Marugame Castle
Encyclopedia
, also known as Kameyama Castle and Horai Castle, is a hirayamashiro (castle
situated on a hill surrounded by a plain) located in Marugame
, Kagawa Prefecture
, Japan
.
during the Muromachi Period. Little evidence of this exists today, however.
The roots of the current castle lie in 1587, when Marugame Castle was the residence of the lord of the Sanuki Province
, Ikoma Chikamasa
. In 1597, Chikamasa constructed Takamatsu Castle
as his new location from which to rule from and turned Marugame Castle over to his son, Ikoma Kazumasa
. Kazumasa immediately began renovating the castle, and made it into a formidable fortification. In 1615, however, due to a shogunal decree that each province could have but one castle, Marugame Castle was dismantled.
In 1641, a small section of western Sanuki (including what was left of Marugame Castle) was granted, as a fief, to Yamazaki Ieharu for his valor in the 1638 Shimabara Rebellion
. Ieharu re-built the castle on the ruins of the original and most of what stands today dates from his reconstruction, which he completed in 1644. However, in 1658, the castle was turned over to the Kyōgoku clan
. They further improved the castle by rebuilding the Otemmon complex in 1670. The Kyōgoku managed to retain control of the castle until the Imperial Government seized control of it during the Meiji Restoration
.
In 1869, a fire swept through the castle and destroyed many of the buildings. This was followed by another spate of destruction when the Imperial Government destroyed much of what remained in 1870. Shortly afterward, the outer moat was filled in.
Besides the stone walls, few of the buildings at Marugame Castle still stand today, though the Ote Ichino Gate, Ote Nino Gate, and the tenshu (keep), which underwent a major restoration in 1950, still stand. All of these original buildings have been declared Important Cultural Properties
by the Japanese Government. Marugame castle is one of only a dozen Japanese castles to still have an original wooden tenshu built before 1860.
The castle is preserved in Kameyama Park, and its museum is housed in the tenshu.
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...
situated on a hill surrounded by a plain) located in Marugame
Marugame, Kagawa
is a city located in Kagawa, Japan.-Geography:As of 2008, the city had an estimated population of 110,550 and the density of 989 persons per km². Marugame occupies the centre of an alluvial plain. The total area is 111.79 km².-Points of interest:...
, Kagawa Prefecture
Kagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is Takamatsu.- History :Kagawa was formerly known as Sanuki Province.For a brief period between August 1876 and December 1888, Kagawa was made a part of Ehime Prefecture.-Battle of Yashima:...
, 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...
.
History
The first fortifications built on the site that would later become Marugame castle were erected by the Nara clan led by Nara Motoyasu, who in turn were retainers of the Hosokawa clanHosokawa clan
The ' was a Japanese samurai clan, descended from Emperor Seiwa and a branch of the Minamoto clan, by the Ashikaga clan. It produced many prominent officials in the Ashikaga shogunate's administration. In the Edo period, the Hosokawa clan was one of the largest landholding daimyo families in Japan...
during the Muromachi Period. Little evidence of this exists today, however.
The roots of the current castle lie in 1587, when Marugame Castle was the residence of the lord of the Sanuki Province
Sanuki Province
was an old province of Japan on the island of Shikoku, with the same boundaries as modern Kagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called .It faced the Inland Sea and bordered on Awa and Iyo Provinces. Across Naruto strait it bordered Awaji Province too. Administratively it was included as a part of...
, Ikoma Chikamasa
Ikoma Chikamasa
Ikoma Chikamasa was a daimyo during the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 16th century to the Edo period of the 17th century of Japan. He was appointed to one of three chu-rō by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His father was Ikoma Chikashige....
. In 1597, Chikamasa constructed Takamatsu Castle
Takamatsu Castle (Sanuki)
is located in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku, Japan. This castle is also called .-History:This castle, built in 1590, is well-known as one of the three 'Mizujiro', literally 'Castles in the sea' in Japan, with Imabari Castle in Ehime Prefecture and Nakatsu Castle in Oita...
as his new location from which to rule from and turned Marugame Castle over to his son, Ikoma Kazumasa
Ikoma Kazumasa
was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period who lived into the early Edo period; he served the Oda clan, the Toyotomi, and then the Tokugawa. He was also the daimyo of the Takamatsu Domain....
. Kazumasa immediately began renovating the castle, and made it into a formidable fortification. In 1615, however, due to a shogunal decree that each province could have but one castle, Marugame Castle was dismantled.
In 1641, a small section of western Sanuki (including what was left of Marugame Castle) was granted, as a fief, to Yamazaki Ieharu for his valor in the 1638 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...
. Ieharu re-built the castle on the ruins of the original and most of what stands today dates from his reconstruction, which he completed in 1644. However, in 1658, the castle was turned over to the Kyōgoku clan
Kyōgoku clan
The were a Japanese samurai kin group which rose to prominence during the Sengoku and Edo periods. The clan claimed descent from the Uda Genji. The name derives from the Kyōgoku quarter of Kyoto during the Heian period....
. They further improved the castle by rebuilding the Otemmon complex in 1670. The Kyōgoku managed to retain control of the castle until the Imperial Government seized control of it during the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
.
In 1869, a fire swept through the castle and destroyed many of the buildings. This was followed by another spate of destruction when the Imperial Government destroyed much of what remained in 1870. Shortly afterward, the outer moat was filled in.
Today
Important Cultural Properties of Japan
The term is often shortened into just are items officially already classified as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and judged to be of particular importance to the Japanese people....
by the Japanese Government. Marugame castle is one of only a dozen Japanese castles to still have an original wooden tenshu built before 1860.
The castle is preserved in Kameyama Park, and its museum is housed in the tenshu.