Fukuoka castle tower

Article posted on Saturday, July, 17th, 2010 at 10:10 am

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?

Cherry blossoms at Fukuoka Castle

Article posted on Monday, March, 30th, 2009 at 3:45 am

What a great day. Everything came together nicely, the weather, the cherry blossoms – a day off. It had been a while since I’d visited Fukuoka castle, or any castle for that matter, so it was good to get out & about. Castle grounds all over Japan are popular sites for viewing the cherry blossoms, and here was no exception with Fukuoka’s garrison of revellers crowding inside the castle walls ready for the prolonged siege of tasty treats, beer & laughs.

The recently rebuilt Shimonohashi Otemon, which basically means the lower main gate, looked sensational as can be seen in the pictures below. Overlooking the gate is the Shiomi turret which was moved here many years ago. 　The longer building in the photos is the Minami Tamon Yagura which was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1971.

As I made my way around the grounds, I noticed they have recommenced excavation in front of the Korokan. The Korokan is quite an interesting thing. It was a place for diplomats to stay while travelling to and from China & Korea during the Heian period. It is the only building of its type to be found in all of Japan. And it was only discovered 1987.

Using the interactive map of the JCE (http://www.japanese-castle-explorer.com/map.html?lat=33.585921&lng=130.385292&type=satellite&zoom=17), you can see the building that shelters the Korokan under the cross-hairs and the site being excavated just to the North. You may notice that the Korokan’s grounds look to be in the shape of a baseball stadium. And that is exactly what it was, it was the home of the city’s baseball team for decades.