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

176.Ichinomiya Castle Part3

Local people are maintaining the ruins for visitors.

Later History

The ruins of Ichinomiya Castle were designated as a Prefectural Historic Site of Tokushima Prefecture in 1954. Since then, the local Society for the Preservation of the ruins has been developing them such as maintaining the trail and cutting the grass regularly. That’s why we can always visit the ruins in a comfortable environment. Tokushima City has also been researching the ruins since 2017. The foundations of the castle buildings were found and how the castle was developed is being revealed.

The artificial steep cliff under the primary enclosures

My Impression

After visiting the three most popular castle ruins in Tokushima Prefecture, I noticed that they all once became the capital of Awa Province – Shozui Castle (up to1582), Ichinomiya Castle (from 1585 to 1586) and Tokushima Castle (from 1586). However, they also all have quite different features from each other. This is because the situation of Awa Province changed greatly in a very short time. The needs for castles also changed rapidly at that time. I recommend visiting the three castle ruins and comparing them.

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 20 minutes away from Aizumi IC on Tokushima Expressway.
You can park at the Ichinomiya Shrine or the Dainichi-ji Temple.
By public transportation, take the Tokushima Bus on the Kamiyama Line bound for Yoriinaka from JR Tokushima Station and get off at the Ichinomiya-fudasho-mae bus stop.
If you go there from Tokyo or Osaka, I recommend traveling by plane or using an express bus.

That’s all. Thank you.
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76.Tokushima Castle Part3

The Castle that cultivated a new culture

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, all the buildings of Tokushima Castle excluding the Washi-no-mon Gate were eventually demolished. The gate building unfortunately burned down due to the Great Tokushima Air Raid in 1945, but was eventually restored in 1989. The Terashima-gawa River beside the castle was mostly reclaimed and converted into the railway. On the other hand, the ruins of the castle has been opened to the public since 1910. They were also designated as a National Historic Site back in 2006.

The railway of Tokushima Station (licensed by Kounosu via Wikimedia Commons)

Tokushima Castle Museum like a main hall

My Impression

Even if you are planning to only see the stone walls, it is worth it. I have also learned that the castle had been changing although only the Hachisuka Clan built and maintained the castle for a long time. In addition, it was said that the famous Awa Dancing Festival in Tokushima City originated from Tokushima Castle. The founder of the castle, Iemasa Hachisuka motivated people to dance as they like to celebrate the completion of the castle. Today, The dance team continues to use the mountain to practice to this day.

The Gejo Bridge the ruins of Kuro-mon Gate

The statue of Iemasa Hachisuka at the site

Awa Dancing Festival (taken by tamuzbac from photoAC)

How to get There

If you want to visit there by car:
It is about 20 minutes away from Tokushima IC on the Tokushima Expressway.
The park offers a parking lot.
By train, it is about 15 minutes away from JR Tokushima Station on foot.
If you go there from Tokyo or Osaka, I recommend using a plane or an express bus.

Links and References

・The Tokushima Castle Museum, Tokushima City

That’s all. Thank you.
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76.Tokushima Castle Part2

The contrasting red and green stone walls with the quiet background of the mountain

Features

Rare and Beautiful Stone Walls

Now, the ruins of Tokushima Castle is open to the public as Tokushima Central Park which includes both the mountain and plain parts. Visitors typically go to the plain area first which is still surrounded by the stone walls and the Inner Moat. The stone walls of this castle are very rare and beautiful because they were piled up using stones with a dark-green striped pattern called chlorite‐schist. These stones are also known as Green stones of Awa. Moreover, some parts of stone walls included stones called piedmontite schist also known as Red Stones. The contrast of green and red in the stone walls looks more beautiful.

The aerial photo around the castle

The monument of the ruins of Tokushima Castle

The stone walls built using chlorite‐schist

The contrast of green and red in the stone walls

August Entrance of Castle

There are no original buildings of the castle, but only the front gate called Washi-no-mon which was restored in 1989. You can enter the center of the park behind the gate by crossing the Gejo Bridge and passing the ruins of Kuro-mon Gate. The remaining stone walls of the gate and the neighboring Taiko-yagura Turret looks great as they were recognized as the main gate. Inside the stone walls, there are several attractions worth seeing, such as the flower square, Tokushima Castle Museum, and the remaining Japanese Garden of the Main Hall which was designated as a National Scenic Beauty. You can also enjoy walking on the inside route which is surrounded by the stone walls.

You can enter the ruins of Koro-mon Gate after crossing the Gejo Bridge

Looking down the Gejo Bridge from the stone walls of Koro-mon Gate

Mountain with Silent atmosphere

You can visit the mountain part as well. The mountain is now called Shiro-yama or The Castle Mountain. The route to the top of the mountain has been developed with the modern stone stairways so that visitors can climb easily. The enclosures on the mountain became empty where the signposts show the names of the enclosures and what buildings there were such as the Main Tower on the Eastern Second Enclosure. From the Main Enclosure on the top, you will see a view of Tokushima City. The ruins of Yumi-yagura Turret in the enclosure was where the first Main Tower was built. The stone walls on the mountain look much older than on the plain area. This is probably because the mountain part was built earlier than the plain part. It seems that fewer people visit the mountain now, but you can still enjoy a quiet atmosphere there.

The stone walls at the entrance of the Western Second Enclosure

To be continued in “Tokushima Castle Part3”
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