Masatsugu Kobori (2/2)Father of Kobori Enshu, who was famous for his garden creation.

Bicchu Matsuyama Castle is said to have started in 1240, when Shigenobu Akibaba became the landowner of Bicchu and built a castle in Omatsuyama.
In the Edo period, it came under the direct control of the shogunate, and after Masatsugu Kobori and his son Seiichi (Enshu) took over as castle keepers of Matsuyama Castle, the Ikeda family and Mizutani family came to rule. It is said that Katsumune Mizutani, the second lord of the Mizutani family, carried out major renovations over three years, including building the castle tower, resulting in its current appearance.

At the end of the Edo period and the beginning of the modern era, the Castle Abolition Order was promulgated in 1873, and castles all over Japan were demolished. Matsuyama Castle was sold by the new government to a merchant family at a low price, but due to its inconvenient location on a mountain, it gradually fell into disrepair.
This is a story from the beginning of the Showa era. Tomoharu Shinno, a junior high school teacher, researched Matsuyama Castle, which was on the verge of collapse, and published a book. With this book as an opportunity, the momentum for restoration of the building on the mountain increased, and since then restoration has progressed to the present day.

In recent years, the castle floating in a sea of clouds has become known as a beautiful castle, and because it resembles the castle of the Sanada family, it was used in the opening video of the taiga drama ``Sanada Maru'', and has become familiar to the people of the prefecture as a famous castle on top of a mountain. .

Bicchu Matsuyama Castle famous spots

sea of clouds

Takeda Castle Ruins in Hyogo Prefecture. The ruins of Bitchu Matsuyama Castle are also famous as the castle in the sky, and if the time and conditions are right, you can see a fantastic view of the castle floating in a sea of clouds. Its appearance is said to be likened to a castle in the sky and attracts those who see it.
Seas of clouds occur on days when there is a large temperature difference between the daytime of the previous day and the early morning of the day when the temperature is low.Specifically, aim for days when the daytime of the previous day is warm and the early morning of the next day is cold and radiation cooling occurs. is. The period is from the end of September, when the mornings and evenings start to get cold, to the beginning of April, and especially from late October to early December, there is a possibility of thick morning fog. There is also a theory that the appearance rate increases if it rains two or three days before. However, if it rains on that day, it will not appear. In addition, wild monkeys (a nationally designated natural monument) can be seen around the observation deck where Bicchu Matsuyama Castle is located, so please be careful. Please do not get excited if you encounter one. Also, please be aware that snow may accumulate during the winter.

Yubeshi

Yubeshi (yumochi) is a famous local sweet that has been passed down since ancient times in Takahashi, where Bitchu Matsuyama Castle is located. Yubeshi is a sweet made by kneading yuzu into mochi rice, and it has become popular as a local sweet in various parts of the country. It is said that the origin of yubeshi began during the Genpei War in the late Heian period, when yubeshi was eaten as a preserved food.
Takahashi Yubeshi is said to have its origins in the early Edo period, when Kobori Enshu was serving as a magistrate, using yuzu grown in Bicchu to create a unique sweet. It is said that in the 1800s, the lord of the domain, Katsutoki Itakura, praised the yubeshi that were presented from the castle town, and it became established as a local sweet in Bitchu Matsuyama (Takahashi). In addition, in response to the financial deterioration of the domain that occurred in the late Edo period, a policy was adopted to mass produce yubeshi, and it is said that the number of shops making yubeshi increased in castle towns.

Bicchu Takahashi Matsuyama Odori

There is a festival that has been held at Bitchu Matsuyama Castle for a long time, and as history has passed, it has become the current ``Bicchu Takahashi Matsuyama Odori.''
``Bicchu Takahashi Matsuyama Odori'' is a Bon dance that is held in Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture for three days from August 14th every year. It is one of the three major dances performed in Okayama Prefecture (Matsuyama Dance in Takahashi City, Omiya Dance in the Hiruzen region of Maniwa City, and Shiroishi Dance in Shiroishijima, Kasaoka City), and is the largest Bon dance in Okayama Prefecture.

Matsuyama Odori consists of three main dances.
There are three types of dances: ``Ji-Odori'', which began in the Edo period and was danced mainly by the people of the territory, ``Shikumi-Odori'', which was mainly danced by young samurai families, and ``Yatosa'', which was danced in the suburbs of Takahashi in the Showa period.

The ``jiodori'' dance is performed in a circle surrounding the turret and marches counterclockwise. In the old days, when local dances were performed in each town, local dancers would lead the dance by singing at each stage.
Shikumi Odori is an enbu-style dance in which about 10 dancers form a circle and dance in special costumes and perform programs depicting historical events.
"Yatosa" forms a circle around the turret like the jiodori, but the dance moves clockwise (in the opposite direction as the jiodori is counterclockwise), and like the jiodori, the dancer takes the lead on top of the turret. In addition to Japanese drums and shamisen, gongs are also included to liven up the dance.

The origin of the Jiodori is that in 1648, Katsutaka Mizutani, the feudal lord, performed it at the autumn festival of Hachiman Shrine (Wada Town) to pray for the fertility and prosperity of his people. From there, as the castle town developed, the dance area was moved to the castle town, and before we knew it, it coincided with the Uelan Bonkai event, and began to be held as a Bon dance. However, the Bicchu Matsuyama domain frequently changed hands due to transfers, and the samurai who moved there spoke the language they had lived in before, while the people of the domain spoke with a Bitchu accent, so there was no interaction between the samurai and the people of the domain. did.

Therefore, in addition to the local dance performed by the people of the domain, samurai began to perform dances mainly organized by young groups of feudal retainers, and this is how Shikumi-odori began.
In the Meiji era, both the Jiodori and the Shikumi Odori began to be danced by the citizens. It is said that in the Showa period, Yatosa, which had been danced around Takahashi City, was introduced and began to be danced.

As a result, it has now become customary to perform each of the three dances in the Bicchu Takahashi Matsuyama Odori in the town, and in Takahashi City, where Bicchu Takamatsu Castle is located, it is enjoyed as a Bon Odori dance that is a summer tradition that attracts 100,000 visitors every year. .