Fukuoka castle tower

     

Image credit: Yomiuri - http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/news/20100702-OYT1T00308.htm

There have been so many castles built with massive stone bases for their central towers but now have nothing sitting atop them.

It is generally known when & how these central towers (keeps/tenshus) were lost, but there are cases where mystery still surrounds these old structures. I’m not talking about the small details like their height or appearance, but whether the tower actually even existed.

There are two schools of thought on what became of Fukuoka castle‘s main tower. Some believe the main tower was dismantled and shipped to Osaka to aid in the rebuilding of Ōsaka castle (completed in 1620). Why would Kuroda Nagamasa relinquish his castle’s crowning glory? As a sign of his loyalty to the Shoguate of course. Those opposed to this view simply believe none ever existed.

Pictured is Mr. Odawara along with a model of how Fukuoka castle’s main tower may have once looked. It turns out he is an even bigger fan of Fukuoka castle than I am. He is chairman of the Castles of Chikuzen study group, so I guess he must be. The motivation behind the building of the 1:150 scale model is to promote the (re)building of a 1:1 tower.

Will Fukuoka’s tenshu ever be built? Perhaps the answer can be found in this older post: At what cost?

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  • http://toshogu.blogspot.com Tornadoes28

    Interesting theories on what happened to the towers. I had not thought of that. I just assumed that generally it was known what happened to the towers.

  • http://japandave.com David LaSpina / JapanDave

    Very interesting. I agree with Jon, I just assumed they knew what happened to all these towers. I thought they kept track of everything here in Japan. Didn’t I read once that paperwork here was some of the most detailed in the word, especially during the Edo period? Hard to believe they could lose details like this.

  • admin

    First, thank you for your comments.

    There is no doubting copious records were kept during the Edo period of all castles. By way of example, I have seen numerous versions of some castle’s maps each created a decade or two apart. Also there exist actual scale models of the tenshu, accurate (but stylized) diagrams of castle related buildings, etc… But, for some castles a ton of information exists & for others nothing exists.

    In summery, yes, many records were kept. It is just that the march of time has seen many records lost. This tremendous lack of information (and restrictions on the requirements before permission for rebuilding can be granted) is now causing headaches for local governments looking to cash in of the current Japanese castle boom.

  • Fukuoka castle tower — Japanese Castle Explorer | Travel Light Travel Far

    [...] A model of Fukuoka castle that has been built to inspire the (re)building of the real deal. Read ahead [...]

  • curtisk23

    Haven’t geologists / archeologists determined if a structure stood on that spot? I would think ground compaction analysis could suggest whether a mass as significant as a tenshu occupied the location; no?

    I’ve always been fascinated by well-meant, but misconstrued or misinterpreted history; often it becomes so entrenched that few pause to question it, and it becomes canon. Would be quite a twist if the donjon had never actually been built.

  • http://toshogu.blogspot.com Tornadoes28

    Interesting article in the Japan Times. There is a private group that is proposing to reconstruct the Edo Castle tower, preferably on the original location.

    http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20100718x1.html

  • admin

    Thanks for your comments/questions curtisk23. I’m unsure if my answers will be sufficient. I’m no scholar, I just like Japanese castles and more often than not, I just repeat what I hear and/or speak in generalisations. I do thrown plenty of “gut feelings” in too.

    Now that I have clearly stated my credentials, I’ll answer as best I can.

    Geological / archaeological surveys? I’m not aware that any have been undertaken. I am aware of roof tiles left broken & forgotten all over what is a poorly maintained historical site. Sorry, that is a poor answer.

    As for missing tenshus, not uncommon. Sasayama castle, none. Akashi Castle, none. Ako castle, none. Karatsu castle, earliest records show none. Tenshudais were built.

  • admin

    Tornadoes28, thank you for that link. A good, lengthy article.