Japanese castle vol 29 Fushimi Momoyama Castle 【Japanese tourism】【history of Japan】【Kyoto , Japan】
Fushimi Momoyama Castle Hello everyone. Today, I have come to visit another castle. The castle I am visiting today is Fushimi Castle, located on the Momoyama Hills in Kyoto city, Kyoto Prefecture. Fushimi was originally a farming village called “Kyugo.” Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a castle in Fushimi, and a castle town was formed,
Which became the center of politics. During the Edo period, Fushimi Castle was abandoned, and it became a post town on the Tokaido, connecting Osaka and Kyoto across the Yodo River. It prospered as Fushimi-shuku, a direct territory of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Now, Fushimi Castle, which was built during the Toyotomi era, is a well-known castle in history, but there are actually three castles. The first is Sawayama Castle, the second is Kihata Castle, and the third is Momoyama Castle, which was built after the
Battle of Sekigahara. I visited the second Fushimi Castle, Kihata Castle, this time. 〇How was Kihata Castle built? Hideyoshi, who first built Fushimi Castle, built it on Mt. Sawayama as a retirement castle, but it collapsed in the great Keicho earthquake. Therefore, it was rebuilt on the current castle site of Kihata Mountain.
Ieyasu Tokugawa went to Kihata Mountain Castle to take care of political affairs according to Hideyoshi’s will. As one of the Five Elders, he accused Uesugi Kagekatsu of rebellion and went on an eastern expedition to defeat him. The one who was in charge of the defense of Kihata Mountain
Castle was Motochika Torii. However, Mitsunari Ishida took advantage of Ieyasu’s absence and rebelled, attacking Kihata Mountain Castle. Ukita Hideie and Ishida Mitsunari took command, and Motochika Torii was killed in battle. Kihata Mountain Castle fell. This was a prelude to the Battle of Sekigahara. Furthermore, as a side note, the third castle, Momoyama Castle,
Has its honmaru (main keep) as the Fushimi Momoyama Imperial Mausoleum of Emperor Meiji, and the location with the gate corresponds to the fourth bailey. 〇What kind of person was Torii Mototada? He served as a close aide to Tokugawa Ieyasu
Since the time when Ieyasu was held as a hostage by Imagawa Yoshimoto. In the Battle of Fushimi Castle, he fought to the last to hold back the Western army and died in battle at the age of 62. His descendants continued to serve as the lords of Mibu Domain in Shimotsuke Province.
〇Why was a castle built in Fushimi? 」」」 The first person to build a castle in Fushimi was Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It was his retirement castle. It is recorded as such in the records of that time. Fushimi was a very important geographical location, situated in between Hideyoshi’s base in Kyoto, the Jurakudai,
And Osaka Castle. Yodo, where the castle was built, was the midway point. Yodo was historically an outer harbor and crossing point for the capital city of Heian-kyo. Initially, Hideyoshi built Yodo Castle at the site, but he later abandoned it and moved the tenshu (main
Tower) and yagura (turret) of Yodo Castle to the new Fushimi Castle. He also built a satellite castle in Mukaijima, and powerful daimyo (feudal lords) built their residences in the castle town. It is estimated that there were as many as 580 samurai residences in the castle town.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi worked to improve transportation in Fushimi. The improvements in Fushimi were made with Osaka and Kyoto in mind. He connected the giant Muko Pond located to the south of Fushimi Castle to the Uji River and created a new port. He
Also closed down the ports in the surrounding areas like Yodo. Furthermore, he worked to improve the north-south transportation in the Yamashiro Basin. He developed the Yamato Kaido, which is a major road connecting Heijokyo (the ancient capital of Japan) and Kyoto, and linked
It with the Kyomachi-dori in Fushimi’s castle town, drawing in the ancient road that had been in use since ancient times. The Yamato Kaido is a major road that connects Heijokyo and Heiankyo (Kyoto). The former Imperial Palace of Heijo-kyo is in Nara, and Hideyoshi’s younger brother,
Toyotomi Hidenaga, lived in Yamato Koriyama Castle in Nara. Fushimi is located between Hidenaga’s Yamato Koriyama Castle and Jurakudai, the main base in Kyoto. Furthermore, Fushimi was connected to Osaka via the Yodo River. Fushimi was the hub that connected the three cities of Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka. 」」」
After the Battle of Osaka, the shogun’s lodging was temporarily relocated to Nijo Castle, while Fushimi Castle continued to be used as a residence. However, in 1619, it was decided that maintaining both castles would be difficult under the “one castle per province” policy, and Fushimi Castle was abandoned. After the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu’s reign,
The castle was completely dismantled and the main tower was relocated to Nijo Castle, while other buildings were absorbed by Fukuyama Castle and Yodo Castle, and some were relocated to other parts of the country. Thank you for watching this video about castles.
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I went on another castle tour this time. The castle I visited this time is called Fushimi Castle, located in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto Prefecture. Fushimi Castle has been rebuilt multiple times, and there are several castle ruins. It was first constructed in 1594 but collapsed due to an earthquake. It was reconstructed in 1597 but was destroyed during a battle in 1605. Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s wife, Lady Yodo-dono, built it with the support of Tokugawa Ieyasu to commemorate Hideyoshi’s death.
Currently, a large part of the site is part of the Imperial mausoleum and is not accessible. However, some areas of the castle ruins were left untouched after its abandonment, allowing exploration and development in modern times.
I have compiled a video of this castle tour while organizing it on Google Maps. Please take a look.
[Transportation]
(Train)
12 minutes walk from JR Nara Line “JR Fujimori Station” to “Fushimi Momoyama Castle”
12 minutes walk from JR Nara Line “Momoyama Station” to “Fushimi Momoyama Castle”
(Bus)
10 minutes walk from “Tanbabashi Bus Stop” to “Fushimi Momoyama Castle”
10 minutes walk from “Momoyama Chugaku-mae Bus Stop” to “Fushimi Momoyama Castle”
11 minutes walk from “Itabashi Bus Stop” to “Fushimi Momoyama Castle”
12 minutes walk from Kintetsu Kyoto Line “Kintetsu Tanbabashi Station” to “Fushimi Momoyama Castle”
Here is the link to the previous castle tour.