Hamamatsu Castle
Hamamatsu Castle | |
---|---|
浜松城 | |
Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan | |
Coordinates | 34°42′42″N 137°43′30″E / 34.711802°N 137.724958°E |
Type | Japanese castle |
Height | Three stories |
Site information | |
Condition | Reconstructed, serves as a museum |
Site history | |
Built | Circa 1532, rebuilt 1958 |
Built by | Imagawa clan |
Materials | Wood, stone |
Hamamatsu Castle (浜松城, Hamamatsu-jō) is a replica hirayama-style Japanese castle. It was the seat of various fudai daimyō who ruled over Hamamatsu Domain, Tōtōmi Province, in what is now central Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate.[1] It is also called Shusse Castle (出世城, Shusse-jō).
Background
Hamamatsu is at the edge of Mikatagahara plateau in the center of Tōtōmi Province, and was from ancient times a
Layout
Hamamatsu Castle was approximately 500 meters north-south by 450 meters east-west. The location has few natural barriers, but the castle utilizes the natural slope of the Mikatagahara plateau, with the
History
Tokugawa Ieyasu spent 17 years at Hamamatsu Castle, from age 29 to 45. The Battle of Anegawa, Battle of Nagashino, and Battle of Komaki and Nagakute were all fought when Hamamatsu was his seat. After his defeated at the Battle of Mikatagahara, Ieyasu forced to retreat here for what he thought would be his final stand. However, the tide later turned for Ieyasu and he survived. He renamed Hikuma Castle "Hamamatsu Castle" in 1577.
Ieyasu relocated to
After the Battle of Sekigahara, the Horio clan was relocated to Izumo Province and Hamamatsu was briefly ruled by Tokugawa Yorinobu, followed by a succession of fudai daimyō through the remainder of the Edo period. Assignment to Hamamatsu was considered a very prestigious appointment due to the castle's association with Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. Most of the 25 daimyō who ruled Hamamatsu were assigned to Hamamatsu for only a short period, before being transferred to another domain, usually with a higher kokudaka ranking. Many also went on to hold high offices within the shogun administration, including five rōjū, two Kyoto Shoshidai, two Osaka jōdai and four Jisha-bugyō. For this reason, Hamamatsu Castle gained its nickname of Shusse Castle, meaning "Castle of promotion.
With the Meiji Restoration, the remaining military structures of the castle were destroyed, outer moats filled in, and outer baileys sold off. The central portion was retained by the city of Hamamatsu as a park after World War II
In 1958, a faux donjon was constructed out of reinforced concrete on top of the original stone palisade built by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The reconstructed structure has three stories with an observatory affording a view of the
Notes
- ISBN 1-57958-116-1.
- TripAdvisor.
- ^ "続日本100名城" (in Japanese). 日本城郭協会. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
References
- De Lange, William (2021). An Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles. Groningen: Toyo Press. pp. 600 pages. ISBN 978-9492722300.
- Schmorleitz, Morton S. (1974). Castles in Japan. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Co. pp. 144–145. ISBN 0-8048-1102-4.
- Motoo, Hinago (1986). Japanese Castles. Tokyo: Kodansha. p. 200 pages. ISBN 0-87011-766-1.
- Mitchelhill, Jennifer (2004). Castles of the Samurai: Power and Beauty. Tokyo: Kodansha. p. 112 pages. ISBN 4-7700-2954-3.
- Turnbull, Stephen (2003). Japanese Castles 1540–1640. Osprey Publishing. p. 64 pages. ISBN 1-84176-429-9.
External links
Media related to Hamamatsu Castle at Wikimedia Commons