Sadatsugu Tsutsui (2/2)Kaiki Daimyo ~ The first lord of Iga Ueno Castle hidden in the shadow of Todo Takatora

According to the literature, during the Osaka Winter Siege, some of the arrows fired from Osaka Castle were used by the Tsutsui family, which is why they were suspected of being secretly involved.

The Tsutsui family was succeeded by Sadatsugu's cousin Sadaki Tsutsui, who was given 10,000 koku of Yamatokoriyama Castle by Ieyasu. However, during the Summer Siege of Osaka in 1615, Yamatokoriyama Castle was captured by the Toyotomi forces, and Sadayoshi is said to have gone into seclusion or committed seppuku. As a result, Mr. Tsutsui of Teiji style disappeared. Other Tsutsui clans continue to this day.

What is Iga Ueno Castle built by Sadatsugu Tsutsui?

Iga Ueno Castle, which is inseparable from Sadatsugu Tsutsui's life, is a flat castle located on a hill about 184 meters above sea level. Originally, there was Heirakuji Temple, which was associated with Taira no Kiyomori, but it was burnt down with the defeat of the Iga army during Oda Nobunaga's Tensho Iga Rebellion. Yutoshi Takigawa, a vassal of the Oda family, built a fort on the site, and later Sadatsugu Tsutsui built Iga Ueno Castle on a plateau near the site of Heirakuji Temple.

Iga Ueno Castle was a castle built to protect the Toyotomi family in Osaka. Sadatsugu built a three-story castle tower on the east side with the main castle on the top of the hill, and the castle town was centered on the north side, which had been open since ancient times. . By the way, this castle tower is estimated to have collapsed around 1633. Currently, the Tsutsui Tenshu Ruins Stone Monument stands quietly on the ruins of the castle tower, and some of the original stone walls remain.

The next lord after Sadatsugu, Todo Takatora, is known as a ``master of castle construction.'' Takatora expanded the castle to the west while reusing the palace from the Sadatsugu era. The castle town has also been moved to the south. In 1611, a tall stone wall measuring approximately 30 meters in height was completed. The stone walls that still remain today are impressive and one of the highlights.

Takatora served Tokugawa Ieyasu and his goal was to overthrow Toyotomi. Iga Ueno Castle was also rebuilt as a castle for attacking Osaka.

As a result of large-scale renovations, a five-story castle tower was supposed to be built, but it collapsed due to a typhoon in 1612 (Keicho 17) while it was still under construction. The castle tower was never rebuilt due to the fall of the Toyotomi clan during the summer campaign in Osaka in 1615 (Genna 1). The Otemon gate with the Watari turret (Tamon) and the palace were constructed.

By the way, the current Iga Ueno Castle has a triple castle tower, which was built by local politician Katsu Kawasaki with the help of supporters and with the help of his personal property to raise reconstruction funds. This is a ``mock castle tower'' completed in 1935. It consists of a three-story wooden large castle tower and a two-story small castle tower, and was named ``Iga Cultural and Industrial Castle,'' but due to its beautiful appearance, it is also called ``Hakuho Castle.''

Inside, in addition to exhibits that explain the history of Iga Ueno Castle, there are also exhibits such as a black lacquered helmet that Todo Takatora received from Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and ceramic works excavated from the remains of the castle keep during Tsutsui Sadatsugu's era.