Back in June 2007, the Nihon Jōkaku Kyōkai (Japan Castle Foundation) launched a stamp rally to promote their list of the top 100 Japanese castles. The deal being that you make your way around the various islands that make up the nation of Japan to collect the 100 stamps.

For a guy who is all about Japanese castles, I’ve been pretty slow on the uptake. What can I say, it just hasn’t made much of an impression on me. #stamp_humour

Well, I’m now here to say that I have seen the errors of my way and that I am on-board in a big way, that I have gotten with the program.

Finally, let me present to you, #1 of 100 – Matsumoto Castle.

(Matsumoto castle profile)

舞鶴城 (Maizuru castle) – The dancing-crane castle.

Several castles were known as Maizuru castle (Wikipedia lists nine). This one is also known as Kōfu Castle, and the only one* with a resident dancing crane.

* Probably not actually.

Well, the Summer holidays are coming to an end. As much as I’d like them to last for ever, pretty sure that’s an impossibility. Perhaps for many of you it was business as usual, but luckily for me, I was able to sneak in a little traveling. Well, a lot of traveling actually. And just to give this post some focus, I won’t talk about the three weeks I spent back in Australia.

First stop was Odawara castle. As soon as I’d landed in Haneda airport I was on the phone to @Genshin, a fellow twitterer. And before I go any further, I need to thank him profusely for making the trip possible. We racked up many k’s in the @Genshin family car, and I repaid him by breaking the car’s antenna. Doh!

Roadtrip!
I now realise that I was a little too ambitious in the planning stage. And the plan was to head North from Odawara & see everything there was to see in Nagano Pref in under 2 days. Suffice to say, we didn’t quite see everything. We did see a lot & just to give you a small taste I recommend the following link: Views of Japan for some of @Genshin’s photographs.

The route we took, took us to:

• Odawara Castle (as mentioned)
• Kōfu Castle
• Tsutsujigasaki Yakata (video)
• Takashima Castle
• Matsumoto Castle
• Route inn (for any Aussies in the audience)
• Matsushiro Castle
• Ueda Castle

Suffice to say, the above destinations & some places in between will feature heavily in posts over the following months. Stay tuned!

Look familiar?
If so, you’re probably thinking it’s the Tsukimi Turret of Takamatsu castle. And, you’d be right.

And… If it looks very familiar, you’re probably thinking that there is something not quite right with this picture. And again, you would be right.

Rest assured, this is (pretty much) how it has looked throughout its life. From 1676 to the present.

Look familiar?
Perhaps you saw something similar not a moment ago.

And… If you were to visit Takamatsu castle, what is pictured to the right is what you’d actually see.

In addition to the horizontal bars there are arrow-slots, a window & a stone-throwing window. Purdy, ain’t she?

Check out the Takamatsu City official website.

Could I interest you in some more examples?

• Those massive sweeping arcs of Kokura castle‘s irimoya gables give the main tower a sophisticated look. Much more so than the lego-esque original.
• Tsu‘s three story turret had six gables added. It was once most blocky.
• The location of Iwakuni‘s main tower was moved so as it could be seen from the photogenic Kintai-kyō bridge below.

Do you know of any other examples? I’d love to hear them.

So, what’s the deal?
It’s simple, the sexy versions are more appealing. We all buy into Japanese castles… refined elegance… traditional… image. But, it seems they are no different that the models on the covers of magazines. Airbrushed, perfected.

The concrete reconstructions, I’m less concerned with. But, when it comes to Important Cultural Properties, such as the Tsukimi turret above: Hands off!

Who’s with me?

Just added a new page to the Japanese Castle Explorer. I’ve gotta be honest, Yoshinogari has never really appealed to me. It is quite a ways removed from anything Sengoku period or later i.e.: my interests.

In any case, this site is listed as one of the Top 100 castles(?) by the Nihon Jō Kyōku Kai, the Japan Castle foundation.

Link to the Yoshinogari Settlement profile. Loads of pictures, info & even a video.

Jin’ya?
Castle in Japanese – 城, represented a lot of things. It ranged from something massive and modern like Nagoya or Himeji castles right down to the simplest of stockade, which is probably now nothing more than a site marker in the form of a post in the ground.

It is a little confusing then, that there was a particular type of fortification that served many of the same functions as any large, Edo-period castle but was instead known as a Jin’ya. Well, just to be clear, they would never have been able to withstand any sustained assault but it was from within their offices that the domain was administered, just like at the larger castles.

…Jin’ya??
Jin’ya, written as 陣屋, can be a little tricky to translate. Depending on your source, the following words may pop up: Magistrate’s office, Encampment, Government house, etc…

Generally, Jin’ya were located in domains valued up to 30,000 koku – which is what Wikipedia says. According to a recent book purchase though, it seems there were plenty of domains valued over the 30,000-koku figure. Akizuki Jin’ya in Fukuoka Prefecture for example, was valued at 50,000 koku at one point. And, I’m not having a go at Wikipedia’s contributers. To be honest, the average koku value does tend to hover around the 30,000 mark.

Jin’ya were found all over Japan, and in rather large numbers. Many were built on land held by the Tokugawa Shogunate and others were set-up by Daimyo as mini-domains within their own borders. Some were even established at decommissioned castles. Nagayama Jin’ya in Oita prefecture to name just one.

Akizuki Jin’ya / Jō
Depending on which resource you refer to, the H.Q. of a certain Kuroda Nagaoki (third son of Kuroda Nagamasa) in 1623 was Akizuki castle (秋月城) or Akizuki Jin’ya (秋月陣屋). Whatever its label, let’s have a look at how it may have once looked:

Akizuki Jin'ya

The rear & the side defences cannot clearly be understood viewing this scale model. After refering to my field notes, those three sides were inaccessable due to a creek & embankments. Along the front however is a moat, several multi-story turrets & a main gate. Perhaps it also isn’t so clear but their are two enclosures. One containing the offices and an “L” shaped horse stable. The other presumably containing the lord’s residence.

In conclusion
So, there you have it folks. I hope I’ve been able to clear up what a Jin’ya is and isn’t. In the end, I’m not so sure if I have. Suffice it to say, It’s a Jin’ya if it says it’s a Jin’ya.

On the 14th of April 2010 an attempt at arson was made upon the Najima Gate of Fukuoka Castle. This is pretty big news in my world as it was one of the first castle-related buildings I’d ever seen. You may recall in a recent post titled Wooden buildings burn where I’d stated that at any time, any one of Japan’s historical buildings could go up in flames, how spooky that this almost came to pass and so soon. Whoever attempted to set the old gate ablaze should have their thumbs cut off then made to text message everyone in Japan apologizing.

The incident:
At about 5:40 on Wednesday morning, two men attempted to torch the gate. Fortunately, all they succeeded in doing was to singe a 30cm square area on one of the doors before hot footing it. An early riser was able to raise the alarm by notifying the police. The investigation continues.

The gate:
The gate was built along with Najima Castle back to 1587 by the Kobayakawa clan. I find it an odd looking gate, partly because of its black and white exterior & partly because there is just something odd about it. As to its structure, it’s a free-standing, turret-topped gate with roof tiles that appear to date from the modern era.

This was kind of impromptu. The sky was blue & I had access to the car (finally), so I thought I’d check out Kurume Castle. It’s about a 25-minute drive from my house. I actually wasn’t expecting to see cherry blossoms at all, so that was a nice surprise.

Is this video too long guys? Would love your comments on any & all aspects of the video.

This castle is quite an enjoyable one to stroll around, the grounds are in good condition & there remain plenty of original stonework as well as some rebuilt walls & turrets. This video was taken on the same day as my visit to Yatsushiro Castle, so please, once again forgive the roughness.

This video plus loads o’ photos & a heap of information can be found at the Hitoyoshi Castle profile page. I hope you’ll check it out.

@toranosukev @Thepoolofzen 2:45 in, my American accent!

I never really had the desire to jump in front of a camera but I’ve pretty much gone the whole hog here. It’s from my trip to Yatsushiro which is about an hour south of Kumamoto city. I had myself a good time. Please comment and don’t be reserved. Any & all feedback is welcome, even un-constructive criticism. Bring it on!

*** Edit***
The full Yatsushiro castle profile page is finally up! Check it out.

Yatsushiro Castle – Japanese Castle Explorer from Daniel O'Grady on Vimeo.