Marugame Castle-Famous castles with stone walls | Kagawa

What kind of castle is Marugame Castle? The castle was modeled after Azuchi Castle and Osaka Castle.

Marugame Castle is a flat mountain castle located in Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture, and is also known as Kameyama Castle (due to its location on the 66-meter-high Kameyama) or Horai Castle. Horai is a place where hermits are said to live according to the ancient Chinese belief in immortals.

This castle was originally built by Ikoma Chikamasa, who was given the Sanuki province in 1597, and built a castle at Kameyama as a branch castle of Takamatsu Castle. A fort was built here in the early Muromachi Period.
Ikoma Chikamasa built the castle on the model of Azuchi Castle and Osaka Castle, and in addition to the castle walls, he also built a castle town with samurai residences.

The castle was modeled after Azuchi Castle and Osaka Castle, and the castle town was also surrounded by moats and earthen mounds.
The present “Marugame Castle” has the “Gosanjyo Yagura” (a turret with three floors), which was built in 1660 during the Edo period (1603-1868), as the castle tower (an important cultural property) in the main circle, and remains as one of the “12 surviving castle towers”.
The ruins of the castle have been designated as a national historic site and are now used as Kameyama Park. The “Otte Ichinomon” (Important Cultural Property), “Otte Ninomon” (Important Cultural Property), “Domain Lord Entrance Gate” (Prefectural Designated Cultural Property), “Watchtower,” “Gorogome” and “Nagaya” still remain.

The highlight of Marugame Castle is its beautiful stone walls, the tallest in Japan.

When you visit Marugame Castle, the first thing you should pay attention to is the stonewalls.

The castle is also known as a “stone wall castle,” and when you look at the castle from outside, you will be overwhelmed by its beautiful stonewalls.
Especially when viewed from the north side of the castle, the castle keep and the stonewalls are clearly visible, and you can feel the feelings of the soldiers who attacked the castle.

The stone walls of Marugame Castle are stacked in four layers from the foot of the mountain to the top, with the highest point reaching a total height of 60 meters, making it the tallest castle in Japan.
(The tallest stone wall in Japan is the 33-meter high wall of Osaka Castle.)

The types of stone walls of this castle are as follows.

• Kirikomi-hagi: Stone mating gaps are piled up without gaps. This can be seen on the turret after the Tochinoki-gomon gate.
• Kagamiseki (mirror stone): Used at important points of the castle in an attractive manner. It can be seen beyond the Ote-ni-no-Mon (gate) (a stone over 2 meters high).
• Nosurazumi-zukuri: Stonewalls made of natural stones (also called random piling). It can be seen at the foot of the mountain on the southeast side of the castle.
• Hammered hagi: A row of broken and processed stones is used. It is found in most of the castles.
• High stone walls and sangi-stacking: Long and short stones are alternately combined to create a slope. A stone wall 20 meters high can be seen on the north side.

In addition to these stone walls, stone walls with drainage outlets to drain rainwater can be seen in various parts of the castle, including the east side of the Honmaru and the east, north, and west sides of the San-no-Maru.

The crisis of the destruction of “Marugame Castle” and the lie of Masatoshi Ikoma, the third lord of the Takamatsu Domain

Marugame Castle is known as a “famous castle with stone walls,” but for a time there was an event that might have eliminated the castle.
In 1615, the Tokugawa Shogunate issued the “One Castle per Province Order”.

Under this “One Castle per Province” ordinance, Masatoshi Ikoma (grandson of Chikamasa Ikoma), the third lord of the Takamatsu Domain, where Marugame Castle was located, decided to abolish all the castles except for Takamatsu Castle.
At this time, Ikoma Masatoshi covered Marugame Castle with trees and restricted access to the castle. He then reported to the shogunate that the castle had been “abandoned” under false pretenses.

The existence of Marugame Castle became known to the Shogunate in 1640 when the Ikoma family was destroyed in the Ikoma Disturbance (a conflict between vassals).
However, in 1641, the Yamazaki clan, which came to replace the Ikoma clan, established the Marugame clan with Marugame Castle as its base, and the castle was renovated from 1645 with the permission of the shogunate.
After the Meiji Restoration, “Marugame Castle” was renovated and relocated until the abolition of the feudal domain.

What is the status of restoration of the collapsed stone wall of the famous Marugame Castle? Please check the latest information.

The Marugame Castle is currently undergoing a five-year restoration project until the end of March 2024 to repair a collapsed stone wall that occurred in 2008.

Information on the restoration of the stonewalls is posted on the official website, and visitors can keep an eye on the completion of the restoration. The restored stonewalls are shining white.

Access to Marugame Castle

Ichibancho, Marugame-shi, Kagawa 763-0025

Parking around Marugame Castle

Marugame Castle Official Website

Official site：https://www.marugame-castle.jp/

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