Karatsu Castle

Karatsu Castle” (Maizuru Castle), located in Maizuru Park, is a symbol of the city of Karatsu and a beautiful sight to behold when looking up from Maizuru Bridge.

The view from the castle tower is also magnificent, offering a magnificent view of the scenic “Matsuura Lagoon” of Niji-no-Matsubara and Kagamiyama.

The castle was built in 1608, seven years after the first lord of the Karatsu domain, Terasawa Shima-no-mori Hirotaka. Karatsu Castle was located on a land island called Mt. Mitsushima, and this mountain, surrounded by the sea and rivers, was the main citadel. The castle is said to have been surrounded by stone walls and a moat.

In 1871, with the abolition of feudal domains, Karatsu Castle was abandoned, and the site of the castle’s main citadel became Maizuru Park. The present Karatsu Castle was completed in 1966 as a cultural tourist facility.

The beautiful five-story castle tower stands proudly at its center. With the castle tower at its center, the pine groves on either side resemble the wings of a crane, giving Karatsu Castle its other name, “Maizuru Castle.

The castle serves as a local museum and houses archaeological materials related to Nagoya Castle, Karatsu Castle, Matsuura Suigun, and hidden Christians, as well as valuable materials and armor from the domain period, exhibits of Karatsu pottery, and archaeological artifacts. The fifth floor of the castle tower is an observatory where visitors can enjoy a magnificent view of the Genkainada Sea and Matsuura Lagoon. To reach the castle tower, visitors can either walk up the stone steps or use the elevator.

Maizuru Park is located around Karatsu Castle and is a famous flower spot with beautiful cherry blossoms and wisteria flowers. At night, Karatsu Castle is lit up and visitors can enjoy the beautiful sight of the castle keep. The best time to see the cherry blossoms is late March, and the best time to see the wisteria is late April. There is also a souvenir shop on the first floor.

The castle was built on Mitsushima Island at the mouth of the Matsuura River by Hirotaka Terasawa Shimamori, lord of the Karatsu domain, and completed in Keicho 13. The current castle tower was built in 1966 and is inside. There are exhibits and materials on the domain administration and the magnificent Karatsu pottery.

Terasawa Hirotaka (1564-1633), the first lord of the Karatsu domain, was born in Owari and went to Korea under the command of Hideyoshi. He was a member of the Eastern Army in the Battle of Sekigahara and also held Amakusa.
Mizuno Tadakuni (1794-1851) was born in the Edo residence of the Karatsu domain, and reformed the domain as lord of the Karatsu domain from Bunka 8 to 14. He was later transferred to Hamamatsu and promoted the Tempo reforms in the shogunate.
Nagayuki Ogasawara (1822-91) was born in the Honmaru of Karatsu Castle and was the son of feudal lord Nagamasa. He replaced his adoptive father Nagakuni in reforming the domain government, and later became a senior lieutenant in the shogunate, where he was forced to deal with the Namamugi Incident and the conquest of Choshu. He was also the father of Chosei Ogasawara.

Karatsu Castle was built on Mount Mitsushima on the left bank of the mouth of the Matsuura River where it flows into Karatsu Bay, in the northern part of Karatsu City. The main citadel is located on the top of Mt. Mitsushima, which juts out from the castle, and Ninomaru and Minomaru are located on the west side of the main citadel, which is a castle on a flat mountain in a continuous fortification style. Because the northern side faces Karatsu Bay, it is also called a sea castle, and the stonewalls that rise directly into the sea can still be seen today. On the right bank of the Matsuura River stretches the Niji-no-Matsubara (a special national scenic beauty spot), and the sandy beach stretching from the castle to the left and right looks like a crane spreading its wings, hence the name Maizuru Castle.

Karatsu Castle was built between 1602 (Keicho 7) and 1608 (Keicho 13), and served as the seat of the Karatsu domain throughout the Edo period.

After the castle was abandoned, the main circle became Maizuru Park, and Waseda Saga Junior and Senior High School was built in the second circle. The other sites of Ninomaru and San-no-Maru have been urbanized. The stonewalls and moat still remain as remains. In 1966, a mock Keicho style castle tower was built on the castle tower. In addition, turrets and gates were built, and the stonewalls and moat were restored. Because of the 34-meter difference in elevation to the upper plaza of Maizuru Park, a diagonal elevator has been installed for a fee.

History

In 1595, Terasawa Hirotaka, a vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was appointed to this area. Hirotaka was a member of the Eastern Army in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, and was granted 40,000 koku of additional land in Amakusa County, Higo Province, making him an outlying daimyo (daimyo) with a total of 123,000 koku. Construction of the castle began in earnest in 1602 and was completed in 1608. During the construction of the castle, Mt. Mitsushima, which was connected to Karatsu on the east side, was cut off, and the flow path was changed so that the Matsuura River would flow into Karatsu Bay. The castle was also built using materials left over from Nagoya Castle, which had been abandoned after Hideyoshi’s death, and with support from feudal lords from all over Kyushu. The names of the moats, such as Yanagawa-bori, Saga-bori, Higo-bori, and Satsuma-bori, still bear the names of the territories of the feudal lords who cooperated in the construction work.

The domain government palace was built in Ninomaru, and the samurai residences were located in San-no-maru. The castle tower was built only up to the tower base. There is a theory that a castle tower existed when the castle was first built, but the existence of the tower is not recorded in the records of the shogunate in 1627, and no evidence of a tower has been found. There are no drawings or blueprints depicting the castle tower, and the current tower was rebuilt in 1966, assuming the style of the Keicho period.

Hirotaka was also skilled in civil engineering projects, and worked to protect pine groves and cultivate windbreaks. This remains today as Niji-no-Matsubara, one of Japan’s three great pine groves.

Hirotaka’s son, Katataka, lost Tomioka Castle in the Amakusa domain and forfeited 40,000 koku of the Amakusa domain when he was attacked by the Uprising during the Shimabara Rebellion. In 1647, he committed suicide in his clan’s residence in Edo (now Tokyo), and the Terasawa family was cut off because he had no heir.

The Terasawa clan was then replaced by five families of hereditary feudal lords. After the Terasawa clan was exiled, the castle temporarily became the domain of the shogunate, but in 1649, Okubo Tadatsuchi, the lord of Akashi Castle in Harima Province, became the lord of the castle. In 1678 (Enpo 6), the Okubo clan moved to Sakura Castle in Shimousa Province, and was replaced by Norihisa Matsudaira, the chief retainer of the castle. In 1691 (Genroku 4), the Oyasu-Matsudaira clan moved to Toba Castle in Shima Province, and were replaced by the Doi clan. In 1762, the Doi clan moved to Furukawa Castle in Shimousa Province, and Mizuno Tadatomo from Okazaki Castle in Mikawa Province entered the castle. In 1817, Mizuno Tadakuni, who would later lead the Tenpo Reforms, wished to move to Hamamatsu Castle in Omi Province to advance his career, and Ogasawara Nagamasa from Tanagura Castle in Mutsu Province entered the castle, which became the residence of the Ogasawara clan until the Meiji Restoration.

Since modern times

In 1871, Nagoya Castle was abolished as a result of the abolition of feudal domains. The buildings were disposed of and dismantled. In 1877 (Meiji 10), it was developed into Maizuru Park and opened to the public.

In 1966, a five-story, five-story mock castle tower was built as a cultural tourist facility, and the gates and turrets were rebuilt at the same time.

In 1989, the Higo moat and stone wall were restored in front of the Karatsu City Hall. In 1992, the Toki no Taiko was restored at the site of Ninomaru, and in 1993, the San-no-maru Tatsumi Yagura was reconstructed near the City Hall. Subsequently, in 2016 (Heisei 28), a survey confirmed the remains of the Otemon Gate for the first time. From October 2, 2016 to July 21, 2017, the interior of the keep was renovated. Excavations unearthed roof tiles with the same pattern as those of Nagoya Castle.

On April 6, 2017, Nagoya Castle was selected as one of the Continuing 100 Great Castles of Japan (No. 185).