I’ve been a very busy boy

Article posted on Monday, January, 23rd, 2012 at 8:21 pm

Hello RSS subscribers & regular/semi-regular dropper byers. It has been a while, hasn’t it? The first thing you should know is that I’ve been slaving away for the last month to bring you the best Japanese Castle Explorer that I possibly can. I’ve put together a list.

So, what’s new?

The main site (i.e. not this blog) has a completely new theme. Though the layout should look familiar, I assure you it is a very different animal under the hood. How might it be different, you ask?

Small screen friendly
All pages can now fold up or out depending on the screen size. There are actually three stepped sizes and you can see them all by manually resizing the browser. Give it a go: link

(Pictured: Matsushiro Castle Profile)

Province pages
These pages have been around for some time but now there’s a top page. Also though, I’ve added way more data. Check out Shinano Province.

Videos page
Now in one, convenient location: Castle videos

Galleries / Articles
Added a Castle roofs page.
Added a Namako walls page.
Re-added the Miscellaneous pictures page.
Re-added the Stone-throwing windows page.

Castle profiles
Hagi castle – updated pictures & information.
Tsuwano castle – updated pictures & information.

Boring stuff
There’s a privacy policy page
Updated to a newer version of Mootools.

Misc stats / milestones
Castle profiles: 146
Pictures: 1,044
Blog posts: 195
Main site pageviews: 220,000
Blog pageviews: 30,000

Seek and ye shall, or shall not find

Article posted on Wednesday, January, 11th, 2012 at 8:00 pm

This actually came as a bit of a shock when I first saw it. Had I not specifically been looking for it, I no doubt would have missed it. Have a close look at the photo, can you see what it is?

For those unable to make out what is written, the sign post indicates that this is the main entrance to the National Historic Site of Tsuwano castle. I don’t think the problem is that my visit happened to co-incide with garbage day, and that some Tsuwano resident plonked their weekly collection of refuse square in front of the sign making it hard to read. I feel, and kind of strongly, that they could have made the entrance a little more obvious – a bit more welcoming wouldn’t have hurt either.

So how is it that a National Historic Site (also a Hyakku Meijō listed castle) gets away with such poor promotion & presentation? Good question. To be fair, this isn’t the only entrance – there are several hiking paths up the mountain. Aside from those there is one other, perhaps one that many have come to believe is the main entrance. There is a ski-lift-type contraption to convey the tourist types to the top.

The joke is on me as it turns out. I later learned that the Hyakku Meijō stamp for this castle is to be found at the chair-lift building. Either at the top or at the bottom, does anyone know? Woe is me.

The Nagoya Imperial villa

Article posted on Tuesday, December, 27th, 2011 at 3:41 pm

I had my doubts as to whether this postcard was truly old or not; its condition was just too good. Certainly the photograph (featuring everybody’s favourite Nagoya Castle) is old, but I imagine anyone with a printer a flair for retro-styling could turn-out something similar before chowing down on their morning Wheat-Bix.

What’s that caption say? Well observed! It says, 「宮離屋古名」, which is kind of gibberish. UNLESS, I read what’s reflected with this mirror I just happen to have! Ahh, It says 「名古屋離宮」, which is read as Nagoya Rikyū – The Nagoya (Imperial) villa.

…interesting. Looking at the wear on the reverse side of the card, it’s apparent that the caption was stamped, or otherwise created by a device that impacted upon the card, denting it slightly. I think we can now safely conclude that this postcard was not made using an ink-jet printer. And, that’s good enough for me.

So, how old might it be? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Kanmon Straits – Shimonoseki

Article posted on Friday, December, 23rd, 2011 at 10:15 am

This video has had its run on Facebook, Twitter, and of course, Youtube, but I thought it may be a good idea to post it here as well. It comes from my visit to Shimonoseki a few months back. The post, Route 3 and other tales of endurance, tells of that trip in some detail. Be sure to follow the link if you are after a slightly longish read.

The topics that I touch on (ever so briefly) are, the Battle of Dan-no-Ura (壇ノ浦の戦い), Miyamoto Musashi / Sasaki Kojiro’s duel on Ganryū island (巌流島の決闘) & the Chōshu cannon (長州砲).

Kappa manhole cover

Article posted on Saturday, December, 10th, 2011 at 8:06 am

There are Japanese towns who take branding very seriously, and if I may say, way before it was considered cool. These towns, whose number I imagine would be quite significant, take their チャーム・ポイント (unique/special feature) and infuse it with every other aspect of the town that they possibly can. Hey, why not?

For some towns it’s bamboo crafts, for others it’s traditional (Japanese) paper, or lanterns, or tea, or any and every other food or craft you could possibly name. For Tanushumaru in Fukuoka Pref, it’s the mischievous Kappa.

Pictured top-right, is Tanushimaru’s train station. Surrounding the station, and indeed all over town, are images and small, stone statues of Kappa. Below, in a place no-one will find, I found a monhole-cover, on a wall.

Japanese castles – Top 20 Countdown!

Article posted on Wednesday, December, 7th, 2011 at 6:10 pm

I was recently asked which Japanese castles were fascinating. I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t know exactly where to start. Not only did I struggle with what might be universally considered fascinating, I wasn’t sure how to organise a large number of castles into a concise & ordered list. I did give it some thought though, and here’s what I came up with.

The top 20 Japanese-castles Countdown

Even though I’ll be running through my top 20 Japanese castles in reverse order, I feel it’s the ones from 20 ~ 11 that are the most interesting. They’re are the ones less likely to be visited by jet-setting tourists, consequently they are the very ones you are least likely to have heard of.

20	Hizen Nagoya castle Sweet! This castle is fascinating. Let me tell you why. This castle was the one and only to be built with the purpose of conquering foreign lands. Also, it is the largest remaining of the Momoyama period (1568 – 1600).
19	Takamatsu castle The city of Takamatsu sits very much at the doorstep of this fine, little castle. At this very moment, work is underway to rebuild what can only be described as a real ugly-duckling of a central tower.
18	Ōzu castle No expense was spared to bring back to life the keep of Ōzu castle. Completed in 2004, it was made as close to the original as was humanly possible. It doesn’t even comply to modern building standards!
17	Yamamto Kōriyama castle Forget about the actual buildings, well, the actual castle buildings. Make sure you check out the non-castle buildings though. And, the huge stone walls have been neglected to perfection.
16	Hagi castle Hagi City needs your love. Consistent drops in population has meant it has received little development. This place, and indeed the castle (with is surrounding, old castle-town), exude rustic charm by the bucket-load.
15	Matsushiro castle This place rules! Diminutive it may be, the compact castle grounds and the kinda large, old castle-town are actually a pretty awesome combo. There’s a nice sense of remoteness about it too.
14	Azuchi castle This is the castle that redefined Japanese castles. It was grand, it was bold, it was decadent. It was the most spectacular castle Japan had seen. What a shame that it stood for just three years.
13	Akashi castle My visit here could not have been more perfect. What looked from the station to be some bizarrely-proportioned castle theme park, turned out to have plenty of surprises up it’s bizarrely-proportioned sleeves.
12	Uwajima castle “Look at me! I’m a samurai. And, this is my cute castle.” Seriously, could a castle be any cuter? It was probably never laid siege to because of the overwhelming urge to pick it up and hug it when looked at.
11	Kōchi castle Serious hat on now. The castle’s buildings date from the mid 1700′s and are unique in that it is the only castle to have retained all buildings of the Hon maru, the castle’s main enclosure.

So, that’s the smaller, out-of-the-way, yet still totally interesting castles done. Do check them out if you are able to. And, to make the most out of your visits, I recommend finding out as much as you can before you visit. (click on the pictures!) Just because you’re on holidays, doesn’t mean you can’t learn a thing or two.

Next are the big boys! I’d say for anyone with an interest in Japanese castles, there’ll be no real surprises except perhaps the order, which is just a matter of personal taste.

10	Kanazawa castle The last decade or so has seen the resurrection of large sections of this castle. Still remnant are the myriad styles of stone cutting & stacking. There’s also the extant Ishikawa gate complex.
9	Nagoya castle This castle may just get bumped up the list in the coming years. There are some big, old turrets, and the extravagant Hon-maru palace is slated for completion in 2017.
8	Matsue castle With the main tower of this castle, you get a real sense that it was built with purpose, which of course, it was. I think I mean it just isn’t elegant like other castles.
7	Hikone castle Japan’s most graceful main tower? Yeah, I think so. Those gables are just mesmerizing. There’s plenty to see within the castle grounds, not to mention the attached Edo period (1603 – 1868) garden.
6	Matsuyama castle Matsuyama castle is a largely-complete, hilltop castle. It’s beautiful, and it is filled with interesting historical displays. You can even try on samurai armour! Warning – Requires patience.
5	Matsumoto castle The main tower is absolute perfection; great style and great atmosphere. It sits down at the fifth spot because the grounds are somewhat underwhelming. It is a favourite of many though.
4	Nijō castle Little known fact; the squeaking Nightingale floors of the palace is simply poor workmanship. Nah, I just made that up. There is nothing poor about this palace’s workmanship. I guarantee it!
3	Ōsaka castle Check out the green-roofed, white tower (pictured) if you have to, but I strongly recommend a stroll around the moat. And, keep your eyes peeled for Megaliths. Some are as big as the side of your house.
2	Kumamoto castle This castle’s builder, Katō Kiyomasa, quite obviously had the intention of making it hard for attackers to get into. Indeed, impregnable would’ve been a suitable word to describe this castle in its heyday.
1	Himeji castle Was there even any doubt? It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s a national treasure. It’s Japan’s most complete & stunning castle. Currently, there’s a big box covering the main tower due to repairs, and it’s still the best!

Honourable mentions

• Usuki castle. It finished up in 21st place.
• Aizu Wakamatsu & Hirosaki castles. There’s a high chance they’d be on the list if I’d visited them.
• Edo castle, visited but the gates had just closed when I arrived. If I’d gotten to walk around, I suspect it’d easily find itself in the top 10.

The End

What do you think people? Is it useful / useless? Perhaps your favourite castle didn’t make an appearance. Do you disagree? Do you think it’s the best list you have ever seen? Why not let me know by leaving a comment or a question. Also, you could show your love by sharing it via Twitter, Facebook or Google plus. Share buttons can be found at the top!

Oka castle – An Autumn walkthrough

Article posted on Sunday, December, 4th, 2011 at 12:58 pm

The weather forecast looked very promising, and to be fair, it probably was a cloudless day. There was something in the air though, something in addition to my sense of anticipation.

I’d been to Oka castle twice before. Once at dusk and the next with a large group of people. On both occasions I wasn’t able to fully explore the castle, and this day turned out to be no different.

Large areas of the castle were being repaired which made access to the western side of the mountaintop site difficult. And, with exception of some nice splashes of vivid red, it was all a bit drab. It’s okay though. It’s not like there won’t be a next time.

The beauty of the Kara hafu

Article posted on Wednesday, November, 23rd, 2011 at 9:36 pm

The Chinese-style gable would easily have to be one of the more attractive elements of traditional Japanese architecture. Reliable sources inform me that the Kara gable (唐破風) has existed in Japan since the Heian Period (794 to 1185). One interesting thing worth noting is that kara (唐), while actually meaning China (specifically the Tang Dynasty), is merely used to denote elegant. Which is exactly what it is, if not actually Chinese.

Below, behind my wonderful family, is the Dazaifu Tenman-gu (shrine) in Fukuoka Prefecture. Quite prominent is its Kara-hafu. You’d have to agree that the shrine is looking pretty good considering it’s been standing since 1591.

Castle towers

Prior to the mid 1500′s the undulating curves of the Kara gable were most commonly found on shrines, temples, gates & palanquins. During the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573 to 1603) though, they were increasingly incorporated into the towers & gates of castles.

You’ll see there are two pictures of the Kara hafu below, and a quick glance may not reveal the subtle yet significant difference. To the left, the Kara gable sits along the edge of the roof. This is known as a Noki kara hafu. To the right, the Kara gable sits atop the roof and forms a small room. This is known as a Mukai kara hafu.

Noki kara hafu – 軒唐破風	Mukai kara hafu – 向唐破風
Uwajima Castle	Matsumoto Castle

Gates

Again, there are two examples. Are they the same? Of course not.

The first kara-mon (formerly of Najima Castle, Fukuoka) has its gable facing the way from which it is entered. The roof on the second gate (Meirin-kan, Hagi) is oriented East-West. Did you spot the difference?

Mukai kara mon – 向唐門	Hira kara mon – 平唐門

… and more gates

This Kara-mon is utterly spectacular. Though originally of Fushimi Momoyama castle, it is now located here at the Nishi Hongan-ji. As a side-note, there is a color photograph of this gate in the Genshoku Nihon no Bijutsu (Vol 12) that shows it completely devoid of paint. Quite a surprising sight, I assure you.

Also in Kyōto is the Kara-mon of Nijō castle. Found in large number on the gate is the 16-petal chrysanthemum; symbol of the Emperor. Prior to these being added in the latter half of the 1800′s, the heraldic crest that adorned the gate was the three-hollyhock-leaf crest of the Tokugawa clan.

So, there you have it. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Chinese-style gable. Did I miss anything?

Ryōma Sakamoto – Poppin’ caps

Article posted on Sunday, November, 20th, 2011 at 3:26 pm

In early November of each year, the annual Saga International Balloon Fiesta is held on the western outskirts of Saga city. I didn’t make this year as I’m yet to fully recover from last year’s efforts in trying to escape the car park. The fiasco that that was aside, it was a fun day with plenty of things to do & see besides hot-air ballooning.

One odd little thing that I saw was this huge image of Ryōma Sakamoto made using soft drink bottle caps. And I must say, I am relieved (and a little surprised) to see that they’ve used the image of the real Ryōma Sakamoto and not the suave Masaharu Fukuyama, who played the lead character in NHK’s 2010 Taiga Drama, Ryōmaden. The piece was assembled by the students of a local high school.

And speaking Ryōma Sakamoto, how about checking out the latest Samurai archives podcast: Symposium Report – Why Ryōma Now

Chiran armour

Article posted on Sunday, November, 13th, 2011 at 10:21 pm

So I was in Kagoshima mid/late September, Pool of Zen & myself were road-tripping from Kumamoto to Kagoshima. The reason the town of Chiran was on our radar was for its Special attack peace museum (Kamikaze pilot museum) and, as it turned out, its tea.

Chiran is a compact & tidy town with more than a few sights of interest. Aside from what I’ve already mentioned, there’s Chiran castle and a single street lined with old-style gates and residences with stunning Japanese gardens. One house in particular had its armory on display that fine afternoon.