The small size Imitation Main Tower is on the original stone walls base.
Features
To Park Entrance
Today, Hamamatsu Castle has been developed as Hamamatsu Castle Park. The Main Tower Enclosure and part of the Main Enclosure remain in the park. If you walk to the park from Hamamatsu Station, you will see the Hamamatsu City Hall, which was part of the Second Enclosure in the past, on the left. You can enter the road to the entrance of the park in the north of the hall. You will see the ruins of the Main and Second Enclosures being excavated over the fence on the right.
The map around the castle
The Hamamatsu City HallThe entrance to Hamamatsu Castle ParkThe road to the parkPart of the Main and Second Enclosures under excavation
You will reach the wall of the cross section of the Main Enclosure, which was cut in the present time, so you will need to go around to the left or right corner of the wall to enter the park. No matter which entrance you choose, you’d reach the remaining part of the main enclosure. There is a statue of Ieyasu Tokugawa, and the ruins of the Fujimi Turret on the earthen walls.
The signpost of the park entrance in front of the wall of the cross section of the Main EnclosureGoing to the Main Enclosure through the right side entranceThe inside of the Main EnclosureThe statue of Ieyasu TokugawaThe ruins of the Fujimi Turret
Remaining Old style Stone Walls
The highlight of the castle is the remaining stone walls of the Main Tower and Main Enclosures. They were basically piled using natural stones, one of the earliest methods for castles’ stone walls, called Nozura-zumi. They look very old and Yoshiharu Horio originally built them
A view of the Main Tower Enclosure from the ruins of the Fujimi TurretThe stone walls of the Main Tower Enclosure
If you look at the back side of the enclosure, you will also find these stone walls were built on the upper part of natural terrain. This is another early method, called Hachimaki-Ishigaki or the Headband Stone Walls, when the techniques for high stone walls weren’t developed. These stone walls were also bent elaborately like a folding screen, called Byobu-ore. This structure allowed the defenders to do direct attack from some points of the stone walls when enemies would attack the castle.
The Headband Stone Walls at the back side of the Main Tower EnclosureThe stone walls like a folding screen
The Main Tower Gate was recently restored in 2014 in a traditional way, based on the achievement of the excavation. You can not only go though the gate but also enter the inside of it.
The restored Main Tower GateThe entrance to the inside of the gate
Main Tower is rebuilt smaller than Original
Apart from it, the Rebuilt Main Tower on the remaining stone wall base has been a symbol of the castle since it was built in 1958. The reason why we call it “Rebuilt”, and not “Restored”, is the unknown original Main Tower and that, in fact, the tower looks much smaller for the stone wall base. Perhaps it is because there was not enough budget for a tower which fits the base.
The small Rebuilt Main Tower on the original stone wall baseThe comparison of the sizes between the rebuilt tower and estimated original one, exhibited in the Rebuilt Main Tower
However, you can enter the tower, learn about the castle, and enjoy a view of Hamamatsu City, as the tower is used as a historical museum and observation platform.
The excavated well for the original tower, exhibited in the Rebuilt Main TowerAn exhibition in the Rebuilt Main TowerA view of the city area from the observation platform
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 periodThe 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 MuseumThe Saigagake Valley Ruins
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 periodThe Main Tower of Matsue Castle
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)Karatsu CastleThe imaginary drawing of Hamamatsu Castle in the Edo Period
その武骨な天守は国宝となりました。
Its rough, strong Tenshu keep has become a National Treasure.
松江城天守～The Tenshu keep of Matsue Castle
立地と歴史～Location and History
島根県の松江市は、松江城の城下町を由来としています。城の歴史は江戸時代の初期に始まりました。１６００年に堀尾忠氏が出雲・隠岐両国（現在の島根根県の一部）の領主として置かれました。 Matsue City in Shimane Prefecture comes from the castle town of Matsue Castle. The history of the castle started at the beginning of the Edo Period. Tadauji Horio was placed as the lord of Izumo and Oki Provinces (part of what is now Shimae Pref.) in 1600.
堀尾忠氏肖像画部分、妙心寺蔵～Part of the portrait of Tadauji Horio, owned by Myoshinji Temple（licensed under Public Domain via Wikipedia Commons）
忠氏は最初は当時最も防御に優れていた山城の一つ、月山富田城に住んでいたのですが、統治や交通の便はよくありませんでした。そこで、彼は本拠地を移すことを決め、父親の吉晴とともに新しい城の建設を開始しました。それが松江城だったのです。 Tadauji first lived in Gassan-Toda Castle which was one of the most protective mountain castles at that time, but it was not convenient for governance and transportation. Then he decided to move his home base and launched to build a new castle with his father, Yoshiharu. That was Matsue Castle.
月山富田城跡～The ruins of Gassan-Toda Castle
松江城は宍道湖の近く、太田川に沿った亀田山という小山の上にありました。城は南方は太田川に面しており、北方は山を削り堀を穿ち、防御を固めました。堀尾は城下に町を作り、それは川をまたいでいました。これにより民衆や産業を支配下に収めました。天守を含む城は、１６１１年に完成しました。
Matuse Castle was located on a hill called Kamedayama alongside Otagawa River, near Shinji Lake. The castle faced the river in the south, cut the mountain and dug a moat in the north making it very defensive. Horio created the castle town below the castle, across the river. They were able to get people and industries under control. The castle including Tenshu keep was completed by 1611.
城周辺の地図～The normal map around the castle
城周辺の起伏地図～The relief map around the castle
松江藩と呼ばれたこの地域の領主は京極に、最後は１６３８年に松平氏に代わりました。松平の統治は２００年以上続きます。松江は文化面でも繁栄しました。一例を挙げると、７代目の藩主、松平不昧は有名な茶人でした。彼は茶事に使う名器を調べ上げ、情報を体系化したのです。江戸時代も後半になると、領主は平地の三の丸にある御殿に住んでいました。小高い本丸にある天守は、倉庫として使われていたようです。
The lords of the area called Matsue Domain were changed to Kyogoku, lastly Matsudaira clan by 1638. The governance of Matsudaira lasted for over 200 years. Matsue flourished in culture as well. For example, the seventh lord of the domain, Fumai Matsudaira was a famous master of tea ceremony. He researched noted items for tea ceremony and organized their information. In the late Edo Period, the lords lived in the hall in plain Sannomaru. The Tenshu keep on hilly Honnmaru seemed to be used for a warehouse.
松平不昧肖像画～The portrait of Fumai Matsudaira（licensed under Public Domain via Wikipedia Commons）出雲国松江城絵図部分、江戸時代～Part of the illustration of Matsue Castle in Izumo Province, in the Edo Period（出典：国立公文書館）
特徴～Features
この城の特徴といえば、やはり天守でしょう。日本の現存１２天守の一つです。また、２０１５年に５つ目の国宝天守にも指定されました。この指定は、この天守が１６１１年に築かれたと確認されたことによります。それまでは、天守がいつ作られたのかが不明確でした。 The main feature of this castle is the Tenshu. It is one of the 12 remaining Tenshu keeps in Japan. It was also designated as the fifth Tenshu for National Treasure in 2015. This is due to the Tenshu being confirmed built by 1611. It was uncertain if Tenshu was built before then.
天守～The Tenshu keep（taken by よねさん0912 from photoAC）
１６１１年１月の記載がある木製の祈祷札が松江神社で見つかりました。その形が天守の地下にある木柱に残された、それが設置された跡と一致したのです。祈祷札は１６１１年の城の落成式のときに使われたに違いありません。 A wooden talisman dated in January 1611 was found at Matsue Shrine. Its shape matches the installation trace left on the wooden column at the basement of Tenshu. The talisman should be used when the completion ceremony of the castle in 1611.
元の位置に収まった祈祷札のレプリカ～The reprica of the talisman on the original position（「松江観光ステーション」websiteより引用）
天守は、長く太い木のような高価な材料からではなく、様々な種類の木材を使って建設されています。それは恐らく堀尾が、城の建設ブームにより良い材料が集められなかったのか、それとも月山富田城の廃材を使ったからなのかもしれません。これらの資材は組み合わされて天守の重さを支え、また分散させています。更には「包板」と呼ばれる資材を長持ちさせる方法も見ることができます。それは、柱を板、鉄輪、かすがいで覆うやり方です。 The Tenshu was constructed using several types of wooden materials, not using valuable ones like a long thick wood. It could be because Horio were not able to collect good materials due to the boom of castles constructing, or they might use waste materials of Gassan-Toda Castle. These materials are combined to support and break up the weight of Tenshu. In addition, you can see the method to maintain the materials called “Tsutsumi-Ita” which is covering columns with lumbers, iron rings and clamps.
「包板」を用いて補修された柱～The columns that were maintained in the way “Tsutsumi-ita”
以上の発見により、松江城の建設方法が後の多くの他の城に引き継がれていたことがわかりました。これが高い評価を受け、松江城の国宝指定につながりました。いずれにせよ、天守の重厚な外観、実用的な内装、そして「牛蒡積み」と呼ばれる独特の天守台の石積みを純粋に見て楽しむのもよいでしょう。 That fact proves the method of building Matue Castle was followed by many other castles later. The high evaluation led to Matue Castle being a National Treasure. Anyway, you can purely enjoy seeing the profound appearance, the practical interior, and the base built using unique stone walls called “Gobo-Zumi” of the Tenshu.
「牛蒡積み」の石垣の上に乗った天守～The Tenshu keep on the stone walls built in the way “Gobo-Zumi”（taken by mahiroPhoto from photoAC）
その後～Later Life
明治維新後、天守以外の全ての建物は撤去され、売られていきました。地元の有志が何とか天守だけは買い戻すことができました。天守は１９３４年に最初は国の史跡に指定されました。第二次世界大戦後、城周辺の地区は公園として整備されました。国宝に向けた活動のほか、松江市は二の丸など城の建物の復元を進めています。将来的には本丸にあった大手門の復元を計画しています。松江城の全景が街に戻りつつあります。 After the Meiji Restoration, all the buildings except for Tenshu were demolished and sold. Local volunteers somehow manage to get Tenshu back. It was first designated as a National Historic Site in 1934. After World War II, the area around the castle has been developed as Matsue Shiroyama Park. In addition to the campaign for the National Treasure, Matue City has been restoring buildings of the castle like those in Ninomaru. They are planing to restore Main Entrance Gate at Honmaru in the future. The whole view of Matue Castle will be returning to the city.
復元された二の丸～The restored Ninomaru enclosure大手門跡～The ruins of Main Entrance Gate
私の感想～My Impression
私は、武骨な松江城の天守が好きです。この天守には、姫路城のような城の美しさとは対照的な独特な雰囲気があります。松江城天守が国宝になったと聞いたときはとてもうれしかったです。ところが、姫路城と比べるとまだ人気がありません。それは天守の中にいつでも入れるということを意味します。松江の街もまた、くつろいだ雰囲気があります。是非訪れてみてはいかがでしょう。 I like the rough, strong Tenshu keep of Matsue Castle. It has a unique atmosphere in contrast to the beauty of castles like Himegi. It was a pleasure for me to hear that Matsue Castle Tenshu had become a National Treasure. However, it is still not popular compared with Himeji. That means you can usually enter the inside of Tenshu. Matue town also has a laid-back atmosphere. I recommend you to visit them.
天守からの街の眺め～A city view fron the Tenshu松江城山公園の入り口～The entrance of Matsue Shiroyama Park
ここに行くには～How to get There
車で行く場合：山陰自動車道の松江西ＩＣから約１０分かかります。公園の周りにいくつか駐車場があります。 ＪＲ松江駅からバスで行く場合：レイクラインバスに乗り、大手前バス停で降りてください。 If you want to go there by car: It takes about 10 minutes from the Matsue-Nishi IC on San-in Expressway. There are several parking lots around the park. If you want to go there by bus from JR Matsue station: Take the Lake Line bus and take off at the Ote-Mae bus stop.
