Marugame Castle
| Marugame Castle | |
|---|---|
丸亀城 | |
| Ichibancho, Marugame-shi, Kagawa-ken 763-0025 Japan | |
  | |
  Marugame Castle  Marugame Castle | |
| Coordinates | 34°17′10.63″N 133°48′0.35″E / 34.2862861°N 133.8000972°E |
| Type | Hirayamashiro (hilltop castle) |
| Height | Thee stories (tenshu) |
| Site history | |
| Built by | Nara Motoyasu |
| In use | 1587–1615; 1644–1945 |
| Materials | Earth, stone, and wood |
Marugame Castle (丸亀城, Marugame-jō) is an
Tokugawa Shogunate. The castle site has been protected as a National Historic Site since 1953.[1] Marugame Castle is one of only a dozen Japanese castles to have an original wooden 'tenshu' built before 1860.[2]
History
Marugame Castle is located on Kameyama hill at the center of the city of Marugame, in western
Chosokabe clan due to the fluctuating balance of power in the region. However, the clan was dispossessed when the area was conquered by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the Sengoku period. Hideyoshi awarded all of Sanuki Province to Ikoma Chikamasa in 1587..[3] Chikamasa first made his stronghold at Hiketa Castle, but it was inconveniently located at the eastern edge of Sanuki, and built Takamatsu Castle in a more central location to be his seat. For control of western Sanuki, he started construction of a castle at Kameyama hill and named it "Marugame Castle". He turned this castle over to his son, Ikoma Kazumasa.[4] At the time of the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Chikamasa continued to support Ishida Mitsunari and the Western Army loyal to the Toyotomi clan; however, he sent his son Kazumasa to join Tokugawa Ieyasu's Eastern Army so that the clan would survive no matter what the outcome. After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate
, the Ikoma clan were confirmed in their holdings in Sanuki Province. In 1615, the shogunate issued the Ikkoku Ichijōj law which allowed each domain only one castle. As the seat of the Ikoma clan was Takamatsu Castle, Marugame Castle had to be abolished.
In 1640, the Ikoma clan was demoted to
daimyō palace and the Inui Yagura turret.[5] In 1870, the outer moats were filled in and in 1872 the remaining castle structures were placed on public auction for demolition. However, the auction was cancelled by order of the Imperial Japanese Army, which laid claim to the castle site for use by the newly formed IJA 12th Infantry Regiment. In 1876 the remaining yagura turrets and most of the remaining walls were destroyed, but the tenshu and central portion of the castle were preserved. This area was opened to the public in 1919 as "Kameyama Park", and in 1933, the Enjukan, a villa owned by the Kyōgoku clan in the castle town was relocated to its current site within the San-no-maru Bailey. The moats were reclaimed in 1948. The Marugame City Museum, which exhibits historical materials related to Marugame Castle and the Kyōgoku clan opened in 1972.[6]
Marugame Castle was listed as one of
Japan's Top 100 Castles by the Japan Castle Foundation in 2006.[7]
The castle is located a 15 minute walk from then
JR Shikoku Yosan Line Marugame Station
.
Cultural Properties
- The Tenshu (天守) of Marugame Castle has been protected as an Important Cultural Property since 1943[8]
- The Ote Ichi-no-mon (丸亀城 大手一の門) is a masugata-style gate built in 1670. It has been protected as an Important Cultural Property since 1957[9]
- The Ote Ni-no-mon (丸亀城 大手二の門) is a masugata-style gate built in 1670. It has been protected as an Important Cultural Property since 1957[10]
See also
Gallery
-
Marugame Castle tenshu -
View from Ote Ni-no-mon -
Ote Ni-no-mon -
Ote Ichi-no-mon (right) Ote Ni-no-Mon (left) -
Goten front gate and Tenshu -
Marugame Castle stone walls
References
- ^ "丸亀城跡". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ Marugame City Official Website Tourism
- ^ "Marugame Castle". Archived from the original on 2008-03-19. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
- ^ Kameyama Koen Park in Kagawa – attractions in Shikoku Japan Archived 2008-06-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Marugame Castle Archived 2008-03-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Marugame Castle :: Japan Visitor
- ^ Japan Castle Foundation
- ^ "丸亀城天守". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "丸亀城 大手一の門". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "丸亀城 大手二の門". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
Literature
- 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 Marugame Castle at Wikimedia Commons
- Official home page(in Japanese)
- Kagawa Prefectural Tourist Information(in Japanese)
- Marugame city home page (in Japanese)
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