Dark Shachi

Article posted on Sunday, June, 12th, 2011 at 10:15 pm

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.

Shachi bling

Article posted on Tuesday, September, 28th, 2010 at 2:34 pm

The relationship between the golden shachi of Nagoya castle and the silver ones of Aizu Wakamatsu are seen by some as akin to that of the Golden & Silver Pavilions of Kyōto. Both pairs of shachi wear a layer of precious-metal (something the Silver Pavilion in fact missed out on), but their connection goes beyond skin deep; they also share the same maker.

Hazama Corporation are the construction company who has brought us such wonders as the Akashi Kaikyō bridge and the Ginza line of the Tōkyō subway. They are also behind the ferro-concrete tenshu (main towers) of Nagoya & Aizu Wakamatsu and thus, their adorning dragon-headed dolphins.

It seems Nagoya’s shachi are the Marcia Bradys of the bunch, getting all the attention. And fair enough, she was seen as the hot one. That was inappropriate. What I mean to say is Nagoya’s shachi are not mere decoration but are also mighty symbols of the castle and the region’s heritage.

But let’s take a closer look at Jan, I mean Aizu Wakamatsu’s shachi. They were built in 1965, some 5-6 years after Nagoya’s. Not quite as glittering as gold, but certainly striking in silver. Most striking of all (and baffling) are the diamond inlaid eyes. Yes, each Shachi has a pair of 2-carat diamonds, there’s one for each eye! Does that not surprise you?

It seems back in the 60′s, when people said things like “far out man”, the president of Hazama Corp donated the diamond-eyed pair to the project. So, now we know how, but what I’d really like to know is WHY?

photo credit: October 2010 edition of JAF Mate magazine

Link: What are Shachi?

Ishikaki Shrine

Article posted on Saturday, May, 15th, 2010 at 8:45 am

Ishigaki, Ishikaki, It’s all the same. Both of these words are written as 石垣. This word is of course interesting to me because it is associated with (almost) every Japanese castle. It refers to stone foundations. So anyway, the other day I was driving down the road just minding my own business and I saw this shrine. I saw a couple of features that made me stop to have a closer look. I’m glad I did.

Please check out the vid below. It does tie in to a couple of older posts too, Piles of tiles, Directions and the Chinese Zodiac & Shachi is life.

Shachi is life.

Article posted on Tuesday, February, 9th, 2010 at 4:22 pm

Tiger-carp hybrids, Killer whales and Dragon-headed fish have all been used to describe Shachihoko. Whatever the origins of the mythical fish-tailed beast, they have been used to adorn roofs of Japanese castles, turrets and gates for centuries. Certainly they contribute to the overall beauty of these buildings but primarily they were symbols of good luck to ward off the threat of fire. Given their abysmal track record at Kanazawa & Edo castles (to name just two), their credibility seems flaky at best.

In almost every case, pairs of Shachi (one male & one female) sit on the ridges of roofs at opposing corners, forever facing off like immovable & disgruntled contortionists. It is said that the Shachi with the opened mouth is the male. Perhaps their expressions would soften if the male Shachi just kept its mouth shut.

Shachi of note

• Nagoya Castle – Giant gold-plated, copper Shachi.
• Matsue Castle – Japan’s biggest at 2.08 meters tall. The original Shachi are now housed inside the tower.
• Maruoka Castle – Carved from stone. The original Shachi now sit at the base of the tower.
• Saga Castle – The “Shachi” Gate are adorned with truly beautiful Shachi.
• Shibata Castle – Three Shachi sit atop the Sangai Turret. (blatant oneupmanship).