Sumpu castle

Sumpu Castle is?

Sumpu Castle was a unique castle because of its location and aim. So, we want to focus on its peculiarity. Suvivals are the main compound and Ninomaru compound surrounded by stone walls and wide moats, however, there is no original wooden building.



Tatsumi tower

"Tatsumi tower" was reconstructed in 1989, "Higashigomon gate" in 1996, and "Hitsujisaru tower" in 2014. These buildings were made of wood and by the construction method as they were used to make. So, they remind us of the imposing spectacle of their heyday. Especially, south-east side view from the outer area is wonderful.

Some basic terms, we want to mention firstly. It is said that Japanese castles are classified into several location planning and layout planning. Typical location plannings are 3 types. They are classified into "Yamajiro" or mountain castles, "Hirayamajiro" or hill-on-the-plain castles and "Hirajiro" or plain castles. And typical layout plannings are 4 types. "Rinkaku-shiki", "Teikaku-shiki", "Renkaku-shiki", "Heikaku-shiki" are especially representative. 

Type "Rinkaku-shiki" is a layout like three circles. Center circle is "Honmaru" or main compound, and this area is the center of this castle. Its surrounding circle is "Ninomaru" or the second compound. And next surrounding area is "Sannomaru" or the third compound. So, the center area is covered by at least 3 defense facilities in all directions.

Type "Teikaku-shiki" is a layout like three fans. Center fan is "Honmaru" and overlapped wider area is "Ninomaru". And "Sannomaru" is also overlapped out of "Ninomaru". So, defense facilities covered in the range of the fans. But several directions around "Honmaru" are impenetrable like a big river or a steep cliff or so. These directions face outside directly or are covered by minimum defense.

Type "Renkaku-shiki" is a layout like skewered dumplings. Center dumpling is "Honmaru", and left and right compounds are "Ninomaru" and "Sannomaru". There is no rute to enter "Honmaru" directly. ("Honmaru" compound is separated by wide moats or so.) Enemy forces cannot access "Honmaru" before capturing any one of "Ninomaru" or "Sannomaru".

Type "Heikaku-shiki" is a layout like islands. Wide "Sannomaru" surround the whole castle area. And in the center of it, small "Ninomaru" and small "Honnaru" exist. Only way to "Honmaru" is a bridge from "Ninomaru" and only way to "Ninomaru" is a bridge from "Sannomaru". So, enemy forces have to capture "Sannomaru" and "Ninomaru" before arriving at the center area.

We suppose it's an interesting logic but only an armchair theory of scholars of the Edo era. Then, what's about Sumpu Castle?  

Model of Sumpu Castle whole siting

Sumpu castle was classified into Hirajiro and Rinkaku-shiki layout type. And, this assortment was unusual. Hirajiro had a difficulty to make defensive, because they needed to locate many defensive facilities all around. The owners chose other locations usually, accordingly, there were very few castles made on a flat land.

Rinkaku-shiki layout also had difficulty. This layout needed quite wide site to make a castle because of the layout characteristics. It was made like below. There was made Honmaru in the center, and in the outer area, Ninomaru surrounded in all directions of Honmaru. And Sannomaru also surrounded in all directions of Ninomaru. So the layout caused the need of land many times of Honmaru compound. 

If the Honmaru compound was made widely, the Ninomaru and the Sannomaru compounds became tremendously wide. Furthermore, Hirajiro didn't usually have natural devices, so, man-made facilities such as earthen walls, turrets and moats had to be made very long distance. It needed a tremendous amount of money to be completed well defensive. 

Tokugawa Ieyasu

 
Location of the Sumpu castle was chosen by the wish of the first lord of it, so, any problem didn't stop the project. Because he was Tokugawa Ieyasu, the most powerful person at that time. He had just established the Tokugawa shogunate a few years before when he decided to make this castle. So, his wish was maximum priority for retainers and nobody denied his idea. 

There was no hill in the place where Tokugawa Ieyasu chose, so, the castle had to be made Hirajiro style. His followers hoped a defensive castle for his safety, so they came up with Rinkaku-shiki layout. Then, a castle of Hirajiro and Rinkaku-shiki layout was made here.

The reason this place was chosen was that it was a place of his memories. Once, there had been the residence of Imagawa Yoshimoto who had been a master of the young Ieyasu. When Imagawa was active, many lords made their residences in flat land. So, Imagawa's decision sounds possible, but Tokugawa Ieyasu's sounds strange. Because weapons' deveropment changed theory of lords' residences location dramatically when Tokugawa Ieyasu made this castle.  


Go to Sumpu Castle

Sumpu Castle is located in the center of Shizuoka city. Walking 15 minites, we arrive this castle from Shizuoka station where Shinkansen train stops. We remarked this castle was a typical Rinkaku-siki layout castle. There is large square land which was the Ninomaru compound, and it is surrounded with many tall buildings. Only moats which are relatively wide, separate building area and the castle. The castle area once the Honmaru compound and the Ninomaru is surrounded with stone baileys and earthen walls all 4 sides.

Hitsujisaru tower

Inside area is a huge urban park. In other words, almost of all areas is not historical remains but modern city park. Even though reconstructed corner towers, gate buildings and many earthen walls made us feel these were quite historical. But the whole atmosphere of the inside was unfortunately a city park. If there was a main tower and inner moat remained, it would be the Matsumoto Castle. The Honmaru compound was completely destroyed, even stone ramparts and moats surrounded by the baileys of it. So, there is a tremendously wide open space inside the Ninomaru compound baileys.

Higashi-gomon gate

In a corner of the Ninomaru compound, a small pond is there, and it was said that part of moats which had separated between the Ninomaru and the Honmaru. Comparing with outside moats, this pond is narrow and unreliable to have been a moat surrounded the Honmaru. We doubt whether it indicates width of the original. 

Moats

In Sannomaru area where is outside of wide moats, almost all sitings changed into modern facilities, such as local-governmental buildings mainly bristle there. And much part of outer moats which was located outside of the Sannomaru compound is reclaimed now. Especially southern and eastern areas are changed the center of downtown. However, in northern and western areas, these outer moats are still remained.

Hitsujisaru tower

As we described, the whole castle site is pretty wide, so it's difficult to travel around the whole area. In this trip, we didn't visit northern and western side, but there might be attractive facilities also in these areas. We want to visit and find something next time. 


"Higashi-gomon" and "Tatsumi-yagura"

"Higashi-gomon" or gate complex of east side of Ninomaru was reconstructed in 1996. And "Tatsumi-yagura" or corner tower of the south-east corner of Ninomaru was reconstructed in 1989. These buildings look separated but these are connected. These were reconstructed by the same building method or "wooden building construction method" during the Sengoku period. There is an unfortunate fact, and that is the stairs. If the building is reconstructed with strict method at that time, it becomes too steep for modern people to tour around. So, we can tour only first floor, and are prohibited to go up to the upper floors. This fact makes us a little pity.

Higashigomon gate

"Tatsumi-yagura" is a three-story-tower from a description of a paper we got, but it looks two stories from the outside as long as our eyesight. The outside appearance is some view, so, many guidebooks use its appearance when they introduce the Sumpu castle. As stated previously, we couldn't go up to the upper floor where there was a surveillance room and other rooms for defense. The first floor was an arsenal, according to a description of intromation board, and this building is called "Tatsumi-Yagura Arsenal Tower" in this description. However, main perpose of this building might be a difensive facility but a store building. We're affraid that the true fact can't be understood by the reader of this English information board. 

Inside of Tatsumi-yagura

 "Higashi-gomon" was reconstructed according to  the drawings of 'the reconstructed building in 1635.' Why this description is needed? To tell the truth, this castle had been destroyed several times by fire and earthquakes. So, this gate has several originals.

By the way, inside of this gate building, models, copies of literature, artifacts are displayed now. It was an important gate facility once, but its inside is changed a museum now. So we cannot be impressed with its inside so much. We think it must be displayed in the same way that it was used to be. For example, if it was displayed with human size dioramas which describe how the Sengoku warriors were besieged, it would be attractive for us.

Next expression will be conflict with our earlier statement, however, if the dioramas of Sengoku warriors were displayed, the scene would be in historical contradiction. Because, strictly speaking, the Sengoku period was over already in 1635, so, Sengoku warriors didn't exist in the period when this gate was completed. However, it's our desire to find and experience something belongs the Sengoku period. 


The project of excavation in main tower area

Inner area of the Sumpu castle is so spacious that we get lost where are we. If remained buildings and moats were removed and reclaimed respectively, you would feel the same emptiness in Himeji castle.

The Sumpu castle's inner area is changed completedly, however, there are an old-fashoned tearoom and a Japanese garden at the eastern corner. We don't have the idea whether it is the reconstruction of the original tearoom or one of facilities of this urban park. However, this Japanese garden is awesome. Although having said that, we think the style of this garden is different from the Sengoku period's gardening method.  

Basement of the lost main tower

In the north-west area, huge ground has been dug up now. This is a project started in 2016. Researchers were trying to investigate the lost main tower by digging up Ishigaki, stone basement of it. By searching descriptions of old literature, that was clear there had been a huge main tower once. But that's the exact scale was not clear, so researchers began to check the scale practically by digging in the right place.

Information board

One of Japanese Army's garrisons was established there in the Meiji period, about 120 years ago. Spacious area was just as the army's wish, but, the stone basement of the main tower was a useless stuff for them. So, they destroyed the stone basement and reclaimed inner moats using the soil from the basement. At that time people didn't have the idea to preserve historical properties. So, many remains were perished during the Meiji era. 

Information board 2

The fact the main tower of the Sumpu castle was taller than the Edo castle is the pride of Shizuoka citizens. It also means the main tower of the Sumpu castle was the tallest in Japan. The guide starts talking about this "which was the tallest story" when we visit the temporary exhibition room near the excavating area. It is said that the main tower of the Edo castle aimed to exceed the hight of the Osaka castle. Maybe same willing was practiced at the Sumpu castle. We can't find the reason why it was made so tall. However, it's true that this main tower was 7 stories and the tallest, at least.


Model of the lost main tower


Another feature of this main tower was its shape. Almost all main towers stand alone on the stone basement. However, this main tower was built directly on soil ground and surrounded  with other buildings and in the center of them, it was built with no stone basement. This style is so mysterious, then, many researchers made estimated drawings based on their research. One of them is exhibited in the corner of  "Higashi-gomon".