Nikko mysterious shrine

Nikko (Nikko Toshou-gu 日光東照宮) is one of the world heritage sites in Japan. Then do you know what is the Nikko Toshou-gu? It's the tomb of Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康) who established the Edo Shogunate system and also the ruler of Japan at that time. And this place (Nikko Toshou-gu) is the shrine constructed in front of the Tokugawa Ieyasu's tomb.

When you visit this shrine, we guess you will be explained as below. This shrine is very unique, because it's very colorful and ornamental. Architectural complex is decorated with gorgeous and luxurious carvings. And these decorations and sculptures are various. Such as animals (cranes, turtles, monkeys, lions, tigers, cats, elephants sparrows and so many others), 
imaginary creatures (Chinese lions, dragons and so on), humans (samurais, Chinese legends' characters), plants, botanical and other images come into view.

 
Because decorations and sculptures cover whole surface of the architectural complex, they are sometimes considered as not lofty. We are very concerned about their being a jumble affect their reputation. So we want to find reason why this shrine was so much like this, authentic reasonable explanation of the fact. And we want to name this question 'Mystery of Nikko.' And we found several plausible ones.

According to them, these buildings' design was influenced by foreign cultures imported especially from China. Design influenced by mainly Chinese culture but many other regions' cultures brought this mixed up of structures. And on the other hand, this diverse influence caused divine atmosphere of this site. But we don't fully agree with this idea. So we want to propose another hypothesis later.

There is one more story, when people talk about its historical aspect. As already mentioned, the person buried in this huge tomb was Tokugawa Ieyasu who had died in 1616. He decided, before he died, how he should been treated after his death and he made his will about it. He wrote that he wished to be buried in Nikko. And he ordered to make a shrine in front of his tomb. Furthermore, he decided to be a symbol of his family's prosperity and to be worshiped by his descendants as a god.

The place was selected by his high rank vessels. It was selected by the reason of Directionology (certain vessel advised) but geographical suitability. So we guess this fact caused it some difficulties and also become the answer of the mystery.

Let's continue with the historical background of construction. Tokugawa Hidetada (徳川秀忠) who is a Ieyasu's son and the second shogun took on the project with the best team available. He ordered Nakai Masakiyo (中井正清) (the foremost master carpenter at that time) to design and supervise the construction. And also he made Todo Takatora (藤堂高虎) lead the construction force, who had an outstanding record in building works especially castles. Both were the best persons imaginable. So we guess the finished product was excellent.

 
This first Nikko Toshou-gu shrine, completed in 1617, is not given proper recognition now. It is said that, unfortunately, because Tokugawa Ieyasu had stated, "Build a small hall on the Mount Nikko and enshrine me there," the shrine was built in a modest and simple manner in accordance with his words. Later, in 1634, Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川家光) who is a Ieyasu's grandson and the third shogun reconstructed it into the splendid and magnificent form befitting Ieyasu's tomb. But is such a story really believable? Was the original structure truly small and unimpressive, and was it really the case that the shrine took on its current grand appearance only after being renovated?

Then let's summarize what we've mentioned so far. 
There are two mysteries.

1. Why are the buildings of Nikko Toshou-gu filled with excessively diverse and seemingly inconsistent decorations?

2. Is it really true that the first buildings constructed by Hidetada were too small, and that Iemitsu later carried out a massive reconstruction?

We'll start to consider number 2 first.

 
The original Nikko Toshou-gu shrine was designed by Nakai Masakiyo, who oversaw the construction of many monumental buildings in the early Edo period. This large shrine complex was constructed on the slope at the foot of the mountains. And from its central area a secret approach path goes the long way around to the innermost precinct, where Ieyasu's tomb was built. We believe that it should have been impossible to enlarge the basic modest plan to the huge plan we see now. How could they have added floor area to scale up the buildings? If they had rebuilt the shrine in another location, that might make sense, however, to simply expand the existing site seems unrealistic. In other words, it is natural to assume that the scale of the initial construction was preserved during the later reconstruction.

Of course, new buildings must have been added during Iemitsu's renovation, and some buildings may have been dismantled. However, we believe that altering the fundamental layout would have been impossible. If such a drastic change had been forced through regardless, there would surely be records at least indicating who devised the plan and how the layout was altered.

On the other hand, the very reason such a story arose may be that everyone felt the shrine had changed dramatically after Iemitsu's renovation. Why did it appear to change so dramatically? We think the reason may lie in the fact that the shrine was built deep in the Mount Nikko (日光山). 

This shrine was not constructed solely because the site was ideal for a new shrine, rather, its location was chosen for its relationship to Edo and other important places. Of course, the existence of the nearby temple complex (Rinno-ji (輪王寺)) must have been considered in evaluating whether the site was suitable. However, there is the fact that the first shrine built in 1617 was rebuilt in 1634. We guess that this was not because Iemitsu was dissatisfied with its size, but because (despite only seventeen years having passed) the buildings had deteriorated. In other words, the humid climate of Nikko district inflicted a level of damage on the buildings that would not have been imaginable in Kyoto or other major cities,
thereby advancing the timing of the mending.

There is some circumstantial evidence supporting this idea. The Nikko Tousho-gu shrine had a dedicated group of carpenters who were constantly prepared for repairs. Moreover, historical records show that it underwent large-scale repairs thirteen times during the 250 years of the Edo period. This record is excluding repairs to recover damage caused by earthquakes or other disasters. Is it not reasonable to think that the reason for conducting major repairs roughly every twenty years was the severe environmental effects on the structures?

Next, we would like to consider the first mystery (the extravagant decorations of the Nikko Toshou-gu).

It may sound rather far-fetched, but we believe it is not entirely impossible. As we mentioned earlier, Japan at that time was under strong influence from foreign cultures. The buildings constructed during that period clearly reflect those influences. However, the impression we get from the structures of this shrine is particularly extraordinary. We want to know why that is.

We believe the reason lies in the events leading up to Iemitsu's decision to undertake the grand reconstruction. Let us look at how that came about. In 1633, the year before the reconstruction began, Iemitsu stayed at the Hommaru (本丸) Palace of the Nagoya Castle on his way to Kyoto. This palace had been extensively renovated by the Owari's castle lord, Tokugawa Yoshinao (徳川義直) (Iemitsu's uncle) to display his prestige for Iemitsu's visit. How it was renovated?

The rooms Iemitsu stayed known as the Joraku-den (上洛殿) were covered by colorful and ornamental decorations. Every room was covered with gilded Fusuma-e (襖絵)(sliding door paintings) and Shoheki-ga (障壁画)(wall paintings) lavishly decorated with gold leaf. The transoms were filled with thick openwork carvings depicting birds in magnificent and elaborate detail. Furthermore, the ceilings in the highest status were adorned with paintings of various plants. These fusuma-e and Shoheki-ga depicted scenes from ancient Chinese dynasties. And transoms featured symbolic birds inspired by classical Chinese tales. Although we do not know in detail the intention behind the painted plants, their sheer elegance must have been overwhelming.

Iemitsu had visited the Hommaru Palace before its renovation, and he had been astonished by how magnificently it had been transformed. Deeply impressed by its clear and striking beauty, he visited the Nikko Toshou-gu the next year. Upon seeing the shrine terribly damaged by the damping climate of the Nikko mountain district, might he have decided to rebuild it with his own hands?

As he imagined how it should be restored, perhaps some images came to his mind. Such as murals inspired by ancient Chinese tales, carvings of birds symbolizing those legends, and diverse decorative patterns based on plants. We think if you visit these sites, you will find many similarity between Nikko Toshou-gu and Hommaru Palace. You may find a resemblance between the carvings of Chinese sages at the Nikko Toshou-gu and the paintings depicting ancient Chinese dynasties in Hommaru Palace. You may also notice both are covered with carvings with countless birds and also with many four-legged animals. While Nikko Toshou-gu leaves a stronger impression of them (turtles🐢, monkeys🐒, lions🐈, tigers🐅, cats🐱, and elephants🐘), however, turtles and tigers also appear in the paintings of Hommaru Palace. Could it not be that Iemitsu's experiences, influenced by such works, led to the creation of this extraordinarily ornate and decorative architecture in Nikko Toshou-gu?

Yet, there may have been another, more practical reason as well. Perhaps surrounding the exterior surfaces of the shrine with carvings coated by paints, they served the structure beneath from environmental damage from the humidity. Furthermore, the vivid color coatings of carvings might not have been for beauty alone. They also protected the wood structures from weathering. Similarly, the white coating known as kofun-zuri (胡粉摺り) applied to the pillars and reliefs of Chinese scenes may be same. They have been intended not only for visual elegance but also for the same protective purpose. If such considerations truly influenced the design of Nikko Toshou-gu, would that not be remarkable?

Finally, the refined beauty of Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto is often hailed as the ultimate expression of Japanese aesthetics in architecture. By contrast, the decorative splendor of Nikko Toshou-gu is regarded as a deviation from that traditional sense of beauty. Yet, if its lavish ornamentation was not mere display, but rather a thoughtful effort to preserve the building's beauty and longevity, which form of beauty would you favor?

The Guide Board

(renewed on November 16 / 2025)

We see many 'Guide Boards' in historic sightseeing spots in Japan. Most of them are bilingual, Japanese and English. In some remote sightseeing spots, people concerned don't expect visit of foreign tourists and they make the things only in Japanese. On the contrary, many do expect foreign tourists, so they prepare the bilingual guide boards. Recently, we also see many Chinese guide boards as well.

We aren't concerned with Chinese, so we would like to consider the differences of Japanese guide boards and English guide boards. You may ask they explain same information, so there would be no difference. However, there are differences. Then, what kind of differences are there, and why these differences occur? We will describe below. The pictures are low image resolution. If you want to compare by yourself, please visit the historic sightseeing spot actually.

     

We thought if we categorize samples, it will help your understanding. At this point, we are predicting 2 types of factors.

1. Describing Japanese using 'Roman alphabet' causes mistakes for the translators.

2. English explanations are written by another person.

To understand why we categorize into these 2 types, please read our explanation of samples.

   
We will describe the samples below.
(1) The name of the historic sightseeing site
(2) The title of the guide board
(3) We want to explain what was happened.

No.1: Describing Japanese using 'Roman alphabet' causes mistakes for the translators.

Sample 1-1

(1) Verkehr Museum 
    (We visited this museum to write the article named 'Sengoku battle ship.' It's located in Shizuoka Pref. Shizuoka city.) If you want to visit 'Sengoku battle ship' click here.
(2) Kobaya ship model: Japanese title is '小早.'
(3) The title in English is described as 'Kobaya' but the body is described as 'Kohaya.' In our understanding 'Kobaya' is correct and 'Kohaya' is a careless mistake. If there is a differentiation, we are very sorry about our lack of knowledge. However, is it possible the difference of the title and the body?

Sample 1-2

(1) Hamamatsu Castle
    (We don't make the article about it as of right now. We want to do it if we have a chance.)
(2) The Castle Tower Bailey (Tenshuguruwa): Japanese title is '天守曲輪.'
(3) The title in English is described as 'Tensyuguruwa' but the body is described as 'Tensyukuruwa.' Usually, 'Tensyuguruwa' is correct and 'Tensyukuruwa' is wrong. We can easily suppose why this kind of mistakes happen. When you read '曲輪,' you will pronounce 'Kuruwa' because there aren't other words before that word. But, when '天守' connect, the pronunciation of '天守曲輪' changes into 'Tensyu-guruwa.' 'Ku' change into 'Gu' in this situation. (For your information, when you read '早,' you will pronounce 'Haya,' but '小' connect and the '小早' is pronounced 'Kobaya.')

Sample 1-3

(1) Hamamatsu Castle
(2) The Characteristics of the Castle Tower: Japanese title is '天守曲輪の石垣の特徴.'
(3) 'Irizumi': Japanese word is '入隅（いりすみ).'
'Dezumi': Japanese word is '出隅（ですみ).' 
'Watori': Japanese word is '輪取り（わどり).'
In this case, when you pronounce '入隅,' 'Irizumi' and 'Irisumi' are okay, so, you can choose each pronunciations. (We omit the explanation of '出隅' and '輪取り.')

When you write kind of difficult words which pronunciation are special, you can add 'Furigana.' 'Furigana' is a special description to support your understanding how to pronounce. So, in the Japanese text describes 'Furigana' in these three words. According to the Japanese text,

'入隅' should be read as 'Irisumi (いりすみ)' instead of 'Irizumi (いりずみ).' 
'出隅' should be read as 'Desumi (ですみ)' instead of 'Dezumi (でずみ).' 
'輪取り' should be read as 'Wadori (わどり)' instead of 'Watori (わとり).' 

Special words written by the roman alphabet in this English text are written avoiding Japanese 'Furigana' system. 'Furigana' system is the system full of kindness. We can't understand why the translator avoid this kind system, we suspect he don't know this system.

No.2: English explanations are written by another person.

Sample 2-1

(1) Verkehr Museum
    (We visited this museum to write the article named 'Sengoku battle ship.' It's located in Shizuoka Pref. Shizuoka city.) If you want to visit 'Sengoku battle ship' click here.
(2) Atake ship model: Japanese title is '安宅船.'
(3) Our attention is focused on the sentence, 'Atake ships were disassembled.': Japanese sentence is ' 安宅船は御座船に造り替えられた.'

We guess the English sentence is historically correct and the Japanese sentence isn't. If we translate the Japanese sentence according to the expression, it will be 'Atake ships were remodeled to Gozabune (御座船).' In Japanese history, the owner of Atake ships were ordered to disassemble by the Tokugawa shogunate. So, if you want to use the word, 'Gozabune,' you should describe 'The smaller ship, 'Gozabune' were newly made,' for example. In this case, we think the translator knows well Japanese history, so he changed the sentence a little. And the Japanese text writer maybe didn't write additional sentences because of 'word limit.' He should write ' Atake ships were disassembled and the smaller ship, 'Gozabune' were newly made.'

Sample 2-2

(1) Hikone Castle
    (We visited this castle to write the article named 'Sight Words: Hikone Castle.' It's located in Shiga Pref. Hikone city.) If you want to visit 'Sight Words: Hikone Castle' click here.
(2) Monument of Life of a Cherry Blossom: Japanese title is '花の生涯記念碑.'
(3) Our attention is focused on the sentence below.
The glittering sand stands for a flurry of fallen petals. : Japanese sentence is 'キラキラと輝く砂は雪をあらわす.'

The English text is the translation of the Japanese text. So, 'fallen petals' is wrong and the word should be 'snow.' But there is a very difficult historical fact. You should learn the historical drama which led to the creation of this monument. The hero of this drama, 'Ii Naosuke (井伊直弼) was assassinated in 1860. That was the climax of the drama. Then every Japanese history lover knows, when he was assassinated at the Sakurada-mon (桜田門), it was heavy snow around there. In this drama, the heavy snow and the flurry of fallen petals were the same metaphor of his fleeting life. The gross outline is okay, but as the translation, it's a mistake.

Sample 2-3

(1) MOA Art Museum
    (It's located in Shizuoka Pref. Atami city. 'Golden Teahouse' replica is also exhibited in Osaka Castle. That is the other version from the same historical information. We mentioned in the article 'Temple of Shogunate 2.' ) If you want to visit 'Temple of Shogunate 2' click here.
(2) Golden Teahouse, Tea Ceremony Stand, and Utensils: Japanese title is '黄金の茶室・台子・皆具.'
(3) The sentence we focused on is a little long.
The utensil stand, charcoal brazier, kettle, fresh water jar, ladle holder, waste water jar, kettle lid rest, tea whisk, and wiping napkin -in short, nearly all the utensils for tea ceremony were made of gold. : Japanese sentence is '茶筅・茶巾のほかは台子・風炉・釜・水指・杓立・建水・蓋置など点茶道具すべてが黄金づくりであった.'
    

The point is what were made of gold. According to the Japanese sentence, almost were gold instead of 'tea whisk' and 'wiping napkin.' But English sentence describe 'nearly all the utensils for tea ceremony' were made of gold. We worried that you misunderstood  'tea whisk' and 'wiping napkin' were also made of gold. For your information, the sentence describes what were made of gold. Then you had better have the comparison chart of tea ceremony utensils.

Utensil stand: 台子
Charcoal brazier: 風炉
Kettle: 釜
Fresh water jar: 水指　
Ladle holder: 杓立
Waste water jar: 建水
Kettle lid rest: 蓋置
Tea whisk: 茶筅
Wiping napkin: 茶巾

Sample 2–4

(1) Nikko Toshou-gu

(2) Inner Shrine Pagoda: Japanese title is '奥社宝塔(御墓所)'

(3) This sample is a tough one.

Since there is almost no correlation between the two texts (Japanese one and English one), so let us compare them.

 Japanese Sentence 1: '御祭神 徳川家康公の墓所。' = The burial site of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and also the enshrined deity.

Japanese Sentence 2: '昭和４０年、東照宮３５０年祭を機に公開された。' = It was opened to the public in 1965, on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of Nikko Toshou-gu Shrine.

Japanese Sentence 3: '８角５段の石の基盤の上に更に３段を青銅で鋳造し、その上に宝塔を乗せている。' = A five-tiered octagonal stone base is topped with an additional three cast-bronze tiers, upon which the special pagoda is set.

Japanese Sentence 4: '当初は木造、その後石造に改められたが、天和３年（1683）の地震で破損したため、鋳工 椎名伊豫が製作した現在の唐銅製（金・銀・銅の合金）に造り替えられた。' = Originally made of wood and later rebuilt in stone, but it was damaged in the earthquake of 1683. Then it was replaced with the current karakane (an alloy of gold, silver, and copper) version, crafted by the famous metal caster Shiina Iyo (椎名伊豫).

Japanese Sentence 5: '塔の前には鶴の燭台、唐獅子の香炉、花瓶からなる三具足が据えられている。' = In front of the pagoda are arranged a set of three ritual furnishings: a crane-shaped candlestick, a lion-shaped incense burner, and a flower vase.

English Sentence 1: 'Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu is buried beneath the pagoda.'

English Sentence 2: 'The current pagoda is 5 meters tall and made of a precious alloy of gold, silver and copper.'

English Sentence 3: 'It was made in 1683 to replace the first wooden, and the later stone version.'

English Sentence 4: 'The grave itself has never been opened since the Shogun was interred here in 1617.'

Japanese Sentence 1 and English Sentence 1, and Japanese Sentence 4 and English Sentences 2 and 3, share some partial overlap in content. The content of Japanese Sentences 2, 3, and 5 does not appear anywhere in the English text. Conversely, the content of English Sentence 4 does not appear in the Japanese text. We have never seen an example where the differences are this great.

While searching, we found another kind of samples. That is Japanese text is long and detailed but English text is short and right to the point.

Sample 3-1

(1) Nagoya Castle
    (We visited this castle to write the article named 'Nagoya Castle' and 'Revisit Nagoya Castle Castle.' It's located in Aichi Pref. Nagoya city.) If you want to visit 'Nagoya Castle' click here. If you want to visit 'Revisit Nagoya Castle' click here.
(2) Nagoya Castle Hommaru Palace: Japanese title is '名古屋城本丸御殿とは.'
(3) The Japanese text is quite long but English text is quite short. We will list up the contents only explained in the Japanese text.
A) The Hommaru Palace was constructed on the order of Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康).
B) In Kanei (寛永)11, 1634, the Jorakuden (上洛殿) was expanded as the Onarigoten (お成御殿) of the Shogun.
C) It was very famous as the prestigious (格式高い) palace.
D) The original was burned together with the main tower.

What we'll talk about is our personal opinion with no basis.

A) Because person who concerned had the bias Japanese tourists were fond of the historical hero such as Tokugawa Ieyasu.
B) The Onarigoten (お成御殿) and the Jorakuden (上洛殿) are kind of technical words, so it's a little difficult to explain these technical words. 'Was expanded' is quite additional information, so if he would, he should explain the historical background. 'Kanei' is a Japanese-specific era name, general Japanese don't know 'Kanei.' All in all, it's too difficult to translate and rewrite in English, so he gave up.

C) '格式が高い' is a word of Japanese taste. (Japanese like these kind of expressions.) If we tried to translate to English, 'prestigious' or 'high formality' would be the candidates. ('Kakushiki(格式)' means status, lineage and position. And 'Kakushiki ga takai (格式が高い)' means high status, good lineage and high position.) We think this expression would come into Japanese people's favor, but when it comes to foreign tourists, can they understand? So, the expression was omitted (we suppose).
D) Japanese used to think if the Hommaru Palace was burned, then the main tower was remained or was also burned. So, person who concerned previously wrote the additional information. But, for the translator, sudden appearance of the word 'the main tower' was not welcome. So, the expression was also omitted (we suppose). 

       

Sample 3-2

(1) Verkehr Museum
    (We visited this museum to write the article named 'Sengoku battle ship.' It's located in Shizuoka Pref. Shizuoka city.)
    If you want to visit 'Sengoku battle ship' click here.
(2) Sekibune ship model: Japanese title is '関船.'
(3) This case is the same as the previous one. The Japanese text is long and English text is short. We will list up the contents only explained in the Japanese text.
A) Sekibune(関船) ships didn't have enough offensive and defensive power in comparison with Atake ships (安宅船).
B) The old time small model had been donated to Shinsyo-in (信松院) temple in Hachiouji (八王子) city. This bigger model was made with reference with the Shinsyo-in's model.
C) The ship was '42 Cyodate (42挺立て)' and armor of the 'Souyagura (総矢倉) was bundled bamboos instead of heavy planks.
D) The name of Sekibune came from the ship which had been used by pirates of medieval Japan as the ship collecting the private toll tax. The name Seki (関) means a checkpoints to collect a toll tax in the old time of Japan.

     

It's also our personal opinion with no basis.

A) This comment is a commonly accepted theory with no basis. So, the translator omitted this comment when he had to shorten the total word count.
B) We think the detailed reasoning is important, so the translator should describe it. But, if he explains the the place 'Shinsyo-in' located in 'Hachiouji,' he should explain 'why there is' and 'where there is.' These explanations of authenticity are endless for foreign tourists. On the other hand, majority of the Japanese tourists don't care about the authenticity. If there are long explanation and many difficult words, it's enough. But they prepared the detailed explanation and someone could explain in case of some nerds asked the detail. The Japanese guide board writer don't afraid of these quite detailed explanation.     
C) The mean of '42 Cyodate' is '42 oars.' This ship equipped 42 oars to row. The mean of 'Souyagura' is 'whole area of upper part.' These words, '42 Cyodate' and 'Souyagura' are technical words, so we suppose, not so many Japanese can understand. However, the reason why these technical words were described is same as 'B).' 
D) The explanations of 'pirates in the medieval Japan' and 'system of the pirates' toll tax' are quite difficult. So, the translator omitted the explanations when he had to shorten the total word count. 

These are not everything we found. However, the more we try to explain plainly, the more we have to explain additional words. Then we decided to stop writing this article here. We would like to increase samples in the future. 

  

 Critical castle for Tokugawa

Turret like Museum

The other day, we visited the Yoshida castle (吉田城) in Toyohashi city (豊橋市). This castle isn't huge nor historically impressive. But, there's something special in the history of this castle. This castle isn't famous now, so, it will be shrouded in the darkness of history. We would not to be. Below, We'll describe how important this castle was.

The first story: Location

The history of the Yoshida castle is closely interacting with the history of Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康). Many incidents in his life were connected with the existence of this castle. At first, Tokugawa Ieyasu was born in the place called Okazaki (岡崎) as the son of the Okazaki castle's lord. After many twists and turns, he conquered the area around the Okazaki district. West of the Okazaki district was governed by Oda Nobunaga (織田信長) in the Owari (尾張) district. East of his district was controlled by Imagawa Ujizane (今川氏真) in the Sumpu (駿府) district. 

Around the north, there weren't typical ruler and several small scale Samurai Warriors were active in their small territories. And the point we would like to stress is the existence of the ruled area of strong Takeda Shingen (武田信玄). If say that again, Takeda Shingen was active in the further north of these Samurai Warriors' territories.
  
And one last direction, south of the Okazaki district was also controlled by many small scale Samurai clans. However, beyond that was the pacific ocean, so, there weren't enough space to widen his territory this direction. 

Tokugawa Ieyasu's strategy was clear. He allied with Oda Nobunaga and attacked other areas. At first, he attacked southern area of Okazaki and after that he targetted the clans in the east. The clans living in the north of Okazaki constantly feared that each strong powers north and south. If Tokugawa Ieyasu who lived in the south of them invaded their territories, they obeyed him. But after that, Takeda Shingen who had the ruling area in the north of them attacked their territories, they betrayed Tokugawa Ieyasu and obeyed Takeda Shingen. As for Tokugawa Ieyasu, he wanted the expansion of stable ruled area to the north, but betrayal after betrayal, he couldn't gain the stability in the north. 

These situation was continued a little long time, and when the power of the Imagawa clan turned down, he gained extensive effort in this direction. He invaded these areas and conquered the areas  up to the Hamanako lake. The Hamanako lake (浜名湖) is very huge and at that time it separated the Mikawa (三河) district and the Ensyu (遠州) district. So, he succeeded to unified the Mikawa district. 

The request from the ally was to continue the invasion and beat the Imagawa clan. He agreed with the request and went beyond the lake. He advanced into east of the lake. He chose Hamamatsu (浜松) and started to build a castle, his new front-line base instead of east of the lake where he could easily retreat in case of emergency. This decision would also be the answer of the request from Oda Nobunaga.

North of Hon-maru

The second story: Course of events

We'd like to summarize the course of events. The headquarters of Tokugawa Ieyasu was the Okazaki castle (岡崎城). Its location was the west end of his long-and-narrow-from-east-to-west territory. And the Hamamatsu castle (浜松城) where he himself advanced was the east end of dominating region. 

He had two strong points at the western edge (the castle lord was his son) and the eastern edge (he himself was the castle lord). However, there wasn't typical defense fortification in the center of his ruling area. And he had to remember the threat from the northern area. In the northern area, there weren't immediate threat. But once the Takeda clan started attack, many small scale domestic clans would betray him and strike his territory. 

There weren't many strategies for Tokugawa Ieyasu who was placed such a situation. He couldn't abandon the Okazaki castle. Then, he decided to enforce the Yoshida castle which was located around the center of his dominant area. For your information, Oda Nobunaga abandoned his headquarters several times when his territory was widen. His decision was quite drastic. On the contrary, Tokugawa Ieyasu couldn't decide such drastic decisions. In our opinion, Oda Nobunaga order such drastic decision to Tokugawa Ieyasu, but we don't know the truth. 
 
The Yoshida castle was chosen because of the access to each important castles, the Okazaki castle and the Hamamatsu castle. In the area around the Yoshida castle, there were many castles which had been around. So, Tokugawa Ieyasu would chose whichever he liked, he could renovate an existed small castle to a larger castle or he could build a brand-new castle. The Yoshida castle's location was suited for his request (accessibility), so, the renovation of this castle was chosen. One other reason was landscape of this castle. There was a immediate threat of the Takeda group, and he thought even if it happened this castle was available to prevent the invasion. 

Turret like Museum from other side

The third story: Renovation

In this course of events, the Yoshida castle was renovated by Sakai Tadatsugu (酒井忠次) who was the most powerful chief retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu. As for Sakai Tadatsugu, he had many concerns. Because the most important strategic point for Tokugawa, the Hamamatsu castle was still constructing. So, he couldn't use his desired number of labors. He had to consider the number of people and the materials for the construction. On the other hand, if the strongest hypothetical enemy, Takeda came to attack the Yoshida castle, violence of attack would be beyond imagination.

The original Yoshida castle before Sakai Tadatsugu renovated would accommodate several hundreds. And expected scale of attack would be up to several hundreds soldiers. However, if Takeda's army came to, it would occur with high probability, they needed to accommodate at least several thousands to defend. So, the renovation was kind of larger.

And we would like to continue considering a little more, Sakai Tadatsugu guessed the possibility of the invasion larger than ten thousands troopers or not? Maybe he did consider, maybe he didn't consider. The truth is hidden in the shadows of history.

By the way, can Tokugawa Ieyasu or he, Sakai Tadatsugu defend this area from the fierce invasion of Takeda Shingen? Historically, the invasion was happened. And according to somebody's internet article, over ten thousands troopers sieged this castle. 

One article describes that the invasion happened in 1571. Takeda Shingen and his armies advanced into around the Yoshida castle. He intended to cut the line of supply between the Okazaki castle and the Hamamatsu castle. 

Another article describes the invasion a little differently. It was happened in 1574 and Takeda's army was led by Takeda Katsuyori (武田勝頼; Shingen's sun). Shingen died of desiese.

The details of the battle was below. Sakai Tadanasa removed to the branch castle of the Yoshida castle. And he and his army battled with the advance troops of Takeda's army. During the battle, Tokugawa Ieyasu led his 5000 troops and they entered the Yoshida castle. In this battle, Sakai's army was heavily damaged and around 500 people died. Additionally, Tokugawa's was also tortured and around 2000 people died. However, they entered the Yoshida castle.By the result of the battle, Takeda's army avoided long time siege and they moved back north.
     
We would like to examine which opinion was true? If the battle happened in 1571, why the battle wasn't explained the relation with the famous 'Mikatagahara-no-tatakai (三方ヶ原の戦い) ' battle happened in 1573. And also, if it happened in 1574, why they didn't mention the famous 'Nagashino-no-tatakai (長篠の戦い)' battle in 1575. We think the battle at the Yoshida castle wasn't so big scale. In any case, the battle at the Yoshida castle wasn't fatal. So, these famous battles progressed without the relation with the Yoshida castle.

However, if the Yoshida castle was captured by Takeda's army, the Okazaki castle and the Hamamatsu castle were separated. Then, the incident would cause corrosion of Tokugawa's. And it would be more serious. Because it might lead to the destruction of Tokugawa. So, this castle was very important. In other words, it was the critical castle for Tokugawa's army.

Landscape model of the Hon-maru area

Present days…

We visited the remain of the Yoshida castle. If you visit there, you can appreciate Hon-maru area (本丸 ;the center circle of the castle) and other area. Old times castles were composed of several enclosed areas...If you want to know more, please visit the article, 'The Sumpu castle' 

The building is only a historic museum outside is like a turret at that time. This turret's like museum is also like the main tower of this castle. So, the whole atmosphere is exactly like a remain of the castle of samurai period. However, at the San-no-maru (三の丸 ;the third circle of the castle), very massive Toyohashi city hall is located. So, the main tower's like museum looks a little small size, it's a pity.

Actually, we don't have the key to solving the mystery what's like the Yoshida castle at Sakai Tadatsugu days. There weren't any drawings at that time. This castle was widely renovated by Ikeda Terumasa who had become this castle's owner. Remains, such as layout of the whole castle area, stone walls were made at Ikeda Terumasa days. Furthermore, written informations were drawn after that time.

We think if you know the circumstances when Ikeda Terumasa came to this castle, you will understand some difficult situation. And you may somehow agree with the reason why these information were missing. In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉) became the ruler of Japan and Tokugawa Ieyasu became the top retainer of him. And also he was ordered to change his dominant territory from the Mikawa district to the Edo district. Then many Toyotomi's samurai warriors for a long time were given dominant territories in the Mikawa district.

As for Ikeda Terumasa, he was given the Yoshida castle and wide dominant territory around this castle. So, he started renovation of the castle. He wanted to reconstruct the castle fit for his given huge power. 

The stone walls around Hon-maru were made during or after the Ikeda Terumasa's day. There is no information before the Ikeda Terumasa's day, for example, whether stone walls were there or not is not clear. However, the layout was same, which was intended to defend the center area, Hon-maru with wide river in the north of Hon-maru. And, to defend with several enclosed areas such as Nino-maru, Sanno-maru other directions.

And, we think there was the difference between Sakai's and Ikeda's. When Sakai Tadamasa renovated this castle, it was thought that enemy came from north-east. So, he strengthened the north-east district with branch castles. And Ikeda Terumasa's enemy was thought Tokugawa Ieyasu who was having dominant territory in the Edo district. If Tokugawa Ieyasu attacked this castle, his army would come from south. So, he made many defensive devices in the south of this castle. We suppose this point is the most important difference. We don't know other things.

 

Stone wall reconstruction site

        
Mending stone walls in the site…

The Hon-maru area was surrounded by stone walls and the landform was square. And, it seems like there were turrets all four corners. Why we can say that, a landscape model of the Hon-maru is exhibited in the museum. 

The remained stone walls around the Hon-maru area are starting to collapse. Because the preservation of these remains were not enough. The new situation of the inbound of foreign tourists caused the city clerk's mind change. They decided to call in the foreign tourists by maintenance of attracting facility, the Yoshida castle. The maintenance over several years was planned. And reconstruction of a stone wall near the main gate area of the Hon-maru was finished last year.

 
When we visited, a stone wall in the north of the Hon-maru was being reconstructed. The stone wall was beside the stairs to the river side. So, we couldn't wall down to the riverside walk. But it's a surprise for us. It's the first time to look at the craftsmen who have the skill to build old time stone walls. 

Only from the scene of reconstruction, we can't gain any information. So, we searched it on YouTube and found a video describes the research results of the reconstruction. By this video, the stone wall reconstructed last year was already reconstructed several times. The stone wall was planned and firstly constructed by Ikeda Terumasa. But the stone wall collapsed was reconstructed by some castle lord (unidentified at the time). Other evidence would be needed, but by the researcher who is explaining the reconstruction was held several times in the Edo period.

It would be maniac to visit the Yoshida castle in Toyohashi city. But if you are historical geek, worth trying.

L L B C (13)  Salt field 

🗾   L's Life in a Big City  (13)   🗾

The Kira (吉良) town was a center of a salt industry in the Edo era. Salt was produced at the salt fields (塩田) placed near the coast. It was carried to the Suwa lake (諏訪湖) lake in Nagano Pref. passing through Okazaki city and Asuke (足助) town. The route was called the Sanshu Way (三州街道). We suppose the Way was developed by the item essential for life, salt. 

If you want to know about Asuke, we mentioned something in the article 'Asuke castle.' 

Please visit.

We remember a old time incident, the Nagashino War (長篠の戦). Takeda Katsuyori (武田勝頼) marched from the Suwa lake to the Nagashino castle in Shinshiro (新城) city using the Sanshu Way. The reason of the march of Takeda Katsuyori might be the salt produced in the Kira town. Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康) based in the Okazaki castle might be advantageous situation because of the salt produced in the Kira town.　The salt was fatal product for the every living things. 

If you want to know about the Nagashino War, we mentioned something in the article 'Arquebus 3' and 'Damine castle.' 

Please visit.

The way to produce salt is a complicated process as below. At first, people deliver sea water on the sand all around the huge salt field. And the strong sunlight dries the sand. Then the sand on the salt field became quite salty, or became to contain a lot of salt. People gather the surface sand at one place. And they put them on a huge pot, and add sea water on them, and boil down them until they lose water. After the boiling down, they gather the boiled surface juice which has high concentration of salt. They continue this cycle several times. When the surface juice lose whole water, it became the pure salt. Then, they finally produce pure salt from the sea water.

    

You can learn these things at the Kira-aibajio-no-sato (吉良饗庭塩の里) museum.  https://www.aibajio.jp

At the museum, we can experience a demonstration of salt producing. If you want to join it, you should call 10 or more attendees. The reason we suppose is because the work would be such hard labor. Furthermore, you should also submit the demonstration at 10 days in advance. The participation fee is 500 yen per person at the moment. One more additional information, when it becomes rainy day, you can't do the outdoor actions.