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Coordinates: 32°12′39.9″N 130°45′59.37″E / 32.211083°N 130.7664917°E / 32.211083; 130.7664917
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corrected 'the castle was demolished,' to 'the castle buildings were demolished,' as the stone walls and earthen ramparts mostly survived.
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{{short description|Castle ruins in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto, Japan}}
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[[File:Hitoyoshi Castle air.jpg|thumb|left|230px|Satellite image of Hitoyoshi Castle]]
{{Infobox military installation
[[File:Hitoyoshijou001.jpg|thumb|Hitoyoshi Castle]]
| name = Hitoyoshi Castle
{{maplink|frame=yes|frame-width=220|zoom=14|type=shape}}
| nativename-a = {{lang|ja|人吉城}}
'''Hitoyoshi''' is a 12th-century castle, now ruins, located in [[Hitoyoshi]], [[Kumamoto Prefecture]]. It is recognized as one of [[Japan]]'s [[Japan's Top 100 Castles|top 100 castles]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kumanago.jp/en/events/detail/430000003473.html|title = Official Kumamoto Tourism Guide}}</ref>
| partof = <!-- for elements within a larger site -->
| location = [[Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto]] [[Japan]]
| nearest_town = <!-- used in military test site infobox -->
| country =
| image = Hitoyoshi Castle, enkei-3.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| alt =
| caption = Hitoyoshi Castle
| image2 = <!--secondary image, major command emblems for airfields -->
| alt2 =
| caption2 =
| type = [[Japanese castle]]
⚫
{{|32|12|39.9|N|130|45|59.37|E|:JP|display=title}}
| map_type = Japan Kumamoto Prefecture#Japan
| map_relief = yes
| controlledby = [[Sagara clan]]
| past_commanders =
| open_to_public = yes
| site_other_label =
| site_other = <!-- for other sorts of facilities - radar types etc. -->
| site_area =
| built = Kamakura period, early Edo Period
| used =
| builder =
| materials =
| height = <!-- height of tallest part, not above sea level -->
| condition = Archaeological and designated national historical site; castle ruins
| website =
|footnotes = {{box|background=white|align=center|wide=yes|border size=3px|border color=brown|text align=center|[[Monuments of Japan|National Historic Site of Japan]]}}
{{maplink2|type=point|frame=yes|plain=yes|zoom=14|frame-align=center|frame-width=200|coord={{coord|32|12|39.9|N|130|45|59.37|E|}}}}}}
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[[:Hitoyoshi .jpg|thumb|| of Hitoyoshi Castle]]


{{nihongo|'''Hitoyoshi Castle'''|人吉城|Hitoyoshi-jō}} was an [[Edo period]] flatlands-style [[Japanese castle]] located in the city of [[Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto |Hitoyoshi]], [[Kumamoto Prefecture]], [[Japan]]. Its ruins have been protected as a [[Monuments of Japan|National Historic Site]] since 1961.<ref>{{cite web|URL= https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/139887 |title=人吉城城|publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs|language=Japanese|access-date=16 October 2021}}</ref> It is No.93 on the list "[[100 Fine Castles of Japan]]".<ref>{{cite web|url= http://jokaku.jp/japan-top-100-castles/best-100-castles-of-japan-2nd-selection/ |title=続日本100名城 |publisher=日本城郭協会|language=Japanese|accessdate=25 July 2019}}</ref> Since the [[Sagara clan]] was appointed ''[[jitō]]'' (land steward) n the [[Kamakura period]], the clan inhabited this castle for 35 generations, for 670 years until the [[Meiji restoration]] of 1871.
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== History ==


==Overview==
There was an original castle built on the site by Sagara Nagayori, in the late 1200s.<ref>"Hitoyoshi Castle" jcastle.info http://jcastle.info/castle/profile/232-Hitoyoshi-Castle</ref> After this, the clan used the castle as their home, up until the early 1400s. Sometime before 1470, another castle was built on the location.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jcastle.info/castle/profile/232-Hitoyoshi-Castle |title=Hitoyoshi Castle Profile |access-date=2016-05-20 |archive-date=2016-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228060322/http://jcastle.info/castle/profile/232-Hitoyoshi-Castle |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Sagara clan]] pushed out to extend their power around the Kuma area, however they were defeated by the [[Shimazu clan]] at the Battle of Minamata in the year 1581. As a result, they lost much area under their control.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://pahoo0516.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-71.html|title=Hitoyoshi Castle - Walking the Japanese Castles}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jcastle.info/castle/profile/232-Hitoyoshi-Castle |title=Hitoyoshi Castle Profile |access-date=2016-05-20 |archive-date=2016-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228060322/http://jcastle.info/castle/profile/232-Hitoyoshi-Castle |url-status=dead }}</ref> Sagara Nagatsune carried out more extensive development of the castle in the year 1589. The [[Kumagawa River]] is used by the castle as both an outer defensive [[moat]], and for trade via water transport. The castle buildings were demolished, like many castle buildings in Japan, in the [[Meiji era]], leaving only the stone walls and earthen ramparts.
Hitoyoshi Castle is located on the south side of the [[Kuma River (Japan)|Kuma River]] that flows through the center of Hitoyoshi city, and is built on a mountain at the confluence of the Kuma River and its tributary, the Mune River. This is in the Hitoyoshi Basin, a 30 by 15 kilometer valley surrounded by tall mountains at the southern border of Higo Province. The Kuma River and Mune River serve as natural moats on the north and west sides, and the mountain slopes and cliffs serve as natural castle walls on the east and south sides. The San-no-maru (Third Enciente) is located along the Kuma River, the Ni-no-maru (Second Enciente) to the south, and the Hon-maru (Main Enciente ) on the hill, making it a flatland castle with a terraced structure. Main Enciente never had a ''[[tenshu]]'' castle tower. In the [{Sengoku period]], there were also subsidiary castles called Uehara Castle, Nakahara Castle, and Shimohara Castle on the hills to the south, southeast, and east of the main castle, across the valley, but the ruins of these fortifications are not included in the current National Historic Site.<ref name="Shiseki">{{cite book |last1=Isomura |first1=Yukio |last2=Sakai |first2=Hideya |title=(国指定史跡事典) National Historic Site Encyclopedia |date=2012 |publisher=学生社 |isbn=4311750404}}{{in lang|ja}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jcastle.info/castle/profile/232-Hitoyoshi-Castle |title=Hitoyoshi Castle Profile |access-date=2016-05-20 |archive-date=2016-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228060322/http://jcastle.info/castle/profile/232-Hitoyoshi-Castle |url-status=dead }}</ref>


Part of the stone wall of the ''[[daimyō]]'' palace built at the end of the Edo period is a unique stone wall called "Musha-gaeshi" that uses a European castle construction technique, in which the wall has a slight protruding from the top, which prevents enemies from climbing over the wall, and also allows defenders to attack enemies clinging to the wall. This type of wall is rare, and is only found in the [[Goryōkaku]] and [[Tatsuoka Castle]] in [[Hakodate]], but neither of them are as large as the stone wall of Hitoyoshi Castle.
== Current site ==


The castle ruins are now known as Hitoyoshi Castle Park, and some [[yagura (tower)|''yagura'']] turrets and stonewalls have been restored. A [[Shinto shrine]], the Sagara Gokoku Jinja is now located on the west side of the castle ruins. The Hitoyoshi City Hall was formerly located within the castle, but was relocated after the damage caused by the [[2016 Kumamoto earthquakes]]. The Hitoyoshi Castle History Museum remains within the castle grounds.
Little of the castle remains today on site. The stone walls remain extant, with both a recently added [[Yagura (tower)|yagura]] and gate.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jcastle.info/castle/profile/232-Hitoyoshi-Castle |title=Hitoyoshi Castle Profile |access-date=2016-05-20 |archive-date=2016-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228060322/http://jcastle.info/castle/profile/232-Hitoyoshi-Castle |url-status=dead }}</ref>


== Literature ==
====
Sagara Nagayori, a local lord of Sagara ''[[shōen]]'' in [[Tōtōmi Province]] who served [[Minamoto no Yoritomo]], was appointed as the land steward of Hitoyoshi ''shōen'' in [[Higo Province]] in 1205. This area was ruled by Yase Sumasuke, a vassal of [[Taira no Yorimori]]. Nagayori, he lured Sumasuke out under the pretense of [[ukai|cormorant hunting]] and murdered him. Nagayori expanded Sumasuke's castle and built the foundations of Hitoyoshi Castle. During the construction of the castle, a stone with a crescent-shaped pattern was unearthed. For this reason, the castle is also known as "Sengetsu Castle" or "Mikazuki Castle." During the Sengoku Period, the Sagara clan unified the Kuma region. However, after an internal dispute over the succession issue, on July 14, 1526, Hitoyoshi Castle was surrounded by a large army led by the Kitahara clan (who were backed by the ''[[Ikkō-ikki]]'' movement) . Sagara Yoshishige used a stratagem to drive the Kitahara clan back, but this was the only time that Hitoyoshi Castle was attacked by another clan after the Sagara clan entered the castle.<ref name="Shiseki"/>

After that, the 19th head of the family, Sagara Yoshiharu, began a major renovation of the castle during the [[Tenshō (Momoyama period)|Tenshō]] era (1573-1593), which was only completed in 1639. During the Sengoku period, the Sagara clan endured constant threats from the [[Shimazu clan]] in the south, and the Nawa clan and [[Ōtomo clan]] in the north, and in 1581 they surrendered to the Shimazu clan and became their vassals. In 1587, Sagara Yorifusa fought bravely during [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]]'s [[Kyūshū campaign|conquest of Kyushu]], but surrendered, and was granted Hitoyoshi Castle and territory as an independent lord again through negotiations with his vassal, Fukamizu Nagatomo. In the [[Battle of Sekigahara]] in 1600, he initially sided with [[Ishida Mitsunari]]'s (Western Army) and attacked [[Fushimi Castle]] and other castles, but after Ishida's defeat, he defected to the [[Tokugawa Ieyasu|Tokugawa]] (Eastern Army) and was granted confirmation in his own holdings with an assessed ''[[kokudaka]]'' of 22,000 ''[[koku]]''.<ref name="Shiseki"/> Under Sagara Yorifusa, Hitoyoshi Castle was modernized per contemporary castle technology, with stone walls and ''masugata''-style compound gates. The castle was also made more compact, with major part of old fortifications on the mountaintop abandoned. A long stone wall was also built along Kuma River, and river port was constructed.

Prior to the [[Meiji restoration]], Hitoyoshi Castle was destroyed in a fire in 1862. Following the start of the [[Meiji period]], the site of the castle became a park. The site is a 15 minutes walk from [[JR Kyushu]] [[Hisatsu Line]] [[Hitoyoshi Station]]. .<ref name="Shiseki"/>

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== ==
<gallery>
File:Hitoyoshi Castle, enkei-1.jpg|Panorama from Kuma River
File:Hitoyoshi Castle, honmaru-1.jpg|Hon-maru
File:Hitoyoshi Castle, honmaru-2.jpg|Foundation stones in the Hon-maru
File:Hitoyoshi Castle, ni-no-maru.jpg|Ni-no-maru
File:Hitoyoshi Castle, san-no-maru.jpg|San-no-maru
File:Hitoyoshi Castle, gaikan.jpg|Stone walls of the Ni-no-maru and San-no-maru二の丸・三の丸石垣
File:Hitoyoshijou musha-gaeshi.JPG|''Musha-gaeshi'' on stone walls
File:Hitoyoshi 01.jpg|Otemon Tamon-yagura
File:Hitoyoshi Castle, mizutemon.jpg|Gate
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[List of Historic Sites of Japan (Kumamoto)]]

==Literature==
*{{cite book |title=Japan's Castles: Citadels of Modernity in War and Peace | last=Benesch |first=Oleg and Ran Zwigenberg |year=2019 |pages=374 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=9781108481946}}
*{{cite book |title=An Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles | last=De Lange |first=William |year=2021 |pages=600 pages|publisher=Toyo Press |location=Groningen |isbn=978-9492722300}}
*{{cite book |title=An Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles | last=De Lange |first=William |year=2021 |pages=600 pages|publisher=Toyo Press |location=Groningen |isbn=978-9492722300}}


== References ==
== ==
*[https://www.city.hitoyoshi.lg.jp/kosodate_kyoiku/kyoiku_bunka/rekishi_bunka/20249 Hitoyoshi Castle History Museum ] {{in lang|ja}}
{{Commons category|Hitoyoshi Castle}}
*[https://kumamoto.guide/spots/detail/11630 Kumamoto official tourism site] {{in lang|ja}}
{{Portal|Japan|History|Architecture}}

{{Reflist}}
==References==
----
{{reflist}}
*{{Osmway|430048691}}


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{{Coord|32|12|39.9|N|130|45|59.37|E|type:landmark_region:JP|display=title}}
{{100 Fine Castles of Japan}}
{{100 Fine Castles of Japan}}
{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:Former castles in Japan]]
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[[Category:1871 disestablishments in Japan]]
[[Category:Castles in Kumamoto Prefecture]]
[[Category:Castles in Kumamoto Prefecture]]
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[[Category: Japan]]
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[[Category: castles in Japan]]
[[Category:Higo Province]]
[[Category:Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto]]
[[Category:Sagara clan]]
[[Category:Sagara clan]]


{{Kumamoto-geo-stub}}

Latest revision as of 00:02, 6 October 2024

Hitoyoshi Castle
人吉城
Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Japan
Hitoyoshi Castle
Hitoyoshi Castle is located in Kumamoto Prefecture
Hitoyoshi Castle
Hitoyoshi Castle
Hitoyoshi Castle is located in Japan
Hitoyoshi Castle
Hitoyoshi Castle
Coordinates32°12′39.9″N 130°45′59.37″E / 32.211083°N 130.7664917°E / 32.211083; 130.7664917
TypeJapanese castle
Site information
Controlled bySagara clan
Open to
the public		yes
ConditionArchaeological and designated national historical site; castle ruins
Site history
BuiltKamakura period, early Edo Period
Map
Map of Hitoyoshi Castle

Hitoyoshi Castle (人吉城, Hitoyoshi-jō) was an Edo period flatlands-style Japanese castle located in the city of Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1961.[1] It is No.93 on the list "100 Fine Castles of Japan".[2] Since the Sagara clan was appointed jitō (land steward) n the Kamakura period, the clan inhabited this castle for 35 generations, for 670 years until the Meiji restoration of 1871.

Overview

[edit]

Hitoyoshi Castle is located on the south side of the Kuma River that flows through the center of Hitoyoshi city, and is built on a mountain at the confluence of the Kuma River and its tributary, the Mune River. This is in the Hitoyoshi Basin, a 30 by 15 kilometer valley surrounded by tall mountains at the southern border of Higo Province. The Kuma River and Mune River serve as natural moats on the north and west sides, and the mountain slopes and cliffs serve as natural castle walls on the east and south sides. The San-no-maru (Third Enciente) is located along the Kuma River, the Ni-no-maru (Second Enciente) to the south, and the Hon-maru (Main Enciente ) on the hill, making it a flatland castle with a terraced structure. Main Enciente never had a tenshu castle tower. In the [{Sengoku period]], there were also subsidiary castles called Uehara Castle, Nakahara Castle, and Shimohara Castle on the hills to the south, southeast, and east of the main castle, across the valley, but the ruins of these fortifications are not included in the current National Historic Site.[3][4]

Part of the stone wall of the daimyō palace built at the end of the Edo period is a unique stone wall called "Musha-gaeshi" that uses a European castle construction technique, in which the wall has a slight protruding from the top, which prevents enemies from climbing over the wall, and also allows defenders to attack enemies clinging to the wall. This type of wall is rare, and is only found in the Goryōkaku and Tatsuoka Castle in Hakodate, but neither of them are as large as the stone wall of Hitoyoshi Castle.

The castle ruins are now known as Hitoyoshi Castle Park, and some yagura turrets and stonewalls have been restored. A Shinto shrine, the Sagara Gokoku Jinja is now located on the west side of the castle ruins. The Hitoyoshi City Hall was formerly located within the castle, but was relocated after the damage caused by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes. The Hitoyoshi Castle History Museum remains within the castle grounds.

History

[edit]

Sagara Nagayori, a local lord of Sagara shōen in Tōtōmi Province who served Minamoto no Yoritomo, was appointed as the land steward of Hitoyoshi shōen in Higo Province in 1205. This area was ruled by Yase Sumasuke, a vassal of Taira no Yorimori. Nagayori, he lured Sumasuke out under the pretense of cormorant hunting and murdered him. Nagayori expanded Sumasuke's castle and built the foundations of Hitoyoshi Castle. During the construction of the castle, a stone with a crescent-shaped pattern was unearthed. For this reason, the castle is also known as "Sengetsu Castle" or "Mikazuki Castle." During the Sengoku Period, the Sagara clan unified the Kuma region. However, after an internal dispute over the succession issue, on July 14, 1526, Hitoyoshi Castle was surrounded by a large army led by the Kitahara clan (who were backed by the Ikkō-ikki movement) . Sagara Yoshishige used a stratagem to drive the Kitahara clan back, but this was the only time that Hitoyoshi Castle was attacked by another clan after the Sagara clan entered the castle.[3]

After that, the 19th head of the family, Sagara Yoshiharu, began a major renovation of the castle during the Tenshō era (1573-1593), which was only completed in 1639. During the Sengoku period, the Sagara clan endured constant threats from the Shimazu clan in the south, and the Nawa clan and Ōtomo clan in the north, and in 1581 they surrendered to the Shimazu clan and became their vassals. In 1587, Sagara Yorifusa fought bravely during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's conquest of Kyushu, but surrendered, and was granted Hitoyoshi Castle and territory as an independent lord again through negotiations with his vassal, Fukamizu Nagatomo. In the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, he initially sided with Ishida Mitsunari's (Western Army) and attacked Fushimi Castle and other castles, but after Ishida's defeat, he defected to the Tokugawa (Eastern Army) and was granted confirmation in his own holdings with an assessed kokudaka of 22,000 koku.[3] Under Sagara Yorifusa, Hitoyoshi Castle was modernized per contemporary castle technology, with stone walls and masugata-style compound gates. The castle was also made more compact, with major part of old fortifications on the mountaintop abandoned. A long stone wall was also built along Kuma River, and river port was constructed.

Prior to the Meiji restoration, Hitoyoshi Castle was destroyed in a fire in 1862. Following the start of the Meiji period, the site of the castle became a park. The site is a 15 minutes walk from JR Kyushu Hisatsu Line Hitoyoshi Station. .[3]

[edit]
  • Panorama from Kuma River
    Panorama from Kuma River
  • Hon-maru
    Hon-maru
  • Foundation stones in the Hon-maru
    Foundation stones in the Hon-maru
  • Ni-no-maru
    Ni-no-maru
  • San-no-maru
    San-no-maru
  • Stone walls of the Ni-no-maru and San-no-maru二の丸・三の丸石垣
    Stone walls of the Ni-no-maru and San-no-maru二の丸・三の丸石垣
  • Musha-gaeshi on stone walls
    Musha-gaeshi on stone walls
  • Otemon Tamon-yagura
    Otemon Tamon-yagura
  • Gate
    Gate

See also

[edit]

Literature

[edit]
  • Benesch, Oleg and Ran Zwigenberg (2019). Japan's Castles: Citadels of Modernity in War and Peace. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 374. ISBN 9781108481946.
  • De Lange, William (2021). An Encyclopedia of Japanese Castles. Groningen: Toyo Press. pp. 600 pages. ISBN 978-9492722300.
[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "人吉城城" (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  2. ^ "続日本100名城" (in Japanese). 日本城郭協会. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Isomura, Yukio; Sakai, Hideya (2012). (国指定史跡事典) National Historic Site Encyclopedia. 学生社. ISBN 4311750404.(in Japanese)
  4. ^ "Hitoyoshi Castle Profile". Archived from the original on 2016-12-28. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
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