Okay, so I arrived safely in Japan, and I’m not sure how many people will take much interest in that fact. Placed in the charming city of Tsuyama, I’ve met some colourful individuals already, with the vast majority of the Japanese here, the very image of friendliness. I don’t think there’s a single person I’ve met on the streets or in any of the shops, who hasn’t treated me warmly, which is the Japanese way as most know. They are a warm breed, with hearts of gold and whom are guilty of always taking time (whether they have any time or not) to help another, regardless of the situation.
Some of them, I’ve observed can have tempers, but for the most part, most of them are really kind.
So without further ado, let’s get started;
This first picture was taken from a short distance up the hill where the local Castle should be, Kakuzan-jo or Tsuyama-jo as it is also called. The castle was built back during the Sengoku-Jidai (the ‘Warring States Period’).
It is said that it was built on the orders of Hosokawa Tadaoki, who was husband to Hosokawa Gracia, daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide. Contrary to the Shogun novel that subverts the history (enormously), Gracia apparently had a happy marriage up until Ishida Mitsunari tried to grab her to use her as a hostage, and she was duly killed by servants on the orders of her husband who was absent (he left orders that if she was to be dishonoured he’d prefer her to die without shame, than to die in shame).
Here’s a street level view of the rear of the hill where the castle is supposed to be.
This is the path that circles around the base of the hill, near where the rear is to be found (though you do have to advance up some steps to reach it).
Here’s a map of the castle grounds.
A charming pair of Japanese ladies offered to take my picture (as I pose) next to a statue of I believe Mori Tadamasa.
This was about the halfway point up the hill, and I was beginning to get pretty warm and sweat ever so slightly, as I reached this point. But full of excitement I was keen to continue exploring, and pushed on.
Some more steps.
This was a side-route/quest I went on, part of the way up the hill, hope you all like it.
This was a secondary side-route I took, if only for a moment out of fascination with how the trees interact with the stone and the masonry. Admittedly there was a lot of over-growth, but the building was built in a way not to disturb the nearby trees.
I was not able to get all my pictures to load it seems, and so the summit isn’t included, but know that there was no castle at the top. Only the large area where it should have been.
The reason for this is because the building was demolished stupidly in 1873, to build a park, a decision that the locals regretted ever since. The trouble is that the central government was trying to modernise and so felt that the castle had to be a sacrificial lamb to this goal.
At present there’s some locals such as the ‘castle’ employees who long to see it rebuilt and turned into a tourist site, and historic monument to Japan. Many of those I spoke to spoke longingly of figures such as Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and Taira no Kiyomori, and of course Hosokawa Tadaoki (the Shogun fans could be felt to be seething at this from halfway around the world) and many other Samurai and famous bushi from history.
As to efforts to rebuild, there have been several abortive attempts and those who’ve apparently petitioned for the reconstruction of the castle. Technically the government is supposed to finance such projects, but it has prevaricated by stating that it will only do so, and can only do so if the original blueprints are discovered and used. Anything else would be disrespectful and dishonourable they say.
Yet though the blueprints were technically lost, the original designs were based apparently off those from Kokura-jo (Kokura-Castle), so they do technically have access to the blueprints. They’re just being stingy and are keener to diver funds elsewhere (I’m very peeved by this as you can tell as this place is beautiful and has considerable relevance to Japanese history on the macro level).
In all it was a remarkable trip, spent enjoying the company of a great many individuals some of whom were eager to take pictures of their own (with good reason the local grounds possessed a remarkable beauty all their own.
That's fantastic. Great enlightenment on the history side and also how the local people feel about the issue. Also so glad that you included pictures of how nature interacts with our tamperings - one of my pet loves when it comes to ruins and waste areas. Thanks!
Nice travelogue. Haven't been to Japan beyond airport transits so it's definitely on my list.