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

81.Matsuyama Castle Part1

Yoshiaki Kato devoted himself to the construction of this castle.

Location and History

Yoshiaki Kato builds Castle as his new Home Base

Matsuyama City in Ehime Prefecture is one of the most popular tourist spots in Japan, which is also known for attractions such as the Dogo Hot Spring. In fact, the area around the hot spring was the center of Iyo Province, the former Ehime Pref. until the Middle Ages. The Kono Clan governed the province by building Yuzuki Castle beside the spring. However, the clan declined during the unification of Japan by Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Ieyasu Tokugawa. When the Tokugawa Shogunate was established by Ieyasu after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, it gave a large territory in Iyo Province to Yoshiaki Kato who distinguished in the battle.

The range of Matsuyama City and the location of the castle

Yoshiaki was an excellent general who worked under Hideyoshi and Ieyasu, joining many battles including the invasion of Korea. He built the Matsuyama Castle on Katsuyama Mountain which is 132 meters high, using his knowledge about the modern technology and his own experience building castles. The situation was still unstable and it is also said that Yoshiaki quarreled with Takatora Todo who divided Iyo Provence with him. Yoshiaki completely devoted himself to the construction of the castle from 1602 to 1627 until he was transferred to Wakamatsu Castle in the Tohoku Region. Just after the launch of the construction, he renamed Katsuyama (which means Win Mountain) Matsuyama (which means Pine Mountain). For the Japanese at that time, the word Matsu or Pine was a lucky one which can be seen in other castles’ names like Wakamatsu, Matsumoto, and Matsusaka. This is the origin of the names of Matsuyama Castle and City.

The portrait of Yoshoaki Kato, owned by Fujisaka Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The relief map around the castle

The apparently restored Main Tower of Wakamatsu Castle Yoshiaki originally built

Strictly protected Mountain Part and Convenient Large Foot Part

The top area of Katsuyama Mountain was like a shape of a tongue which became the Main Enclosure. In addition, another enclosure called Hondan or the Central Compound was built for the Main Tower, on the highest point of the Main Enclosure. The style of the Main Tower is called Renritsu-siki or the Tower Grouping, which refers to the Large and Small Main Towers and turrets being connected by the Hall Turrets like a corridor. The first Large Main Tower was said to have five levels. The Second Enclosure was built at the foot of the mountain for the Main Hall for the lord. The enclosures mentioned above were all surrounded by high stone walls. The Main Route connecting the Second and Main Enclosures was built complexly to avoid enemies from attacking easily. Moreover, the route was surrounded on both sides by long-line stone walls called Nobori-Ishigaki or the Climbing Stone walls. This stone wall style was rare and introduced by the lords who joined the invasion of Korea, including Yoshiaki Kato. Finally, The Third Enclosure, which was the largest one in the castle, was built outside the Second Enclosure and surrounded by water moats for government offices and high-ranking warriors’ houses.

the Tower Grouping type Main Tower of Matsuyama Castle

Part of the Secret Picture of Kikaku Castle (another name of Matsuyama Castle) in 1864, from the signboard at the site

The Climbing Stone walls *of Matsuyama Castle*

After Yoshiaki was transferred in 1627, the Gamo Clan followed the castle construction, completing the Second Enclosure. The Hisamatsu-Matsudaira Clan followed the Gamo Clan in 1635 and continued the construction. It had been said the clan reduced the levels of the Main Tower from five to three for some reasons. According to the recent research, it was founded the Central Compound as the base of the tower was moved and renovated. It could be because the ground of the original compound was weak. It is possible that the first thing that the clan built was the three-tier main tower. The clan also completed the Third Enclosure by building another Main Hall in it in 1687.

The partially restored Second Enclosure of Matsuyama Castle

The present Third Enclosure of Matsuyama Castle

Restoring Main Tower and Trial during Meiji Restoration

Fortunately, no battle happened at this castle, however, other natural disasters hit the castle. In 1784, most of the buildings on the Central Compound including the Main Tower were burned down by a lightning fire. The Matsuyama Domain led by the Hisamatsu-Matsudaira Clan couldn’t afford rebuilding them. After a while, the domain somehow restore them in 1853 at the end of the Edo Period. The restored buildings are thought to have the same designs as the previous ones. That’s why the Main Tower of this castle is the newest Main Tower of the twelve remaining ones in Japan.

The remaining Main Tower of Matsuyama Castle was restored in 1853

The Hisamatsu-Matsudaira Clan originally used only Hisamatsu as their family name. However, the founder of the clan, Sadakatsu and that of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Ieyasu were brothers but with different fathers. For this reason, Sadakatsu was allowed to use the family name Matsudaira as a relative of the shogun. This had been fortune during the Edo Period, while unfortune during the Meiji Restoration when the shogunate was defeated. The clan had to support the shogunate and invade the territory of the Choshu Domain which would be a winner of the restoration. They feared the revenge of the Choshu which actually was coming to Matsuyama Castle and would destroy it. Then, the Tosa Domain led by the Yamanouchi Clan, which had a close relationship with Hisamatsu-Matsudaira Clan, saved it. The domain troops intentionally occupied the castle before the Choshu troops arrived to avoid the Choshu doing anything without permission.

The Main Tower of Matsuyama Castle, seen from the ruins of Yuzuki Castle

To be continued in “Matsuyama Castle Part2”

80.Yuzuki Castle Part3

The castle ruins were saved by the decision of Ehime Prefecture.

Features

Great View from Top of Hill

Of course, you can climb up to the top of the hill, which is called the Hondan (like the Main Enclosure) which is now used as the observation platform. You can find a few explanations of the castle there because the excavation team didn’t find any relics. However, you can enjoy a view of Matsuyama Castle and the Dogo Spring Spot Town from the same platform. In fact, in the first 17th Century, Takatora Todo, who shared Iyo Province with his rival, Yoshiaki Kato, once used the abandoned Yuzuki Castle to monitor Matsuyama Castle which Yoshiaki built. Takatora would have seen the same view as we see now from Yuzuki Castle.

The aerial photo around the castle

The top called Hondan with the observation platform

The portrait of Takatora Todo, private owned *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Later History

In 1888 during the Meiji Era, Ehime Prefecture opened the Dogo Park at the ruins of Yuzuki Castle. The park became popular when a zoo opened in the park in 1953. However, the zoo was moved to another site in 1987 because of two issues. One was because of the bad odor, and another was because of the noise in the city area. The research of the Yuzuki Castle Ruins was done in the former area of the zoo before being turned into a modern Japanese garden. Plenty of relics were discovered in a good condition. Therefore, the prefecture reversed its decision to turn the ruins into a historical park in 1990. The restoration of Yuzuki Castle started in 1998 based on the results of the excavation and the examples of other sites like Ichijodani Castle before its eventual completion in 2001. the ruins were finally designated as a National Historic Site in 2002.

The remaining Inner Moat surrounded by the earthen walls

The flags of Yuzuki Castle at the entrance

My Impression

I didn’t know if Yuzuki Castle would have survived because of its severe history. I’m grateful for the prefecture’s decision to preserve them because no one would have remembered the history of Iyo Provence before Matsuyama Castle. The Dogo Park including the ruins has a good atmosphere. I recommend walking around the park as well as the town of the Dogo Hot Spring nearby where you can see other traditional buildings such as the Isaniwa Shrine and the Dogo Onsen Honkan bathhouse.

The Isaniwa Shrine (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

How to get There

If you want to visit the ruins by car, it is about 20 minutes away from Matsuyama IC on the Matsuyama Expressway. The Dogo Park offers parking lots.
By public transportation, take the tram in front of JR Matsuyama Station and get off at the Dogo-koen station.
If you go there from Tokyo or Osaka, I recommend traveling by plane or using an express bus.

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Yuzuki Castle Part1”
Back to “Yuzuki Castle Part2”

80.Yuzuki Castle Part2

The beauty between the Inner and Outer Moats of Yuzuki Castle was restored.

Features

Entrance of Castle Ruins

Today, the ruins of Yuzuki Castle have been developed as the Dogo Park. The western and southern parts of it are the restored area. The western entrance, which was originally used as the back gate, looks like the front gate now. If you go across the earthen bridge over to the Outer Moat to enter the inside of the earthen walls, you may feel like you are inside a medieval castle. You can first visit the Yuzuki Castle Museum near the entrance to learn more about the history of the Kono Clan and how the area was first developed.

The aerial photo around the castle

The entrance of Yuzuki Castle Ruins (the Dogo Park)

Restored Warrior’s House

Next to the museum in the western part, which is a middle-class warrior’s house, including the gate and mud walls in front of it, was restored. If you enter the house, you will see its interior was also restored because the layout was discovered by the excavation team. There are five mannequins representing people who once lived in the castle enjoying a poetry party in the meeting room, while another mannequin is preparing a meal and tea in the kitchen.

You can visit the other restored warrior’s house with the exhibition room inside. The reason for this is the original layout of it is not clear to see even though the excavation was already done.

High-class Warriors’ Residential Area

The southern part was originally used as a Japanese garden as well as the residential areas for the high-class warriors. You can now see the diagram on the lawn of how the residential were back then. The wild rocks of the hill still face where the garden was used to be, so the rocks might have been used as a natural scenery for the garden. I recommend seeing the Inner Moat with the earthen walls nearby.

The former residential areas for the high-class warriors

Unique Earthen Wall Exhibition Room

As for the earthen walls beside the Outer Moat, there is the exhibition room showing the earthen walls, inside them. You can see the original cutout model of the walls confirming how the excavation team penetrated, and explanation for them. This model was taken when the excavation was done and used to visualize how other earthen walls would have been restored. It is very interesting and easy to understand how great the construction was.

The exhibition room in the earthen walls along the Outer Moat

The original cutout model of the walls in the room

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