It was a long and wet drive to Kama city in Fukuoka Prefecture. I’d set out early that morning to take in the Ichiya Jō Matsuri, a festival that celebrates the time when Toyotomi Hideyoshi had the walls of a fallen castle covered with paper over-night, to give the appearance of them being re-plastered.

After witnessing the seemingly infinite resources of the advancing army, the warriors of the Akizuki clan capitulated. Hideyoshi’s armies then continued their march to Kagoshima.

The festival wasn’t quite as successful, it was rained out. There were other things for me to see though. Two gates remained from the local castle of Masutomi. (益富城) and both had been moved to local temples. The former Ōte Gate merely fills an empty space at the Zenshō Temple (善照寺), while the former Karamete Gate (搦手門) is in use as the front gate of the Rinō Temple (麟翁寺).

Below is the Shachi (explained here) of the Karamete Gate, gritting its teeth under the grey sky.