User:Fieari/Draft:Okayama Castle

Okayama Castle
岡山城
Okayama Castle; 岡山城
Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan
	Main Keep (Donjon)
	An aerial view of Okayama Castle
Type	Azuchi-Momoyama castle
Site information
Controlled by	Nawa clan (1346-unknown); Kanamitu clan (1521-1528); Ukita clan (1570-1600); Kobayakawa clan (1600-1602); Ikeda clan (1602-1869); Japan (1869-present)
Condition	Surviving turrets and stone walls, concrete replica keep (1966)
Site history
Built	1346-1369 (Nawa clan); rebuilt 1590-1597 (Ukita Hideie); replica donjon completed 1966
In use	1346-1889
Materials	Wood, stone, plaster, tile.
Demolished	Moats: Ministry of War (1873-82),; Main tower: US air raid (Jun 29, 1945)
Battles/wars	Contributed to Sekigahara (total loss)

Okayama Castle (岡山城, Okayama-jō) is a Japanese castle in the city of Okayama in Okayama Prefecture in Japan. The main tower was completed in 1597,^[1] destroyed in 1945 and replicated in concrete in 1966. Two of the watch towers survived the bombing of 1945 and are now listed by the national Agency for Cultural Affairs as Important Cultural Properties.

In stark contrast to the white "Egret Castle" of neighboring Himeji, Okayama Castle has a black exterior, earning it the nickname Crow Castle (烏城, U-jō) or "castle of the black bird". (The black castle of Matsumoto in Nagano is also known as "Crow Castle", but it is karasu-jō in Japanese.)

Today, only a few parts of Okayama Castle's roof (including the fish-shaped-gargoyles) are gilded, but prior to the Battle of Sekigahara the main keep also featured gilded roof tiles, earning it the nickname Golden Crow Castle (金烏城, Kin U-jō).

History

Nanboku-chō Period - Azuchi-Momoyama Period

Stone walls from the Ukita family's construction period, discovered during a 1993 excavation

During the Nanboku-chō period (1346–1369), historical records state that Kami Takanao (上神高直), a member of the Nawa clan, built a castle on Ishiyama Hill in what is now Okayama City.^[2] For about 150 years, the castle's ownership is unclear. The area was part of the Settsu family estate and thrived as a port town at the mouth of the Asahi River^[a]. In the Daiei period (1521–1528), the Konko clan resided in the castle, serving the Matsuda clan of Kanagawa Castle.

DOUBLE CHECK FROM HERE DOWN! SOMETHING DOESN'T MATCH WITH THE TRANSLATION!!!!!

In 1570, Ukita Naoie assassinated Konko Munetaka and took control of the castle. Naoie was a retainer of the Uragami clan, who controlled the western part of Bizen. In 1573, Naoie moved from Kameyama Castle to Ishiyama Castle and rebuilt it, forming a castle town. The layout of then Ishiyama Castle (soon to be Okayama Castle) at this time is assumed to have been a linear series of enclosures running east to west. Naoie redirected the Sanyōdō highway to pass through the castle town, attracting merchants from Bizen Fukuoka, Saidaiji, and other areas, stimulating economic development through trade initiatives.

Naoie's son, Ukita Hideie, continued to expand the castle, transforming it into a modern fortress. The castle was further developed between 1590 and 1597, with extensive stone walls and a grand main keep with golden roof tiles. Hideie incorporated the Asahi River as a natural moat, although this caused frequent flooding in the castle town, leading to the construction of the Hyakken River drainage channel.

The castle became known as Okayama Castle, named after the hill it was built on, and the town as Okayama.

Edo Period

After becoming the main force of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Hideie was exiled to Hachijō Island, and the Ukita clan was dismissed from their position.

Replacing them, Kobayakawa Hideaki took control of the castle as the lord of Bizen and Mimasaka provinces. Hideaki expanded the width of the main compound's middle tier, dug a moat over 15 town blocks long around the outside of the third compound, and enhanced the outer curve of the third compound to expand the castle town. The moat construction, which was completed in 20 days using both peasants and samurai, is referred to as the "Twenty-Day Moat" (hatsukabori)^[3]^[4]. In 1601, what was known as the Numajiro castle tower (沼城天守, Numajiro tenshu) was relocated to the southern corner of the middle tier, and came to be known as the Ōnando tower ("Large Storage Tower"), the largest tower in the Castle, consisting of a three-story four-floor structure with a large gabled roof topped by a watchtower.^[5] Two years later, on October 7, 1602, Hideaki died suddenly in Okayama, leaving no heirs, leading to the extinction of the Kobayakawa family.

In 1603, the domain of Bizen was given to Ikeda Tadatsugu, the second son of Ikeda Terumasa, lord of Himeji Castle in Harima, but since he was only five years old, his elder brother Toshitaka governed as the "Bizen Supervisor." Toshitaka is said to have developed the west end's west compound at "Ishiyama", and the Western Tower of the west compound was built during this time. Tadatsugu entered Okayama Castle in 1613, but died in 1615, an event now known as the "poisoned manjū incident".

In 1615, Tadatsugu's younger brother, Ikeda Tadao, was transferred from Awaji and further developed the castle, completing most of the layout seen today. During the Kan'ei era (1624-1644), the Ikeda clan built the Moon-Viewing Turret and other structures, further incorporating modern defensive features.

Meiji through Shōwa Periods

In 1869, with the abolition of the han system, Okayama Castle's role as a provincial capital ended. During the Meiji period, the castle became the property of the Meiji government's Ministry of War, who viewed samurai-era castles as archaic and unnecessary. Consequently, like many other castles throughout Japan, most of the castle buildings, turrets, and gates were dismantled, and most of the moats were filled in, leaving only the main keep, Moon-Viewing Turret, Western Turret, and Kōraku-en Garden. The old castle walls gradually disappeared underneath the expanding city.

In 1931, the keep of Okayama Castle was designated a National Treasure. The castle suffered major damage during the Okayama air raid on June 29, 1945, during which both the keep and the Ishiyama gate were completely destroyed. Following the enactment of the Cultural Properties Protection Law in 1950, the surviving Moon-Viewing Tower and the Western Tower were designated as Important Cultural Properties.

From 1964 to 1966, the keep was reconstructed using reinforced concrete. This reconstruction also included the rebuilding of the Fumei Gate, Corridor Gate, Rokujūichi Yanagikamon, and parts of the walls. The current keep features tiles with the Paulownia crest and was rebuilt to evoke the era of Hideie Ukita. Additionally, a new main entrance was created at the base of the keep during the reconstruction, complementing the original entrance at the salt storehouse. This new entrance now provides direct access to the keep's basement. The castle site was designated a National Historic Site and Important Cultural Properties of Japan in 1987.

Heisei and Reiwa Periods

In 1996, as part of the 400th-anniversary commemoration of the castle's construction, golden shachihoko (dragon-carp gargoyles) were added to the castle keep. These mythical creatures, often used in Japanese architecture, were used to recall the castle's historical nickname, 'Golden Crow Castle,' attributed to its original adornment with gold.

On January of 2014, an archaeological excavation conducted on the lower tier of the main enclosure unearthed remnants of what are believed to be the 'Spear Turret' (やりやぐら) and the 'Flag Turret' (はたやぐら), previously used as a military warehouse. This excavation also revealed stone steps not depicted in the 'Honjōnai On-ezu,' a detailed map of the castle created in 1700.^[6]

Construction and Layout

Okayama Castle was built on a series of low hills. At the time of construction, the mouth of the Asahi River branched into several distributaries. In the vast delta area known as Ōzuhara, the central hill was called "Okayama" (also known as Shiba Okayama), with another hill called Ishiyama to its west and another hill called Tenjinyama^[b] or Tenmanzan to its northwest. These hills were used as fortifications throughout different periods. Ukita Naoie took control of Ishiyama Castle and rebuilt it, and his son Ukita Hideie later established the main keep on Shiba Okayama, incorporating Ishiyama Castle with it to form the full Okayama Castle complex.^[7]^[8]

The layout of the castle follows a ladder-style arrangement, with the three-tiered configuration extending westward. This design structure has the north and east sides of the main keep left relatively undefended, so the course of the Asahi River was altered to serve as a natural moat on the east side. Additionally, Kōraku-en Garden was constructed as a substitute for a defensive enclosure.

The main keep was a composite tower with four layers and six stories, with distinctive black lacquered wooden siding giving it the nickname of "Crow Castle". Its entrance was set in the adjoining salt warehouse. Maps from the Genroku period show the castle surrounded by five moats and a castle town extending 3.5 km north to south and 1.3 km east to west.

The castle site is now maintained as "U-jō Park", with public buildings such as the RSK Sanyo Broadcasting station, Hayashibara Museum of Art, and the Okayama Civic Hall occupying the former second and third baileys. The reconstructed main keep is a concrete building complete with air-conditioning, elevators and numerous displays documenting the castle's history, focusing primarily on the period of time when the castle was ruled by the Ikeda clan in the Edo period.

List of Structures

Existing or Reconstructed Structures

Moon-Viewing Turret - National Important Cultural Property, built during the Genna and Kan'ei eras (1615-1632), still exists. Located in the northwest corner of the main compound. The surrounding area includes foundation stones of earthen walls with loopholes, said to be state-of-the-art at the time.
Main Keep - Exterior reconstruction
Fumeimon (Fumei Gate) - Exterior reconstruction. Serves as the entrance to this level. Reconstructed in reinforced concrete simultaneously with the Main Keep.
Corridor Gate - Exterior reconstruction
Rokujūichi Yanagikamon (Sixty-One Step Tower Gate) - Reconstructed
Original Main Keep Foundation Stones - Relocated

Corridor Gate
Fumeimon
Rokujūichi Yanagikamon
Original Main Keep Foundation Stones

Structures No Longer Standing

Sankai Tower (Three-Story Tower)
Hoshii Tower (Provision Storage Tower)
Nagaya Tower (Longhouse)
Ōnando Tower (Large Storage Tower)
Ibe Tower
Sukikata Tower (Tea Ceremony Tower)
Konando Tower (Small Storage Tower)
Corner Tower
Abura Kura Tower (Oil Storage Tower)
Tsukiyama Tower (Mortar Tower)
Anawara Tower (Grain Storage Tower)
Flag Tower
Spear Tower
Bow Tower
Hanabata Corner Tower (Flower Garden Corner Tower)
Kosakujishōuke Tower (Construction or Maintenance Tower)

Reconstruction of the Main Keep Tower

After the keep tower of Okayama Castle was destroyed in 1945, the exterior of the reconstructed keep was completed in 1966. This reconstruction was based on detailed architectural drawings by a student from Okayama city, who later became an architect. He had compiled these drawings for his graduation thesis at Waseda University's School of Science and Engineering, Department of Architecture, before the war. Consequently, the interior structure of the original keep is well-documented^[9]^[10], and, similar to the situation of Nagoya Castle, old photographs have been preserved showing the unique palace-like interior rooms in shoin-zukuri style within the keep before its destruction. However, there are divided opinions in documents about whether the appearance of the reconstructed keep is fully authentic to the original^[11]. No records regarding the specific color of the exterior have been preserved, and it is not well understood how the city decided on the paint during the reconstruction or the standards for the paint used during the first repainting in 1996^[9]. Okayama Castle has always been known as "Crow Castle," but documentation on the color of its exterior is only briefly mentioned in Uzō Yamauchi's "Prefectural History"^[9].

Okayama Castle's keep underwent major renovations from June 2021 until November 2022.^[9]. The new choice of exterior paint was determined after comparative studies of other castles, including Matsumoto Castle and Kumamoto Castle. A key consideration in selecting the new exterior paint was the gloss level, as different finishes could cause the castle to appear white due to sunlight reflection.^[9].

Gallery

Entrance to the Main Keep of Okayama Castle
Okayama castle with last cherry leaves of autumn
The main facade of Okayama Castle
Okayama castle
Okayama castle and the Asahi river
Okayama Castle (November 2016)
Okayama castle in a historic painting
Okayama castle plan

Notes

^ Around 3 km south of Ishiyama, place names such as "Koda," "Nishiichi" (west market of Koda), "Toyohama-cho," and "Mifuneiri-cho" remain, which are thought to be remnants of the coastline at that time.
^ Not to be confused with other mountains or hills named Tenjinyama, such as the one Tenjinyama Castle (in nearby Wake, Okayama) is built on.

References

^ Hinago, Motoo (1986). Japanese Castles. Kodansha International Ltd. and Shibundo. p. 46. ISBN 0870117661.
^ 備前軍記 (Bizen Gunki, translated: Bizen Military Record) (in Japanese).
^ 西ヶ谷恭弘 (Nishigaya Yasuhiro) (ed.). 定本日本城郭辞典 (translated: Definitive Japanese Castle Dictionary) (in Japanese). 秋田書店 (Akita Bookstore).
^ "岡山城の歴史（岡山城400年）(translated: History of Okayama Castle (400 Years of Okayama Castle))" (in Japanese). 岡山市企画局情報政策課 (translated: Okayama City Planning Bureau Information Policy Division - Production).
^ "岡山城の歴史（岡山城本丸表向）(translated: History of Okayama Castle (Front of Okayama Castle Main Compound))" (in Japanese). 岡山市企画局情報政策課 (translated: Okayama City Planning Bureau Information Policy Division - Production).
^ "槍・旗櫓の遺構出土岡山城本丸下の段 (translated: Remnants of Spear and Flag Turrets Unearthed at Okayama Castle's Honmaru Lower Tier)". Sanyo Shimbun. Sanyo Shimbun Co. 2014-01-22. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
^ 岡山大学付属図書館; Okayama University Library (2009). 絵図で歩く岡山城下町 (Walking Through Okayama Castle Town with Illustrations) (in Japanese). 岡山 (Okayama): 吉備人出版 (Kibito Publishing).
^ 吉岡 (Yoshioka), 三平 (Sanpei); 進 (Shin), 昌三 (Shōzō) (2009). 岡山の干拓 (Okayama no Kantaku, translation: Reclamation in Okayama) (in Japanese). 日本文教出版 (Nihon Bunkyo Publishing).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Cite error: The named reference sanyonews20211231 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "レファレンス事例詳細 (translated: Detailed Reference Case) ID 1000210800" (in Japanese). 国立国会図書館レファレンス協同データベース (translated: National Diet Library Reference Cooperative Database). Retrieved 2022-04-15.
^ "レファレンス事例詳細 (translated: Detailed Reference Case) ID 1000210799" (in Japanese). 国立国会図書館レファレンス協同データベース (translated: National Diet Library Reference Cooperative Database). Retrieved 2022-01-01.

External links

Media related to Fieari/Draft:Okayama Castle at Wikimedia Commons

Okayama Castle Guide homepage (in English)

34°39′55″N 133°56′10″E / 34.665181°N 133.936053°E / 34.665181; 133.936053

[3] Around 3 km south of Ishiyama, place names such as "Koda," "Nishiichi" (west market of Koda), "Toyohama-cho," and "Mifuneiri-cho" remain, which are thought to be remnants of the coastline at that time.

[8] Not to be confused with other mountains or hills named Tenjinyama, such as the one Tenjinyama Castle (in nearby Wake, Okayama) is built on.

[Hinago-1] Hinago, Motoo (1986). Japanese Castles. Kodansha International Ltd. and Shibundo. p. 46. ISBN 0870117661.

[2] 備前軍記 (Bizen Gunki, translated: Bizen Military Record) (in Japanese).

[4] 西ヶ谷恭弘 (Nishigaya Yasuhiro) (ed.). 定本日本城郭辞典 (translated: Definitive Japanese Castle Dictionary) (in Japanese). 秋田書店 (Akita Bookstore).

[5] "岡山城の歴史（岡山城400年）(translated: History of Okayama Castle (400 Years of Okayama Castle))" (in Japanese). 岡山市企画局情報政策課 (translated: Okayama City Planning Bureau Information Policy Division - Production).

[6] "岡山城の歴史（岡山城本丸表向）(translated: History of Okayama Castle (Front of Okayama Castle Main Compound))" (in Japanese). 岡山市企画局情報政策課 (translated: Okayama City Planning Bureau Information Policy Division - Production).

[7] "槍・旗櫓の遺構出土岡山城本丸下の段 (translated: Remnants of Spear and Flag Turrets Unearthed at Okayama Castle's Honmaru Lower Tier)". Sanyo Shimbun. Sanyo Shimbun Co. 2014-01-22. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-08-12.

[9] 岡山大学付属図書館; Okayama University Library (2009). 絵図で歩く岡山城下町 (Walking Through Okayama Castle Town with Illustrations) (in Japanese). 岡山 (Okayama): 吉備人出版 (Kibito Publishing).

[10] 吉岡 (Yoshioka), 三平 (Sanpei); 進 (Shin), 昌三 (Shōzō) (2009). 岡山の干拓 (Okayama no Kantaku, translation: Reclamation in Okayama) (in Japanese). 日本文教出版 (Nihon Bunkyo Publishing).

[sanyonews20211231-11] Cite error: The named reference sanyonews20211231 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[12] "レファレンス事例詳細 (translated: Detailed Reference Case) ID 1000210800" (in Japanese). 国立国会図書館レファレンス協同データベース (translated: National Diet Library Reference Cooperative Database). Retrieved 2022-04-15.

[13] "レファレンス事例詳細 (translated: Detailed Reference Case) ID 1000210799" (in Japanese). 国立国会図書館レファレンス協同データベース (translated: National Diet Library Reference Cooperative Database). Retrieved 2022-01-01.

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