Hagi Castle - Bukeyashiki Walls: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:57, 17 February 2025

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

Hagi Castle - Bukeyashiki Walls

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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 |Subpage Cover=File:Hagisuu1.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 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!
-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.
+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.
-'''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.
+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.
-'''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.
+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.
-'''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.
+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.
-'''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.
-'''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''
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Hagi Castle - Bukeyashiki Walls: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:57, 17 February 2025

Hagi Castle - Bukeyashiki Walls

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