Chikuzen Matsuo castle

Article posted on Saturday, August, 20th, 2011 at 6:48 pm

I had a pleasant, little surprise the other day. Myself, the wife & the kids were out shopping. And as we were walking out of one particular shop, I was handed a bag with a book inside. The book was Sengoku no Shiro (戦国の城), and I was pretty damned happy.

Within the book’s pages are detailed articles on more than a dozen castles. And despite Himeji castle being on the book’s cover, most are obscure, mountain castles. One of those obscure, mountain castles is Matsuo castle (which is known in the book as Koishiwara castle), and it just so happens that it’s just a short(-ish) drive away. So, drive away I did.

Before we get to the video, just a word on my speaking proficiency which you’d think would be kind of alright. You’ll have to excuse my verbal trips & blunders. I happened to get myself a little tongue-tied on more than one occasion. Anyway, without further ado.

My Sunday adventure

Article posted on Sunday, October, 24th, 2010 at 9:55 pm

I had been waiting 12 months for today’s trip to the Masutomi castle festival in Kaho (Fukuoka Pref). That’s how long it has been since doing a post on the lighting-up of Masutomi castle. I didn’t quite make it to the lighting-up, I just had to settle for a day-trip. And even then, the rain pretty much put an end to anything festival like. Hey, I’m not complaining. I’m not big on crowds.

The drive there was a bit hairy. As I made my way through the (I would guess) seldom-used mountain pass, I came across two sections where half of the road had fallen victims to land-slides. Not the type where land has slid on the road, but the type where the road has slid away. That coupled with narrow, twisting roads and the fog made for some pretty focused driving.

Once I arrived in Kaho, I was very happy to see plenty of signage pointing me in all the right places. First was a sign to the relocated main gate of the castle, then to the place where the crowds would have gathered, if the weather had’ve been decent. There was one other gate to be found, Masutomi castle’s Karamete gate. Some prior research ensured I’d be able to take the obligatory snaps.

The castle itself is, shall we say, rather unique. It’s Japan’s 2D’est castle. And due to the fog, I felt happy to even get the pics I got. I wasn’t going to hang around all day for the fog to clear, it’s just a billboard after all.

I was driving just as focused on the way back. I felt it was necessary for my survival. If only I had continued to be alert when I was home free. I decided to pull over to check out some cars, and whack! I hit the gutter. A slow leak ensued, and down the road, I noticed the car pulling to the left.

It had been a while since I’d changed a tire. The first time to change one in the rain. And hopefully the last time I’ll need to change one, rain or no rain.

Fukuoka castle tower

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

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?