Castle as a cultural heritage

Ｂｙ Ａｓａｈｉ Evening News:

 

  　　　         　　　 Photo by (c)Tomo Yun　http://www.yunphoto.net/

Taking advantage of the entertainment world's renewed interest in medieval warfare, local governments are offering rare views and using unorthodox refurbishments to fuel a "castle boom" among tourists.

"The main attraction of castle tourism had always been the castle keep, but in recent years, it also includes the old stone walls and the public showing of the restoration work as seen at Himeji Castle," said Hitoshi Nakai, an assistant professor at the University of Shiga Prefecture, who has penned the book "Yondara Hanashitakunaru Nihon no Shiro" (Japanese castles that you will want to talk about after reading).

"The castle boom is attracting an increasing number of authentic-minded enthusiasts," he said.

The Kansai region, home to Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture and Osaka Castle, can be described as the birthplace of Japanese castles with high-rising keeps and stone walls.

The region was the base for warlords Oda Nobunaga (1534-82) and Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-98) who tried to unify the war-torn country.

A hole about 1.5 meters wide and about 8 meters deep in front of the keep of Osaka Castle has generally been closed to public viewing. A ladder runs down to the bottom of the hole, where part of a stone structure can be seen.

"This is a part of the stone wall of the 'original' Osaka Castle that Hideyoshi built," Hiroshi Kitagawa, chief of the research section at Osaka Castle Tower of the Osaka City Museum Organization, said.

The keep of the original castle was burned down during the Siege of Osaka in the summer of 1615. Tokugawa Hidetada (1579-1632), the second shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, built a new castle on elevated ground at the site, and the current castle keep was rebuilt in the early Showa Era (1926-1989).

The stone walls and the moat of the original building remain buried, according to Kitagawa.

Osaka Castle is a major sightseeing spot that attracts visitors from home and abroad.

In April, the Osaka city government assigned a group of tourism officials to promote the charms of the castle. The group is responsible for planning wedding ceremonies, tea parties and other events using the Nishinomaru Garden at the castle.

Their projects also include the excavation of the original stone walls for public viewing.

"We want to proceed with the excavation in full swing so that we can make them available for public viewing in 2015, which marks the 400th anniversary of the summer campaign of the Siege of Osaka," Kitagawa said.

Osaka Castle has provided the setting for many historical dramas by Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK).

"Princess Toyotomi," a theatrical feature from Toho Co. released on May 28, centers on Hideyoshi's castle buried underground.

Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is known more for its graceful white walls.

The castle has been undergoing restoration work since autumn 2009. With the castle keep covered with sheets, the number of visitors in fiscal 2010 dropped by at least half that of usual years.

But in March this year, an observation facility was set up inside the sheets so that visitors can closely watch artisans do repair work.

"It is very rare to publicly show at all times how a World Heritage site is being repaired," a Himeji official said, adding that the city will promote the facility to bring back visitors.

Nakai said the origins of Japanese castles can be traced back to moats that protected villages during the Yayoi Pottery Culture (300 B.C.-A.D. 300).

During the Kamakura Period (1192-1333), it became common to surround a samurai house with water-filled moats and earthwork fortifications. In later years, "mountain castles," or fortresses built making full use of natural landscapes, emerged.

Prime examples include Gifu Castle, which served as Nobunaga's stronghold, and the ruins of Takeda Castle in Asago city, Hyogo Prefecture, also known as "the castle in the sky."

Nobunaga had Azuchi Castle built in 1576 in what is now Omi-Hachiman city, Shiga Prefecture.

The structure was characterized by the keep and its high stone walls. Building skills were carried over by Hideyoshi and became widespread across the country.

But in the Meiji Period (1868-1912), many castles were considered "leftovers from the feudal times" and were destroyed, Nakai said. Many of the remaining castles were burned down during World War II.

In the decade starting in 1955, efforts increased to rebuild castle keeps using steel-reinforced concrete, as in Nagoya Castle.

During the Heisei Period (1989- ), officials started rebuilding the structures using traditional wood construction methods, like Kakegawa Castle in Shizuoka Prefecture and Ozu Castle in Ehime Prefecture.

In addition, a visitors' center was recently established near Wakayama Castle.

At Ako Castle in Hyogo Prefecture, a castle keep will be recreated with 30,000 LED lights for the year-end Ako Gishi festival.

The Nagahama city government in Shiga Prefecture, which oversees the ruins of Odani Castle, headquarters of feudal warlord Asai Nagamasa (1545-1573), is currently holding an exhibition that started in January devoted to Asai's three daughters in tandem with neighboring Maibara city and other organizations.

In connection with the NHK historical drama series "Go," which follows the story of the warlord's daughters, the exhibition introduces the history of the Asai clan and the lives of the sisters.

A shuttle bus stops at various spots around the castle ruins.

The Hikone city government, also in Shiga Prefecture, hosted a festival in 2007 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Hikone Castle.

After the festival, the city ran a series of events related to the castle.

Hikone is also home to the ruins of Sawayama Castle, which was once resided by warlord Ishida Mitsunari.

Since March, illustrations of Mitsunari and other samurai from the popular videogame "Samurai Warriors 3" have been put on display at a tourism center in the city. A portrait of the warlord drawn by Hideki Miyashita, author of the manga series "Sengoku," and other illustrations and items are also featured.

"We'd like to attract history enthusiasts whose number has increased due to (NHK's) historical drama series and videogames," an official said.

According to the Japan Castle Foundation, Japan has about 40,000 castles, fortresses and related ruins.

Of the 12 castles that still have unspoiled keeps, the castles of Himeji, Hikone, Inuyama in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, and Matsumoto in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, have been designated national treasures.