turrets

The Second Enclosure East Gate, one of the five gate buildings

My Impression

When I compared the old drawing of Hirosaki Castle in the Edo Period with the recent map of Horosaki Park, I was really surprised to see that they are very similar. I also felt like that the castle remains as it is when I visited the park because many castle buildings are still there.

The map around the castle

Part of the illustration of Hirosaki Castle in Tsugaru District, in the Edo Period, exhibited by the National Archives of Japan

I hope that the repair of the stone walls will be completed and the Main Tower will go back to the original location soon. I also think we can enjoy the castle and park in all seasons – cherry blossoms in spring, the Neputa Festival in summer, autumn leaves in fall and snow in winter.

The Main Tower before the stone wall repairing

The Second Enclosure East Gate with autumn leaves (taken by まさあき from photoAC)

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 10 minutes away from Owani IC on the Tohoku Expressway.
There are several parking lots around the park.
By train, it is about 30 minutes away from Hirosaki Station on foot, or you can take the “100-yen Dotemachi Loop Bus” from the station and get off at the Shiyakusho-mae bus stop.
To get to Hirosaki Station from Tokyo: Take the Tohoku Shinkansen super express and transfer at Shin-Aomori Station to the Ohu Line.

Links and References

・Hirosaki Park, Hirosaki Castle

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Hirosaki Castle Part1”
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