Today’s subject is ‘城 / Castles’. The original inabana.com has a ‘castles category’, and we have adapted one of the articles from it for you.
In case you are wondering, ‘castle’ is pronounced ‘shiro’ in Japan. It is often pronounced ‘oshiro’ with a polite word or prefix.
As you know, castles are large facilities built as strategic bases. However, in peacetime they can also function as political offices, so in Japan they are often referred to as ‘shiro’, including royal palaces.
However, castles are still strongly associated with the image of strategic strongholds in the Warring States period. And there remain numerous dramas of attack and defence, as well as many strange legends.
Unfortunately, most of the castles that can be seen today are not from the time of their construction, but were rebuilt in later periods. This is because many of the first ones were lost in wars or disasters.
As a Japanese, I had the impression that the beautiful castles in Europe were built of stone and so had retained their original appearance, but it seems that many European castles have also been rebuilt.
I wonder if castles, which seem to be a mass of solidity, cannot resist the great enemy of ‘the passage of time’…
Inuyama Castle & Matsumoto Castle
It is said that there are 12 castles in Japan that retain their early state. Among the most famous are ‘Inuyama Castle’ in Aichi Prefecture and ‘Matsumoto Castle’ in Nagano Prefecture, which, according to one theory, also appeals to be the ‘oldest castle in Japan’. (This is not confirmed by opinion.)
And in Fukui Prefecture, there is also a small but one of the oldest castles that has withstood 400 years of wind and snow and still stands today.
The name of that castle is ‘丸岡城 / Maruoka Castle’.
The castle is located in the northern part of Fukui Prefecture and is said to have been built between 1624 and 1644.
It is not as famous as the aforementioned Inuyama Castle or Matsumoto Castle. Nor does it attract huge numbers of tourists like Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture or Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture.
Moreover, the main castle in Fukui Prefecture is originally Fukui Castle, and Maruoka Castle is one of the branch castles, so it is small in scale.
However, this small castle also has a reasonable amount of history and plenty to offer.
Maruoka Castle （Fukui Prefecture）
Maruoka Castle was built in the Warring States period. It was built by his nephew Katsutoyo on the orders of Katsuie Shibata, a subordinate of Nobunaga Oda who controlled the Hokuriku region.
When Nobunaga was in good health, the Hokuriku region was also peaceful, but after his death, the region became a battleground due to internal strife within the regime.
A struggle for Nobunaga’s succession broke out between Katsuie Shibata and Hideyoshi Hashiba (later Hideyoshi Toyotomi).
The decisive battle that decided the course of the late Warring States period was a fierce contest between the old vassals who made up the Nobunaga regime, who were divided into two sides.
The eventual winner was Hideyoshi Hashiba. Katsuie Shibata and his wife Ichi* shared their fate with the burning and crumbling Fukui Castle*…
*Nobunaga’s sister and adored by Hideyoshi.
*The name of the castle at that time was Kitanosho Castle.
Katsuie Shibata and his wife Ichi
The ‘Battle of Shizugatake’, with a total of 100,000 troops, was fought in the northern mountainous area of Lake Biwa and resulted in 20,000 casualties.
Fukui Castle (Kitanosho Castle) fell, but Maruoka Castle miraculously escaped the ravages of war.
For Katsuie Shibata, the battle was a retreat and the defeat was already decisive, so there was no need to extend the battle area beyond Fukui Castle.
However, there is one piece of folklore based on this situation that remains at Maruoka Castle.
It says: “When the castle was in danger, a dragon appeared and breathed thick fog to cover the castle…”. Perhaps at the time of the ‘Battle of Shizugatake’, the enemy forces were rushing in, but were they protected by the dragon? It is a strange feeling when you imagine it.
From this legend, Maruoka Castle is also known as Kasumiga Castle (Kasumi = thick fog).
There are two characters for dragon in Japanese: ‘龍’ and ‘竜’. Both are pronounced [Ryū], but “龍” means “Asian dragon” with a long body, while “竜” means “Western dragon”.
Naturally, it is the ‘龍’ that appears in Japanese folklore, but because of its long body, it is often confused with the serpent, so most stories are related to water, rain and lakes.
The ‘Kuzuryu River’ flows through the centre of Fukui Prefecture. The literal translation means ‘river of the dragon with nine heads’, but it also represents a ‘river with many branches’. You can see the history of the difficulties this area has had in flood control since ancient times.
This background may also be related to the lore of the castle.
Fukui Castle (Kitanosho Castle) disappeared in flames. Maruoka Castle, which survived the damage and still stands 400 years later.
The Fukui Prefectural Government now stands on the site of Fukui Castle, and Maruyama Castle stands across the Kuzuryu River, both of which retain their majestic appearance and watch over the city of Fukui.
When sightseeing castles in Japan, it may enrich your enjoyment if you have some previous knowledge of the history, folklore and topographical factors such as these…
