Hagi Castle - Bukeyashiki Walls: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 21:53, 7 March 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

武家屋敷の土塀

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! These walls also protected these delicate citrus trees from strong coastal winds, created a post feudal era income for the samurai of Hagi. Refer to the article Hagi Castle Town for more details.

Some features of thephotos below include:

Wall Restoration The second photo below shows a restored wall. The section on the left is restored in the traditional manner. A solid stone wall on the bottom with a thick earthen wall atop. The section to the right reflects walls we often see repaired to protect orchards. Atop the original stone foundation is more piled stones with only a small earthen wall atop.

Horiuchi Kaimagari A common feature of castle towns is this short dog-legged street or junction to block the line of sight for would be attackers. This one is very near the Kuchiba Residence which you can also see in the background of one photo. It actually creates a T-junction at the end of the road with the nagayamon of the Kuchiba as a defensive position, another technique employed in castle town design.

Hisako Kaimagari Similar to the Horiuchi Kaimagari this one is actually has two direction changes in the road, one around the Tsuboi Residence.

Toida Masuda Walls 231.7 meters of original walls are registered Important Cultural Property. The stone wall base is 1.1m high and 1 meter thick. The white plaster section is 1.45m high and 0.8m thick.

Gallery

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

Horiuchi Kaimagari

Hisako Kaimagari

Toida Masuda Residence Wall

Museum Compound

Loading map...

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 |CastleSubpageNameEnglish=Bukeyashiki Walls
 |Castle=Hagi Castle
-|Subpage Cover=File:Hagisuu1.jpg
+|CastleSubpageNameJse=武家屋敷の土塀
+|Subpage Cover=File:Hagihoriuchikai10.jpg
 |Subpage Order=5
-|CastleSubpageText=This collection showcases the remaining gates from samurai residences in Hagi that survived where the associated houses have not (so they do't have a separate samurai residence page). The most common structure here is the '''nagayamon''' (long house or row house gate), which served not only as the main entrance but also as living quarters for lower-ranking samurai, guards, and family retainers. Some sections of these nagayamon were also used for storage or as stables, fulfilling multiple practical functions while reinforcing the compound’s defenses.
+|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! These walls also protected these delicate citrus trees from strong coastal winds, created a post feudal era income for the samurai of Hagi. Refer to the article [[Hagi Castle Town]] for more details.
-Gates that are accessible to the public and allow visitors to explore the interior living quarters are listed first, followed by those without open interiors.
+Some features of thephotos below include:
-'''Asa Mōri Residence Nagayamon'''   The Asa Mōri family were among the most prominent retainers of the Mōri clan, with extensive landholdings and the largest estate near Hagi Castle in the Ninomaru (second bailey). This impressive nagayamon is often mistaken for the family’s main residence due to its size and excellent preservation, but the original house of this once great estate no longer exists. The nagayamon originally housed low-ranking samurai and family retainers, reflecting the Asa Mōri family’s high status and the scale of their operations.
+'''Wall Restoration''' The second photo below shows a restored wall. The section on the left is restored in the traditional manner. A solid stone wall on the bottom with a thick earthen wall atop. The section to the right reflects walls we often see repaired to protect orchards. Atop the original stone foundation is more piled stones with only a small earthen wall atop.
-'''Suu Residence Nagayamon'''   The Suu family were upper-class samurai and key retainers of the Mōri clan. This nagayamon was built as living quarters for lower-ranking samurai and household retainers.
+'''Horiuchi Kaimagari''' A common feature of castle towns is this short dog-legged street or junction to block the line of sight for would be attackers. This one is very near the [[Kuchiba Residence]] which you can also see in the background of one photo. It actually creates a T-junction at the end of the road with the nagayamon of the Kuchiba as a defensive position, another technique employed in castle town design.
-'''Kodama Residence Gate'''   This well preserved nagaya belonged to the Kodama family, another upper-class samurai household. While not the main gate to the Kodama compound, it was built along a side wall and showcases the traditional architecture of the period.
+'''Hisako Kaimagari''' Similar to the Horiuchi Kaimagari this one is actually has two direction changes in the road, one around the Tsuboi Residence.
-'''Masuda Residence Yagura'''   The Masuda family served as senior retainers of the Mōri. This large yagura (11m x 6m) was used to store weapons and stood guard near the Kita-no-somon (North Gate), providing both storage and a defensive function. Its proximity to the riding grounds and one of only three gates across the sotobori (outer moat) made it a strategically important structure.
+'''Toida Masuda Walls'''   231.7 meters of original walls are registered Important Cultural Property. The stone wall base is 1.1m high and 1 meter thick. The white plaster section is 1.45m high and 0.8m thick.
-'''Ninomiya Residence Nagayamon'''  The Ninomiya family were upper-class samurai whose ancestors participated in the original construction of Hagi Castle. This nagayamon preserves a four-mat-sized guard’s room on one side, reflecting its dual purpose.
-'''Murata Seifu Residence Nagayamon'''
-Murata Seifu, a key figure in Choshu’s contributions to the Tenpō Reforms, lived at this residence for 25 years, but only this gate remains.
-'''Kogawa Residence Nagayamon'''
-The Kogawa family were lower-class samurai. After the Mōri moved their administrative center to Yamaguchi, Kogawa stayed in Hagi as a local magistrate. The residence’s location, far from the main castle and higher-ranking samurai estates, reflects the family’s original class status. Today, the gate leads to the Nagayamon Coffee Cafe, where the gate itself is still used for storage.
-'''Okudaira Residence Nagayamon'''
-The Okudaira family were middle-class samurai. This gate, estimated to have been built in the early 1800s, now serves as the entrance to a private home but has been preserved in excellent condition.
-'''Watanabe Residence Nagayamon'''
-The Watanabe Residence was built during the Meiji Period by Watanabe Kōzō, a former samurai and the only student of Yoshida Shoin to live into the Showa era. Following the Meiji Restoration, Watanabe played a key role in Japan’s modernization as an industrial pioneer and government official. The nagayamon gate, however, was repurposed from a nearby samurai residence. Though off the main tourist path, this beautiful riverside home is worth visiting for its unique combination of traditional and Western architectural elements. According to the guide, they get few international tourists!
-'''Soshiki Residence Nagaya'''
-The Soshiki were also upper class samurai. The Nagaya looks like it was originally longer and was maybe split at some point. You'll see that the roof on either side is different. It may have originally been part of a larger nagayamon structure.
-'''Fukuhara Residence Gate'''
-The Fukuhara family were senior retainers of the Mōri and controlled 200,000 koku of land in Ube. The most senior member resided at this estate in Hagi. Only this gate remains today, which is an unusual style for such a high-ranking family. You would expect a nagayamon with attached guard quarters. It’s possible that other nagaya or staff quarters existed but were lost over time.
-'''Hanzawa Residence Nagayamon'''
-The Hanzawa family were upper-class samurai related to the Agawa branch of the Mōri clan. Though the interior is not open to the public, the gate’s substantial size suggests it was used as housing for lower-ranking samurai or servants, much like the nagayamon of the Asa Mōri and Suu residences above.
-'' '''Map issue''' There is a strange anomaly with the map below. On some screen resolutions, there is no data at this zoom level. Please zoom in or out one step to see the underlying map' if nothing appears at first''
 }}

Hagi Castle - Bukeyashiki Walls: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 21:53, 7 March 2025