Karatsu Castle
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese castle
located in Karatsu
, Saga Prefecture
, Japan
. It is a hirayama-jō, a castle built on a plains rather than a hill or mountain. At the end of the Edo period
, Karatsu castle was home to the Ogasawara clan
, daimyo
of Karatsu Domain
. It was also known as .
. It is a medium-size castle with the Honmaru (inner bailey
) located on top of Mount Manto, the Ni-no-maru (2nd bailey) and the San-no-maru (3rd bailey) in the west, and the outer structures to the south.
The Ni-no-maru secondary bailey contained the palace of the daimyo of Karatsu and the domain’s administrative offices. The innermost bailey would normally contain a donjon
; however there is considerable dispute as to whether or not it actually ever did. Records indicate that a stone foundation base existed from at least 1627, but the Tokugawa government never authorized the construction of a donjon tower. The present donjon is a modern reconstruction based on artists assumptions on what a Keichō period
(1596–1615) donjon should look like.
, became lord of Karatsu in 1595. In the Battle of Sekigahara
in 1600, he joined the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu
and attacked Gifu Castle
. He was rewarded with greater lands around Karatsu, forming a dominion of 123,000 koku
. In 1598, he abandoned his original castle of Nagoya Castle
, and started work on a new castle at Karatsu, using many materials from the old one, from 1602 1608. The Tokugawa shogunate
ordered neighboring tozama
domains to contribute to its construction, and they did so primarily by excavating its network of moats. In 1637, in part due to his failure to suppress the Shimabara rebellion
, his lands were confiscated by the Shogunate. Karatsu Domain was given over to the control of the Ōkubo clan
(1649–1678), Matsudaira (Ogyū) clan
(1678–1691), the Doi clan (1691–1762), Mizuno clan
(1762–1817), until finally coming into the possession of the Ogasawara clan
in 1762.
In June 1869, the title of daimyo was abolished, and in 1871, Karatsu Domain itself was abolished with the abolition of the han system
, and became part of the new Saga Prefecture
. Karatsu Castle was pulled down shortly afterwards, and in its place Maizuru Park was established in 1877.
The current donjon and some other structures of the castle were reconstructed in 1966 to boost local tourism and to function as a local museum. The current donjon features five tiers and five stories, with a lower ground floor; it also houses an exhibition area. Many of the yagura date from the same time, although the Tatsumi Yagura was added in 1990.
Japanese castle
' were fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century...
located in Karatsu
Karatsu, Saga
is a city located in Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū, Japan. Its name, formed from the Japanese word roots 唐 kara , and 津 tsu , signifies its historical importance as an ancient trading port between Japan with China and Korea...
, Saga Prefecture
Saga Prefecture
is located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea. The western part of the prefecture is a region famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and Arita...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is a hirayama-jō, a castle built on a plains rather than a hill or mountain. At the end of the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, Karatsu castle was home to the Ogasawara clan
Ogasawara clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan descended from the Seiwa Genji. The Ogasawara acted as shugo of Shinano province in the medieval period The was a Japanese samurai clan descended from the Seiwa Genji. The Ogasawara acted as shugo (governors) of Shinano province in the medieval period The was a...
, daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of Karatsu Domain
Karatsu Domain
' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Hizen Province, in Kyūshū. Its seat of government was in Karatsu Castle, in modern-day Karatsu, Saga.-History:...
. It was also known as .
Location
Karatsu Castle, which stands beside Karatsu Bay, is unusual in that the stonework is rises directly out of the water, using the ocean as a natural moatMoat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
. It is a medium-size castle with the Honmaru (inner bailey
Ward (fortification)
In fortifications, a bailey or ward refers to a courtyard enclosed by a curtain wall. In particular, an early type of European castle was known as a Motte-and-bailey. Castles can have more than one ward. Their layout depends both on the local topography and the level of fortification technology...
) located on top of Mount Manto, the Ni-no-maru (2nd bailey) and the San-no-maru (3rd bailey) in the west, and the outer structures to the south.
The Ni-no-maru secondary bailey contained the palace of the daimyo of Karatsu and the domain’s administrative offices. The innermost bailey would normally contain a donjon
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
; however there is considerable dispute as to whether or not it actually ever did. Records indicate that a stone foundation base existed from at least 1627, but the Tokugawa government never authorized the construction of a donjon tower. The present donjon is a modern reconstruction based on artists assumptions on what a Keichō period
Keicho
was a after Bunroku and before Genna. This period spanned from October 1596 to July 1615. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:* 1596 : The era name was changed to Keichō to mark the passing of various natural disasters...
(1596–1615) donjon should look like.
History
Terasawa Hirotaka, a retainer of Toyotomi HideyoshiToyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
, became lord of Karatsu in 1595. In the Battle of Sekigahara
Battle of Sekigahara
The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...
in 1600, he joined the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
and attacked Gifu Castle
Gifu Castle
is a castle located in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Along with Mount Kinka and the Nagara River, it is one of the main symbols of the city.-History:Gifu Castle was first built by the Nikaidō clan between 1201 and 1204 during the Kamakura Period....
. He was rewarded with greater lands around Karatsu, forming a dominion of 123,000 koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
. In 1598, he abandoned his original castle of Nagoya Castle
Nagoya Castle (Hizen Province)
was a castle located in the old Hizen Province of Japan, now split between modern Saga and Nagasaki prefectures. The historic castle was the base from which Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched his invasions of Korea...
, and started work on a new castle at Karatsu, using many materials from the old one, from 1602 1608. The Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
ordered neighboring tozama
Tozama
A ' was a daimyo who was considered an outsider by the rulers of Japan. The term came into use in the Kamakura period and continued until the end of the Edo period.-Edo period:...
domains to contribute to its construction, and they did so primarily by excavating its network of moats. In 1637, in part due to his failure to suppress the Shimabara rebellion
Shimabara Rebellion
The was an uprising largely involving Japanese peasants, most of them Catholic Christians, in 1637–1638 during the Edo period.It was one of only a handful of instances of serious unrest during the relatively peaceful period of the Tokugawa shogunate's rule...
, his lands were confiscated by the Shogunate. Karatsu Domain was given over to the control of the Ōkubo clan
Okubo clan
The were a samurai kin group which rose to prominence in the Sengoku period and the Edo periods. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the Ōkubo, as hereditary vassels of the Tokugawa clan, were classified as one of the fudai daimyō clans....
(1649–1678), Matsudaira (Ogyū) clan
Matsudaira clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Minamoto clan. It first originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province . Over the course of its history, the clan produced many branches, most of which also centered around Mikawa Province...
(1678–1691), the Doi clan (1691–1762), Mizuno clan
Mizuno clan
The was a Japanese clan which claimed descent from the Seiwa Genji branch of the Minamoto clan. In the Edo period, the Mizuno clan produced many men who were fudai daimyo serving the Tokugawa shogun, as well as countless families of hatamoto...
(1762–1817), until finally coming into the possession of the Ogasawara clan
Ogasawara clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan descended from the Seiwa Genji. The Ogasawara acted as shugo of Shinano province in the medieval period The was a Japanese samurai clan descended from the Seiwa Genji. The Ogasawara acted as shugo (governors) of Shinano province in the medieval period The was a...
in 1762.
In June 1869, the title of daimyo was abolished, and in 1871, Karatsu Domain itself was abolished with the abolition of the han system
Abolition of the han system
The was an act, in 1871, of the new Meiji government of the Empire of Japan to replace the traditional feudal domain system and to introduce centralized government authority . This process marked the culmination of the Meiji Restoration in that all daimyo were required to return their authority...
, and became part of the new Saga Prefecture
Saga Prefecture
is located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea. The western part of the prefecture is a region famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and Arita...
. Karatsu Castle was pulled down shortly afterwards, and in its place Maizuru Park was established in 1877.
The current donjon and some other structures of the castle were reconstructed in 1966 to boost local tourism and to function as a local museum. The current donjon features five tiers and five stories, with a lower ground floor; it also houses an exhibition area. Many of the yagura date from the same time, although the Tatsumi Yagura was added in 1990.