Hagi Castle - Main Castle Area: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:43, 16 February 2025

This collection of photos focuses on the "lower castle," the main area of Hagi Castle where the tenshu (main keep) once stood. One of the unique charms of this site is the lack of modern interventions such as signs, trails, or fences, allowing visitors to freely roam and explore the grounds. Hidden

Hagi Castle - Main Areas

This collection of photos focuses on the "lower castle," the main area of Hagi Castle where the tenshu (main keep) once stood. One of the unique charms of this site is the lack of modern interventions such as signs, trails, or fences, allowing visitors to freely roam and explore the grounds. Hidden within the castle grounds are remnants of old stone walls that are often overlooked. Some of these walls still retain traces of the clay fortifications that once stood atop them, though most have weathered away with time.

On the west side of the peninsula lies the site of a former yagura (watchtower), another rarely documented feature of the castle. Nearby, additional stone walls are concealed within the woods, offering a glimpse into the castle's past defensive structures. Along the eastern coastline of the peninsula, you can also find sections of old clay walls in various stages of decay, gradually dissolving into the landscape over time and giant stone walls along the beach.

During the Sengoku Period, it was common for castles to pair a flatland fortress with a nearby mountain redoubt, often referred to as tsume-no-shiro. Hagi Castle follows this design principle but in a uniquely integrated way. Here, the flatland castle, including the honmaru (main enclosure) and the former site of the tenshu, merges seamlessly with the mountain redoubt. In the case of Hagi, the mountain redoubt is referred to as Tsume-no-maru, further emphasizing its close relationship with the lower castle.

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 |Subpage Cover=File:Hagicastle49.jpg
 |Subpage Order=1
-|CastleSubpageText=This collection of photos focuses on the "lower castle" or the main part of what we call Hagi Castle where the tenshu (main keep) once stood. One of the charms of this site is few signs, trails, or even fences to prevent you from roaming around. Hidden in the depths of the castle grounds are some old stone walls that are not frequently covered and some even have the mostly dissolved remains of the clay walls that once stood atop them.  Around the west side of the peninsula is a former yagura (watchtower) site that is also infrequently covered and near there are more stone walls hidden in the woods. Along the east coast of the peninsula we can also find many old clay walls in various states of weathering and dissolving before our eyes.
+|CastleSubpageText=This collection of photos focuses on the "lower castle," the main area of Hagi Castle where the tenshu (main keep) once stood. One of the unique charms of this site is the lack of modern interventions such as signs, trails, or fences, allowing visitors to freely roam and explore the grounds. Hidden within the castle grounds are remnants of old stone walls that are often overlooked. Some of these walls still retain traces of the clay fortifications that once stood atop them, though most have weathered away with time.
-In the Sengoku Period we often see the paring of a flatland castle with a nearby mountain redoubt (called Tsume-no-shiro). This is essentially the design of Hagi Castle too. In the case of Hagi, the flatland castle (including the honmaru and main keep) and the mountain redoubt are so close they really merge into one big castle complex creating one of the most unique and defensible castles I've seen. In the case of Hagi the Tsuma-no-shiro is a Tsuma-no-maru.
+On the west side of the peninsula lies the site of a former yagura (watchtower), another rarely documented feature of the castle. Nearby, additional stone walls are concealed within the woods, offering a glimpse into the castle's past defensive structures. Along the eastern coastline of the peninsula, you can also find sections of old clay walls in various stages of decay, gradually dissolving into the landscape over time and giant stone walls along the beach.
+During the Sengoku Period, it was common for castles to pair a flatland fortress with a nearby mountain redoubt, often referred to as tsume-no-shiro. Hagi Castle follows this design principle but in a uniquely integrated way. Here, the flatland castle, including the honmaru (main enclosure) and the former site of the tenshu, merges seamlessly with the mountain redoubt. In the case of Hagi, the mountain redoubt is referred to as Tsume-no-maru, further emphasizing its close relationship with the lower castle.
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Hagi Castle - Main Castle Area: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:43, 16 February 2025

Hagi Castle - Main Areas

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