Fukuchiyama castle

Western region of Kyoto is mountains after mountains which aren't steep and high but endless. In this mountainous region, there is the Fukuchiyama city which is one of the central cities in this district, and unique Fukuchiyama castle is there.  

Fukuchiyama castle main tower

We already visited 4 castles among 12 remained Japanese castle towers, then we want to mention this castle, it's not one among them. This castle was reconstructed in reference to old drawings, so it is classified "reconstructed main tower." Stone ramparts of the main tower are remained ones, but other materials were lost in ancient times. This main tower was reconstructed by reinforced concrete structure 30 years ago. So this is the young one among "reconstructed main towers."

This castle has the unique appearance main tower, although other reconstructed main towers' probable appearance. It was reconstructed strongly aimed to make use of its original taste, and its appearance became quite unique. Underlying it, others usually chose a way to make their appearance like something they should be, because of need as tourists sites.

Nevertheless, this Fukuchiyama castle's appearance is full of guts, unyielding high-spirit and strongness. In spite of aggressive appearance, its inside is quite usual, because it is used as a museum as is often the case. However, full of the intensity in it, we want to describe the passion of the people who concerned with Fukuchiyama castle.


Significance in the history

If you acquired little historical knowledge of Fukuchiyama castle, you should be satisfied more when you visit there. It was said that this castle had been made by Akechi Mitsuhide for the first time. He was one of the most important people among Oda Nobunaga's senior retainers. And his life was very unusual, but this story has nothing to do with the history of Fukuchiyama castle, so we'll not touch the subject. 

Akechi Mitsuhide

When Oda Nobunaga established the dominance over Kyoto, the central city at that time, the new aspect of the dominance appeared. Oda Nobunaga had his territory around Kyoto, and his rival forces surrounded it.

Roughly speaking, major opponents were Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin, Mouri Terumoto. Takeda Shingen was in the eastern region, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of the Oda's allies stood face to face. Another opponent, Uesugi Kenshin was in the northern region, and Shibata Katsuie, Oda's senior retainer covered. One more opponent, Mouri Terumoto was in the western region, and Hashiba Hideyoshi was in the battle.

Akechi Mitsuhide was a member of Hashiba group, who invaded the western region of Kyoto. At the beginning of this campaign, he had been appointed to the leader of this army group. Then he had begun to invade Tanba district, but this campaign was not successful ane slow to defeat the lords around this district. The position was changed by Oda Nobunaga's order, because he was said to be short temper.

We don't know the exact reason why he failed this campaign, but we suppose the landform of this district connected deeply. What we're saying is Tanba district was a difficult area to attack, no matter how strong commander tried. Mountains after mountains landform helped domestic lords to resist Akechi's invasion more than expected.  

Go to Fukuchiyama castle

JR Fukuchiyama line from Osaka to Fukuchiyama is available. There was the same route from Osaka to the coastland of western Kyoto along the Sea of Japan at the time of the Sengoku period. And there is a city named Sasayama between Osaka and Fukuchiyama, which was strategically important in the Azuchi-momoyama period (after the Sengoku period). Tokugawa Ieyasu made the Sasayama castle as the important defensive base of this district when he was fighting against Toyotomi family in Osaka. If Sasayama castle remained, it would be a marvelous castle same as Himeji castle or Hikone castle. But its castle tower was destroyed, and only lord's residence was reconstructed 20 years ago, and we can see it. 

It takes only 1 hour 40 minites to Fukuchiyama using super express. Osaka is the central city of western Japan, so traffic is convenient from Osaka to core cities in the Kansai district very much. But if you went back to the days of Akechi Mitsuhide, he needed to start Kyoto to Fukuchiyama, and he finally conquered Tanba district. Accordingly, he didn't use the route from Osaka to Fukuchiyama for his campaign. So, we choose the route from Kyoto, even though a little roundabout, because if we do, we will find the same painfulness as he felt in his difficult military advance. 

JR super expree from kyoto

From Kyoto to Fukuchiyama, the JR Sanin line is available, and it is a main artery to the Sanin district. Using Shinkansen train, even though it's a little expensive, it takes only 15 minites from Shin-osaka to Kyoto. From Kyoto, it's only 1 hour and 20 minites by super express to Fukuchiyama, so the travel time isn't so long. When you start Osaka at 8 o'clock, you will visit Fukuchiyama station at around 10 o'clock. Because of using super express, we have skipped to feel the same pain Akechi Mitsuhide felt in his campaign, haven't we. Even though, the scenery from the train is full of wonder. Soon after leaving Kyoto city, there are mountains after mountains until we arrive at Fukuchiyama station.

Leaving Arashiyama region, west of Kyoto, soon hills come to us, and a few minutes later, we will arrive at Kamekoka city. This city was the strong point of Akechi when he began to invade the Tanba district during the Sengoku period. There was the Kameyama castle, but only stone ramparts now. After we leave this city, mountains and valleys appear alternately. In this region, there are several core cities, but these are scattered widely, so we can't say which city is the center of this region.


Go up to the main tower

It takes about 20 minites by walk from the station to the castle. We can look at the scenery of the main compound from the Houkimaru park where is located on a hill west of the castle. This castle had a huge castle area, but only central area is remained and huge hill area around the main compound was cut off. In the heyday, the Houkimaru area was connected with the main compound. This castle occupied a whole hilly area in the center of Fukuchiyama city. This large hill was configured from the main compound where was the eastern end of the hill to the western area of the Houkimaru park. Most of the hill were lost, and there are many buildings now. 

Main compound

The main entrance of the Fukuchiyama castle (it's only the main compound) is at the backyard once. As mentioned previously, there is only the main compound now, and it looks like an individual castle hillock. According to the description of a paper, this castle hill has 20 meters hight, but it's difficult to feel its hight. The distance is very short from the entrance to the main castle tower.

The main tower is an interconnecting 3 storied tower plus 2 storied small tower of the northern part. Furthermore, according to the reconstruction drawing, another one story turret and a corridor existed once. But both the wooden structure of this turret and the basement were gone away now. If this turret and corridor remained, this main tower would be more unique. Nevertheless, this main tower is still so unique. 

The most important difference against other usual castle towers is the distortion of its form. The central part and the northern part are connected diagonally. And also the central part has a wide projection space. We strongly feel to solve the riddle why the builder made the Fukuchiyama castle like this.

Drawing from a book of Fukuchiyama castle

However, drawings which were the assumption of the reasoning that the main tower had been made asymmetrically from the beginning of this castle. The drawings were written for the first time 30 years ago, and there was no historical heap in the drawing, so, how much credibility in the reasoning? Although, that is true that the reconstruction builder of this castle aimed to imitate Akechi Mitsuhide's castle. We think you can trust at least its typical design was from Akechi Mitsuhide's idea.
 

Entrance of main compound

The reason why we believe this story is its proportion. Its first and second floors were reconstructed bigger and its third and fourth floors were small. The structure called the main castle tower was invented by Oda Nobunaga at Azuchi castle in 1576. By contrast, building of Fukuchiyama castle was supposed to start around 1580. Before the Azuchi castle, the tallest castle tower was only three stories, then making the third and fourth floors may be a challenge at that time. 

Main tower and small tower

To direct our attention to building-technics, laying quadrate stone-basements was difficult for the builders when Akechi Mithuhide made the castle there. And the main towers didn't have square stone-basements at that era. After that, the technique was improved, stone-basements became accurate square or rectangle, and design of superstructures changed more simple.

The basement drawing 

Viewing from the opposite side, the irregular stone-basements made the superstructures also irregular. So we think this castle's asymmetrical design fits well together the epochal consequence of the design of the castles at that time.

Small tower connected with main tower

As mentioned previously, inside of this main tower is a museum same as other reconstructed ones. Interior which was reconstructed with reinforced concrete is strongly restricted by the asymmetrical outer-form. In addition, newly made its stairs are very gentle slope and relatively big for the safety of the visitors, then the stairs widely occupied inside of it. One more thing we feel disappointed is its exhibition space. It's made with modern plastic materials, and appropriate interior is rear, which remind us something historical. Therefore, let's go back to the appearance of this main tower again. let's concentrate its appearance again. 


Concentrate the appearance

The exterior walls of the first and second stories were finished with the Shitami Itabari, wooden board sidings with battens. And the third and fourth stories adopted white stucco walls with wooden battens which weren't finished white stucco but stained. The mood of the first and second stories was similar to Kumamoto castle which made us think about the boorishness of the Sengoku period. By contrast, stained frames of the third and fourth stories look like an ancient-looking half-timber house in Europe. This design must be typical among Japanese castle-towers.

The remained castle towers mostly adopted white stucco finish or weather-board finish called Shitamiita-bari. But it's uncommon that castles were finished with the design consisted with stucco finished walls, exposed timber pillars and beams. Typical example among remained castle towers is Inuyama castle's top floor, so there are several. When it comes to Fukuchiyama castle, it uses this design in the third and fourth stories, and it's a special feature of this castle.  We can't find who decided this design, whether this feature was reproduction of the original or preference of the planner of this reconstructed main tower.

By the way, is its outer design an exact reconstruction of the Akechi Mithshide's original or not? Stone walls of the main tower were studied by the City Inquiry Commision. The result let down the planner's ambition. Speaking about the stone walls, supposedly, only a part belonging to the small tower was the original. According to the result, there was only a small tower in Akechi Mitsuhide's original castle. At the beginning of the Edo period, this castle was renovated on a large scale, and the main tower's stone walls supposed to be piled up then.

Stone walls

'Tenyouseki' or diverted stone was used for stone walls in many early modern castles. And the Fukuchiyama castle is especially famous as a number of 'Tenyouseki.' Stone which had been used as Buddist towers was diverted leaving their symbol design on the surface. Why many 'Tenyouseki' were used in this castle? Some people say, there was produced a few stones around this district. And others say, Akechi wanted to symbolise the strict ruling. Studying about his connection with the Fukuchiyama castle, it's doubtful that he devoted to the building of it. Because he ruled Fukuchiyama area only 3 years, and most of the day he was in battle fields in other district with his retainers.  

Its Shitamiita-bari wall is 30 years old but in severely faded, as its expected lifetime is said 50 years. Speaking of Shitamiita-bari walls, we remember the black one like Matsumoto castle. Shitamiita-bari wall fades quickly unless it's not re-coated every 10 years. The walls of Fukuchiyama castle are almost orange in color. So we are afraid that it needs to repaint now, but it's none of our business.  

West side (back side) of the castle

Finally, we would mention our hope that is a very hard thing to bear fruit. Like Himeji castle has Bizen-maru compound viewing spot, like Matsumoto castle has the park opposite of the main tower through its Uchi-bori, inner moats, we hope the viewing place would be made around the castle, and we could have a time to spend for a while.