View allAll Photos Tagged daimyo
An 8" Dunny custom. This is the same character as Pandashigaru, though now much later in his life and risen to the rank of Daimyo. Roaring the signal for the battle to begin.
This Catholic Church is a located near the ruins of Takayama Ukon's original church that was built in 1574.
Takayama Ukon (1552-1615) is one of the least understood yet one of the most controversial daimyō of the later part of Japan’s Sengoku (warring states) period. A devout Christian, Ukon was a darling of the Jesuits, and as a result, his overlord, the Toyotomi Hideyoshi, eyed his loyalties suspiciously, even though he had fought well on some his military campaigns. Ukon’s original fief was in Takatsuki, located in present day Osaka, where he also had a castle. Ukon was a great propagator of his faith, converting his subjects to Catholicism—although some contest that many of these conversions were forced. The Samurai Archives Wiki states that 18,000 out of Takatsuki’s 25,000 inhabitants had been converted, and when Ukon was transferred from Takatsuki to his new fief of Akashi near Kobe in 1585. However, during Hideyoshi’s conquest of Kyushu, Hideyoshi’s suspicions of Ukon’s loyalties mounted and he was dispossessed of his fief. After taking refuge with another Christian daimyō, Konshi Yukinaga, Ukon eventually became a retainer of the powerful and influential Maeda Toshiie in 1588. Apparently, Toshiie trusted him. Persecution against Christianity only got worse, and in 1614, the Tokugawa banned the religion. Rather than give up his beliefs or fight for them, Ukon decided to go into exile in the Philippines in November of that year. A mere 40 days later, he died in Manila. It’s hard for me to make any judge Takayama Ukon. Was he a good daimyō? A brave general and not a coward as some have alleged? Did he actually force his citizens to convert to Christianity and persecute Buddhists? I honestly don’t know enough about him. All I can say is that he was a firm believer in his religious faith, and for this reason, he was lionized by his foreign Jesuit contemporaries and looked to as a historical hero by today’s Catholic community in Japan.
Now about the castle, Takatsuki-jō and its fief was ruled by the Nagai family during the Edo period. If you are a fan of the Bakumatsu period and know the history of Chōshū and the role that this domain played in overthrowing the Tokugawa Bakufu, then you may be familiar with the family name of “Nagai”. And if you look at the family crest of the Nagai of Takatsuki, you’d probably say it was identical to the crest of the Mōri, the ruling daimyō family of Chōshū. That’s because it is identical and the Nagai of Takatsuki are a branch of the Nagai of Chōshū, who were asked by the Tokugawa in 1649 to take over the reins of power in Takatsuki. The Nagai, starting with the first d daimyō, Nagamasa, ruled the area until 1869.
Takatsuki was an important commercial and transportation hub because it was between Osaka and Kyoto. The Saigoku road, which connected Nishinomiya (in Kobe) with Kyoto, went through the town as well as did the Yodo River. As a result, the castle was the largest in the Hokusetsu region of what now comprises the northern parts of the Osaka municipality. The Nagai gradually increased the size of the castle and expanded its moats outward from when it was a Sengoku period castle. The castle was about 630 meters long and 510 meters wide after the last round of expansion. Unfortunately, it was destroyed after the Meiji Restoration and the castle’s stone walls were smashed into rocks to be used for the rail bed that was built to connect Osaka with Kyoto.
Sources: Samurai Archives Samurai Wiki and the Takatsuki City’s Shiroato History Museum
Japan - Lions raised funds, purchased relief supplies and shipped the supplies to Fukushima.
Photos courtesy of Lion Shuichiro Tokunaga, Fukuoka Daimyo Lions Club in 337-A (Fukuoka)
The Omizuya (御水舎), or Sacred Fountain or Water House, features a tsukubai covered with an ornate Chinese style roof, was dedicated by Nabeshima Katsushige (鍋島勝茂), an Edo-era daimyo and lord of Saga-han in 1618. A sculpture of a dragons flying over waves is carved just underneath the roof. In accordance with Shintō practice, worshippers would practice ritual purification by rinsing their hands and mouth with the water from this basin.
Nikkō Tōshō-gū (日光東照宮) is a lavishly decorated shrine complex consisting of more than a dozen Shinto and Buddhist buildings set in a beautiful forest. It was initially built during the Edo period in 1617 by Tokugawa Hidetada (徳川 秀忠), the second shogun, as a simple mausoleum for his father, Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川 家康) (1543-1615), the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. Ieyasu was buried on Mount Kunozan on his death in 1616, but according to his testament, his remains were to be moved to their last resting place at Nikko. It was enlarged during the first half of the 187th century by Ieyasu’s grandson, Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川 家光), the third shogun. Some 15,000 craftsmen were employed on the construction of the Toshogu Shrine, most of them coming from Kyoto and Nara, where there was a great flowering of architecture at that period. The result was a complex of buildings with an over-lavish profusion of decoration, incorporating all the sumptuousness of the preceding Momoyama period.
Today the shrine is dedicated to the spirits of of Ieyasu and two other of Japan's most influential historical personalities—Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣 秀吉) (1536-1598), a daimyo (territorial lord) in the Sengoku period who unified political factions of Japan; and Minamoto no Yorimoto (源 頼朝) (1147-1199), the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199.
Together with Rinnō-ji and Futarasan Shrine, Tōshō-gū forms the Shrines and Temples of Nikkō UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Takamori Saigo was one of the most famous samurai in Japanese history, a towering figure both figuratively and literally, playing a major role in the ending of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Meiji Restoration. In the West, he is famously the "Last Samurai", the basis for a Tom Cruise film.
A high-ranking if poor samurai of the Satsuma Domain, Saigo moved to Edo in 1854 only to go through a confusing series of political manufacturings in the shogunate, being alternatively banished and recalled. Finally in 1864 the daimyo of Satsuma sent him to the court of the emperor in Kyoto. There, he allied his forces with those of the Aizu Domain, and together they defended the Imperial Palace against the rebellious Chōshū Domain forces, then counterattacked. However he secretly began negotiating with the rebels, and when the second Chōshū expedition was launched Satsuma remained neutral. In 1867, Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigned, paving the way for the Meiji Restoration. However Saigo refused a negotiated end to the Tokugawas, leading to the Boshin War. Saigo led the Imperial forces to victory at Battle of Toba–Fushimi, then seized Edo, which was renamed Tokyo, ending the last major battle here at Ueno.
Saigo helped set up the new Japanese government, calling for the end of the han system and the establishment of a conscript national army. In 1871 he was left in charge of the caretaker government during the Iwakura Mission. However the samurai was quite conservative outside of military goals; he famously opposed the construction of a railway network, unsuccessfully insisting the money go to the military instead. Disputes increased over Korea; in the 1873 Seikanron Debate, Saigo advocated going to war over and annexing Korea for refusing to recognize the legitimacy of the Emperor Meiji as head of state of the Empire of Japan and other insults. Saigo proposed the war would allow the declining samurai class to die gloriously in battle, and further that he could go personally to Korea and incite a casus belli by behaving so obnoxiously that the Koreans would be forced to kill him. Rebuffed, Takamori Saigo resigned from the Japanese government and returned to Satsuma.
At his hometown Saigo set up a private military academy, which soon began attracting opponents of the new regime, including thousands of now unemployed samurai who had just had their rice stipends removed. With outbreaks of rebellion occurring throughout Japan, the government decided to seize the weapons from Satsuma. This sparked the Satsuma Rebellion, the bloodiest of the wars of the Meiji Restoration. Though dismayed by the outbreak, Saigo reluctantly agreed to lead the revolt. Though his army quickly rose to 20000 troops, many trained and armed in European weaponry, Saigo was stopped at the Siege of Kumamoto Castle. Government reinforcements quickly moved in, and Saigo was defeated at Tabaruzaka by the sheer weight of numbers. As they began losing men and equipment, the Satsuma rebels were increasingly forced to re-utilize swords and other ancient weaponry. Finally at the Battle of Shiroyama, Saigo's last remaining 500 samurai were trapped and annihilated by 30000 government troops. Takamori Saigō was mortally wounded and committed seppuku, and the last remaining samurai, armed only with swords were killed in suicide charges at the government lines.
After his death, Takamori Saigō became a folk hero, with many holding him to be a paragon of the samurai code, and others claiming that he would return from exile to retake Japan in times of injustice. Faced with overriding popularity, the government posthumously pardoned him. This famed statue, erected in 1898, depicts Saigo in a hunting uniform with a dog in Ueno Park.
Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan
As a review for those who may have stumbled upon this image without having seen the other photos and descriptions, here is a brief description of Honjin (本陣), Waki Honjin (脇本陣) and Hatago (旅籠) in English that I wrote when I first started my walking/cycling trip.
Honjin (本陣) were designated Inns at which Daimyo would stay while traveling to or from Yedo (Edo/Tokyo). These Inns were typically the homes of Town Heads, Merchants or other Wealthy individuals who had both the space as well as the alternate income to support the Daimyo and his attendants' stay. As a designated Inn, only Daimyo were permitted to stay. Regular travelers, regardless of their status or money available to them, could not lodge at a Honjin. This meant that the owner of the Honjin could typically only really make money between March and May, as Daimyo were required to change residence to or from Yedo (Edo/Tokyo) in April. Even then, Daimyo would many times use "loans" and "favors" to stay instead of cold, hard cash. Without the second income, the Honjin would have found themselves in Bankruptcy quite quickly.
Below Honjin were Waki Honjin (脇本陣),, or back up quarters. These were used when two Daimyo arrived to the same Post Town (Shukuba) on the same night. The higher ranked Daimyo would of course stay at the Honjin, while the lower ranking would stay at the Waki Honjin. These back up quarters were also used for a High Ranking Daimyo's Chief Retainers when his entourage could not all remain at the Honjin, or by regular travelers of high enough status or large enough wallets.
Below Waki Honjin were Hatago (旅籠), or Travel Stops. They originated as places to obtain food stuffs, etc. for travelers and their horses, but became a sort of low tier place to stay (much like a "Business Hotel" of today) at each of the Post Towns. Daimyo and Chief Retainers would never be found staying at a location such as this, but Lower Ranked Retainers and Common Travelers often used the inexpensive locations to rest and keep the elements, like rain, (hopefully?) from falling on their heads as they slept.
At its peak, the Old Tokaido is said to have had 111 Honjin, 68 Waki Honjin and 2,905 Hatago. Most Honjin have been long since converted to schools, hospitals, town offices, (increasingly) parking lots, etc. because of the space they afforded and the cost it would require to maintain such luxurious surroundings in today's Japan. A few have survived as Museums, however. Many Hatago, on the other hand, are still functioning as small Inns or Ryokan that can even be considered quite expensive to stay (for the sake of nostalgia?).
Matsumoto Castle (松本城, Matsumoto-jō?) is one of Japan's finest historic castles. It is located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture and is within easy reach of Tokyo by road or rail.
The keep (tenshukaku), which was completed in the late 16th century, maintains its original wooden interiors and external stonework. It is listed as a National Treasure of Japan.
Matsumoto Castle is a flatland castle (hirajiro) because it is not built on a hilltop or amid rivers, but on a plain. Its complete defences would have included an extensive system of inter-connecting walls, moats and gatehouses.
In 1872, following the Meiji Restoration, the site, like many former daimyos' castles, was sold at auction for redevelopment. However, when news broke that the keep was going to be demolished, an influential figure from Matsumoto, Ichikawa Ryōzō, along with residents from Matsumoto started a campaign to save the building. Their efforts were rewarded when the tower was acquired by the city government.[1]
In the late Meiji period the keep started to lean to one side. An old picture (shown below) clearly shows how the keep looked like then. It was because of neglect coupled with a structural defect, but a lot of people believed the story of Tada Kasuke's curse[2].
A local high school principal, Kobayashi Unari, decided to renovate the castle and appealed for funds. [3] The castle underwent "the great Meiji renovation" between 1903-1913[4]. It underwent another renovation "the great Shōwa renovation" in the period 1950-1955[5].
In 1990, the Kuromon-Ninomon (second gate of the Black Gate) and sodebei (side wall) were reconstructed. The square drum gate was reconstructed in 1999.
There is a plan for restoring the soto-bori(outer moat) which was reclaimed for a residential zone[6].
[edit] History
The castle's origins go back to the Sengoku period. At that time Shimadachi Sadanaga of the Ogasawara clan built a fort on this site in 1504 which was originally called Fukashi Castle. In 1550 it came under the rule of the Takeda clan and then Tokugawa Ieyasu.
When Toyotomi Hideyoshi transferred Ieyasu to the Kantō region, he placed Ishikawa Norimasa in charge of Matsumoto. Norimasa and his son Yasunaga built the tower and other parts of the castle, including the three towers: the keep and the small tower in the northwest, both begun in 1590, and the Watari Tower; the residence; the drum gate; the black gate, the Tsukimi Yagura, the moat, the innermost bailey, the second bailey, the third bailey, and the sub-floors in the castle, much as they are today. They were also instrumental in laying out the castle town and its infrastructure. It is believed much of the castle was completed by 1593–94.
During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate established the Matsumoto Domain, of which the Matsudaira, Mizuno and others were the daimyo.
For the next 280 years until the abolition of the feudal system in the Meiji Restoration, the castle was ruled by the 23 lords of Matsumoto representing six different daimyo families. In this period the stronghold was also known as Crow Castle (烏城, Karasu-jo?) because its black walls and roofs looked like spreading wings.
In 1952 the keep, Inui-ko-tenshu (small northern tower), Watari-yagura (roofed passage), Tatsumi-tsuke-yagura (southern wing), and Tsukimi-yagura (moon-viewing room) were designated as national treasures.
The second floor of the main keep features a gun museum, Teppo Gura, with a collection of guns, armor and other weapons.
"'In the Edo Period, the samurai (warrior class) still held power in Japan. Samurai mainly belonged to clans that were led by daimyo (warlords). However, from time to time, these warriors were rendered mater-less. These mater-less samurai were known as Ronin. Our Ronin wears hakama; a type of pleated pants that are a staple of kimono attire for men. They were originally invented to protect the legs of samurai as they rode their horses, but they became a badge of honour for the warriors. You see, they restrict the movement of the wearer somewhat. The ability not only to fight, but to kill while wearing this cumbersome article of clothing was seen as a testament to the samurai’s skill as a warrior."
Photo courtesy of: Jerry Fei Photography JerryFei.com
Japanese
Lacquered iron, gilt copper, stenciled leather, silk
Kamakura period, 13th century (helmet bowl); remounted in the late 17th or early 18th century
During the Edo period (1617-1868), there was a conscious revival of medieval armor fashions of which this helmet is an instructive example. The helmet bowl, a treasured relic of the 13th century, was remounted in the late 17th or early 18th century with a modern brim and neck guard of appropriate 13th century style. The helmet was certainly made to accompany an armor of medieval yoroi fashion. The metal fittings on the helmet include the badge of the Hota family, daimyo of Sakura.
This heron was perching on a stone in a pond in the honmaru area of Osaka Castle.
Osaka Castle has a long and storied history. It all began in 1496 when the priest Rennyo built a small temple called the Ishiyama Gobo on the grounds of the present-day castle. In 1533, the Hongan-ji temple moved from Yamashina in Kyoto to Osaka and made the Osaka location its head temple. As Japan plunged deeper into the chaos of civil war, the Ishiyama Hongan-ji grew in spiritual, political, economic and military power, challenging the rule of daimyo and led many popular military revolts. This Buddhist temple had become a center of military might that stood in Oda Nobuanga’s path of unifying Japan and in 1570, full-scale war broke out between him and the warrior monks. After 10 long years of siege and fighting, the temple finally surrendered to the Oda, and Nobunaga ordered that the temple and its remaining fortifications be burnt to the ground in 1580. Three years later, with Nobunaga dead and Hideyoshi starting to consolidate his power, he chose Osaka as his base and began building a castle on the ruins of the Ishiyama Hongan-ji compound. The main keep was completed in 1585 and was considered the largest, most splendid and impregnable fortress of its day. In 1599, a year after the death of Hideyoshi, his son and heir, Hideyori, along with his mother Yodo, permanently moved into Osaka Castle from Fushimi Castle in Kyoto.
By 1614, it was clear that the Tokugawa were spoiling for a fight with the Toyotomi as they wanted to eliminate any threat that Hideyori could mount from this massive castle. Therefore, in the winter of that year, Ieyasu and his son, Hidetada (now Shogun) launched the winter siege of Osaka. It was a fairly inconclusive affair, but as one of the terms of peace and as a goodwill gesture towards the Tokugawa, Hideyori agreed to fill in the outer moat. However, the Tokugawa forces started filling in the inner moat, severely weakening the castle’s defenses. It was only a matter of time before fighting broke out again under these conditions, and in the summer of 1615, the Tokugawa coalition once again laid siege to the castle. After some heavy and dramatic fighting in which western artillery was used against the castle, Hideyori and Yodo committed suicide when it became clear that all was lost and the castle’s main keep erupted in flames and was completely destroyed. After two major sieges and the final fire, the castle grounds were a heap of ruins.
However, Osaka was an important economic and political center and in 1620, the Tokugawa Shogunate decided to rebuild the castle. In 1626, a new white-colored main keep was built, symbolizing a new age for the castle. In the Toyotomi period, the color of the keep had been black. By 1629 the remaining structures were completed. Bad luck continued to dog the castle and in 1665 lightning struck the main keep and it was destroyed. Through the years, lightning would damage other turrets and structures. I868 also proved to be a disastrous year for Osaka Castle as this was the year of the Meiji Restoration. Following the defeat of the Shogunal forces at nearby Toba-Fushimi, the Tokugawa commanders based at the mighty fortress of Osaka decided to make a stand against the forces of Satsuma and Chōshū. During the fighting, much of the castle fell to the torch and the charred scars of this fiery tragedy are still visible on many of the Castle’s stone walls.
In 1931, with civilian donations, Osaka Castle’s main tower was rebuilt for a third time and the castle became home to a regional HQ for Japan’s Imperial Army. This was a bad move, as this made the castle a legitimate military target for US bombers and attack aircraft in the closing months of World War II. Many surviving turrets from the Edo period and other historical were bombed or burned to bits. In the 1950s, Osaka Castle and many of its structures were designated Important Cultural Properties and the entire site was designated an Important Historical Property by the central government.
Daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who succeeded Oda Nobunaga, was well-known for his unification of Japan, helping to bring to an end the Sengoku, or Warring States period.
At the age of 50, he finally fathered his only son, Sutemaru, or Tsurumatsu. The little boy must have well-loved and anticipated, as the only heir of Toyotomi, meant to carry on his dynasty. Sadly, this small prince only lived just over two years, dying in September 1591. The beauty and richness of the Momoyama period are shown here, in these items a rich and all powerful warlord bestowed upon his son.
From the Tokyo National exhibit Masterpieces of the Zen Culture from Myoshinji, February 2009.
Owned by Toyotomi Sutemaru (1598-5191).
Azuchi-Momoyama period, 16th century.
Domaru armor; 22.3 cm
This child's armor is of the domaru type, closed on the right side with cord.
This armor is covered with white figured silk twill (aya silk). It is embroidered with turtles, cranes, bamboo, pines and chrysanthemums.
Myoushinji Temple.
A scenery with Kōbuntei house.
奥にある建物は「好文亭（こうぶんてい）」
[ English ]
www.koen.pref.ibaraki.jp/foreign_language/en/index.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kairaku-en
[ Japanese ]
www.koen.pref.ibaraki.jp/park/kairakuen01.html
ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%81%95%E6%A5%BD%E5%9C%92
www.facebook.com/kairakuenpark
偕楽園・茨城県水戸市見川
撮影：河野利彦（2012/11）
Kakegawa Castle, strategically located along the old Tōkaidō Road in Shizuoka prefecture, is in the heart of one of Japan’s best tea cultivation centers. The peaceful atmosphere that prevails through the area wasn’t always so. Shizuoka prefecture used to be formally a part of Tōtōmi province, in a region known as the Enshū area, which was hotly contested by various warlords during Japan’s Sengoku warring states period that lasted from roughly 1477-1600. The first castle on the site of the present Kakegawa-jō was built in the late 15th century by Asahina Yasuhiro, a retainer of the house of Imagawa, which consolidated its hold over Tōtōmi during and after the Ōnin War (1467–1477). The Ashina continued to hold the castle on behalf of the Imagawa until shortly after their spectacular defeat at Okehazama in 1560. As the Imagawa faded into obscurity, Tōtōmi was carved into two spheres of influence controlled by the competing Tokugawa and Takeda families. The Ashina surrendered Kakegawa Castle to the Tokugawa in 1568.
After the Tokugawa switched fiefs and moved to the Kantō area in 1590, Kakegawa Castle was given by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to his retainer, Yamauchi Kazutoyo, who built up the castle and the town until he was given the domain of Tosa on the island of Shikoku following the battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Following the departure of the Yamauchi, various daimyo held the castle until it was given to the Ōta clan in 1746 who held it until the abolishment of the feudal system in 1872. The main keep that Yamanouchi Kazutoyo built was destroyed in an earthquake in 1604 and was rebuilt. However, another major quake rocked the region in 1854 and destroyed much of the castle, including the keep, which was not rebuilt. Following that quake, the daimyo at the time, Ōta Sukekatsu, rebuilt the wonderful ninomaru (second bailey) palace, which survives to this day. In 1994, using traditional methods and made of wood and stone (no concrete!).
For more information about this and other Japanese castles, check out the website Japanese Castle Explorer, run by my Flickr friend Daniel O'Grady at www.japanese-castle-explorer.com
This is a great castle and the ninomaru palace is just as equally fascinating. I highly recommend visiting this site if you are ever in western Shizuoka.
Arquebuses were generally carried by ashigaru, or low-ranking foot soldiers. Some samurai criticized firearms for their ability to do harm from a distance with relatively little training (compared to sword fighting, for instance) as cowardly and therefore immoral. They were, however, used in battle to great effect by some of the more progressive daimyo (regional lords) during the 16th century.
The Omizuya (御水舎), or Sacred Fountain or Water House, features a tsukubai covered with an ornate Chinese style roof, was dedicated by Nabeshima Katsushige (鍋島勝茂), an Edo-era daimyo and lord of Saga-han in 1618. A sculpture of a dragons flying over waves is carved just underneath the roof. In accordance with Shintō practice, worshippers would practice ritual purification by rinsing their hands and mouth with the water from this basin.
Nikkō Tōshō-gū (日光東照宮) is a lavishly decorated shrine complex consisting of more than a dozen Shinto and Buddhist buildings set in a beautiful forest. It was initially built during the Edo period in 1617 by Tokugawa Hidetada (徳川 秀忠), the second shogun, as a simple mausoleum for his father, Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川 家康) (1543-1615), the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. Ieyasu was buried on Mount Kunozan on his death in 1616, but according to his testament, his remains were to be moved to their last resting place at Nikko. It was enlarged during the first half of the 187th century by Ieyasu’s grandson, Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川 家光), the third shogun. Some 15,000 craftsmen were employed on the construction of the Toshogu Shrine, most of them coming from Kyoto and Nara, where there was a great flowering of architecture at that period. The result was a complex of buildings with an over-lavish profusion of decoration, incorporating all the sumptuousness of the preceding Momoyama period.
Today the shrine is dedicated to the spirits of of Ieyasu and two other of Japan's most influential historical personalities—Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣 秀吉) (1536-1598), a daimyo (territorial lord) in the Sengoku period who unified political factions of Japan; and Minamoto no Yorimoto (源 頼朝) (1147-1199), the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199.
Together with Rinnō-ji and Futarasan Shrine, Tōshō-gū forms the Shrines and Temples of Nikkō UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This is a scene depicting a daimyo procession for sankin kōtai, the system of alternate attendence in which Japanese feudal lords would have to spend one compulsory year in the Shogun's capital of Edo and the next back in their home domain.
This is a diorama at the Futagawa Honjin Museum in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture.
Futagawa is a post town in the province of Mikawa (present day Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture) Futagawa, if you were approaching it from Edo, was the 33rd of 53 post towns along the Tōkaidō Road. In its hey-day, the town hosted one honjin inn for daimyo, imperial messengers and other people of importance and 30 hatago inns for other travelers.
The sengoku period daimyo often referred to as the one-eyed dragon, Date Masamune. He controlled the area that is now known as Sendai in the northeastern portion of Japan. Although he played a large role in the Korean invasions under Hideyoshi, he allied himself with the Tokugawa after Hideyoshi's death. Apart from being a fearless warrior, he was also known for his compassion and loyalty.
Osaka-jo is a re-creation of what was once a much larger complex, and home to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the three great unifiers of Japan. Prior to this area being Osaka Castle, it was the site of the Hongan-ji citadel, a nearly impenetrable fortress built by monks who unwisely went up against Oda Nobunaga. The donjon area you see today dates back to 1931, while the original Osaka-jo was completed in 1586. It was destroyed/damaged and re-built several times between 1615 and the days of WWII.
Osaka Castle. Chuo-ku, Osaka.
Kennyo (1543-1592) was head of the powerful Ishiyama Hongan-ji Buddhist Temple that was backed by legions of soldiers and warrior monks that challenged daimyo and waged a 10 year war against Oda Nobunaga between 1570-1580.
Photo taken inside the Osaka Museum of History.
Osaka Castle has a long and storied history. It all began in 1496 when the priest Rennyo built a small temple called the Ishiyama Gobo on the grounds of the present-day castle. In 1533, the Hongan-ji temple moved from Yamashina in Kyoto to Osaka and made the Osaka location its head temple. As Japan plunged deeper into the chaos of civil war, the Ishiyama Hongan-ji grew in spiritual, political, economic and military power, challenging the rule of daimyo and led many popular military revolts. This Buddhist temple had become a center of military might that stood in Oda Nobuanga’s path of unifying Japan and in 1570, full-scale war broke out between him and the warrior monks. After 10 long years of siege and fighting, the temple finally surrendered to the Oda, and Nobunaga ordered that the temple and its remaining fortifications be burnt to the ground in 1580. Three years later, with Nobunaga dead and Hideyoshi starting to consolidate his power, he chose Osaka as his base and began building a castle on the ruins of the Ishiyama Hongan-ji compound. The main keep was completed in 1585 and was considered the largest, most splendid and impregnable fortress of its day. In 1599, a year after the death of Hideyoshi, his son and heir, Hideyori, along with his mother Yodo, permanently moved into Osaka Castle from Fushimi Castle in Kyoto.
By 1614, it was clear that the Tokugawa were spoiling for a fight with the Toyotomi as they wanted to eliminate any threat that Hideyori could mount from this massive castle. Therefore, in the winter of that year, Ieyasu and his son, Hidetada (now Shogun) launched the winter siege of Osaka. It was a fairly inconclusive affair, but as one of the terms of peace and as a goodwill gesture towards the Tokugawa, Hideyori agreed to fill in the outer moat. However, the Tokugawa forces started filling in the inner moat, severely weakening the castle’s defenses. It was only a matter of time before fighting broke out again under these conditions, and in the summer of 1615, the Tokugawa coalition once again laid siege to the castle. After some heavy and dramatic fighting in which western artillery was used against the castle, Hideyori and Yodo committed suicide when it became clear that all was lost and the castle’s main keep erupted in flames and was completely destroyed. After two major sieges and the final fire, the castle grounds were a heap of ruins.
However, Osaka was an important economic and political center and in 1620, the Tokugawa Shogunate decided to rebuild the castle. In 1626, a new white-colored main keep was built, symbolizing a new age for the castle. In the Toyotomi period, the color of the keep had been black. By 1629 the remaining structures were completed. Bad luck continued to dog the castle and in 1665 lightning struck the main keep and it was destroyed. Through the years, lightning would damage other turrets and structures. I868 also proved to be a disastrous year for Osaka Castle as this was the year of the Meiji Restoration. Following the defeat of the Shogunal forces at nearby Toba-Fushimi, the Tokugawa commanders based at the mighty fortress of Osaka decided to make a stand against the forces of Satsuma and Chōshū. During the fighting, much of the castle fell to the torch and the charred scars of this fiery tragedy are still visible on many of the Castle’s stone walls.
In 1931, with civilian donations, Osaka Castle’s main tower was rebuilt for a third time and the castle became home to a regional HQ for Japan’s Imperial Army. This was a bad move, as this made the castle a legitimate military target for US bombers and attack aircraft in the closing months of World War II. Many surviving turrets from the Edo period and other historical were bombed or burned to bits. In the 1950s, Osaka Castle and many of its structures were designated Important Cultural Properties and the entire site was designated an Important Historical Property by the central government.
You know Japan is truly in the middle of a Sengoku history boom when they start selling bath salts themed (or even scented?) with famous daimyo from the period. The Sengoku boom is being fueled by young women, believe it or not, many of whom have developed "things" for various warlords and other famous samurai from the period based on how they are portrayed in manga, TV dramas and video games. Yes, video games. The game "Sengoku Basara" from a few years back is credited with really helping to turn the growing wave of interest in the Sengoku period, particularly among young women, into a pop culture tsunami.
Takayama Ukon (1552-1615) is one of the least understood yet one of the most controversial daimyō of the later part of Japan’s Sengoku (warring states) period. A devout Christian, Ukon was a darling of the Jesuits, and as a result, his overlord, the Toyotomi Hideyoshi, eyed his loyalties suspiciously, even though he had fought well on some his military campaigns. Ukon’s original fief was in Takatsuki, located in present day Osaka, where he also had a castle. Ukon was a great propagator of his faith, converting his subjects to Catholicism—although some contest that many of these conversions were forced. The Samurai Archives Wiki states that 18,000 out of Takatsuki’s 25,000 inhabitants had been converted, and when Ukon was transferred from Takatsuki to his new fief of Akashi near Kobe in 1585. However, during Hideyoshi’s conquest of Kyushu, Hideyoshi’s suspicions of Ukon’s loyalties mounted and he was dispossessed of his fief. After taking refuge with another Christian daimyō, Konshi Yukinaga, Ukon eventually became a retainer of the powerful and influential Maeda Toshiie in 1588. Apparently, Toshiie trusted him. Persecution against Christianity only got worse, and in 1614, the Tokugawa banned the religion. Rather than give up his beliefs or fight for them, Ukon decided to go into exile in the Philippines in November of that year. A mere 40 days later, he died in Manila. It’s hard for me to make any judge Takayama Ukon. Was he a good daimyō? A brave general and not a coward as some have alleged? Did he actually force his citizens to convert to Christianity and persecute Buddhists? I honestly don’t know enough about him. All I can say is that he was a firm believer in his religious faith, and for this reason, he was lionized by his foreign Jesuit contemporaries and looked to as a historical hero by today’s Catholic community in Japan.
Now about the castle, Takatsuki-jō and its fief was ruled by the Nagai family during the Edo period. If you are a fan of the Bakumatsu period and know the history of Chōshū and the role that this domain played in overthrowing the Tokugawa Bakufu, then you may be familiar with the family name of “Nagai”. And if you look at the family crest of the Nagai of Takatsuki, you’d probably say it was identical to the crest of the Mōri, the ruling daimyō family of Chōshū. That’s because it is identical and the Nagai of Takatsuki are a branch of the Nagai of Chōshū, who were asked by the Tokugawa in 1649 to take over the reins of power in Takatsuki. The Nagai, starting with the first d daimyō, Nagamasa, ruled the area until 1869.
Takatsuki was an important commercial and transportation hub because it was between Osaka and Kyoto. The Saigoku road, which connected Nishinomiya (in Kobe) with Kyoto, went through the town as well as did the Yodo River. As a result, the castle was the largest in the Hokusetsu region of what now comprises the northern parts of the Osaka municipality. The Nagai gradually increased the size of the castle and expanded its moats outward from when it was a Sengoku period castle. The castle was about 630 meters long and 510 meters wide after the last round of expansion. Unfortunately, it was destroyed after the Meiji Restoration and the castle’s stone walls were smashed into rocks to be used for the rail bed that was built to connect Osaka with Kyoto.
Sources: Samurai Archives Samurai Wiki and the Takatsuki City’s Shiroato History Museum
Kensō-ji is a Buddhist temple of the Sōtō Sect which was established in the hilly Azabu District in the suburbs of Edo in honor of Nabeshima Tadatsugu, son of Nabeshima Katsushige, after his death from smallpox in 1635. Katsushige was the first lord of Saga Domain in Hizen Province (modern day Kyūshū) and was a loyal general to the shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu. His son built the temple to serve as the Nabeshima bodaiji, or funerary temple. There is a large graveyard located behind Kensō-ji were the daimyō and direct relatives of the Nabeshima clan are interred. When Katsushige died in 1657, 7 of his most loyal retainers committed suicide in an act called 殉死 (junshi) in order to follow their master in death. Behind Katsushige's large grave, there are 7 stone monuments "attending" him in Buddhism's endless cycle of death and rebirth.
Osaka Castle has a long and storied history. It all began in 1496 when the priest Rennyo built a small temple called the Ishiyama Gobo on the grounds of the present-day castle. In 1533, the Hongan-ji temple moved from Yamashina in Kyoto to Osaka and made the Osaka location its head temple. As Japan plunged deeper into the chaos of civil war, the Ishiyama Hongan-ji grew in spiritual, political, economic and military power, challenging the rule of daimyo and led many popular military revolts. This Buddhist temple had become a center of military might that stood in Oda Nobuanga’s path of unifying Japan and in 1570, full-scale war broke out between him and the warrior monks. After 10 long years of siege and fighting, the temple finally surrendered to the Oda, and Nobunaga ordered that the temple and its remaining fortifications be burnt to the ground in 1580. Three years later, with Nobunaga dead and Hideyoshi starting to consolidate his power, he chose Osaka as his base and began building a castle on the ruins of the Ishiyama Hongan-ji compound. The main keep was completed in 1585 and was considered the largest, most splendid and impregnable fortress of its day. In 1599, a year after the death of Hideyoshi, his son and heir, Hideyori, along with his mother Yodo, permanently moved into Osaka Castle from Fushimi Castle in Kyoto.
By 1614, it was clear that the Tokugawa were spoiling for a fight with the Toyotomi as they wanted to eliminate any threat that Hideyori could mount from this massive castle. Therefore, in the winter of that year, Ieyasu and his son, Hidetada (now Shogun) launched the winter siege of Osaka. It was a fairly inconclusive affair, but as one of the terms of peace and as a goodwill gesture towards the Tokugawa, Hideyori agreed to fill in the outer moat. However, the Tokugawa forces started filling in the inner moat, severely weakening the castle’s defenses. It was only a matter of time before fighting broke out again under these conditions, and in the summer of 1615, the Tokugawa coalition once again laid siege to the castle. After some heavy and dramatic fighting in which western artillery was used against the castle, Hideyori and Yodo committed suicide when it became clear that all was lost and the castle’s main keep erupted in flames and was completely destroyed. After two major sieges and the final fire, the castle grounds were a heap of ruins.
However, Osaka was an important economic and political center and in 1620, the Tokugawa Shogunate decided to rebuild the castle. In 1626, a new white-colored main keep was built, symbolizing a new age for the castle. In the Toyotomi period, the color of the keep had been black. By 1629 the remaining structures were completed. Bad luck continued to dog the castle and in 1665 lightning struck the main keep and it was destroyed. Through the years, lightning would damage other turrets and structures. I868 also proved to be a disastrous year for Osaka Castle as this was the year of the Meiji Restoration. Following the defeat of the Shogunal forces at nearby Toba-Fushimi, the Tokugawa commanders based at the mighty fortress of Osaka decided to make a stand against the forces of Satsuma and Chōshū. During the fighting, much of the castle fell to the torch and the charred scars of this fiery tragedy are still visible on many of the Castle’s stone walls.
In 1931, with civilian donations, Osaka Castle’s main tower was rebuilt for a third time and the castle became home to a regional HQ for Japan’s Imperial Army. This was a bad move, as this made the castle a legitimate military target for US bombers and attack aircraft in the closing months of World War II. Many surviving turrets from the Edo period and other historical were bombed or burned to bits. In the 1950s, Osaka Castle and many of its structures were designated Important Cultural Properties and the entire site was designated an Important Historical Property by the central government.
Takayama Ukon (1552-1615) is one of the least understood yet one of the most controversial daimyō of the later part of Japan’s Sengoku (warring states) period. A devout Christian, Ukon was a darling of the Jesuits, and as a result, his overlord, the Toyotomi Hideyoshi, eyed his loyalties suspiciously, even though he had fought well on some his military campaigns. Ukon’s original fief was in Takatsuki, located in present day Osaka, where he also had a castle. Ukon was a great propagator of his faith, converting his subjects to Catholicism—although some contest that many of these conversions were forced. The Samurai Archives Wiki states that 18,000 out of Takatsuki’s 25,000 inhabitants had been converted, and when Ukon was transferred from Takatsuki to his new fief of Akashi near Kobe in 1585. However, during Hideyoshi’s conquest of Kyushu, Hideyoshi’s suspicions of Ukon’s loyalties mounted and he was dispossessed of his fief. After taking refuge with another Christian daimyō, Konshi Yukinaga, Ukon eventually became a retainer of the powerful and influential Maeda Toshiie in 1588. Apparently, Toshiie trusted him. Persecution against Christianity only got worse, and in 1614, the Tokugawa banned the religion. Rather than give up his beliefs or fight for them, Ukon decided to go into exile in the Philippines in November of that year. A mere 40 days later, he died in Manila. It’s hard for me to make any judge Takayama Ukon. Was he a good daimyō? A brave general and not a coward as some have alleged? Did he actually force his citizens to convert to Christianity and persecute Buddhists? I honestly don’t know enough about him. All I can say is that he was a firm believer in his religious faith, and for this reason, he was lionized by his foreign Jesuit contemporaries and looked to as a historical hero by today’s Catholic community in Japan.
Now about the castle, Takatsuki-jō and its fief was ruled by the Nagai family during the Edo period. If you are a fan of the Bakumatsu period and know the history of Chōshū and the role that this domain played in overthrowing the Tokugawa Bakufu, then you may be familiar with the family name of “Nagai”. And if you look at the family crest of the Nagai of Takatsuki, you’d probably say it was identical to the crest of the Mōri, the ruling daimyō family of Chōshū. That’s because it is identical and the Nagai of Takatsuki are a branch of the Nagai of Chōshū, who were asked by the Tokugawa in 1649 to take over the reins of power in Takatsuki. The Nagai, starting with the first d daimyō, Nagamasa, ruled the area until 1869.
Takatsuki was an important commercial and transportation hub because it was between Osaka and Kyoto. The Saigoku road, which connected Nishinomiya (in Kobe) with Kyoto, went through the town as well as did the Yodo River. As a result, the castle was the largest in the Hokusetsu region of what now comprises the northern parts of the Osaka municipality. The Nagai gradually increased the size of the castle and expanded its moats outward from when it was a Sengoku period castle. The castle was about 630 meters long and 510 meters wide after the last round of expansion. Unfortunately, it was destroyed after the Meiji Restoration and the castle’s stone walls were smashed into rocks to be used for the rail bed that was built to connect Osaka with Kyoto.
Sources: Samurai Archives Samurai Wiki and the Takatsuki City’s Shiroato History Museum
The castle tower （平櫓、多聞櫓、太鼓櫓）.
Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima_Castle:
Hiroshima Castle (広島城, Hiroshima-jō), sometimes called Carp Castle (鯉城, Rijō), is a castle in Hiroshima, Japan that was the residence of the daimyō (feudal lord) of the Hiroshima Domain. The castle was originally constructed in the 1590s, but was largely destroyed by the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945. The main keep was rebuilt in 1958, a replica of the original that now serves as a museum of Hiroshima's history before World War II, and other castle buildings have been reconstructed since.
The castle buildings were originally constructed in wood, pine primarily, and the main keep had attached wings to the east and to the south. It was completed sometime between 1592 and 1599, and was designated a National Treasure in 1931. The reconstructed castle originally featured the main tower (tenshu) only, which is made primarily of reinforced concrete. Its five floors stand 26.6 meters (87 ft) above the stone foundation, which, in turn, is 12.4 meters (41 ft) high off the ground. However, in 1994, a gate and 3 yagura in the ninomaru were re-constructed out of wood using the original methods.
An excellent example of a hirajiro or flatlands (plains) castle, Hiroshima castle once had three concentric moats in addition to the Otagawa river to the west (now called the Hongawa), which provided an additional natural barrier. The two outer moats were filled in during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and much of what was once within the castle grounds is now modern urban area, including homes, schools, offices and shops. A number of secondary castle buildings, towers and turrets once stood, and a Shinto shrine called Hiroshima Gokoku Jinja is located within the innermost moat, having been moved there after 1945.
Within the castle walls, three trees survived the atomic bombing: a eucalyptus and a willow at approximately 740 m from the hypocenter, and a holly approximately 935 m from the hypocenter. Both specimens are preserved just beyond the Honmaru. Also located inside the Honmaru is the concrete bunker from which the first radio broadcast out of Hiroshima following the atomic bombing was made.
Takayama Ukon (1552-1615) is one of the least understood yet one of the most controversial daimyō of the later part of Japan’s Sengoku (warring states) period. A devout Christian, Ukon was a darling of the Jesuits, and as a result, his overlord, the Toyotomi Hideyoshi, eyed his loyalties suspiciously, even though he had fought well on some his military campaigns. Ukon’s original fief was in Takatsuki, located in present day Osaka, where he also had a castle. Ukon was a great propagator of his faith, converting his subjects to Catholicism—although some contest that many of these conversions were forced. The Samurai Archives Wiki states that 18,000 out of Takatsuki’s 25,000 inhabitants had been converted, and when Ukon was transferred from Takatsuki to his new fief of Akashi near Kobe in 1585. However, during Hideyoshi’s conquest of Kyushu, Hideyoshi’s suspicions of Ukon’s loyalties mounted and he was dispossessed of his fief. After taking refuge with another Christian daimyō, Konshi Yukinaga, Ukon eventually became a retainer of the powerful and influential Maeda Toshiie in 1588. Apparently, Toshiie trusted him. Persecution against Christianity only got worse, and in 1614, the Tokugawa banned the religion. Rather than give up his beliefs or fight for them, Ukon decided to go into exile in the Philippines in November of that year. A mere 40 days later, he died in Manila. It’s hard for me to make any judge Takayama Ukon. Was he a good daimyō? A brave general and not a coward as some have alleged? Did he actually force his citizens to convert to Christianity and persecute Buddhists? I honestly don’t know enough about him. All I can say is that he was a firm believer in his religious faith, and for this reason, he was lionized by his foreign Jesuit contemporaries and looked to as a historical hero by today’s Catholic community in Japan.
Now about the castle, Takatsuki-jō and its fief was ruled by the Nagai family during the Edo period. If you are a fan of the Bakumatsu period and know the history of Chōshū and the role that this domain played in overthrowing the Tokugawa Bakufu, then you may be familiar with the family name of “Nagai”. And if you look at the family crest of the Nagai of Takatsuki, you’d probably say it was identical to the crest of the Mōri, the ruling daimyō family of Chōshū. That’s because it is identical and the Nagai of Takatsuki are a branch of the Nagai of Chōshū, who were asked by the Tokugawa in 1649 to take over the reins of power in Takatsuki. The Nagai, starting with the first d daimyō, Nagamasa, ruled the area until 1869.
Takatsuki was an important commercial and transportation hub because it was between Osaka and Kyoto. The Saigoku road, which connected Nishinomiya (in Kobe) with Kyoto, went through the town as well as did the Yodo River. As a result, the castle was the largest in the Hokusetsu region of what now comprises the northern parts of the Osaka municipality. The Nagai gradually increased the size of the castle and expanded its moats outward from when it was a Sengoku period castle. The castle was about 630 meters long and 510 meters wide after the last round of expansion. Unfortunately, it was destroyed after the Meiji Restoration and the castle’s stone walls were smashed into rocks to be used for the rail bed that was built to connect Osaka with Kyoto.
Sources: Samurai Archives Samurai Wiki and the Takatsuki City’s Shiroato History Museum
Shunkō-in (春光院, Temple of the Ray of Spring Light) is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan and belongs to the Myōshin-ji (Temple of Excellent Mind) school, which is the largest among 14 Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhist schools. The temple was established in 1590 by Horio Yoshiharu, who was a feudal lord, or daimyō, of Matsue in present-day Shimane Prefecture. This temple houses important historical objects that reflect the multifaceted religious and artistic atmosphere in Japan from the sixteenth century onward.
The Bell of Nanban-ji is a Jesuit bell made in Portugal in 1577. The bell was used at Nanbanji Church, which was established by Jesuit Father Gnecchi-Soldo Organtino with the support of Oda Nobunaga in 1576. However, the church was destroyed in 1587 because Regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi made the first law against Christians in Japan. The Bell came to Shunkō-in during the Edo period. During World War II, the grandfather of the present vice-abbot buried the bell in the temple gardens to prevent destruction by the state authorities.
The Edo period (between 1603 and 1867) was the dark age of Japanese Christians. Christianity was banned, and Christians were systematically eliminated by the Tokugawa shogunate, or Edo bakufu. However, some Christians kept their faith and hid their religious identity. Those hidden Christians made their crosses and graves to resemble the Buddhist statues, pagodas, and stone lanterns. Shunkō-in’s hidden Christian lantern is one of those religious objects.
Several sliding door panels at Shunkōin were painted by Kanō Eigaku. Some of the paintings have Confucian teachings as their theme. Confucianism was very important to samurai, or warriors, during the Edo period because Confucianism taught samurai about honor, loyalty, and honesty.
The garden of the New Otani Hotel in Tokyo stands on the property that was once the primary yashiki (estate) of the great Sengoku period feudal lord, Katō Kiyomasa (1562-1611). Kiyomasa was a trusted retainer and general of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the warlord who unified Japan in the wake of Oda Nobunaga’s assassination in 1582. Kiyomasa rose to fame during the battle of Shizugatake and soon found himself at the vanguard of many of Hideyoshi’s campaigns, including the invasion of Korea in 1592, in which Kiyomasa’s reputation as a master tactician, fierce fighter, castle builder and as a cruel man grew. To this day, the mere mention of Kiyomasa’s name in Korea is sure to bring a frown. Although loyal to the Toyotomi, if there was one thing that Kiyomasa hated more than Christianity and poor martial spirit among the samurai, it was Ishida Mitsunari, leader of the Western coalition of daimyo that opposed the rise of Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was this hatred of Mitsunari that drove Kiyomasa into the Tokugawa camp where he played a pivotal role in the Kyushu theatre of the Sekigahara campaign in 1600. As a result of his service, Kiyomasa was rewarded by becoming one of the elite daimyo who were allowed to build his Edo estate near the shogun’s castle in the upscale area that became known as Kioi-cho, named after the elite Kii Tokugawa, Owari Tokugawa and Ii daimyo families that kept their residences in this area.
As Kiyomasa was loyal to the house of Toyotomi and as a final showdown between the Tokugawa and Toyotomi grew, the Tokugawa began to have their doubts about where Kiyomasa’s ultimate loyalty rested. Fearful of having to face this fierce and influential warlord on the opposing side of the battlefield when the fighting would inevitably erupt in 1615, it has been suggested that the Tokugawa had him poisoned. Shortly after the fall of the Toyotomi, Kiyomasa’s son was accused of disloyalty (most likely a trumped up charge) and the family’s fief in Kumamoto, Kyushu was seized by the shogunate and the clan was abolished. Soon after this, the grounds of the Katō estate in Tokyo were given to the Ii family.
When the New Otani Hotel was constructed, it was decided to keep the traditional Japanese garden intact. Today the garden covers more than 10 acres and has over 800 trees, 10,000 flowering plants, ponds, a waterfall, and 42 stone lanterns, many of which date back from the Edo (1603-1868) and the Kamakura (1192-1333) periods.
Taken inside the daimyo's palace at Kakegawa Castle.
Kakegawa Castle, strategically located along the old Tōkaidō Road in Shizuoka prefecture, is in the heart of one of Japan’s best tea cultivation centers. The peaceful atmosphere that prevails through the area wasn’t always so. Shizuoka prefecture used to be formally a part of Tōtōmi province, in a region known as the Enshū area, which was hotly contested by various warlords during Japan’s Sengoku warring states period that lasted from roughly 1477-1600. The first castle on the site of the present Kakegawa-jō was built in the late 15th century by Asahina Yasuhiro, a retainer of the house of Imagawa, which consolidated its hold over Tōtōmi during and after the Ōnin War (1467–1477). The Ashina continued to hold the castle on behalf of the Imagawa until shortly after their spectacular defeat at Okehazama in 1560. As the Imagawa faded into obscurity, Tōtōmi was carved into two spheres of influence controlled by the competing Tokugawa and Takeda families. The Ashina surrendered Kakegawa Castle to the Tokugawa in 1568.
After the Tokugawa switched fiefs and moved to the Kantō area in 1590, Kakegawa Castle was given by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to his retainer, Yamauchi Kazutoyo, who built up the castle and the town until he was given the domain of Tosa on the island of Shikoku following the battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Following the departure of the Yamauchi, various daimyo held the castle until it was given to the Ōta clan in 1746 who held it until the abolishment of the feudal system in 1872. The main keep that Yamanouchi Kazutoyo built was destroyed in an earthquake in 1604 and was rebuilt. However, another major quake rocked the region in 1854 and destroyed much of the castle, including the keep, which was not rebuilt. Following that quake, the daimyo at the time, Ōta Sukekatsu, rebuilt the wonderful ninomaru (second bailey) palace, which survives to this day. In 1994, using traditional methods and made of wood and stone (no concrete!).
This is a great castle and the ninomaru palace is just as equally fascinating. I highly recommend visiting this site if you are ever in western Shizuoka.
Sankeien is a spacious Japanese style garden in southern Yokohama which exhibits a number of historic buildings from across Japan. There is a pond, small rivers, flowers and wonderful scrolling trails that make you think you are in Kyoto rather than Yokohama.
The garden was built by Hara Sankei and opened to the public in 1904. Among the historic buildings exhibited in the park are an elegant daimyo (feudal lord) residence, several tea houses and the main hall and three storied pagoda of Kyoto's old Tomyoji Temple.
Sankei-en is surrounded by 'Tokyo metropolitan highway','US military's housing complex','Petrochemical complex','Wharf ','Mitsubishi's factory'.
馬頭観世音菩薩 (the Horsehead Kan'non Bodhisattva)
伏見三寳稲荷神社 (Fushimi Sanpō Inari Jinja) is a tiny Shintō shrine located next to 赤羽橋 (Akabanebashi), a one minute walk from Akabanebashi Station, near Tōkyō Tower. The 神 (kami) enshrined there is 稲荷大明神 (Inari Daimyōjin). The worship of Inari was spread by the daimyō class who maintained the shrines as tutelary deities of their residences. As a result of the practice of 参勤交代 (sankin-kōtai), or alternate attendance, daimyō maintained a minimum of 3 藩邸 (hantei) domain residences in Edo. Naturally they brought their tutelary deities with them and erected hundreds of Inari shrines in the shōgun’s capital.
Whenever I see a new Inari shrine I look it up to see if it was built by a daimyō. This area home to many daimyō residences in the Edo Period, so I thought it was very likely that this shrine belonged to an elite family.
In the Edo Period, this block was called 芝新網町 Shiba Shin’ami-chō and was actually for commoners. But across the street, named 桜田通り (Sakurada Dōri) was the sprawling 上屋敷 (kami yashiki), or upper residence, of the 有馬家 (Arima-ke). The Arima family were the lords of 久留米藩 (Kurumae Han) in present day Fukuoka Prefecture. It was one of the 4 largest daimyō palaces in the immediate area. Interestingly, this residence was built around a huge hill. At the top of the hill sat Edo’s tallest 火之見 (ka no mi), or fire watchtower. The watchtower was a famous landmark and was often depicted in art of daily life in the capital.
So why was this Inari shrine on the other side of the street in the commoner’s town? Well, after the Meiji Coup in 1868, the Arima family had to give up their Edo residences. The huge palace in Mita was presumably torn town and the land repurposed. In those early days of the Meiji Period, some guy named 小林七兵衛 Kobayashi Shichibei wanted to preserve the Arima’s shrine and so he moved it across the street and put it right on the street corner in front of the bridge at Akabane to give it maximum exposure.
Today it’s nestled between tall buildings and you might not even notice it – it’s that tiny!
Akasaka was the 36th stop along the old Tōkaidō road on the way to Kyoto from Edo. In 1733, according to a census, there were 349 buildings, and 83 inns including three honjin for daimyo and other notables, one sub-honjin and 62 hatago. Of all of these inns, one still exists. It is called the Ōhashi-ya (大橋屋) and it opened in 1649.
Shinjuku is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the busiest train station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration centre for the government of Tokyo.
As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 312,418 and a population density of 17,140 persons per km². The total area is 18.23 km². Surrounding Shinjuku are six other wards: Chiyoda to the east; Bunkyo and Toshima to the north; Nakano to the west, and Shibuya and Minato to the south.
Although the area immediately surrounding Shinjuku Station is home to hotels, department stores, specialist electronic and camera shops, cinemas, restaurants, and bars, the rest of the city is a mix of residential with commercial areas concentrated around railway stations.
Notable areas of Shinjuku include the Golden Gai: An area of tiny shanty-style bars and clubs. Musicians, artists, actors and directors gather here, and the ramshackle walls of the bars are literally plastered with film posters, as well as Nishi-Shinjuku, home to Tokyo's largest concentration of skyscrapers. Several of the tallest buildings in Tokyo are located in this area, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, KDDI Building and Park Tower. Located west of Shinjuku Station.
In 1634, during the Edo period, as the outer moat of the Edo Castle was built, a number of temples and shrines moved to the Yotsuya area on the western edge of Shinjuku. In 1698, Naito-Shinjuku had developed as a new (shin) station (shuku or juku) on the Koshu Kaido, one of the major highways of that era. Naito was the family name of a daimyo whose mansion stood in the area; his land is now a public park, the Shinjuku Gyoen.
In 1920, the town of Naito-Shinjuku that comprised large parts of present-day Shinjuku, parts of Nishi-Shinjuku and Kabukicho was integrated into Tokyo City. Shinjuku began to develop into its current form after the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923, since the seismically stable area largely escaped the devastation. Consequently, West Shinjuku is one of the few areas in Tokyo with many skyscrapers.
The Tokyo air raids from May to August 1945 destroyed almost 90% of the buildings in the area in and around Shinjuku Station. The pre-war form of Shinjuku, and the rest of Tokyo, for that matter, was retained after the war because the roads and rails, damaged as they were, remained, and these formed the heart of the Shinjuku in the post-war construction. Only in Kabuki-cho was a grand reconstruction plan put into action.
Takayama Ukon (1552-1615) is one of the least understood yet one of the most controversial daimyō of the later part of Japan’s Sengoku (warring states) period. A devout Christian, Ukon was a darling of the Jesuits, and as a result, his overlord, the Toyotomi Hideyoshi, eyed his loyalties suspiciously, even though he had fought well on some his military campaigns. Ukon’s original fief was in Takatsuki, located in present day Osaka, where he also had a castle. Ukon was a great propagator of his faith, converting his subjects to Catholicism—although some contest that many of these conversions were forced. The Samurai Archives Wiki states that 18,000 out of Takatsuki’s 25,000 inhabitants had been converted, and when Ukon was transferred from Takatsuki to his new fief of Akashi near Kobe in 1585. However, during Hideyoshi’s conquest of Kyushu, Hideyoshi’s suspicions of Ukon’s loyalties mounted and he was dispossessed of his fief. After taking refuge with another Christian daimyō, Konshi Yukinaga, Ukon eventually became a retainer of the powerful and influential Maeda Toshiie in 1588. Apparently, Toshiie trusted him. Persecution against Christianity only got worse, and in 1614, the Tokugawa banned the religion. Rather than give up his beliefs or fight for them, Ukon decided to go into exile in the Philippines in November of that year. A mere 40 days later, he died in Manila. It’s hard for me to make any judge Takayama Ukon. Was he a good daimyō? A brave general and not a coward as some have alleged? Did he actually force his citizens to convert to Christianity and persecute Buddhists? I honestly don’t know enough about him. All I can say is that he was a firm believer in his religious faith, and for this reason, he was lionized by his foreign Jesuit contemporaries and looked to as a historical hero by today’s Catholic community in Japan.
Now about the castle, Takatsuki-jō and its fief was ruled by the Nagai family during the Edo period. If you are a fan of the Bakumatsu period and know the history of Chōshū and the role that this domain played in overthrowing the Tokugawa Bakufu, then you may be familiar with the family name of “Nagai”. And if you look at the family crest of the Nagai of Takatsuki, you’d probably say it was identical to the crest of the Mōri, the ruling daimyō family of Chōshū. That’s because it is identical and the Nagai of Takatsuki are a branch of the Nagai of Chōshū, who were asked by the Tokugawa in 1649 to take over the reins of power in Takatsuki. The Nagai, starting with the first d daimyō, Nagamasa, ruled the area until 1869.
Takatsuki was an important commercial and transportation hub because it was between Osaka and Kyoto. The Saigoku road, which connected Nishinomiya (in Kobe) with Kyoto, went through the town as well as did the Yodo River. As a result, the castle was the largest in the Hokusetsu region of what now comprises the northern parts of the Osaka municipality. The Nagai gradually increased the size of the castle and expanded its moats outward from when it was a Sengoku period castle. The castle was about 630 meters long and 510 meters wide after the last round of expansion. Unfortunately, it was destroyed after the Meiji Restoration and the castle’s stone walls were smashed into rocks to be used for the rail bed that was built to connect Osaka with Kyoto.
Sources: Samurai Archives Samurai Wiki and the Takatsuki City’s Shiroato History Museum
Daimyo - Princes du Soleil Levant, Françoise Faconnet, 1991
- multi | blue border
- coming soon to carredeparis.com
見晴らし広場から「好文亭」Kōbuntei をのぞむ。「好文」の名はウメの異名「好文木」に由来する。左手の大木は、左近の桜
[ English ]
www.koen.pref.ibaraki.jp/foreign_language/en/index.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kairaku-en
[ Japanese ]
www.koen.pref.ibaraki.jp/park/kairakuen01.html
ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%81%95%E6%A5%BD%E5%9C%92
www.facebook.com/kairakuenpark
偕楽園・茨城県水戸市見川
撮影：河野利彦（2012/11）