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

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 |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=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! 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.
-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.
+Some features of thephotos below include:
-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.
+'''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.
-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.
+'''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.
-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.
+'''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.
 }}

Hagi Castle - Bukeyashiki Walls: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 21:53, 7 March 2025