| Hamamatsu Castle | |
|---|---|
浜松城 | |
| Hamamatsu,Shizuoka Prefecture,Japan | |
 Keep of Hamamatsu Castle | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Japanese castle |
| Condition | Reconstructed, serves as a museum |
| Location | |
  Hamamatsu Castle  Hamamatsu Castle | |
| Coordinates | 34°42′42″N137°43′30″E / 34.711802°N 137.724958°E /34.711802; 137.724958 |
| Height | Three stories |
| Site history | |
| Built | Circa 1532, rebuilt 1958 |
| Built by | Imagawa clan |
| Materials | Wood, stone |
Hamamatsu Castle (浜松城,Hamamatsu-jō) is ahirayama-styleJapanese castle ruin, with some replica castle buildings. It was the seat of variousfudai daimyō who ruled overHamamatsu Domain,Tōtōmi Province, in what is now centralHamamatsu,Shizuoka Prefecture,Japan under theEdo periodTokugawa shogunate.[1] It is also calledShusse Castle (出世城,Shusse-jō).
Hamamatsu is at the edge of Mikatagahara plateau in the center of Tōtōmi Province, and was from ancient times apost station on theTōkaidō highway connectingKyoto with the eastern provinces of Japan. During the lateMuromachi andSengoku period, this area came under the control of theImagawa clan, a powerful warlord fromSuruga Province. It is uncertain when the original Hamamatsu Castle was constructed; however, it appears that a fortification was built on what is now theHamamatsu Tōshō-gū, east of the present castle, by Imagawa Sadatsuke, the fourth head of the Enshū Imagawa clan from around 1504–1520. The early castle was calledHikuma Castle (引馬城 or曳馬城,Hikuma-jō) and was entrusted to Imagawa retainerIio Noritsura. After the fall ofImagawa Yoshimoto at the 1560Battle of Okehazama,Iio Tsuratatsu rebelled againstImagawa Ujinao, but was defeated. However, the greatly weakened Imagawa clan was unable to withstand the combined forces forTokugawa Ieyasu fromMikawa andTakeda Shingen fromKai. The former Imagawa territories in Tōtōmi were divided between the Tokugawa and Takeda in 1568. In December of the same year Tokugawa Ieyasu laid siege to Hikuma Castle and took it fromOtazu no kata. He relocated his headquarters fromOkazaki Castle to Hamamatsu in 1570, and started construction of a new castle on a site which partially overlapped that of the original Hikuma Castle.
Hamamatsu Castle was approximately 500 meters north–south by 450 meters east–west. The location has few natural barriers, but the castle utilizes the natural slope of the Mikatagahara plateau, with thedonjon at the highest point in the northwest. To east was theinner bailey, followed by the second bailey and third bailey roughly in a straight line to the southeast. The stone walls were constructed in thenozura-zumi style using unshaped stones, with the ruins of the fortifications of the original Hikuma Castle also forming part of the outer defenses.
Tokugawa Ieyasu spent 17 years at Hamamatsu Castle, from age 29 to 45. TheBattle of Anegawa,Battle of Nagashino, andBattle of Komaki and Nagakute were all fought when Hamamatsu was his seat. After his defeated at theBattle of Mikatagahara, Ieyasu was forced to retreat here for what he thought would be his final stand. However, the tide later turned for Ieyasu and he survived. He renamed Hikuma Castle "Hamamatsu Castle" in 1577.
Ieyasu relocated toSunpu Castle in 1586, entrusting Hamamatsu Castle toHorio Yoshiharu, who was followed by his sonHorio Tadauji. Under Horio Yoshiharu, the castle was renovated in line with contemporary advances in stone ramparts, and was expanded in size. Contemporary records indicate that the castle was never built with atenshukaku-style keep. Throughout its history, a two-storyyagura located within the secondbailey served as a substitute keep.
After theBattle of Sekigahara, the Horio clan was relocated toIzumo Province and Hamamatsu was briefly ruled byTokugawa Yorinobu, followed by a succession offudai daimyō through the remainder of theEdo period. Assignment to Hamamatsu was considered a very prestigious appointment due to the castle's association with Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. Most of the 25daimyō who ruled Hamamatsu were assigned to Hamamatsu for only a short period, before being transferred to another domain, usually with a higherkokudaka ranking. Many also went on to hold high offices within the shogun administration, including fiverōjū, twoKyoto Shoshidai, twoOsaka-jō dai and fourJisha-bugyō. For this reason, Hamamatsu Castle gained its nickname ofShusse Castle, meaning "Castle of promotion.
With theMeiji Restoration, the remaining military structures of the castle were destroyed, outer moats filled in, and outer baileys sold off. The central portion was retained by the city of Hamamatsu as a park afterWorld War II
In 1958, a faux donjon was constructed out of reinforced concrete on top of the original stone palisade built by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The reconstructed structure has three stories with an observatory affording a view of thePacific Ocean at the topmost level. There is a small museum inside which houses armor and other relics of theTokugawa clan, as well as a miniature model of how the city might have looked at the start of the Edo period. Surrounding the museum is Hamamatsu Castle Park which is planted with numeroussakura trees. A large bronze statue ofTokugawa Ieyasu also stands in the park.[2] The castle was listed as one of theContinued Top 100 Japanese Castles in 2017.[3]
Media related toHamamatsu Castle at Wikimedia Commons
