Views of Japan

Kawagoe castle

Kawagoe castle was originally built in 1457 by Ota Doshin and his son Dokan under the order of Uesugi Mochitomo. It was initially held by the Yamanouchi branch of the Uesugi clan. 

In 1537 Hōjō Ujitsuna seized it from Uesugi Tomosada and it became one of the many satellite castles (shijõ) defending the central castle (honjõ) at Odawara. 

For nearly two decades after that, the Uesugi launched a number of attempts to regain the castle. In 1545 the two branches of the Uesugi clan, the Ogigayatsu under the command of Uesugi Tomosada, and the Yamanouchi under the command of Uesugi Norimasa, joined forces together with Imagawa Ujichika and Ashikaga Haruji to reclaim Kawagoe castle for the Uesugi clan. 

Kawagoe was under the command of Hõjõ Tsunanari who had a garrison of only 3000 troops at hand. They were heavily outnumbered by the combined armies of the Uesugi with 100,000 troops. As the siege got underway in the evening, a Hõjõ messenger was sent out in secret via the river to call for aid from Tsunanari’s adopted brother, Hõjõ Ujiyasu who was stationed at Hachigata castle to the north. The battle of Kawagoe was to become Hōjō Ujiyasu’s most celebrated victory and a unique battle in the history of samurai warfare. He led a hastily gathered army of 8000 troops on a fast paced night march to defend Kawagoe. Ujiyasu attacked the rear of the Uesugi siege lines in the darkness of night, confusing and dividing the besiegers. The entire besieging army was defeated before daybreak and the retreating Uesugi troops were chased down and slain in the surrounding mountains. Uesugi Tomosada was killed during the surprise attack and with him the Ogigayatsu branch of the Uesugi came to an end.

Kawagoe castle eventually fell to Toyotomi Hideyoshi during his attack on Odawara castle in 1590. 

Following the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, when Tokugawa Ieyasu set up his new government in Edo to the south, Kawagoe castle’s strategic significance was realised as a defensive position to protect the capital in the north. Kawagoe commanded the road to Echigo province to the west, and its location on the Sumida River and near the Edo River were important elements of its tactical significance in defending the Kantō from attacks from the north.

During the Edo period (1600-1868), Kawagoe was an important commercial town, providing the nearby capital with timber, rice, textiles and other materials.

Twenty one samurai warlords from various clans, all closely allied with the Tokugawa Shõgun, resided at Kawagoe castle throughout the Edo period. In 1639 the Daimyõ of Kawagoe castle, Matsudaira Nobutsuna, was granted permission by the Shõgun to expand Kawagoe castle and it’s gardens. 

In 1870, at the beginning of the Meiji period, a total dismantlement of the castle began. Some of the buildings were relocated around the Kawagoe area and in neighbouring cities, and many of the castle’s stones were used in public works such as building roads and canals.

Today a very small section of the original Honmaru Goten is the only surviving building of Kawagoe castle. It was originally the castle’s centre palace and the residence of the incumbent lord during the Edo period. It was built in 1848, 20 years before the end of Japan’s feudal age, and has partially survived the Meiji period prohibition on defensive embattlements and the Kawagoe Great fire of 1893. In 1967 the Saitama Prefectural Government designated it as a Tangible Cultural Property. It has been faithfully repaired over the years with sections rebuilt to retain the original atmosphere of the relatively peaceful Edo period. Many original painted panels remain throughout and some of the original tiles and timbers are on display.

Nearby is a preserved section of one of the inner moats with a map and diagram detailing the defensive layout of the moat complete with a reconstructed defensive wall.

91 photos of the remains of Kawagoe castle on my flickr page 

An aerial view of the excavations carried out at the site of the former goshuden palace of Hachiõji castle in the mid 1980’s. The lines of stones are the support foundations for the floor pillars of the palace. An elaborate garden with a waterfall, stream and bridge originally surrounded the palace. 

The palace was burned to the ground in 1590 during the attack on the castle by Toyotomi forces.

Hachiõji castle, Hachiõji, Tõkyõ, the “haunted” castle ruins.

Built in the late 1570’s by the feudal warlord Hõjõ Ujiteru of the powerful Hõjõ clan, Hachiōji castle was a great sprawling castle built across an entire mountaintop. Taking advantage of the steep terrain and the mountain’s several deep ravines, the castle grounds originally encompassed over 500 hectares of land spreading 2 kilometres east to west and 1km north to south. Stone barricades were built in strategic positions to stall would be attackers or spies, and several wooden towers were placed atop high points to warn of oncoming forces. Hachiōji castle was one of the biggest defensive structures ever built during Japan’s late feudal period. The 460 metre high mountain on which the castle was built is Mount Fukasawa but it is alternatively called Shiroyama which means “castle mountain.” 

Hachiōji castle was a shijõ, a satellite castle, which was a part of the huge Hõjõ clan network of castles spread across the Kantõ plains. From their honjõ (main castle) of Odawara, the Hõjõ ruled what was then the Sagami province. From Hachiōji castle, Hõjõ Ujiteru ruled the western Kantõ area all the way from the southern end of Musashi province (present-day Saitama prefecture) to present day Yokohama. 

When Toyotomi Hideyoshi laid siege to Odawara castle in 1590, Hõjõ Ujiteru, Hõjõ Ujimasa and Hõjõ Ujinao headed off to Odawara leaving Hachiõji castle nearly defenceless with around 1,300 samurai. Hideyoshi had anticipated this and had sent forces under the command of the warlords Maeda Toshiie and Uesugi Kagekatsu to Hachiōji castle via the mountain trails that led to the north of the castle town. Hachiõji castle came under attack from 50,000 of Hideyoshi’s forces on June 23rd 1590 and fell in just 5 and a half hours. 

Toyotomi Hideyoshi soon defeated the Hõjõ at Odawara castle leading to his unification of Japan. Toyotomi Hideyoshi fearing Hõjõ Ujiteru for his military prowess, demanded that both Ujiteru and his older brother Ujimasa commit seppuku (ritual suicide) as a condition of a peace treaty. On July 5, 1590 the two brothers each bathed, dressed in white, and composed their death poems. They committed seppuku at Odawara castle with their brother Hõjõ Ujinori as their kaishakunin (the attendant to behead them). It is recorded that when it was seen that Hõjõ Ujinori was about to join them in suicide (junshi) upon seeing that Hõjõ Ujinori was “brave and stalwart, showing no sign of fear or remorse,” he was stopped by the general Ii Naomasa who grabbed his hand and removed his short sword. 

Hideyoshi commanded that Hachiõji castle be destroyed and began spreading rumours that it was haunted by the ghosts of the slain women and children as he worried that the castle could be used against him. For centuries afterwards, the entire mountain area remained abandoned because it was believed to be haunted by the ghosts of the slain women and children. Scrolls depicting the fall of Hachiōji castle recount how villagers in the area could hear the sound of galloping horses, gunshots and screaming echoing throughout the mountain’s forests long after the battle had ended. Even today, on June 23rd each year, households in the nearby Motohachiõji district continue to practice the grim observance of preparing blood-coloured azukimeshi (red beans cooked with rice) to remember the slain defenders of Hachiõji castle. 

Over the last 420 odd years the castle was eventually reclaimed by nature and although the area was designated a historical landmark in 1951, it wasn’t until the 1980’s during a series of excavations that the true cultural value of the ruins were realised. Excavations on the site of the castle’s palace revealed a treasure trove of priceless earthenware from Korea, China and even a Venetian glassware jug from Murano Italy - something very unique in 16th century Japan, having been found in only three other locations in the country.

Excavations soon uncovered the remains of huge stone walls, as well as an eight-metre-wide road that led to a stone stairway below the castle’s main gate, the remains of which can be seen today. There are a few small places where the remains of stone walls around the very top of the mountain can be seen, but little remains and much is still inaccessible.

Spears, swords, pieces of armour, arrows, tools, and hundreds of pieces of broken lacquerware have been found on the mountain. In 1993 a pit filled with the remains of banquets shed some light on the types of dishes that were served in the castle palace. Numerous wild boar, dog, deer, and pheasant bones were found together with shards of clay pottery and fine china plates - some of which were dated and signed. 

Not far from the castle site are the graves of Hõjõ Ujiteru along with the graves of the other Hõjõ family members who lived at Hachiōji castle. The ancient castle roads built alongside the Shiroyama River which led to the castle, and the castle’s wonderfully reconstructed hikibashi bridge, which leads to the stone foundations of the castle itself are  historical treasures. Today 159 hectares of the vast site are designated as an important historical site.

Next to the castles goshuden palace area there is a waterfall which is the source of many of the tales of ghosts in the area. It is claimed that when the castle fell, the women and children of the Hõjõ family committed suicide at this little waterfall. It is recounted in documents after the battle that for three days and nights the river water was stained red with their blood. For this reason Hachiōji castle is well known as one of the most famous haunted sites in Tõkyõ.

The sword teachers of the Shogun

Yagyū no sato or Yagyu village is in the city of Nara, Nara Prefecture. The area was the former territory of the Yagyu clan, who became famous as the sword instructors to the Tokugawa Shogun with their famous school of Yagyū Shinkage ryū. Within the village are the former houses and the sword school of the Yagyū family.

Yagyū Sekishūsai Taira-no-Munetoshi had studied the Shinkage ryu under Kamiizumi Ise no kami Hidetsuna and was granted in 1571 the certificate of “one person, one province”, a licence to teach. He called his version the Yagyū Shinkage ryu to distinguish it from what he had been taught.

In 1564, Kamiizumi Ise no kami Hidetsuna was travelling to Kyoto. While resting along the way in Ise, Hidetsuna asked the governor of Ise if he knew of any capable samurai in the area who might be interested in a friendly match. The governor recommended Munetoshi and a friend of Munetoshi Kakuznbo In’ei a monk and expert spearsman of the nearby Hōzōin temple. Hidetsuna sent a messenger to the Hōzōin temple to ask the two men if they would be interested.

Munetoshi agreed and they met at Hōzōin temple. Munetoshi was soundly defeated and following the custom of the time he became Hidetsuna’s disciple.

Munetoshi invited Hidetsuna to his home in Yagyū village where Hidetsuna taught Munetoshi Shinkage ryu for one year. Hidetsuna then continued on his trip to Kyoto giving Munetoshi an assignment to carry out while he was in Kyoto. Hidestuna asked Munetoshi to research the concept of Mutō-dori the methods of defeating an armed opponent while unarmed.

While Hidetsuna was in Kyōto Munetoshi researched these methods and when Hidetsuna returned he successfully demonstrated them for Hidetsuna. Hidetsuna was impressed by these methods and immediately granted Munetoshi the certificate of “one person, one province,” signifying the highest attainment in the Shinkage-ryū and permission to teach it.

Munetoshi taught the Shinkage-ryū to his sons and other men. The certificates given out by Muntoshi that date back to 1580 still survive today. In 1589 Muntetoshi wrote the Yagyū Kaken a memoir and treatise on proper conduct meant for descendants of the Yagyu clan.

In 1593 Munetoshi became a Bodisattva Buddhist monk, taking the Buddhist name “Sekishūsai Songon”. In that same year he wrote his famous Heihō Hyakka “One-hundred Songs of Strategy,” a treatise detailing methods of martial strategy.

In 1594 Munetoshi’s prowess in Shinkage-ryū came to be known by a general of Toyotomi Hideyoshi; Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ieyasu was very interested in the military arts. He arranged for a meeting with Munetoshi to see for himself the methods of the Shinkage-ryū. Munetoshi brought his fifth son Munenori along with him for the demonstration. Munetoshi had expected only to give Ieyasu a demonstration using his son as an opponent and explaining the kata of the school, however, Ieyasu wished to actually try out the methods for himself. Ieyasu picked up a wooden sword and requested that Munetoshi demonstrate his Mutō-dori. As the story of the school says, Munetoshi disarmed Ieyasu three times sending Ieyasu sailing onto his back. Ieyasu was impressed and asked Munetoshi to teach him his Shinkage-ryū. Munetoshi however refused, claiming that he was too old and intended to retire from teaching In his place Munetoshi recommended his son Munenori(1571-1647). Ieyasu agreed to this and signed a blood oath to learn Shinkage-ryū diligently and to treat the Yagyū clan with favour. Munenori joined Ieyasu and was given the highest rank of hatamoto or body guard to Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Munenori continued as a teacher also to Tokugawa Hidetada and Tokugawa Iemitsu, increasing the family income and prestige and establishing the Yagyū as hereditary swordsmanship instructors to the Shõgun.

In that same year, a census of the Yamato province revealed hidden, non-taxed rice fields in Yagyū village. Munetoshi’s lands were taken away by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Munetoshi therefore continued to teach Shinkage ryū.

In 1600 Tokugawa Ieyasu moved against Ishida Mitsunari after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He dispatched Munenori back to Yagyū Village, to ask Munetoshi to raise forces in the Yamato region. Munetoshi was 71 and too old to lead the forces himself so Munenori led the Yagyū forces. They marched to Ieyasu’s position arriving a day before the battle. Ieyasu soundly defeated Mitsunari with the help of the Yagyū forces, and among the rewards given to the Yagyū was the return of their ancestral lands which had been taken from them earlier by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

In 1604, Munetoshi’s grandson, Toshitoshi, left Yagyū village to serve the great general Kato Kiyomasa. Toshitoshi was in Kiyomasa’s service only a year before jealousy from the older retainers forced him to leave. Toshitoshi used the opportunity to travel about testing himself against and learning from different teachers. In 1606, Munetoshi urgently summoned Toshitoshi back to Yagyū village. When Toshitoshi returned Munetoshi, now in ill health, bequeathed to his grandson all of his Shinkage ryū materials, including the license of transmission and scrolls he had received from Hidetsuna. In 1606, Yagyū Sekishūsai Taira-no-Munetoshi died at age 78 in Yagyū village.

After Munetoshi’s death his son Munenori took possession of the family lands in Yagyū village, and built the Hõtokuji temple in Munetoshi’s honour. Munenori’s son Retsudō was assigned to be the head abbot. The temple is still there today in Yagyū village on the grounds where Munetoshi’s house once stood.

With the patronage of the Tokugawa family the Yagyū family future was secure and enjoyed prosperity until the end of the Tokugawa era. Munenori, initially only a hatamoto and sword instructor to the forces of the Tokugawa, became a trusted aide to the third Tokugawa Shōgun Iemitsu. In 1629 Munenori became the Tokugawa governments inspector general a post which he held until 1636. His salary was raised to ten thousand koku (1 koku is 5.1 bushels of rice), the amount associated with the rank of Daimyo. In 1632 Munenori wrote his Heihõ kadensho the basic text of the Yagyū Shinkage ryū. The text is heavily influenced by the writings of the Zen monk Takuan who was a close friend of Munenori.

Munenori’s son Jūbei Mitsuyoshi contributed greatly to the school. He was not only a master of sword, but also a strategist, an expert of yawara (unarmed methods) and ninjutsu (spying and infiltration methods) which he had learned from the Iga samurai in the nearby area of Iga. He called his sword method chie no ken (sword of Transcendent Wisdom).

The Yagyū Shinkage ryū was codified into it’s current form by the fifth heir Yagyū Toshikane. He developed the basics and set them out in a document known as Sei hō. This document sets out the methods that were developed by Munenori.

More photos of Yagyū no sato on flickr

Hiratsuka-juku was the 7th of the 53 post stations (shukuba) on the Tōkaidō Road leading from Kyõto to Edo (Tõkyõ).

Established in 1601 under the orders of the Shõgun Tokugawa Ieyasu it remained a strong post guarding aginst illegal entry into the Kantõ plains for the entire Tokugawa era (1600-1868).

In 1655 it underwent large renovations with larger stables and samurai quarters added. It  was then renamed Shinhiratsuka-juku “New Hiratsuka Post station.” At this time 121 samurai were stationed here.

The distance between the Edo -side gate (east) and the Õiso-side gate (west) was 2km with many inns and drinking establishments on either side of the road between the gates. The Tõkaidõ Road itself betwen the two gates was between 7.2 and 10.8 metres wide, considerably wider than the road proper beyond the gates. 

A famous ukiyoe print by Ando Hiroshige printed during 1831-1834 shows the zig-zag bridge of the Tõkaidõ Road crossing the Hana no mizu River running beside Mount Koma. The post in the print indicates that the Hiratsuka-juku would have been at the end of the zig-zag bridge.

A census carried out in 1843 shows that the population of Hiratsuka was 2,114 people and that there were 443 houses in the marshy area surrounding Mount Koma and the Hiratsuka-juku.