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

205.Matsuoyama Castle Part2

Features

Introduction

This article will describe how we visit the ruins of the encampments for the battle of Sekigahara (mainly of the Western Allies). We will finally go to the ruins of Matsuoyama Castle where Hideaki Kobayakawa was positioned. In addition, as for the encampments of the Western Allies, we will visit them not only based on the defacto theory but also based on the new theories. Ogaki Castle may be a good starting point because the battle happened just after Mitsunari Ishida left the castle. You can see some exhibitions of him and the Sekigahara Battle in its restored main tower which has become a historical museum. Sekigahara Station is just few minutes from Ogaki Station.

Tour to Encampments of Western Allies based on Defacto Theory

It will be easy for visitors to visit the encampments based on the defacto theory because there are lots of information boards (also written in English). “Sekigahara Historical Landmark Tour” map, provided by the Sekigahara tourist association secretariat, will also help you. The following link is available in English.
(https://www.sekigahara1600.com/download/file/20200109155151.pdf)
So, let us first go to the encampment of Mitsunari Ishida on Sasaoyama Mountain, based on the defacto theory.

It may be better to go towards the Battle Site Memorial before reaching the mountain because you can find it easily. You can see the mountain where the flag of Mitsunari’s encampment stands.

The Battle Site Memorial, The flag on the right is Ieyasu’s family crest, while the flag on the left is Mitsunari’s family crest

Sasaoyama Mountain seen from the Battle Site Memorial, Notice the tiny white flags on the mountain

If you reach the foot of the mountain, you will eventually see that it was the encampment of Shima Sakon who was Mitsunari’s senior vassal. In fact, there is no evidence which proves that the mountain was certainly their encampments. The current historical sites were designated by the officials during the Meiji Era, probably based on the local traditions of the Edo Period. However, the top of the mountain looks suitable for the stronghold. You can see a panoramic view from the top, including Nangusan Mountain on the left, where Hiroie Kikkawa was positioned, and Matsuoyama Mountain on the right, where Hideaki was positioned. If Mitsunari would have been on the top, he would have been able to see any suspicious actions by the lord.

The stone monument of Mitsnari’s encampment

The view from the mountain, The mountain on left is Nangusan and the mountain on the right is Matsouyama

Our next target will be the grave site of Yoshitsugu Otani, after passing the encampments of other lords of the Western Allies, such as Yoshihiro Shimazu, Yukinaga Konishi, and Hideie Ukita. You need to walk for few kilometers to reach the target. However, some soldiers who joined the battle testified that the lords were positioned together in the range of only few hundreds of meters. This is another mystery that his often debated by historians and experts.

You will eventually enter the Yamanaka area (which directly means “mountain area”), not like the Sekigahara field. There are actually some ruins of encampments, made by soil, which Yoshitsugu might have built. His grave is in the area, which is said that his retainer originally buried his head there. Takatora Todo, who had been his enemy, heard about it and developed the grave as we can see now. There are always offerings (such as flowers) in front of the grave, from his fans. This is probably because of his episodes in the battle. Yoshitsugu joined the Western Allies because of his friendship with Mitsunari but was defeated by the betrayal of Hideaki (according to the defacto theory).

Tour to the Encampments of the Western Allies based on New Theories

Let us next go to the encampment of Yoshitsugu Otani from his grave nearby.
His encampment has been designated based on the defacto theory while a new theory says it was, in fact, that of the Shimazu troops. By the way, there is the view spot of Matsuoyama Mountain near the encampment as well. You can see the flag of Hideaki’s encampment from that spot. I think the view is one of the reasons why Yoshitsugu’s encampment was designated nearby in the defacto theory. The theory says Yoshitsugu was positioned in order to better monitor the betrayal of Hideaki. On the other hand, in the new theory, Yoshitsugu was actually in the Sekigahara field, so another lord was expected to use the encampment instead of him.

The flag of the encampment of Hideaki Kobayakawa on Matsuoyama Mountain, seen from the view spot

We will next go to the encampment of Mitsunari Ishida, based on the new theory, after climbing down the mountain area. If you walk on the Old Nakasendo Road, you will eventually see a hill up ahead, which is the encampment, called “Jigai-ga-oka”. The hill is also a historical site of Jinshin War during the Ancient Time, called “Jigai-mine-no-sanbon-sugi” which means “The three cedars on Suicide Hill”. A tradition says as followed:
Prince Otomo was defeated by Prince Oama during the war and killed himself in another place. People around the hill, who loved him, got his head and buried in the hill. The three cedars are said to be the mark, which you can visit and see.

The three cedars on Suicide Hill, The two remaining cedar trees are not accessible however, because they have a chain fence around them

There is one more spot regarding both the Sekigahara Battle and the Jinshin War, after going on the road over Fujikogawa River. You can find Fuwanoseki Museum, which are the ruins of Fuwanoseki (which means Fuwa Gateway). The new theory says this spot was the encampment of Yoshitsugu Otani. In the Jinshin War, the gateway was the border between the forces of Otomo (the west) and Oama (the east). In the Sekigahara Battle, Sekigahara (which directly means “gateway field”) was that of the Western and Eastern Allies.

Fujikogawa River in the front and Fuwanoseki Museum on the hill in the back

The Fuwanoseki Museum as the ruins of Fuwa Gateway, which might have also been the encampment of Yoshitsugu Otani, The white flag says “Fuwa Gate” while the red flag says “Jinshin War”

We will get closer to Matsuoyama Mountain. There are lots of flags of the Kobayakawa Clan at its entrance. It has a nice atmosphere.

The entrance to Matsuoyama Mountain as the encampment of Hideaki Kobayakawa, The yellow flags show the family crest of Kobayakawa. The 4 flags on the left show two sickles crossing each other.

Going to Matsuoyama Mountain

Matsuoyama Mountain is 293m above sea level and about 200m above the foot of the mountain. If you drive your car, you can park it at the foot. The trail to the top is part of Tokai Natural Trail, which has been well developed. The number of Hideaki’s troops were said to be about 8,000 to 15,000. They were probably stationed from the foot all the way to the top. If the Toi-deppo story is true, the soldiers at the foot would have been able to hear it.

The starting point of the trail, Notice the basket of sticks which is free for visitors to use. Make sure you return it to the original basket after using it

Matsuoyama Castle is often called the encampment of Hideaki Kobayakawa, in fact, it was a full-scale castle. It had the main enclosure on the top and several other enclosures on its ridges. They were surrounded by earthen walls one by one and were divided by dry moats from each other. It also had ditches on the ridges and vertical moats on the slopes in order to prevent enemies from invading it. The castle was mostly fortified by the Western Allies just before the Sekigahara Battle. It was done using natural terrain and construction with soil.

The diorama of Matsuoyama Castle, exhibited by Sekigahara Town History
& Folklore Museum

The trail looks like a well-developed forest road before turning into a fork. There is a sign which says 850m to the top. As you get close to the top, the trail goes beside a ridge which was the eastern enclosure of the castle. If you were an enemy back then, you would have been attacked by the defenders above.

Turn right, at the flag, Notice the drain on the road. When it rains, the water flows down the mountain, and goes to the drains

The trail goes beside the eastern enclosure

You will eventually see several flags standing on the main enclosure of the top above. One of them is that of Hideaki Kobayakawa’s encampment, which you saw from the view spot of Matsuoyama Mountain. The view from the top is so nice that you will be encouraged to stop and stare for a while. It would have been the view of Kobayakawa according to the defacto theory.

The flag of the encampment of Hideaki Kobayakawa

The view of the Sekigahara field from the top of Matsuoyama Mountain, It would have been great if the town decided to cut the trees so that viewers could get a better view of Sekigahara Field

Is it a Castle or is it an Encampment?

Let us check out if Matsuoyama Castle is worth for a full-scale castle at the site. In fact, the opposite side of the trail we climbed looks more fortified, according to the pamphlet of Matsuoyama Castle. (unfortunately, the pamphlet is only available in Japanese)
We will enter the castle from the side.

The layout of the castle (from the pamphlet of Matsuoyama Castle), we first came from above

The path of the entrance gets narrower by being cut by the ditches on both sides. You will next pass an enclosure like a position, which is called the enclosure like Umadashi (the position which sticks out from the gate).

The path gets narrower again and wind towards the main enclosure. The entrance of the main enclosure is a square, surrounded by earthen walls, which is generally called Masugata. The route you walked on right now may be the front of the castle, where Hideaki might have also been at.

The path goes close to the main enclosure, Notice the wooden steps that were added later on by the town

The Masugata system at the entrance of the enclosure

You can also walk down to the dry moats surrounding the main enclosure, from the front of the Masugata system. You will see the vertical cliffs on the slopes of the enclosure, which were artificially cut for defense, on the way to the moats. The bottom of the moats looks spacious tough it is covered with trees and grass now. Historians speculate that it was used as passages or stations for soldiers. The moats also have earthen walls like normal enclosures have.

The vertical cliffs, Notice the narrow road partially covered in plants. On the right, is the artificially cut soil, in order ot make the slope steeper for the enemies

The earthen walls on the moat, Notice the sign in Japanese saying “altered earthen walls”

Finally, we will climb another enclosure on a hill, the opposite of the main enclosure. The top of the enclosure is leveled, probably in order to accommodate soldiers in the past. Overall, Matsuoyama Castle must have been a large basement for the Sekigahara Battle. I have confirmed that it was not only a simple encampment but also a full-scale castle.

My Impression

After visiting the Sekigahara area, I think it still has a mysterious vibe and can accept adventurous spirits with many theories. In addition, I also learned that the area has a long history including the gateway and battle between eastern and western Japan since the ancient time. In fact, the battle between them still continues today in the category of noodles. You can buy two types of instant noodles for eastern and western Japan there at the souvenir shop. Gifu Sekigahara Battlefield Memorial Museum is a very popular spot for visitors where you can learn about the battle and buy other souvenirs. You can also get Goshuin stamps (you can stamp a piece of paper to commemorate your experience) of the encampments you visited there; However, you will need to show the pictures to the counter staff as evidence.

The Gifu Sekigahara Battlefield Memorial Museum

The two types of instant noodles for eastern and western Japan, The left is the “western type” while the one on the right is the “eastern type”.

The Goshuin stamps for three encampments, The left is the grave of Otani, the center represents Matsuoyama Mountain, and finally the one the right is Sasaoyama

That’s all. Thank you.

Back to “Matsuoyama Castle Part1”

20.Sakura Castle Part2

If you are at JR Sakura Station, the place, where the castle ruins are located, it may looks simple at first. However, if you go there by walking up on the slopes, you will be surprised to see the spacious area on the top. Visitors coming from other places may feel the same way, too.

Features

Introduction

If you are at JR Sakura Station, the place, where the castle ruins are located, it may look simple at first. However, if you go there by walking up on the slopes, you will be surprised to see the spacious area on the top. Visitors coming from other places may feel the same way, too.

The hill area, seen from JR Sakura Station

One of the slopes from the station to the hill, called “Yakushizaka”

From Main Gate to Main Enclosure

Let us go from the ruins of the main gate to the center of the castle. Unfortunately, only a part of the earthen walls remains today.

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

There were some large enclosures inside the gate, such as Higashi-so-kuruwa. They were turned into schools, parking lots, and a square. There is also Sakura Castle Park control center in front of the square, which shows some exhibitions of the castle. The square had the main hall for the lord and another one for the retirement residence of Masayoshi Hotta at the end of the Edo Period.

You will eventually reach the center of the castle, which has been turned into Sakura Castle Park. You will first see the remaining large dry moat. It looks beautiful, covered in grass, however, it must have been deeper and more fortified in the past.

You will next reach the ruins of the third gate, which was the first gate towards the center. The third enclosure is inside of the gate, and it was the residential area for the senior vassals in the past. You will find a mini crater in the enclosure. This is the trace of another dry moat, which has been filled. If you go further, you will see the statues of Townsend Harris and Masayoshi Hotta who tried to open Japan to the rest of the world.

The ruins of the third gate, The sign board will show you how the original enclosure would have looked like the past

The old photo of the gate, from the sign board at the site, The gate on the left leads to the resident of one of the senior vassals

The statues of Townsend Harris on the left and Masayoshi Hotta on the right

Then, you will reach the ruins of the second gate, the entrance of the second enclosure. The enclosure had had the first main hall for the lord before the one outside the third enclosure was built. There were also the rice warehouses in the back of the enclosure. You can still see its stone foundations there, too.

You will eventually reach the main enclosure after going across the dry moat of the enclosure. there are the ruins of the first gate.

The ruins of the first gate behind the earthen bridge over the moat

The old photo of the gate, from the sign board at the site, Notice the people standing in front of the gate. They are the generals

Climbing down from Main Enclosure

The main enclosure is all surrounded by earthen walls, so you may feel like you are being wrapped up. This area is the western edge of the plateau. There was the other main hall inside, however, it was rarely used just for ceremonies. This was because it was considered exclusive for the shoguns.

The miniature model of the main enclosure, exhibited by the Sakura Castle Park control center

You can walk on the earthen walls around the enclosure. If you walk from the first gate ruins on the earthen walls, you will pass by the ruins of Do-yagura (the copper turret). The turret had a mysterious tradition. It says that the turret was originally built by Dokan Ota, the founder of Edo Castle, called “Shoyoken”, and moved from the castle. However, we cannot confirm whether or not the turret was moved from Edo Castle. However, if it had remained, it would have become a National Treasure of Japan.

The old photo of the turret, from the signboard at the site, as you can see, carpenters were removing the roof tiles partially

The miniature model of the turret, exhibited by the Sakura Castle Park control center

If you go further, you will eventually reach the earthen base of the main tower.
The tower was directly built on the base and its outside walls leaned on the earthen walls of the enclosure. That was why people saw the tower three-leveled from the outside but four-leveled from the inside. The tower was used as the warehouse for weapons. It was unfortunately burned down after a thief robbed it of guns and left his lantern there.

The miniature model of the tower, exhibited by the Sakura Castle Park control center

There are the other ruins of the corner turret in the enclosure. The turret also has the tradition which says it originally came from Motosakura Castle. That may have been the reason why it deteriorated sooner than the others and was renovated during the Edo Period.

Let us next get out of the enclosure through the ruins of the back gate and climb down the slopes of the plateau. The slopes are steep which made the castle fortified. You will eventually see some trails on the mid slopes, which are the belt enclosures of the castle. The enclosures were said to have originally been dry moats and were changed to the trails by being filled naturally. If you look up the main enclosure, you will realize it is protected by the natural terrain even though it doesn’t have stone walls.

The miniature model of the gate, exhibited by the Sakura Castle Park control center

Climbing down the slopes of the plateau, please be careful when climbing down because it’s very steep

You will eventually arrive at the foot of the plateau and see the southern barbican enclosure. If you go around the enclosure, you will see it is still surrounded by water moats. It looks very defensive and cool! If you enter the enclosure as well, you will see the outside which you walked around on.

*The exterior of the southern barbican enclosure*

The inside of the southern barbican enclosure

The view from the inside of the enclosure

I recommend you to go back to the belt enclosure and walk on it to the other western barbican enclosure. The enclosure still has its earthen walls and water moats in good conditions. There is the only remaining building at its entrance, called Yakui-mon gate. However, No one knows for certain its original name and position, because it was moved multiple times from the current position that it is in now.

Looking at Umadashi system and Dry Moats

If you don’t mind, it may be better to walk around the plateau to another entrance from the north to the castle. It was called Tamachi-mon which was the back gate of the castle, on Atago slope. It is now the front gate of the National Museum of Japanese History. A large enclosure of the castle, called Shinoki-kuruwa has become the museum. The enclosure was originally used as Samurai residences and was turned into barracks for the Japanese Imperial Army before the museum. It has been used effectively because it is massive.

The miniature model of Shinoki Enclosure when it was used as the barracks for the Japanese Imperial Aemy, exhibited by the National Museum of Japanese History

The floor space of the museum is about 35,000 square meters big. It exhibits the Japanese histories by classifying 5 different periods. If you want to look through all of them, you may have to spend all day long. It may be better to split up your visits to fully see everything.

The entrance of the National Museum of Japanese History

The miniature model of Taga Castle, an ancient castle in the Tohoku Region, exhibited by the National Museum of Japanese History

The miniature model of the hall of the Asakura Clan in Ichijodani Castle, exhibited by the National Museum of Japanese History

Going back to the attractions of the castle, the Umadashi system has been restored near the museum. The system was a fortified square position in front of Shinoki Gate, which was surrounded by dry moats. The long side of the square is 121m long and the short side is 40m long, same as the original. The dry moats were originally 5.6m in depth but is only 3m in depth probably for safety reasons. The system is only connected by a narrow path to the gate. It was once filled by the Japanese Imperial Army before its restoration.

The Umadashi system in front of the Shinoki Gate Ruins

The Shinoki Gate Ruins have no buildings now, and its inside is the third enclosure. So, you can visit the second and main enclosures again. However, let us go to another place by walking down from the plateau again. It is a pond, called Uba-ga-ike, which means “The Pond of a Nursing Mother”. The name comes from a sad and unfortunate story. It says that one day, a nursing mother took the daughter of a senior vassal to the pond. However, she didn’t keep her eyes on the daughter, which lead to the daughter drowning in the pond She felt very sad and guilty about it, so, she decided to throw herself into the pond as well. For the castle, this pond divided the main gate and the back gate sides to force the defenders protect the castle quickly. It also became famous for Japanese iris and croaking sounds of frogs during the peaceful Edo Period.

The Uba-ga-ike Pond, Since the pond is covered in lotus leaves, it’s hard to see how deep it truly is

You can go back from the pond to the main gate ruins by passing through a path which was another dry moat. The path has a fork which still looks like the dry moat. If you go straight, you will eventually reach the entrance of the park near the gate ruins.

The former dry moat, which is used as the path, the fork on the right, which is the dry moat today, the fork on the left which leads to the main entrance

The fork on the right remains as a dry moat

Visiting Samurai Residences and Sakura Juntendo Memorial Building

Atter visiting the castle ruins, let us go to Sakura Samurai Residences. The residence area is in Miyakoji of Sakura City, which originally had middle-class warriors’ residences. However, the current area exhibits three different residences: one of the remaining one for middle class warriors, another one form high-class warriors and finally, the other one form low-class warriors. The last two residential areas were moved from other areas, making it accessible to the public for viewing.

Sakura Samurai Residences Street, Notice the samurai residential homes on the right

These residences were owned and maintained by the Sakura Domain like official residences. They were made differently by each warrior’s class. That was because of the class system as well as the budgetary restrictions of the domain. For example, the entrance of the high-class residence looks high in quality, but the others are simpler. The walls of the high class’s one used white plasters, while the others only used brown mud walls. The high and middle class’s ones used fine Tatami mats in their rooms, however the low class can only use simple mats without the edge decorations.

The low-class residence (its roof has been replaced with a modern style)

You should also try to walk along Hiyodori-zaka Slope near the residences, which was the commuting route to the castle. The route goes down on a trail, surrounded by bamboo trees, which looks exactly same as it used to.

We will finally go to Sakura Juntendo Memorial Building. It was originally built by Taizen Sato as his Rangaku (Dutch studies) school and clinic. Part of it opens to the public as a museum. The museum is about 2km away from the main gate ruins of the castle and was at the edge of the castle town. This is probably because Taizen was not an official doctor of the domain. A guide of the museum suggested to me another speculation. Taizen’s father was an agent in lawsuits who was against the policies of Tadakuni Mizuno, the top of the government. Therefore, Taizen might have had difficulties in his work in Edo City. He might also have been accommodated by Masayoshi Hotta. If it’s true, Sakura Juntendo was also like a place of refuge.

One of the exhibitions of the museum is the miniature model of the original buildings. You can see the buildings were so large. It is said that over one thousand students were there in total.

Another interesting exhibition is the original medical board which is hung on the top of the wall. The clinic mainly offered surgeries. However, the doctors didn’t use anesthesia because it was still dangerous at that time. Therefore, patients endured the pain because they wanted to get well after that.

The original medical menu, Notice the price of each procedures on the bottom of the medical board

The clinic is the origin of Juntendo University in Tokyo, one of Taizen’s successors who founded it. However, there is still the current Sakura Juntendo Clinic next to the museum. The spirits of Sakura are alive.

The plaque of Juntendo, It’s written in Chinese Characters (Kanji)

My Impression

Honestly, at first, I thought the castle park looked like a natural park. However, the more I looked around, the more my impressions changed. Currently it’s trendy for cities to revive castles across Japan. I think Sakura City does not need to ride the boom. This is because the city has already preserved the land of the castle as the park. The city can take enough time and be patient when developing it further. The important thing is preserving it as accurate as possible. In addition, you can still enjoy the castle ruins even without its visible buildings. So I highly recmmend you visit Sakura Catle in the future!

That’s all. Thank you.

Back to “Sakura Castle Part1”

20.Sakura Castle Part1

Sakura Castle was located at the current Sakkura City of Chiba Prefecture. The castle was built as the home of the Sakura Domain during the Edo Period, which is the origin of the city. The areas around the city had many other castles until the Sengoku Period and some of which were very important.

Location and History

Sakura Castle was located at the current Sakura City of Chiba Prefecture. The castle was built as the home of the Sakura Domain during the Edo Period, which is the origin of the city. The areas around the city had many other castles until the Sengoku Period and some of which were very important. For example, there was Usui Castle in the western part of the city, where the battle of Usui Castle happened back in 1566. Kenshin Uesugi, who tried to rule the whole Kanto Region, attacked the castle but failed. There was also Motosakura Castle in the eastern part, which was the home of the Chiba Clan. Usui Castle was a branch of the clan. Cuttently, this castle is called “Motosakura” but back then, it was called “Sakura Castle”. So therefore, Sakura Castle was the former name of Motosakura Castle. This article will explain the formative years of Sakura Castle including the formation of Motosakura Castle, which should make it easier for people to better understand the history.

The ruins of Usui Castle, Notice the wooden log steps covered in soil

The ruins of Motosakura Castle, Notice the icon on the wooden shields. This is the family crest of the Chiba Clan

Formative Years of Sakura Castle

The Chiba Clan had owned Shimosa Province, which was the northern part of Chiba Prefecture, since the end of the ancient times. The most famous person of the clan would be Tsunetane Chiba who supported the launch of the Kamakura Shogunate at the end of the 12th Century. Their home, Inohana Castle, was located at the current Chiba City for a long time. However, the castle was destroyed when many battles occurred in the 15th Century during the Sengoku Period. The clan decided to rebuild their new home in another location, which would be called Motosakura Castle. The castle was on the Shimosa plateau and was surrounded by Inbanuma Lake and other waterlogged areas. Its location was much more fortified than before and more convenient for water transportation. The lake was also much larger than now, where people could easily access Kasumigaura Lake and other great rivers. The wide water area was even called Katori-no-umi, which means the Katori inland sea.

The statue of Tsunetane Chiba, exhibited by Chiba City Folk Museum

The whole map of Motosakura Castle, from the signboard at the site

The situation changed during the 16th Century. The Hojo Clan was invading the Kanto Region from the west. On the other hand, the Satomi Clan also got the power from the south (Boso peninsula). The Chiba Clan wondered what to do and they eventually allied with the Hojo Clan. That’s why Kenshin Uesugi, who would help the Satomi Clan, decided to attack Usui Castle, a branch of the Chiba Clan. The victory of the clan was partially due to the Hojo Clan’s help. As a result, the Hojo became more effective to the Chiba Clan. As for the home of the clan, Chikatane Chiba, who was the lord of the clan before the battle, originally planned to move his home from Motosakura to another. The new land for his new home later became Sakura Castle, which was called Kashima Castle then. Mysteriously, he died in 1533, which ultimately canceled his plans of moving the castle.

The location of the castle, Notice the smaller Inbanuma Lake on the left next to Usui Castle. This important river used to span much larger that what the current map is showing. It used to be part of a much larger body of water.

The portrait of Kenshin Uesugi, owned by the Uesugi Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Chikatane Chiba, owned by the Kubo Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The Hojo Clan interfered in the internal affairs of the Chiba Clan at the end of the 16th Century. For instance, Ujimasa Hojo married his daughter to Kunitane Chiba, the lord of the clan. The Hojo Clan allowed Kunitane to resume the construction of Kashima Castle but failed to do so because the lord was killed again. Ujimasa next married his son to Kunitane’s daughter, in order to be the successor of the clan. It was said that Kashima Castle was finally finished for the new home of the couple.

The portrait of Ujimasa Hojo, owned by Odawara Castle (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

However, it is difficult to confirm whether these records are the factual, as Sakura Castle was built on the old Kashima Castle. The few discovered old dry moats at the site proved that they were at least trying to build the castle there. So, why did the Chiba and Hojo Clans want to move there again and again? One of the reasons would be that the land for the new castle was much larger than the old one. For the Hojo Clan, another possible reason may have been to protect their territories from the potential invasions by Hideyoshi Toyotomi from the west. The plateau, where the new castle was built on, had steep slopes and was surrounded by rivers towards the direction. That would have had a very defensive fort against the invasion. However, the Chiba Clan was eventually fired by Hideyoshi, after their master, the Hojo Clan was defeated at the battle of Odawara Castle in 1590.

Toshikatsu Doi builds Sakura Castle

After the Battle of Odawara Castle, several lords were assigned one after another by Ieyasu Tokugawa who was the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. In 1610, Ieyasu ordered his retainer, Toshikatsu Doi to stay in Motosakura Castle and to build a new home at the former location of Kashima Castle, which would eventually be called, Sakura Castle. The new castle was supposed to support Edo Castle, the home of the shogunate. If Edo Castle was attacked by enemies from the west, the shogun could escape from his home to Sakura Castle towards the east. Sakura Castlewas situated in a great location that had very strong natural defense.

The portrait of Toshikatsu Doi, owned by Jojoji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Toshikatsu served three generations of the shoguns: Ieyasu, Hidetada, and Iemitsu. He was one of the most important senior vassals for them and established the system of the government. He was born in 1573 when Ieyasu was only a warlord during the Seongoku Period. There are some theories about who his father was.
The first one is that Toshimasa Doi was his father, according to the official family trees by the shogunate.
The second one claims that he was a son of Nobumoto Mizuno who was a brother of Odai, Ieyasu’s mother, according to the official history books of the shogunate. Odai originally came from the Mizuno Clan.
The last theory is the most surprising theory, it was said that Toshikatsu was an illegitimate son of Ieyasu, according to the official trees of the Doi Clan.
Each theory has substantial evidence, however only one theory can be true. Why were there different theories?

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

Recent studies believe the followings. Toshikatsu has a short sword where the family crest of the Mizuno Clan was engraved. It was passed down from Odai to Ieyasu who gave it to Toshikatsu. That meant Toshikatsu was Ieyasu’s son. However, it was a very know fact, which was not recorded officially. That’s why the official family trees simply say Toshikatsu was a biological son of the Doi Clan (in fact, adopted). After that, Toshimasu Doi, who was a grandson of Toshikatsu, was worried about the declining reputation of his clan. He thought that he should settle the mystery of his grandfather to gain a stable position for the clan. His decision was that he would announce that Toshikatsu was a son of the Mizuno Clan by using its family crest on the sword. The writers of the official history books probably heard about it. Finally, Toshisato Doi, the 8th lord of the clan, was asked as to who Toshikatsu’s mother was by the shogunate. Toshisato decided that he would answer by telling the truth and put it on his clan’s official trees. However, the shogunate couldn’t accept it because the matters of Ieyasu were too serious to change for them. As a result, the three theories certainly unchanged today. As for Toshikatsu himself, he became a close vassal of Hidetada, who was the successor of Ieyasu, when Toshikatsu was only 7 years old. No matter who his father was, it’s no mystery that he was a very talented person.

The portrait of Toshimasu Doi, owned by Jojoji Temple (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

When Ieyasu established the shogunate, his most influential retainers were the Honda and the Okubo Clans. However, they often had internal conflicts with each other. As a result, Masazumi Honda survived when Hidetada became the 2nd shogun. Hidetada didn’t want to let Masazumi have more power. He and his close vassals, including Toshikatsu Doi, decided to trick Masazumi. When Masazumi went on a business trip from his home, Utsunomiya Castle, to another castle where he was told about his replacement. That’s the reason Masazumi would not be able to raise a rebellion. In fact, that’s the same way Masazumi excluded the Okubo Clan earlier on. Toshikatsu must have joined the careful planning of the strategy. He continued to serve the shoguns, including the third shogun, Iemitsu, for a long time. He also contributed to the shogunate by building the group guidance system of the shogunate. The system would avoid relying on individual abilities and having internal conflicts so much like the shogunate had used to.

The portrait of Masanobu Honda, owned by Kaga-Maeda Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The portrait of Tadayo Okubo, owned by Odawara Castle (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

In reality, Toshikatsu survived these internal conflicts. Therefore, people sometimes viewed him as a Machiavellian. On the other hand, he was a well-informed and kind person whom the shoguns, his colleagues, and even foreign merchants often relied on. That may be one of the reasons for his longevity. He was also the founder of the Sakura Domain and built Sakura Castle in over 7 years, which was eventually completed in 1616.

Features of Sakura Castle

Sakura Castle, which was built on a large plateau, had several distinctive features. First, the castle wisely used the natural shapes of the plateau. The plateau was basically a natural hazard, which was about 20m above the foot of the hill and surrounded by Takasaki and Kashima Rivers. The main enclosure was built at the western edge of the plateau, and other enclosures were built around it. Large dry moats and the main gate were also constructed to the east for fortification. The Samurai residences and the castle town with Narita Road were built over the gate. Overall, the castle and town were all created on the plateau.

The illustration of Sakura Castle in Shimousa Province, exhibited by the National Diet Library

The old photo of the main gate, from the signboard at the site, Notice how small the people are. The gate was so much bigger compared to modern gates today

Secondly, the castle foundations were all made from soil, not using stone walls. When the battle of Odawara Castle happened, Hideyoshi Toyotomi built a castle made of pure stone walls, called Ishigakiyama Castle, for the first time in the Kanto Region. Since then, similar castles, such as Edo Castle, were built in the region. However, Sakura Castle kept the traditional method of the region, using only soil. Other castle used the same method, such as Kawagoe and Utsunomiya Castles. On the other hand, the castle had some of the latest defensive systems at that time. There were two defensive positions, called Umadashi, in front of the gate of the third enclosure. There were also huge enclosures outside the third enclosure, which could accommodate lots of soldiers and was used as a parade ground. Furthermore, the belt enclosures were built on the slopes of the plateau where the defenders were able to move easily. Finally, the enclosures connected to two barbican enclosures outside the plateau.

The main tower base of Sakura Castle, Notice that not one stone was used

The barbican enclosure of Sakura Castle, Notice the amount of algae covering the moat

The final feature is about the buildings of the castle. There was the main tower in the main enclosure, which was about 22m high and had three levels (four floors). It was extremely rare for that type of castle to be built at that time. (The shogunate basically didn’t allow new castle constructions after its rules were established.) The tower was said to have moved from Edo castle. Its details are unknown, however, because it was unfortunately burned down by an accidental fire during the Edo Period. Historians speculate that it was similar to that of Koga Castle, which Toshikatsu also built later on. There were also Do-yagura (Copper Turret) and Sumi-yagura (Corner Turret) in the main enclosure. The enclosure also had the main hall inside but was barely used. This was because it was once used by Ieyasu Tokugawa, so it was considered exclusive to the shoguns. Instead, the lord of the castle lived in the main hall of the second enclosure. Atter the hall deteriorated; a new hall was built outside the third enclosure.

The miniature model of the main tower, exhibited by Sakura Castle Park Information Center

Masayoshi Hotta comes up with an idea to Open the Country from Sakura Castle

After Toshikatsu Doi moved to the Koga Domain in 1633, several lord families ruled the Sakura Domain during the Edo Period. In particular, the Hotta Clan owed the domain and castle for a long time until the end of the period. I will describe Masayoshi Hotta who was one of the lords and how he devoted his life to reforming and opening the country to the rest of the world. Masayoshi was born in 1810 and became one of the core members of the central government when he was 32 years old. However, he quit the position 2 years later because he didn’t really get along with Tadakuni Mizuno, the top of the government under the shogun. However, he kept in touch with his colleagues like Masahiro Abe and Naosuke Ii.

Masayoshi Hotta (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

He also reformed the government of the Sakura Domain. He declared the reform to the retainers of the domain at the main hall in the third enclosure of Sakura Castle. One idea was to include the military system of the domain. He changed it to the western style and he allowed the soldiers to exercise in the castle. Another major change from the reform was that Masayoshi introduced the western medicine to the domain. He invited a famous doctor, Taizen Sato from Edo City, who opened a medical school, called Sakura-Juntendo. Lots of students gathered there from all around Japan, which gave Sakura the name Rangaku (Dutch studies) town similar to Nagasaki. (At that time, the western science was provided from the Netherlands, one of the few countries which had diplomatic relationship with Japan.) Masayoshi was also called “Ranpeki” which means a person who devotes oneself entirely to Dutch studies and way of life. As a result, the scenery of Sakura Castle and the town dramatically changed.

Taizen Sato (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

After the arrival of Matthew Perry’s fleet in 1853, Masahiro Abe, who was the top of the government, asked the country to vote on whether or not Japan should open the rest of the world. Despite Masayoshi’s wishes to open Japan, most people voted against it. Masayoshi was suddenly assigned the top of the government (the chief of the members of shogun’s council of elders) in 1855. However, the reason why Masayoshi was appointed the top official was still uncertain. One of his tasks was to negotiate with Townsend Harris, the council of the U.S. about the trade treaty. Masayoshi actively dealt with Harris because both of them really wanted Japan to open to the rest of the world. The treaty was still unfair, however. For example, Japan didn’t have autonomy to tariffs. On the other hand, Masayoshi decided to open Yokohama Port which would become a worldwide port even today.

The portrait of Masahiro Abe, owned by Fukuyama Seshikan High School (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Townsend Harris (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons), An older picture of Townsend Harris

Even after the deal with Harris was finalized, Masayoshi still needed to handle a more difficult task. It was to get approval of the treaty from many relative lords in the government. When Toshikatsu Doi was the top, the system was simpler than the period of Masayoshi. However, the system had completely changed. The result was that only 4 of the 18 relative lords supported it. Therefore, Masayoshi’s second option was to get approval from the emperor, which had ever not been done. It would be the most effective way to overrule the lords. He visited the imperial court in Kyoto in 1558 to persuade the emperor and the nobles but he failed. This was because the emperor Komei himself did not want to open the country to the rest of the world.

*The portrait of Naosuke Ii, owned by Hikone Castle Museum (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Masayoshi was unfortunately fired, and the matter of the treaty was contnued by Naosuke Ii. He went back to the hall of Sakura Castle and lived there until his retirement and until his death in 1864. After the Meiji Restoration, the castle was used as a base for the Japanese Imperial Army. The mission of the base was to guard the eastern areas of Tokyo, the new imperial capital and the former shogun’s capital. That meant the role of the castle was the same between the Edo Period and the Meiji Era. After World War II, it became Sakura Castle Park and part of the park is used as National Museum of Japanese Histories today. The location of the castle is very suitable for such a large museum.

The statue of Masayosho Hotta in the third enclosure of Sakura Castle

The miniature model of Sakura Castle when the Japanese Imperial Army used it, exhibited by the National Museum of Japanese Histories

The entrance of National Museum of Japanese Histories

To be continued in “Sakura Castle Part2”