Adults 310 yen / Junior high school students and under free
Access to Tsuyama Castle
About 10 minutes walk from JR Tsuyama Station.
HISTORYTsuyama Castle is one of the three great castles on flat land in Japan.
Tsuyama Castle is a flatland castle built in Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture. It is counted as one of the three major flatland castles in Japan, and when it was built, including the outer wall, it had 77 turrets, more than Hiroshima Castle's 76 and Himeji Castle's 61. These can be seen in photos taken during the Meiji period. Currently, the castle ruins have been selected as one of the "100 Best Cherry Blossom Spots in Japan," and many tourists visit during cherry blossom season. Let's take a look at the history of Tsuyama Castle.
The castle built by Mori Ranmaru's younger brother
Tsuyama Castle is a flat castle built in what is now Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture, by Mori Tadamasa, the younger brother of Mori Ranmaru (Mori Shigetoshi), a military commander who was killed along with Oda Nobunaga in the Honnoji Incident. Mori Tadamasa was born as the sixth son of Mori Kanenari, a vassal of Oda Nobunaga. Like his older brother Mori Ranmaru, he served Oda Nobunaga as a page, but after getting into a fight with a colleague in front of Nobunaga, it was decided that "it was too early for him to serve as a page," and he was sent back to his parents. In the end, this saved Mori Tadamasa's life. In addition to Mori Ranmaru, his two younger brothers also shared the same fate as Nobunaga in the Honnoji Incident. The surviving Mori Tadamasa, when his elder brother Nagayoshi, who had inherited the family headship, was killed in the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, all of his siblings, including Mori Ranmaru, had died, so the youngest son took over as head of the Mori family. Mori Tadamasa initially served Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but after his death he approached Tokugawa Ieyasu and sided with the Eastern Army in the Battle of Sekigahara. In 1600 (Keicho 6), the year of the Battle of Sekigahara, Mori Tadamasa was bestowed Kawanakajima in Shinano and became the lord of the domain, but in 1603 (Keicho 8), when Kobayakawa Hideaki died and the Kobayakawa family was abolished due to lack of an heir, he was transferred to the Tsuyama Domain with an increased fief of 186,000 koku and became the lord of the Tsuyama Domain. Tadamasa Mori, who entered the Tsuyama Domain, began construction of Tsuyama Castle. The land on which the castle was to be built had previously been called "Kakuyama", but Tadamasa Mori renamed it "Tsuyama". Tsuyama Castle is a flatland castle built by taking advantage of the natural terrain, with the main enclosure at the top of Mount Kakuyama and the castle grounds firmly protected by multiple moats and stone walls. It has many buildings, including a five-story castle tower, and its grandeur earned it the nickname "the most famous castle in the western part of Japan." Additionally, within the castle grounds, the residences of senior vassals and samurai residences were built, and a castle town was also developed. The castle tower of Tsuyama Castle is said to have been modeled after Kokura Castle. When Tsuyama Castle was being built, craftsmen involved in the construction were sent to Kokura Castle to observe the shape of the castle. When the lord of the castle, Hosokawa Tadaoki, learned of the situation, he invited the craftsmen into the castle, let them inspect it to their heart's content, and even sent them back with gifts. It is unclear whether this is related, but a Western-style bell, a gift from the Hosokawa family of Kokura Domain, was installed on the top floor of Tsuyama Castle's castle tower until the Meiji period. Another anecdote is that the shogunate heard that Tsuyama Castle had a five-story tower, and sent an envoy to investigate. Upon hearing the news, Mori Tadamasa had his vassal, Ban Yuiri, return to Tsuyama from Edo overnight, destroying the roof tiles on the fourth floor of the tower, making the five-story tower look like only a four-story structure. Ban Yuiri is a mysterious figure who is said to be both a hermit and a ninja. Tsuyama Castle is full of stories like these, but it took 13 years to complete and had over 80 buildings, including 77 turrets. The Honmaru Palace was destroyed by fire in 1809, but other than that, it was able to welcome the Meiji era without any major damage.
Tsuyama Castle after the Meiji period
In the Meiji period, most of the buildings at Tsuyama Castle were demolished under the castle abolition law. In the middle of the Meiji period, the collapse of the castle's stone walls triggered a movement among local citizens to preserve the castle. As a result, in 1900, the site of Tsuyama Castle was developed into a park, and many cherry trees were planted. In 1963, it was designated a national historic site, and in 2002, as part of the 400th anniversary of the castle's construction, work began on restoring the Bitchu Turret. It was completed in 2005.
summary
Tsuyama Castle today is a historic site beloved by history buffs, with a replica castle tower and restored turrets remaining. Although the original buildings no longer remain, the shape and layout of the stone walls give a glimpse into what it was like back then. The castle is lit up all year round, and is bustling with tourists at night during cherry blossom and autumn foliage seasons.
History of the Tsuyama Domain, whose domain office is Tsuyama Castle
Tsuyama DomainRanmaru Mori's younger brother established the clan.
Tsuyama Domain is a domain that governed most of Mimasaka Province, located in the northeastern part of Okayama Prefecture. Before the Edo period, it was ruled by Kobayakawa Hideaki, who played a key role in the victory of the Eastern Army in the Battle of Sekigahara. In the Edo period, Mori, who shared the fate of Oda Nobunaga at Honnoji Temple,
