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

29.Matsumoto Castle Part1

Location and History

Ogasawara Clan is driven away from Castle, but is waiting for their long-cherished plan to revive

Matsumoto Castle is located in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, which is known for its wonderful remaining five-level Main Tower. Matsumoto Basin, in which the city is located, has also been known for abundant springs flowing from the surrounding mountains since Ancient Times (we can still see many wells in the city area). That’s why the area was originally called “Fukase” or “Fukashi” which seem to have meant “waters running deep”. The Ogasawara Clan, which became the governor of Shinano Province (now Nagano Pref.), was based in this area during the Middle Ages. Many battles occurred during the Sengoku Period, and Ukon Shimadate, who was a retainer of the clan, built Fukashi Castle (the former Matsumoto Castle) in 1504 to protect the clan’s home, Hayashi Castle. However, they were driven away by the Takeda Clan in 1550, following the Siege of Fukashi.

The range of Matsumoto City and the location of the castle

A well in the city area (at Nishibori Park)

The Takeda Clan fortified Fukashi Castle to be a defensive stronghold even on the flat lands of the basin. The clan had the castle surrounded by tripled water moats. The lands inside the moats were called (from the center) the main, second, and third enclosures. The flow of the Metoba River was diverted to run alongside the outer moat, which made the castle more defensive. The clan also improved the gates of the castle by adding Umadashi systems in front of them. The system refers to a small round enclosure connected by a narrow path to the gate. It was a defense system created and frequently used by the clan. It was said that the basic structures of the castle was completed by the Takeda Clan. However, the castle was still basically made of soil at this point.

The miniature model of Matsumoto Castle during the Edo Period, exhibited by Matsumoto City Museum

The few remaining outer moat of the eastern part of the castle

The few remaining earthen walls inside the outer moat, at Nishibori-dorui (the western moat earthen walls) Park

One of the Umadashi systems in the miniature model above, however, they were all removed at the site

A chance for the Ogasawara Clan to revive suddenly came in 1582 when Nobunaga Oda defeated the Takeda Clan before he was also killed by Mitsuhide Akechi in the Honnoji Incident. Sadayoshi Ogasawara who served Ieyasu Tokugawa returned to Fukashi Castle the following year – for the first time in 33 years, his clan held the castle. He renamed the castle Matsumoto to celebrate the event. The new name was said to come from waiting (matsu) for his long-cherished plan (hon-kai, the Chinese symbol for “hon” is also pronounced “moto”). However, the situation rapidly changed. He and his master, Ieyasu were transferred to the Kanto Region in 1590 by the ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Hideyoshi gave the castle to Kazumasa Ishikawa who had been a senior vassal of Ieyasu but was acquired by Hideyoshi.

The family crest of the Ogasawara Clan, called Sankaibishi (triple diamonds) (licensed by Minamoto at fr.wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons)

Kazumasa Ishikawa, drawn in the folding screens of “the Battle of Nagashino” (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Ishikawa Clan modernizes Castle by building Main Tower

Kazumasa started to modernize the castle using advanced techniques favoured by Hideyoshi, which was continued by his son, Yasunaga after Kazumasa’s death in 1592. Yasunaga built stone walls surrounding each enclosures, including the five-level Main Tower inside the main enclosure. He also replaced the Umadashi system of major gates with the Masugata system. The system refers to a defensive square space surrounded by stone walls and gated buildings. The gates were called Ote-mon (main gate) for the third enclosure, Taiko-mon (drum gate) for the second enclosure, and Kuro-mon (black gate) for the main enclosure. They were completed in 1594. However, local people suffered because of these rapid construction projects. A local legend says that when a worker, who had carried a huge stone for the Taiko-mon Gate, complained about it, Yasunaga heard about it and immediately executed him. Since then, the stone has been called Genba-ishi(stone). Genba was the name of Yasunaga’s official position.

The map around the castle

The main gate in the miniature model above, Metoba River is in front of it

The castle buildings were allowed to use roof tiles with gold leaf with the special permission of Hideyoshi. Such permission was only given to Hideyoshi’s relatives and trusted senior vassals. Other castles of the trusted vassals, which also used the golden roof tiles, were built around Ieyasu’s Kanto Region in places such as Komoro, Ueda, Kofu, Numata, and Sumpu Castle. These castles (including Matsumoto) formed the anti-Ieyasu network to monitor and threaten him. Yasumasa somehow survived even when Ieyasu gained power after Hideyoshi’s death (the golden roof tiles were then scraped). However, he was finally removed by Ieyasu in 1613. The reasons for this remain unclear, but it was possibly Ieyasu’s revenge against the Ishikawa Clan which had abandoned him.

The castles of anti-Ieyasu network

Castle is completed with building Tsukimi Turret

After that, the Ogasawara Clan returned to the castle again but were soon transferred to Akashi Castle in 1617. The castle and the area around it, called the Matsumoto Domain, were followed by the shogun’s relatives and several hereditary feudal lords during the Edo Period. There were also a few important subsequent events for the castle. One of them occurred when Naomasa Matsudaira lived there. He heard about a plan of the shogun, Iemitsu Tokugawa, to visit the castle (though it would be canceled later) and added a new turret called Tsukimi (seeing the moon) Yagura to the Main Tower in 1634. So far, the tower had entirely been designed with battles in mind. This turret, however, was completely built for entertainment. The tower became what we see now, influenced by different tastes.

The portrait of Naomasa Matsudaira, owned by Gesshoji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The Main Tower with the Tsukimi Turret on the right

The second occurred during the great fire of Matsumoto in 1727. The Main Hall next to the tower was burned down by the fire; the tower itself fortunately survived. People thought that a god called Nijurokuyashin (the god of the 26th night moon), which was worshiped in the tower, had saved it. In addition, the castle town prospered as the intersection of the Zenkoji Road (from north to south) and the Nomugi Road (from east to west). The town also had many guardhouses to make sure to prevent enemies from reaching the castle easily.

The ruins of the main enclosure main hall

The Nijurokuyashin God, which is still worshiped in the tower

The castle town in the miniature model above

To be continued in “Matsumoto Castle Part2”

19.Kawagoe Castle Part2

Features

Today, the ruins of Kawagoe Castle are not noticeable among the city area. Only part of the Main Hall remains in the Main Enclosure and some related historical items are preserved or restored around. For example, if you walk or drive from the east of the castle, which was a waterlogged area, to the castle ruins, you may just notice the road is slightly going up. That was a border for dividing the inside and outside of the castle, but all of them have become a city area. Therefore, let us first seek for some of the traces of the castle in the city area before visiting the Main Hall in the center.

Around the eastern edge of the castle in the past

Older Traces of Castle

We will start from the second enclosure, which is the north of the main enclosure and where Kawagoe City Museum is located. This was the eastern edge of the castle in its early stage. You can now walk down to the Shingashi River on the east, which was developed during the Edo Period. Some of the residential areas around originate from new enclosures at that time and some of the roads were moats.

The aerial photo around the castle

If you walk along the river, it will follow the edge of the Musashino Plateau. You will eventually find Taya Weir which was originally the estuary of the Taya River. That means the upstream beyond is older than the downstream.

If you go further, you will see Dokan Bridge which named after the castle’s builder, Dokan Ota’s residence was nearby. You will next see Tomyoji Bridge where the Uesugi Clan’s troops assaulted during the Siege of Kawagoe Castle in 1546. The Tomyoji Temple is near the bridge, where severe battles occurred in the battle.

The stathe of Dokan Ota in front of Kawagoe City Hall

The monument of the Night Battle of Kawagoe in the Tomyoji Temple

From Western Main Gate Ruins to Main Enclosure

Let us nest go to the south around the City Hall of Kawagoe where the western main gate of the castle was built. The route through the gate was protected by a Umadashi system which was a round-shaped small enclosure in front of it. However, it was removed and has become an intersection crowded with many tourists. The current road goes straight to the center of the castle on the east, unlike the former curved road.

The map around the castle

The intersection in front of Kawagoe City Hall

The western main gate (marked by the red circle) in the miniature model exhibited by Kawagoe City Museum

The road curved on the right and hit the moat of Naka-no-mon Gate. Visitors had to turn left to enter the gate. The moat has partially been restored to be open to the public.

The miniature model seen from the north, the western main gate is marked by the red circle. the moat of the Naka-no-mon gate is marked by the blue circle, and another curved point is marked by the green circle

The moat of the Naka-no-mon Gate is on the right

If you go further after passing the moat, you will find a planted round space on the right. This is the trace of another moat overhanging from the left, which meant visitors were not able to go straight again. The former road finally reached the main enclosure after passing the second enclosure.

From Southern Main Gate Ruins to Main Enclosure

Let us check out another original route to the center from the southern main gate. The gate was similar to the western one and also completely removed, so there are no traces at all at the site beside Kawagoe Daiichi Elementary School.

The map around the castle

The miniature model seen from the south, the southern main gate is marked by the red circle and the Fujimi Turret is marked by the blue circle

Around the ruins of the southern main gate

If you walk on the road along the school to the north and turn right at the first intersection, you will go on the original path to the center. The path is paved and surrounded by modern residential areas now, but was surrounded by earthen walls or water moats in the past. You will next see a hill on the left, which is the ruins of Fujimi Yagura (meaning Seeing Mt. Fuji Turret). The turret had three stories, which was the substitute for a Main Tower. It was used as a lookout and defense for the castle.

You can climb to the top of the hill over the dried moat ruins in front. The turret was accessible from the center in the past, since it is currently used as a High School establishment, access is already restricted. You need to go back to the path, turn left to reach the main enclosure.

The top of the hill where the turret was built

The area behind the turret is used as the school

You need to go back to the path to reach the main enclosure

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

108.Tsurugaoka Castle Part1

Tadakatsu Sakai, the founder of the Shonai Domain, was wondering which castle would be better for his home base, Tsurugaoka or Kamegaoka. His decision was to take Tsurugaoka because he thought Tsurugaoka would be the political center while Kamegaoka would be commercial with Sakata port and town.

Location and History

Shonai Domain has Political Tsurugaoka and Commercial Sakata

The Shonai area of Yamagata Prefecture is a granary on the Shonai Plain, which is known for Shonai Rice. There are two large cities, Tsuruoka and Sakata, in the area. When the area was governed by the Shonai Domain during the Edo Period, the cities shared their respective roles. Tsuruoka was political and Sakata was commercial. Turuagaoka Castle was located in the current Tsuruoka City, which was the home base of the domain, ruled by the Sakai Clan.

The ranges of Tsuruoka and Sakata Cities and the location of the castle

The castle was originally called Daihoji Castle which was first built by a local lord, the Muto Clan, sometime in the early Middle Ages. It was one of their several castles, and its size was still small. As time passed by, the area was targeted by greater warlords from outside, such as the Uesugi and Mogami Clans in the late 16th Century during the Sengoku Period. These clans battled over this area while the power of the Muto Clan declined. Daihoji Castle and Tozenji Castle, which was located in the current Sakata City, were improved by them. In the early 17th Century when the Tokugawa Shogunate was established by Ieyasu Tokugawa, the Shonai area was governed by Yoshimitsu Mogami, based in Yamagata Castle. He renamed Daihoji Castle to Tsurugaoka (meaning the Hill of Cranes) and Tozenji Castle to Kamegaoka (meaning the Hill of Turtles). Cranes and turtles (and Pine trees) have been lucky words for Japanese people because they believed these animals had longer lives than humans. He did it after he had heard that a big turtle was found at the seaside near Tozenji Castle. However, the Mogami Clan was banished by the shogunate in 1622 due to their internal troubles after Yoshimitu died.

*Yoshiaki Mogami from Battle of Hasedo Standing Screen (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons*)

The territory of the Mogami Clan was apportioned to several other lords, one of which, the Shonai area was given to Tadakatsu Sakai as the founder of the Shonai Domain. He was a grandchild of Tadatsugu Sakai, known as One of the Four Generals Serving Ieyasu Tokugawa. That’s why the Sakai Clan had been a senior vassal of the shogun and had loyalty to the shogunate. Tadakatsu was wondering which castle would be better for his home base, Tsurugaoka or Kamegaoka. In terms of defense, Kamegaoka was better. However, his decision was to take Tsurugaoka because he thought Tsurugaoka would be the political center while Kamegaoka would be commercial with Sakata port and town.

The portrait of Tadakatsu Sakai, owned by Chido Museum (*licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Originally, Tsurugaoka Castle was said to have had only the Main and Second Enclosures made of soil, with simple residences, surrounded by double water moats, on a plain land. It would be too small for the Sakai Clan’s home base and not defensive when a battle happened there. So, Tadakatsu started to improve the castle by building the large Third Enclosure and the castle town outside. The Main Hall for the lord was also built in the Main Enclosure. The Main and Second Enclosures had five entrances, which were protected by the Masugata system or the Umadashi system which the Tokugawa relatives had used to build. The Masugata refers to a square defensive space inside the gate and the Umadashi is a small round enclosure which sticks out from the gate. On the other hand, the castle had few stone walls, still mostly made of soil, and had no Main Tower unlike other castles of the Tokugawa relatives. A two-level turret was built on a corner of the Main Enclosure as a substitute of the tower. Overall, the castle can be seen as a mixing of the legacy of the area and the Tokugawa method.

The reconstruction of Tsurugaoka Castle from the signboard at the site, adding colored circles, the Umadashi systems in the red circles and the Masugata systems in the blue circles

The miniature model of the castle, seen from the same direction as above (the east), exhibited by Chido Museum

The main enclosure in the miniature model, seen from the west, the substitute for the Main Tower is in the red circle

Deadlock and Reform of Government

The early government of the Shonai Domain was actually unstable. Tadakatsu’s tax policy was harsh because he wanted to have more income to contribute to the shogunate. However, the Tohoku Region including the Shonai area often suffered damage from cold weather, droughts, and floods. Despite these variable situations, the domain asked the farmers to pay the same amount of taxes every year. That resulted in many farmers fleeing the area, having huge debt, and even selling their families, leaving the area devastated.

A wealthy merchant of Sakata town, Mitsuoka Honma saved the domain during the late 18th Century. Ocean voyages were prohibited by the shogunate due to its policy of closing the country, but coastal sailing in small crafts became a major mean of transportation. Sakata port was one of the transport hubs, which made the town and merchants so rich. That’s why the domain asked Mitsuoka for help to solve its financial problems. He provided not only enormous tax money but also was in charge of financial matters of the domain. The domain changed the ways to treat the farmers flexibly as well. It also opened the domain school called Chidokan in 1805 to educate the domain retainers. The situation was getting better and the people in the area became united.

The miniature model of a large Japanese junk called Benzai-sen, which was used for the coastal sailing, exhibited by Chido Museum

The tablet of Chidokan domain school, which was used during the Edo Period

Reform is proven during End of Edo Period

The result of the reform was proven in 1840 when the shogunate ordered the Shonai Domain to move to another and the Matsudaira Clan would be expected to come from the Kawagoe Domain. The movement of the people including farmers in the Shonai Domain against the shogunate’s decision occurred. They urged the shogunate that they wanted to be with the lords of the Sakai Clan. In fact, the movement might have been triggered by suggestions from some warriors, who didn’t want to move, that the next lord would be too strict. As a result, the order was canceled, which was a very rare case during the Edo Period.

The picture of people celebrating the cancelation of the movement in front of the castle, exhibited by the domain school

When the shogunate collapsed and the new government was established in 1868 during the Meiji Restoration, several domains in the Tohoku Region, including the Shonai Domain, made an alliance to be against the government. The Shonai’s troops led by a senior vassal, Genba Sakai were organized by warriors, farmers and even merchants, and were very strong. This was because the Honma Clan imported advanced foreign weapons and gave them to the troops. They repelled the Government Army and attacked other domains supporting the government instead. However, all of their allies were defeated or surrendered to the government before the last lord, Tadazumi Sakai also decided to surrender though his troops and Tsurugaoka Castle were intact.

Genba Sakai, in the early Meiji Era *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

To be continued in “Tsurugaoka Castle Part2”