Hagi Castle - Bukeyashiki Walls: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:19, 17 February 2025

Originally built to provide privacy and protection for samurai estates, the dobei earthen walls of Hagi have become the city's most iconic feature. Look at any tourist guide, and you're likely to see a weathered wall with the bright orange of natsu mikan fruit hanging from a tree branch—just like in

Hagi Castle - Bukeyashiki Walls

Originally built to provide privacy and protection for samurai estates, the dobei earthen walls of Hagi have become the city's most iconic feature. Look at any tourist guide, and you're likely to see a weathered wall with the bright orange of natsu mikan fruit hanging from a tree branch—just like in the first photo below!

Hagi stands out among Japan's former castle towns for its remarkable number of surviving walls in various stages of preservation or repair. But while these walls remain, the samurai estates they once enclosed have largely disappeared. Why do we see so many residence walls but so few actual homes?

When the Mōri clan relocated to Yamaguchi most of the high-ranking samurai followed. The great estates of these senior samurai were abandoned and the homes fell into ruin. For the lower and middle-class samurai who remained in Hagi, the loss of their stipends brought economic hardship. Enter Obata Takamasa, a former samurai, working for the local township offices. He proposed a new livelihood: cultivating natsu mikan, a thick-skinned variety of mandarin orange that ripens in early summer. Originallythey were harvested in winter when the sour juice was used for vinegar. But if you allow the fruits to ripen through the spring the become much sweeter.

Obata began transforming the abandoned samurai estates into orchards—a move that proved to be an instant success. Since fresh fruit was scarce in early summer, Hagi’s natsu mikan became highly prized across Japan, fetching premium prices. Five mikan were worth the equivalent of 1.5 kg of rice, and it was said that three productive trees per child could provide enough income for a family to live comfortably.

The walls that once served to fortify and seclude samurai estates also protected the delicate citrus trees from strong coastal winds. While Hagi’s mild climate and fertile soil were ideal for fruit cultivation, the region's harsh sea winds could damage trees or knock fruit to the ground. As time passed, these walls were repaired and modified, not necessarily to preserve historical accuracy, but to maintain their function as windbreaks for the orchards. This is why Hagi's dobei walls appear in such a variety of shapes and styles today. In some cases, where earthen walls had crumbled beyond repair, they were replaced with sturdier stone walls.

Originally built for defense, these walls ultimately safeguarded Hagi’s economic lifeline. In doing so, they inadvertently preserved the authentic atmosphere of a samurai town, making Hagi a rare historical treasure for us enthusiasts to enjoy to this day.

Gallery

wall restored in different styles (left traditional style, right newer)

Horiuchi Kaimagari

Hisako Kaimagari

Toida Masuda Residence Wall

Museum Compound

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-|CastleSubpageText=Originally built to provide privacy and protection to the samurai estates, the dobei earthen walls of Hagi have become its most iconic feature. Look at any tourist information and you're likely to see a weathered old wall with a tree branch laden with natsu mikan fruits. Kind of like the first photo below!
+|CastleSubpageText=Originally built to provide privacy and protection for samurai estates, the dobei earthen walls of Hagi have become the city's most iconic feature. Look at any tourist guide, and you're likely to see a weathered wall with the bright orange of natsu mikan fruit hanging from a tree branch—just like in the first photo below!
-I have never been to a castle town with so many surviving walls in different stages or preservation or repair. So why do we see so many walls of samurai estates but few homes? After the end of the Tokugawa Bakufu, the Mori moved to the much more convenient Yamaguchi and most of the high ranking samurai went with them. The great estates of these senior samurai were abandoned and the houses quickly became diaplidated.
+Hagi stands out among Japan's former castle towns for its remarkable number of surviving walls in various stages of preservation or repair. But while these walls remain, the samurai estates they once enclosed have largely disappeared. Why do we see so many residence walls but so few actual homes?
-With the fall of the feudal system, there were no more stipends for middle or lower class samurai so those who were left behind soon found themselves struggling to survive. Along came Obata Takamasa, himself born into a samurai family and now working in for the township offices. He proposed growing Natsu Mikan, a variety of large thick skinned mandarin oranges that ripen in the summer.
+When the Mōri clan relocated to Yamaguchi most of the high-ranking samurai followed. The great estates of these senior samurai were abandoned and the homes fell into ruin. For the lower and middle-class samurai who remained in Hagi, the loss of their stipends brought economic hardship. Enter Obata Takamasa, a former samurai, working for the local township offices. He proposed a new livelihood: cultivating natsu mikan, a thick-skinned variety of mandarin orange that ripens in early summer. Originallythey were harvested in winter when the sour juice was used for vinegar. But if you allow the fruits to ripen through the spring the become much sweeter.
-He started turning the abandoned estates into orchards and it became an instant hit. The mikan were prized throughout Japan since few fruits were available in the early summer months and mikan are refreshing in hot weather. Soon the Hagi Natsu MIkan started to bring premium prices throughout Japan. Five fruits sold for the equivalent of 1.5kg of rice. It was said that three productive natsu mikan trees per child was enough income for a family to live comfortably.
+Obata began transforming the abandoned samurai estates into orchards—a move that proved to be an instant success. Since fresh fruit was scarce in early summer, Hagi’s natsu mikan became highly prized across Japan, fetching premium prices. Five mikan were worth the equivalent of 1.5 kg of rice, and it was said that three productive trees per child could provide enough income for a family to live comfortably.
-The walls of the samurai estates further aided the production of these mikan by protecting the trees from wind. While Hagi has a temperate climate and rich soil for growing fruit trees, harsh winds off the ocean often damaged trees or knocked fruits to the ground, but the walls saved the trees too. This is the real reason we are able to enjoy the true atmosphere of a samurai town today. The walls built to protect the castle and privacy of samurai estates now protect the vital lifeline of Hagi's orchards to this day. As the walls aged they were regularly repaired for their new found function. This is the reason we so walls in so many styles and shapes today. There was no one true form to preserve for repairs. In some cases more solid stone walls that would last longer were built to replace ruined earthen walls.
+The walls that once served to fortify and seclude samurai estates also protected the delicate citrus trees from strong coastal winds. While Hagi’s mild climate and fertile soil were ideal for fruit cultivation, the region's harsh sea winds could damage trees or knock fruit to the ground. As time passed, these walls were repaired and modified, not necessarily to preserve historical accuracy, but to maintain their function as windbreaks for the orchards. This is why Hagi's dobei walls appear in such a variety of shapes and styles today. In some cases, where earthen walls had crumbled beyond repair, they were replaced with sturdier stone walls.
+Originally built for defense, these walls ultimately safeguarded Hagi’s economic lifeline. In doing so, they inadvertently preserved the authentic atmosphere of a samurai town, making Hagi a rare historical treasure for us enthusiasts to enjoy to this day.
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Hagi Castle - Bukeyashiki Walls: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:19, 17 February 2025

Hagi Castle - Bukeyashiki Walls

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