See Japan's castles the easy way

Mini castles by Doyusha

Article posted on Monday, November, 15th, 2010 at 9:12 pm


Azuchi castle is at last mine! Mwa haha! And what a bargain at ￥350 (a few bucks). Okay, so I won’t be moving in anytime soon, seeing as it fits in the palm of my hand and all.

This particular series of castles date from 2007 and were produced by a company named Doyusha, a company that also makes (larger) plastic model kits of Japan’s castles.  Actually, as I glance over to the book shelf, I can see one of those very kits (again it’s Azuchi) that I picked up for ￥1,000 (a few bucks more).

So, what do you get for your hard earned? Well, perhaps the picture says it all. It’s a painted & pre-assembled plastic diorama, the size of which I’ve already alluded to. Pictured is the Summer version. And, for those lacking Bionic-Man eyesight, there is also an Autumn version of Azuchi.

It’s a bit of a lucky dip as to what you get, the box is sealed with no indication as to which one is inside. I could just as easily have picked up Wakayama Castle (Summer), Matsumoto Castle (either Summer or Winter) or  Hikone Castle (Summer). To totally sweeten the deal there is an ultra rare version. It’s Hikone castle (Spring) with bonus Hiko Nyan! See this post for an explanation – Castle Mascots.

Well, I think I may have gotten the bug. And why not? They are only a few bucks.

View this post & its comments.

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?

View this post & its comments.