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  • 18:21, 24 March 2024 122.211.145.154 talk posted a new comment on Kanazawa Castle (One interesting tidbit: I've noticed that the Ishikawamon gate complex include 8 separate Important Cultural Properties! These include the Ichinomon (the Karaimon gate), the Ninomon (gatehouse), the two-story turret, the L-shaped tsuzukiyagura, the long section of dobei on the left side of the complex, the long section of dobei on the right side of the complex, the short section of dobei on the left side of the Ichinomon and the short section of dobei on the right side of the Ichinomon. Ho...)
  • 16:50, 8 March 2024 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Edo Castle (I have been making a similar point about the Fujimi Yagura for years. It seems that the definition of both 'tenshu' and 'genson' (badly translated as 'original' in English) have some variation in interpretation. I really dislike the term 'original castle' anyway since it's misleading to assess how well-preserved a castle is based only on the keep, and Edo castle is a prime example of how limiting the term is.)
  • 16:45, 8 March 2024 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Edo Castle (I went to Edo Castle more than 20 years ago... really need to go back. I think I just saw a bit of it, the area where you can see Tatsumi Yagura, Kikyomon Gate and Fujimi Yagura. Despite the fact that much of it is gone, it still seems like it must be one of the very greatest castles in Japan. And was once the biggest castle in the world, I think? It also seems a bit like Nijo Castle in that it's often overlooked because it's a 'palace' and lacks a tenshu. But it is definitely in the to...)
  • 15:39, 7 March 2024 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Inuyama Castle (I visited this one back in 2009, and quite enjoyed it. Obviously, the extant main keep and its attached annex is the star of the show, with lots of atmosphere inside. But there are several other appealing points, especially the riverside location and view of the keep, the historical town beneath the castle, and the ishigaki on the castle hill. I also like the little collection of buildings in the Honmaru--I have heard that they are more or less mogi, but they give it more of the feel of a...)
  • 08:40, 5 March 2024 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Sasayama Shuzan Daikansho (Well the building next to it looks nice at least.)
  • 15:58, 22 February 2024 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Uwajima Castle (I visited Uwajima Castle in fall 2022, and quite enjoyed it. As mentioned elsewhere here, photos of the main keep standing in isolation really don't do it justice. The keep itself is a great historical building, and very well-preserved, but it's best seen against the ishigaki and yaguradai of the Honmaru. And there are lots of good ishigaki in the various baileys on the castle hill. Really a nice place to climb around, and the somewhat ancient, overgrown appearance of some of the ishigaki...)
  • 22:38, 8 February 2024 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2744 on Shirakawa Castle
  • 10:24, 6 February 2024 203.122.231.101 talk posted a new comment on Shirakawa Castle (/ ****** soo de den now)
  • 08:55, 6 February 2024 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2741 on Wakayama Castle
  • 08:55, 6 February 2024 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2743 on Wakayama Castle
  • 08:55, 6 February 2024 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2742 on Wakayama Castle
  • 08:32, 6 February 2024 203.122.231.101 talk posted a new comment on Wakayama Castle (Inh)
  • 08:32, 6 February 2024 203.122.231.101 talk posted a new comment on Wakayama Castle (Mew)
  • 08:32, 6 February 2024 203.122.231.101 talk posted a new comment on Wakayama Castle (🤫🤫🧏🧏🤫🤫🤫🧏🧏🧏🧏🤫🤫🤫🤫🧏🧏🧏🧏🤫🤫🤫🤫🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🤫🤫🤫🧏🧏🤫🤫🧏🧏🤫🧏🧏🤫🤫🤫🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🧏🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫🧏🧏🧏🧏)
  • 13:24, 31 January 2024 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Chiba Castle (What a mess! But it is an interesting situation.)
  • 13:08, 31 January 2024 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Matsue Castle (I find that the several restored turrets and the restored gate at Matsue Castle are really well-done, and do a good job of making it seem like more of a complete castle, as opposed to a majestic tower with an attached turret. I'm really hoping that they can get the Ote Gate rebuilt as planned, because that would enhance it even more.)
  • 12:34, 26 January 2024 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Ichijodani Castle Town (I really appreciate this article. I visited Ichijodani several years ago and was blown away by it, but this article and all of the places about the specific parts of the castles and castle town really helps me understand it much better.)
  • 13:04, 24 January 2024 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Tsukikuma Castle (Updated profile and gallery with new pictures and co-ordinates.)
  • 15:39, 23 January 2024 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Fukuoka Castle (Updated visit notes section with some more info and my own impressions.)
  • 13:32, 23 January 2024 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Kokura Castle (Gallery, information and notes updated; co-ordinates added.)
  • 10:22, 23 January 2024 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Kurume Castle (Updated profile with co-ordinates, new pics, info, &c.)
  • 06:37, 20 January 2024 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Samurai Residences (Map of castles with samurai homes: https://jcastle.info/view/Samurai_homes The closest to Tokyo is Sakura Castle.)
  • 03:27, 19 January 2024 199.216.81.20 talk posted a new comment on Samurai Residences (add how many of these are in popular places like tokyo or near mt.fugi)
  • 05:41, 8 January 2024 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Chigasaki Castle (Eric, that's propbably the case. Not quite Yuhigaoka levels yet! It's still preserved, what with barriers and stuff, but now so as a nature reserve rather than castle ruin.)
  • 13:38, 7 January 2024 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Chigasaki Castle (I see that I visited shortly after the excavations and studies were done. I'll bet they never gave it any attention since then. Was it as bad as Yuhigaoka? ;))
  • 13:37, 7 January 2024 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2729 on Chigasaki Castle
  • 13:28, 7 January 2024 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Chigasaki Castle (I see that I visited shortly after the excavations and studies were done. I'll bet they never gave it any attention since then. Was it as bad as Yurigaoka? ;))
  • 13:23, 7 January 2024 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Hiraizumi Date (Thanks guys! Nice team work :))
  • 07:35, 22 December 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Hiraizumi Date (Thank you! I only made the profile recently so it's not been up long. Have modified profile in light of your contributions.)
  • 02:50, 22 December 2023 Furinkazan talk contribs posted a new comment on Hiraizumi Date (I visited Hiraizumi in 2015 and a day later the Esashi Fujiwara village. Both are wonderful sites to bewonder. I didn't know until today(21/12/2023), that these sites were on Jcastle. Adam or ART told me about it on the FB page Japanese Castles. At his request I have uploaded several pictures I took at the original site of Yanaginogosho in Hiraizumi. There isn't that much to see, but there are a lot of explanation panels around the site. I uploaded only 3 of those.)
  • 09:02, 19 December 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Chigasaki Castle (Chiǵasakijō is an hilltop fort ruin in Tsuzuki Ward, Yokohama Municipality. Chiǵasakijō is maintained as a park and features earthworks such as karabori (dry moats), dorui (earthen ramparts) and kuruwa (baileys). The castle has a central bailey, north bailey, east bailey and west bailey. There are signs and detailed information boards denominating castle features and sections throughout the park. I stayed in Yokohama after attending the 2023 Shiro Expo, and visited Chiǵasakijō the next day....)
  • 18:01, 14 December 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Kokura Castle (Added the daimyo villa Goyusho)
  • 09:29, 12 December 2023 23.242.5.16 talk posted a new comment on Kagoshima Castle (Could you please provide an ancient silk drawing, later woodprint, modern painting, or at least an artist's sketch of how the castle looked when it was built in 1601 (or a little later)? We need this to describe it in our literary and historic writings about Japan. Thank you!)
  • 07:45, 6 December 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Iga Ueno Castle (Great find!)
  • 16:02, 5 December 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Iga Ueno Castle (I did some reading about this castle the other day, and realized that there is actually one extant building remaining: the armory. It's on the ground of the local high-school, which is part of the former castle grounds. Here is one of the articles I found that explains it: https://mieoutsiderblog.seesaa.net/article/%E3%81%8A%E3%81%A3%E3%81%8B%E3%81%AA%E3%81%B3%E3%81%A3%E3%81%8F%E3%82%8A%E3%80%80%E9%AB%98%E6%A0%A1%E3%81%AB%E6%AD%A6%E5%99%A8%E5%BA%AB%EF%BC%81%EF%BC%9F%E3%80%80%E7%8F%BE%E5%A...)
  • 13:20, 5 December 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Okayama Castle (I've been to this castle a couple of times. I love the views of it from the river and from Koraku-en. The main keep is also pretty unique in its design. I liked the extant Tsukimi Yagura and the reconstructed gates. My main quibble with this castle is that it's another one that's kind of a shadow of its former self in terms of remaining area: a lot of the former castle grounds have been heavily built-over. I'll give it 4-stars based on my last visit, but looks like they have refurbished...)
  • 09:28, 5 December 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Osaka Castle (Thanks! I'll go too!)
  • 08:38, 5 December 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Saga Castle (Updated gallery with new photos, descriptions and co-ordinates.)
  • 19:20, 4 December 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Tojo Castle (Updated, including gallery updates of site today.)
  • 08:58, 4 December 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Tojo Castle (as for the yellow designation... since there's still some palings and kabukimon, maybe it can remain? technically the only building on site is the toilets, but this koya does have a 'sengoku style' to it...)
  • 08:57, 4 December 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Tojo Castle (So I went down again. Sadly the yaguramon and miyagura are both gone. The koguchi now has only a new sign, and the miyagura has the old sign but with only the foundation stumps remaining. There's still some babousaku (cheval de frise) around the site though, and a pair of kabukimon. This time I checked out the whole ruins and all of the earthworks though, so it was worth going back. It's still a nice site and is well maintained for the most part.)
  • 09:10, 3 December 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Osaka Castle (Some exciting news for Osaka Castle fans: next year, as part of the usual special turret openings (spring, summer, fall), the Inui Yagura will be opened, apparently for the first time in about 10 years. I have never been in the Inui Yagura, so I'm very excited. In addition, as usual the Sengan Yagura and Tamon complex (the gatehouse and the Tamon turret it connects to) will be opened as usual.)
  • 09:07, 3 December 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Osaka Castle (I saw the pictures of the renovated karamon on this site's FB page. I visited Chikubushima before the renovation, and was really impressed by how beautiful it looks now! Anyway, it's definitely nice to have some relics of the original Osaka Castle to see.)
  • 14:19, 30 November 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Kakegawa Castle (Thanks! I definitely saw the dorui in the 4th picture. Next time, I'll have to look for the great trench too.)
  • 08:10, 30 November 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Kakegawa Castle (The mausoleum site you mentioned is on the grounds of the ruins of Kakegawa 'Old' Castle. Profile here: https://jcastle.info/view/Kakegawako_Castle)
  • 19:04, 29 November 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Kakegawa Castle (I finally visited Kakegawa Castle the day before yesterday, and really loved it! I got there mid-morning and thought maybe I'd have enough time to see Hamamatsu Castle too before heading back to Kansai, but as it turned out, Kakegawa Castle kept me very occupied for the whole day. The best part of it was the palace, which is incredible and has to be one of the best surviving castle buildings in Japan. And the combination of that and the beautifully and authentically restored main keep a...)
  • 12:32, 26 November 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Hikone Castle (I could gush about Hikone Castle endlessly, but another thing that occurs to me: there is so much of the castle remaining outside of the inner moat. Obvious things are the Ninomaru Sawachiguchi Tamon Yagura, the stable, Genkyuen Gardens, and Keyaki Palace, but there are also so many sections of moat, ishigaki, turret and gate foundations, etc. It really is a big and impressive space. Lonely Planet describe the castle as 'small,' obviously referring to the keep only (which is more like m...)
  • 02:58, 20 November 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Omi Hachiman Castle (If i feel the need to respond to your comments i am, of course, at liberty to do so. But i'll leave off with the tit-for-tat and just provide some clarification here on my own contributions to this grassroots encyclopedia of ours, as you have brought them up, so i'll suppose it's of interest. It is indeed the case that most medieval fortified residence sites no longer have any observable ruins. Many have been put to plough or otherwise developed over. About a third of the sites i have contr...)
  • 20:55, 19 November 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Omi Hachiman Castle (ART, I stand in awe of your powers of intuitive deduction from a mere two comments from the hundreds of comments that I have posted on JCastle. You’re a real Sherlock in the making. What you have said about me can also applies to yourself. It’s very much a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Putting my ART-Sherlock hat on… You said that I scoff at other castle fans not knowing what I know about some castles. Well, the same applies for you too, mate. You have posted multiple times brag...)
  • 14:39, 15 November 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Tojo Castle (I'm planning to go and check the condition of this site soonish, so will let you chaps know how it is now.)
  • 18:38, 13 November 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Kameyama Castle (I have embossed the gallery with some more recent pictures showing the renovated yagura, and some other stuff like earthworks and surrounding architecture.)
  • 08:43, 13 November 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Omi Hachiman Castle (You may characterise Chris's comment as 'incorrect' if you like, but i'd say it was trivially inconsequential. Since you ask, buddy, i will note that this isn't the first time that you have responded to that poster's comments in our group by writing a comment on this website. At that time - let's call it recently - it was on the profile for Wakayama Castle, should you like to re-read it, and i rank-ordered what i thought the purposes of your comment were. Here's what i got: 1. To scoff...)
  • 21:11, 12 November 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Takano Yakata (No worries, mate. Good to see the update on the profile with “community taxis” replacing “the 2.5 hour walk.”)
  • 21:08, 12 November 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Omi Hachiman Castle (Pure paranoia, mate. Conversely, why are you rushing to defend an incorrect comment that you did not originally post?)
  • 06:59, 12 November 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Takano Yakata (Thank you for your suggestion.)
  • 06:44, 12 November 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Omi Hachiman Castle (I just didn't think it was a big deal, chum. But I'll eat my old hat if that wasn't the main motivation for your recent comment ~_0)
  • 18:46, 11 November 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Takano Yakata (I visited this this fortified yakata ruin in 2016 with my wife. It is worth visiting for keen castle fans to see its ishigaki remnants. Nearby Eigenji Temple is one of the top spots for autumnal foliage in Shiga. It also has some old ishigaki to behold as you make your way up to the temple. For those who don’t have a (rental) car and don’t fancy walking the impractical 2.5 hours one-way from Yōkaichi Station as suggested by the profile writer, there is another option of catching “community ta...)
  • 18:34, 11 November 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Kumamoto Castle (I was lucky enough to visit this castle four times between 2007 and 2012, before the earthquake in 2016. At the Himeji Castle Expo 2023, I chatted with one of the staff at the Kumamoto Castle booth about its restoration after the earthquake. The huge Uto Yagura (Uto Watchtower), in name only but actually is the size of a castle keep and considered by some people as the Third Keep of Kumamoto Castle, will take 10 years to repair. Wow, that’s much longer than it took to repair and re-roof the m...)
  • 23:39, 10 November 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Omi Hachiman Castle (Hmmm…who cares? (Lol) Mate, you obviously care enough to try defending the indefensible and even decided to name the castle fan who posted that inaccurate comment on your forum. Based on your understanding of “recent / recently” so when someone says, “I visited Omi-Hachiman Castle recently.” you would then interpret that to mean that person visited Omi-Hachiman Castle sometime in the last few years or even longer because Omi-Hachiman Castle has been around for hundreds of years. I reckon mos...)
  • 12:35, 9 November 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Kasumi Castle ((Added Ohte Koguchi Ishigaki to gallery with co-ords.) Kasumijō is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) ruin in Ômuro village of Matsushiro Township, Nagano Municipality. It's well known amongst fans of castle ruins in Nagano. It is on the tip of a mountain frond, so the elvation is that of a hill, easy to climb, and the site is chock-full of ishigaki (stone-piled ramparts). Seeing so much ishigaki from this time period - the Sengoku - is quite rare, so it's a highly recommended site for castle...)
  • 11:06, 9 November 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Kasumi Castle (The Ohte complex at this site is really fantastic. I recently re-visited. Will add a pic or two later...)
  • 09:02, 6 November 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Omi Hachiman Castle (You must be talking about Chris's recent post on our little FB group. Of course, I say it was a 'recent' post, but maybe, being already over a week ago, it's old hat. 'Recent' being a relative term an' all. I think 'recent' could refer to any time in the last few years, especially given the time scale of castles is centuries. But who cares?)
  • 20:07, 5 November 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Omi Hachiman Castle (Matthew, if you revisit Omi-Hachiman also be sure to also head up to the Demaru Bailey of Omi-Hachiman Castle for some panoramic views of the surrounding area. Since all the undergrowth and trees have been cleared from the Demaru Bailey for at least 2.5 years and the ishigaki revealed in its full glory, you can clearly see the surrounding mountains where half a dozen of Rokkaku Clan’s yamajiros are located. I was up at Omi-Hachiman Castle’s Demaru in April and May 2021 checking out the cleare...)
  • 19:55, 5 November 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Osaka Castle (I went to Chikubushima (Lake Biwa, Shiga) in early October to check out some relocated structures from Hideyoshi’s Osaka Castle, following in the JCastle Shogun’s (Eric’s) footsteps. I’m sure in time he’ll update the Osaka Castle profile with photos that he’s already shared on his JCastle FB. It was a real pleasure to be able to walk on and be surrounded by a piece of little-known Sengoku castle history, the relocated elements of the Gokuraku Bridge from Hideyoshi’s Osaka Castle. This bridg...)
  • 14:23, 2 November 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Nagashino Castle (Nagashinojō is a medieval hirajiro (flatland castle) site in Nagashino Township, Shinshiro Municipality. Ruins feature earthworks such as dorui (earthen ramparts) and karabori (dry moats). The dorui and karabori protecting the main bailey are large and impressive. Nagashinojō is essentially wedge-shaped, built between a river and a deep creek. Moats and embankments were cut and piled between these natural barriers to create the castle. As the castle expanded, more fortifications were built on...)
  • 06:25, 1 November 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Kameyama Battery (Hey, Anon. Glad you liked the article. It was actually 50 wounded and only 12 killed, according to the wikipedia article on the 'Shimonoseki campaign'. I didn't mention the Japanese casualities... But of those 47 you mentioned, apparently 18 were killed and 29 wounded.)
  • 01:45, 1 November 2023 71.105.239.189 talk posted a new comment on Kameyama Battery (Nice article. Do you know how many men was used on the Choshu / Allied side? (in sea). Also, the 72 casualties on the allied side, were they all deaths? What about the 47 for Choshu domain? do you know statistics for deaths or wounded on both sides? thanks.)
  • 21:17, 29 October 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Zakimi Castle (My wife and I made our first visit to Zakimi Castle in 2022. We went again earlier this year. Zakimi Castle was the last of the World Heritage Ryukyuan castles that we visited. Like the other four World Heritage castles in Okinawa, Zakimi Castle is certainly worthy of this designation. The castle consists of just two baileys. On our first visit, we only spent 2.5 hours on site for both the gusuku and Yuntanza Museum (local history and culture museum) as we had two more gusukus to visit after...)
  • 12:23, 27 October 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Omi Hachiman Castle (I will definitely revisit Omi-Hachiman, just because I love the town. And I'll be sure to check out the kyokan.)
  • 21:32, 26 October 2023 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2101 on Sonobe Castle
  • 08:16, 26 October 2023 170.173.0.16 talk posted a new comment on Sumoto Castle (im not sure who you are, but my Aunt is Tokushima Inada and still alive)
  • 13:37, 25 October 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Takayama Jin'ya (Checking out the article about Takayama Castle on this site made me wonder if we had seen Takayama-jin'ya as well when we visited 22 years ago. The weird thing is, I had no memory of it, but last night I found an old letter which describes the visit, and then it all came rushing back. Quite a thrill to have a memory suddenly restored, in fairly vivid detail. And it was a place I had loved: the letter spends more time on describing it than anything else in the town. I think that it ma...)
  • 13:29, 25 October 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Takayama Castle (Hida) (I went to Takayama 22 years ago with my wife. I had originally forgotten most of what we saw there, but this site has helped me remember. We did go see the castle ruins, but as stated elsewhere here, there isn't a lot to see: just the ishigaki you see in the picture above. Safe to say that the castle ruins are not what one comes to Takayama to see, but rather all of the other historical buildings, including Takayama Jin'ya. But castle fans will want to check out these ruins, unless they...)
  • 17:34, 23 October 2023 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #1215 on Chihaya Castle
  • 17:43, 22 October 2023 122.211.145.154 talk posted a new comment on Chihaya Castle (A bit off-topic, but I just noticed 'the Castle Stamp' is located inside the Matsumasa Restaurant. Matsumasa is my wife (and kid's) surname . Very rare (I didn't let her change it when we got married). It's hard to find anything or anyone who isn't related to her named Matsumasa. I'll have to try to check the restaurant out!)
  • 18:11, 20 October 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Fukuyama Castle (I finally visited Fukuyama Castle yesterday, and it mostly exceeded my expectations, which major castles often do. Obviously, the cluster of extant historical buildings in the southeast corner of the Honmaru is the star of the show, especially the Fushimi Yagura. I just wish they would open the interior to visitors. And the Sujigane Gate and bell tower are quite nice too. Obviously, the castle (at least, the Honmaru has some excellent ishigaki as well. As for the reconstructions, the t...)
  • 22:52, 18 October 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Hikone Castle (Hikone Castle is my most-visited castle as I have been dozens of times, but I never get tired of enjoying this magnificent castle. I went to Hikone Castle during the hot summer. It was a day when the mercury topped 36C in the afternoon. Naturally, I went in the morning, but unlike my previous visit in March, I decided to spend less time walking around the castle and cooled off in the reconstructed part of the Sawaguchitamonyagura before walking back to the train station. While cooling off in...)
  • 09:36, 16 October 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Nijo Castle (Oddly, I can't remember no photography rules inside most castle buildings that I have entered. Maybe it's just the castles I have gone to. I haven't been to Fukuyama yet, though I hope to go soon. Too bad that they don't allow people to enter the Fushimi Turret most of the time, as it presumably has a lot of historical atmosphere. I don't really mind not being able to photograph inside concrete keep reconstructions, but wooden buildings are another story. Anyway, getting back to Nijo Cas...)
  • 12:53, 11 October 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Innoshima Suigun Castle (This is a cute little mogi, but doesn't feel like a real castle to me. The best point was the museum.)
  • 12:50, 11 October 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Gifu Castle (I think I need to spent some time getting more familiar with the nuance of the various Japanese words that can be translated as 'reconstructed.')
  • 22:27, 9 October 2023 126.166.164.96 talk posted a new comment on Motosu Castle (I recently hiked aokigahara, east of the .outline ruins, across route 139, and throughout the forest, I noticed several stone circles, about 5 feet in diameter, sunk in the ground, with a small opening, im guessing as an entrance. The walls are maybe a foot tall. The furthest circle was about 1.5 miles east of the post office.. Could these possibly be used as foundations for structures associated with the castle? They seemed to be alone - no other formations or ruins near them. Very interesting!)
  • 22:07, 9 October 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Himeji Castle (There were naturally some Himeji Castle information panel displays at the Himeji Castle Expo 2023 a few weeks ago. The area where the information panels were located is near the entrance into the main hall of the expo. The panels were quite informative, particularly the period drawings showing some of the outer fortified gates at Himeji. I have been to most of these gate ruins on some of my visits to Himeji over the years. It was nice to see the gates in those stylised drawings showing them a...)
  • 11:13, 8 October 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Akashi Castle (Trying to plan for some Autumn castle trips it seems that the 2 yagura are open at different times of the year. the Hitsujisaru in the fall (Sept-Nov) and Tatsumi in the Spring (March-May). I have been to the Hitsujisaru Yagura so I guess I'll wait until March to revisit this one. Details below: https://www....acility/2684)
  • 11:12, 8 October 2023 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2674 on Akashi Castle
  • 11:12, 8 October 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Akashi Castle (Trying to plan. for some Autumn castle trips it seems that the 2 yagura are open at different times of the year. the Hitsujisaru in the fall (Sept-Nov) and Tatsumi in the Spring (March-May). I have been to the Hitsujisaru Yagura so I guess I'll wait until March to revisit this one. Details below: https://www.yokoso-akashi.jp/facility/2684)
  • 14:03, 4 October 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Fukui Castle (It may also be that school buildings are easier to relocate than government administrative buildings, I suppose.)
  • 18:38, 30 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Ichijodani Castle (Yes, Chris shared the pics of their expedition with us. Seems like there was a bear encounter. People going alone should take precautions.)
  • 17:55, 30 September 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Ichijodani Castle (It looks like Eric is a trendsetter when it comes to Ichijodani. He added this detailed article about Ichijodani to JCastle a few weeks ago. It seems like others are already following in his footsteps. Just this week, a group from the Gifu Castle Research Society visited the Ichijodani Mountaintop Castle. Also, Nakai Hitoshi is going to give a talk about Ichijodani next Wednesday (4th October) at the Ichijodani Asakura Family Museum.)
  • 17:48, 30 September 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Yodo Castle (I first visited this castle ruin in 2010. I revisited this castle ruin in February this year to mainly photograph some of the kokuins there. There are numerous kokuins at this castle, but some of them have become somewhat weathered and hard to spot while others are covered by weeds and not clearly visible. On the castle keep’s ishigaki, someone has used white chalk to make some of the kokuins more visible. As Suupaahiroo has commented below, there is a shachihoko from Yodo Castle on display...)
  • 17:04, 29 September 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Takeda Yakata (Ibaraki) (Font? or all the 旧 ?)
  • 08:49, 25 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Takeda Yakata (Ibaraki) (Image 18 with the kanji: can't decide if i love it or hate it)
  • 21:53, 24 September 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Kanazawa Castle (I revisited Kanazawa Castle earlier this year with my wife. It was my fifth time to check out this splendid castle with a mixture of rebuilt and extant structures. Between 2008 and 2011, I visited Kanazawa Castle annually. This time round, I spent two whole days exploring Kanazawa Castle including some of its outer moats. It’s worth doing some “slow castling” as there is so much ishigaki (stone walls) to behold and photograph. In some ways, Kanazawa Castle’s stone walls can be quite impressi...)
  • 09:06, 23 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Ichijodani Castle Town (will share this in the group!)
  • 08:26, 22 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Himeji Castle (I'm aiming to go this Sunday. You guys gave me major FOMO.)
  • 20:45, 19 September 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Himeji Castle (Great! I'm glad you made it there. Those "little areas" would be the highlight at most castles. That whole karamete from behind the Oremawari down through the To-no-yon Gate is simply amazing. Not to mention the Harakirimaru and that area back around the tenshu that you can't get into anymore either. These are places most people don't even take notice of. I certainly hope they are made available more regularly. I don't know why these areas that used to be open are no longer. I've heard compe...)
  • 12:53, 19 September 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Himeji Castle (Well, I made it to Himeji yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it, as usual. Going into the small keeps and attached buildings was a lot of fun: I love keep complexes with many passageways and stairs, and visiting the small keeps in addition to the main keep really gives you that kind of experience. It's the aspect of Matsuyama Castle that I love most, so it's nice to be able to get it at Himeji as well. And it also gives you a lot of great views of the Honmaru that you can't get from the mai...)
  • 11:48, 19 September 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Okazaki Castle (nice change. I wonder why they did that.)
  • 18:02, 18 September 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Kanazawa Castle (There are two sets of explanations at Kanazawa Castle about the relative size of the Tsurumaru Storehouse, which was built in 1848, when compared to others castle storehouses around Japan. The much shorter explanation in English is vaguer about comparative size of the storehouse merely stating that it is one of the largest storehouses in Japan, while the more detailed Japanese one states that it is the largest storehouse found on any castle grounds.)
  • 17:51, 18 September 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Okazaki Castle (Eric is in his visit notes is absolutely right about how much ishigaki is at this castle. I went to Okazaki Castle twice, in 2008 and 2011. In the past, I have always visited Okazaki Castle in conjunction with at least one other castle on a trip to Aichi, so I hadn’t checked out this castle’s grounds comprehensively. However, for my recent visit, I decided to focus only on Okazaki Castle, spending over 4 hours walking around the whole castle site. In my past visits, I had completely underapp...)
  • 07:15, 18 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Kaminogou Castle (Mikawa) (There's a fantastic model of this castle held at the local public meeting hall. I'll share some pictures to the gallery at some point.)
  • 12:27, 17 September 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Himeji Castle (Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it!)
  • 22:03, 15 September 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Ichijodani Castle Town (It's thanks to your deep delving into Ichijodani that all of us expat castle fans have such a detailed article all in just one place and without the need to plough through some Japanese castle books.)
  • 22:00, 15 September 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Himeji Castle (You’ll have to go through the Main Keep before you get to the part of the castle where you pay in cash for the 500yen ticket to get into the special opening section starting near the East Small Keep. You might be able to get into the Main Keep and then find a section where the in-going route and out-going route nearly cross each other and take a short cut, but there is no way to just visit the two small keeps and Ro no Watari Yagura without going through the Main Keep. The Bizen Gate and Orem...)
  • 21:54, 15 September 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Himeji Castle (Thanks for the info about the boat ride. It sounds like the boat ride takes people around most of the inner moat. I’ve only ever taken photos of the ishigaki of the bailey which is now a zoo from a distance near the Sakuramonbashi. I guess one of these days, I should pay to get into the zoo, so I can take those ishigaki photos close up or take that boat ride as an alternative.)
  • 15:15, 15 September 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Himeji Castle (I'm hoping to go there on Monday to see these buildings. I won't even try to go to the main keep (which I've been inside of 7-8 times anyway), but seems that I've never been in the other buildings besides the long Nishinomaru Yagura, which I think is always open.)
  • 15:12, 15 September 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Himeji Castle (I can't remember exactly, but seemed like it took maybe 40 minutes? It went all around the moats, and they even took us to the old zoo/amusement park complex and explained that as well.)
  • 23:41, 14 September 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Ichijodani Castle Town (Thanks! I really appreciate it and glad you got something out of it. It did get a little long. I keep asking myself how I fall down these rabbit holes but then I can't stop until I'm satisfied and that turns into a longish article like this (or the whole website for that matter). A book someday would be awesome.)
  • 23:04, 14 September 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Himeji Castle (BTW - the same could be said for the boat tour at Osaka Castle which is exactly why I wanted to do it at Himeji too.)
  • 23:03, 14 September 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Himeji Castle (Nice! I've wanted to do this for a long time, but they only do it for limited times each year and never when I'm there!)
  • 22:56, 14 September 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Himeji Castle (I went back to Himeji Castle for a third time this year in August to visit the parts of castles which have specially been opened to visitors to commemorate the 30th anniversary since Himeji Castle was added to the World Heritage List. Unlike my previous two previous visits in February this year, the place is now chock full of both international and local tourists again after Japan reopened its borders after the Covid-19 pandemic. The special opening of the East Small Keep and the Northwest (I...)
  • 22:47, 14 September 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Himeji Castle (How long did the boat tour take? I saw that boat in the moat when I visited Himeji Castle last month, but I opted not to do the boat ride as it was a blazing hot day when I visited.)
  • 22:43, 14 September 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Amagasaki Castle (Matthew, thanks for sharing your impression of the rebuilt Amagasaki Castle based on your recent visit. From your comment, it looks like it has decent museum. I visited a decade ago when there was no rebuilt castle keep and very little to see at this castle site. Amagasaki Castle is low on my list of castles to revisit, but I should go and check out the reconstructed castle keep / museum.)
  • 22:39, 14 September 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Ichijodani Castle Town (Eric, this is a superb and certainly the most informative article in English about Ichijodani castle town’s ruins and its surrounding fortifications. It’s obvious the result of a labour of love based on having read a number of books and printed materials in Japanese combined with visiting this expansive site over two days. I have two of the books you have listed, including one that is by Saeki Tetsuya. It certainly takes time to read through them, particularly for foreigners like us with Japa...)
  • 13:00, 14 September 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Himeji Castle (I've been to Himeji Castle a number of times--maybe 8? Probably more than any castle except for Osaka. Anyway, it's always a great visit, and is almost certainly the best castle in Japan, but I wanted to mention something different: the last time I went there, they had boat tours around the moats, and there was a lot of explanation about the ishigaki--different styles, different periods, and how you can tell when and how they were made. It's all in Japanese of course, and gave my Japanese...)
  • 07:50, 14 September 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Edo Castle Stone Quarries (Great! I'm glad it was useful. There is not much info out there on this topic.)
  • 23:37, 11 September 2023 RohanInTokyo talk contribs posted a new comment on Edo Castle Stone Quarries (An amazing. It's good to read this type of material to round out my knowledge of Japanese. There is so much here I didn't know. Actually ... most of it I didn't know!)
  • 15:32, 11 September 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Fukuoka Castle (I did some reading about the Kinen Turret and its whereabouts. Looks like it was dismantled in 2019 for ishigaki repairs and its parts were put in storage. It was supposed to have been restored in 2022, but there has been no recent news that I can find about it being restored, so presumably it's still in storage. I suppose it has been delayed for some reason. Hopefully they will get around to putting it back together soon.)
  • 11:32, 11 September 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Kanazawa Castle (By the way, according to the Japanese-language Wiki page for this castle, the Tsurumaru Storehouse is the largest surviving Edo-period castle storehouse in Japan.)
  • 08:50, 10 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Ichijodani Castle Town (Yessir!)
  • 08:48, 10 September 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Ichijodani Castle Town (Let's say it's on a similar scale to the Machu Pichu of Japan! So does the answer to what is Ichijodani-jo satisfy you?)
  • 08:48, 10 September 2023 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2638 on Ichijodani Castle Town
  • 08:48, 10 September 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Ichijodani Castle Town (not unlike the Machu Pichu of Japan! ;) So does the answer to what is Ichijodani-jo satisfy you?)
  • 20:32, 9 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Sasao Castle (My impressions, having been able to enter into the integral baileys: Sasao-toride is an earthworks fortification ruin in Kobuchizawa Township, Hokuto Municipality. The locality is called Shimosasō. This is a yamajiro (mountaintop castle) site, but is easy to get to as it sits on a ridge extending from a plateau with vehicle access. The fort consisted of baileys surrounded by dorui (earthen ramparts) and separated by horikiri (trenches). The mountainsides were further fortified with tatebori...)
  • 20:28, 9 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Sasao Castle (I've added some pictures of the (interiors of) the first and second bailey, as well as their ramparts and the dividing horikiri. Also added co-ordinates for new pictures. Begging pardon of the webmaster, but i also swapped out the highlight image, swapping the picture of the parking area, for an updated picture showing the main bailey.)
  • 19:53, 9 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Bitchu Matsuyama Castle (There's lots of ruins at 'at the back' that people miss, so check them out the next time you go.)
  • 17:10, 9 September 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Fukuchiyama Castle (I have been to this castle twice, both times because my son (very interested in Japanese history) requested to visit it. We watched 'Kirin ga Kuru' extensively during the pandemic, so he was on an Akechi Mitsuhide kick. Anyway, as said above and below, it's a nice little castle. The main keep and attached turret are some of the better concrete reconstructions I've been to, with more atmosphere than most (due to a lot of wood trimming and a decent museum). One interesting detail about it...)
  • 16:54, 9 September 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Bitchu Matsuyama Castle (I really need to visit this one again. I went there about 15 years ago, I think (maybe even longer ago), and what I remember most is that by the time I got to the mountaintop, I was absolutely drenched in sweat. It's a stiff and hot walk in the summer! As for the castle, I remember it being quite nice and authentic, but slightly underwhelming due to its small size. The ishigaki were probably the best part. But now, with my ability to appreciate Japanese castles having been enhanced a g...)
  • 16:44, 9 September 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Ichijodani Castle (I'll give this a 5. Not necessarily a 5 as a castle per se, but as a historical site, it's totally unique and beautifully restored. Really, there is nothing else quite like it in Japan.)
  • 12:13, 9 September 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Ichijodani Castle Town (Fantastic article!)
  • 11:58, 9 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Ichijodani Castle (This is now one of the top profiles on the site. Great work! Guess I'm going back here.)
  • 10:38, 9 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Ichijodani Castle Town (Probably needs a volcano to be compared to Pompeii, but it's a powerful sentiment.)
  • 15:19, 6 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Nishio Castle (The new yagura seems to have been done a bit on the cheap. The black paint (used in place of lacquer?) is already fading to brown. Combined with the concrete in the “restored” stone platform of the tower, and the (for legal reasons) still uncompleted final floor which means that tower can’t be entered, a second viewing proved a little disappointing.)
  • 15:18, 6 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Nishiohhira Jin'ya (Nishiôhara-jin’ya is a partially reconstructed jin’ya site with a gate and walls. The inside of the compound is now a park and a small shrine to Inari.)
  • 15:17, 6 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Oka Castle (Mikawa) (The ruins of Okajō in the Oka Township of Okazaki Municipality feature dorui (earthen ramparts) and karabori (dry moats), but the remains of the structure are only partial, and the layout and orientation of this square-shaped fort is mostly deduced from a prominent corner segment of its walls which still remain. The moat segment continues on but much shallower a little way into the bamboo grove. It is thought that the northern perimeter of the castle was protected by the river terrace. The fo...)
  • 23:00, 4 September 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Awaya Yakata (@ART. I’m glad you have enjoyed the gusuku profiles that I have added to JCastle. When I have some free time, I’ll add a few more gusuku profiles. There are still gusukus that I have visited not yet up on JCastle.)
  • 22:56, 4 September 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Sasayama Castle (Matthew, it’s good to hear that you’ve rated this castle quite highly. It’s an enjoyable castle to visit with plenty of ishigaki, quite a few kokuins, a rebuilt palace, and a few samurai residences near the castle. There are two extant umadashi left at Sasayama Castle, a southern one and an eastern one. The eastern one is much better maintained compared to the southern one, well at least it was on my visits in 2008 and 2013. The Ote Umadashi has been demolished and the moat surrounding it f...)
  • 21:50, 2 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Sasayama Castle (Ohte umadashi is the main gate with a barbican-like structure attached. Sasayama had several umadashi (barbicans). The ruins of one remain fairly intact. You'll likely miss it unless walking around the whole castle perimeter. I'd have to check but i think the extant umadashi is not the ohte one, so perhaps they will reconstruct another umadashi somewhere else. That'd be swell.)
  • 17:02, 2 September 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Sasayama Castle (I visited Sasayama Castle early last year... it was another situation where my wife and son suddenly told me that they were visiting a particular castle and would I like to come along. I didn't know anything about it at the time, but I'm glad I went! I think the description of it above is really good: it's a really solid, no-nonsense, imposing, brooding presense that strikes me as being very no-frills and practical. A castle for protection, and not for showing off. If I understand correc...)
  • 15:39, 1 September 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Okazaki Castle (Update: photography is now allowed in the keep museum : ))
  • 15:36, 31 August 2023 122.211.145.154 talk posted a new comment on Sonobe Castle (Yeah, I did! I think I'm up to 48 separate castles visited... not too many compared to a lot of the contributors on this page. I tend to visit the same castles repeatedly, but I need to try adding some new ones. Too bad that Yaga Castle has nothing left of it, but it's nice that it does have a castle turret, albeit unrelated, on the site.)
  • 15:25, 31 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Marune Fort (Marune-toride is an earthworks fort ruin in the Ôdaka neighbourhood of Midori Ward, Nagoya City. I came here after visiting Washizu-toride. I liked this site more. There is clear terracing in a belt-like fashion beneath the top of the hill, which does impress one as an obikuruwa (belt bailey). There is a marker for the castle at the top of the hill where presumably the main bailey was. Toward the rear of the site there are what look like some earthworks which could’ve constituted a horikiri (...)
  • 15:25, 31 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Washizu Fort (Washizu-toride is an earthworks fort ruin in the Ôdaka neighbourhood of Midori Ward, Nagoya City. It is interesting and a little mysterious, and offers suggestions of remains which never fully come into focus. There appears to be trenches at the bottom of the castle mount, and terracing of the hillside with remains of dorui (earthen ramparts). These remains are easy to miss unless one is looking carefully. Since terracing can be accounted for with cultivation, and long trenches of this nature...)
  • 13:11, 31 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Sonobe Castle (* Yaga Castle (Tanba))
  • 13:09, 31 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Sonobe Castle (Well done for also making it to the relocated yagura! You get to add Yagi Castle to your castle-visit list as a bonus : ))
  • 11:15, 31 August 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Sonobe Castle (I enjoyed visiting Sonobe Castle the other day. I first went to the original buildings pictured above, and spent a while walking around, inspecting them and photographing them. I think that school may have been in session, but no-one seemed to mind my walking around. Perhaps they are used to odd castle buffs showing up! Anyway, I think that the complex of the turret gate, guardhouse, turret, ishigaki and plaster walls is a neat little relic of the castle, and well-worth visiting for cas...)
  • 10:43, 31 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Amagasaki Castle ("It's more of a museum about Amagasaki Castle than it is the actual Amagasaki Castle." That's a great way to put it.)
  • 20:47, 30 August 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Amagasaki Castle (I went to Amagasaki Castle today. I had low expectations that were pretty much met. It's a worthwhile site if you don't expect much authenticity. It's more of a museum about Amagasaki Castle than it is the actual Amagasaki Castle. It IS built in one of the former baileys of Amagasaki Castle, and the main keep does appear to be a fairly accurate reconstruction of the original, in terms of outward appearance. And the museum inside isn't bad, though it kind of reinforces my feeling that thi...)
  • 13:56, 28 August 2023 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2612 on Nijo Castle
  • 09:18, 28 August 2023 203.51.15.17 talk posted a new comment on Nijo Castle (hi)
  • 01:44, 26 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Kiyosu Castle (Have added more pictures with labels and co-ordinates. Newer pictures of main keep and bridge are the ones with co-ordinates attached.)
  • 13:10, 24 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Kiyosu Castle (They do have an original segment of ishigaki on the other side of the river from the mogi tenshu. I don't know if that was a more recent addition / excavation. Maybe I could add it to the above gallery since it's a bit sparse.)
  • 15:02, 23 August 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Kiyosu Castle (I visited this castle a few years ago--my son is quite interested in the Warring States Period, and as explained above, Kiyosu Castle has significant connections to the people and events of that time. That said, it's pretty much a total mogi, with the main keep modeled after that of Inuyama Castle, as there aren't any records of what the main keep actually looked like. If I understand right, the main keep also isn't where it originally was. Still, it's a quite attractive little castle, w...)
  • 17:42, 20 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Awaya Yakata (@RaymondW. I'm glad we can both agree that it's garbled, fluffy nonsense, but it's also the most academic clause I've wrote on this site for that reason, haha. As for submitting substandard assingments, I think that adequately describes my submissions to this site. If you would like to contribute academically cited, better researched profiles, I invite you to do so. You visited this site but chose not to make a profile for it. So I did. I'd love to see more from you since you're so knowledgea...)
  • 16:03, 20 August 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Awaya Yakata (@Eric, there probably is no hard and fast rule about what is one single site or two separate sites for a castle + yakata combination, but if an established castle scholar with a long list of publications and a specialist in a particular region’s castles has drawn a conclusion about a castle site, I will go with his or her informed opinion rather than what’s in blogs unless it is a blog run by a castle scholar (and the information is supported by their research.) Hiroki’s website is magnifice...)
  • 15:49, 20 August 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Awaya Yakata (@ART. Yes, that opening sentence of yours in the Kuniyoshi Castle Visit Notes certainly sound like “garbled fluffy nonsense”. I had interpreted that opening sentence to mean that you were trying to say that Kuniyoshi Castle with all its baileys / ruins on this mountain is one fortress site. In Saeki Tetsuya’s books such as 若狭中世城郭図面集 I, he mentions there is archaeological evidence (pottery / tiles / nails) that indicates the Awaya Yakata dates from the middle of the 16th century to the early...)
  • 13:19, 17 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Awaya Yakata (*kido)
  • 13:18, 17 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Awaya Yakata (I tend to aggregate from various sources and try to determine a consensus, what is divergent, and then give my own opinion after visiting. I am under no illusion that my travelogueing is anything approaching academic. A website's format does probably determine how sites are listed even if they're not really disparate. As for personal tallies, that rests with the conscience of the castle explorer! In this case it would be perfectly reasonable to consider the yakata and yamajiro as a single, co...)
  • 12:31, 17 August 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Awaya Yakata (Well, this has turned into an interesting conversation! I apologize that I'm not that familiar with this castle and do not have time to look into it right now (TBH my main books put the 2 together). I think it may be challenging to make any hard and fast rules for this sort of thing. The key is to make an informed opinion from various sources, that you are satisifed with and you can justify. I am trying to be more academic and informed in my work than some bloggers out there. I typically onl...)
  • 20:25, 16 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Shibata Castle (On my second visit to Shibatajō I entered the castle’s main bailey for the first time. That’s an odd thing to say, right? I don’t think I’ve somehow not visited the main bailey at any other major Edo period castle when first visiting. But Shibatajō actually shares its territory now with a jieitai army base, and the inner bailey isn’t always open; I think it’s closed in winter. Anyway, it was open this time, so I got to go in the main bailey and all of the structures excepting the main keep wh...)
  • 08:11, 16 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Awaya Yakata (Here's that comment again, but better formatted : ) ‘Kuniyoshijō can refer to a multispatial, multilayered historic site centred on the ruins of the medieval mountaintop castle of Kuniyoshijō.’ You mean here? Yes. I wrote that because I was trying to get to grips with the site conceptually. Even though I read it back and thought it sounded like garbled, fluffy nonsense. It could be said about any castle. But the area was used militarily in some capacity all the way up until the Meiji perio...)
  • 08:10, 16 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Awaya Yakata (@RaymondW ‘Kuniyoshijō can refer to a multispatial, multilayered historic site centred on the ruins of the medieval mountaintop castle of Kuniyoshijō.’ You mean here? Yes. I wrote that because I was trying to get to grips with the site conceptually. Even though I read it back and thought it sounded like garbled, fluffy nonsense. It could be said about any castle. But the area was used militarily in some capacity all the way up until the Meiji period, with the precincts of various institutions...)
  • 07:35, 16 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Kuniyoshi Castle (Thanks for the comment and clarifications. In hindsight the timing of my trip to Wakasa was a little suspect, and i'd certainly relish coming back here when there's no snow to have a more exhaustive look at all of the ruins. Kuniyoshi was one of the main reasons i wanted to get down here, even though in terms of castle ruins exploration i actually ended up enjoying Nochiseyama more.)
  • 22:04, 15 August 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Mochizuki Castle (Koka) (@Eric. Good to see that the wayward samurai residence photos have been put in the right places. @ART. Not all small castles in Koga have karabori around their baileys. There is a karabori around the massive earthen rampart at Mochizuki Castle, but it’s very shallow when compared to the height of the dorui as Eric has mentioned. The karabori is more akin to a slightly sunken well-worn path between baileys rather than a deep defensive ditch.)
  • 21:58, 15 August 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Awaya Yakata (This lord’s residence, an integral part of Kuniyoshi Castle at the base of the mountain is a must-visit part of this castle ruin. There is a fair bit of intact ishigaki here, more than up on top of the mountain. They are also of a more advanced ishigaki style with bigger blocks of stone than what you can see up at the mountaintop castle. For my own personal castle tally, I have counted Kuniyoshi Castle with Awaya Yakata as one single site as they are part of the same castle complex with the e...)
  • 21:49, 15 August 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Kuniyoshi Castle (It’s good to see this informative castle profile up on JCastle. Judging from the photos, it looks like not much has changed since this yamajiro made it to the “Next Top 100 Castle” list. This is a good castle to visit in Fukui Prefecture with many features that Japanese castle fans love to see. ART has done a good job of listing them in the profile here. For castle fans who visit this castle, it is worthwhile making sure you have enough time to visit all the parts of this castle properly. I s...)
  • 17:24, 6 August 2023 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #883 on Ichijodani Castle
  • 20:51, 5 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Mochizuki Castle (Koka) (Oh, okay. Sounds like an interesting site. Shinobikonjau naa...)
  • 19:37, 5 August 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Mochizuki Castle (Koka) (Fixed now. Thanks guys!! @ART - yes there are Karabori but not as much as you might expect given the size of dorui. I think it is must be partially from leveling the areas.)
  • 17:21, 5 August 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Mochizuki Castle (Koka) (I also thought that was a little odd. Eric, shall I go through the bukeyashiki pics and 'hide=Yes' them? You're busy and I don't mind. Also, silly question maybe, but this site also has karabori, right? Neither of your descriptions mention them but with such meaty dorui we'd expect to see that i thought.)
  • 17:18, 5 August 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Sumoto Castle (Eric, thanks for fixing this.)
  • 17:16, 5 August 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Mochizukishi Castle (Koka) (Eric, Mochizukishi Castle is not a bad one for a milestone visit. This castle ruin has one big central bailey ringed by earthen ramparts. They are relatively clear of undergrowth, so a castle fan can walk along the top of them. The dorui here is not as high as its neighbour, Mochizuki Castle. Mochizukishi Castle’s earthen ramparts are only around 3.5 to 4m in height as opposed to 7 to 9m for its paired neighbour. There are two koguchi or gateways into the Mochizukishi’s main bailey, as shown...)
  • 17:04, 5 August 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Mochizuki Castle (Koka) (This little-known castle ruin in Koga, Shiga has some high earthen ramparts surrounding it. Mochizuki Castle along with Shingushi Castle and Wada Castle, all castle ruins in Koga, have some high earthen ramparts in the 7 to 9 metres range. If you walk along the top of the dorui at Mochizuki and look down the sides, particularly the southern side, it is quite steep, so you know that you are on top of some seriously high dorui. At Mochizuki Castle, there is one section of dorui ending at the...)
  • 17:34, 31 July 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Sumoto Castle (The infamous Frank T. I stand corrected! Thanks.)
  • 16:38, 31 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Ojima Jin'ya (Apparently this site has an original structure, a shoin, which has just been relocated back.)
  • 18:45, 30 July 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Sumoto Castle (Eric, you have incorrectly attributed this castle profile to me. I did visit this castle in 2014, but I haven’t taken photos with a date stamp on them for yonks, not since I made the switch from film to digital photography at the start of this millennium. The photos on this castle profile are not mine. They look like photos by another castle photo / profile contributor, possibly Frank T’s efforts.)
  • 11:57, 30 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Nouken Castle (Thanks! Yeah, this is definitely one more for the locals. Hakusan and Shinpu are much better to visit when coming a long way. The toride sites make the Nouken complex a nice circuit to walk from the station.)
  • 10:38, 30 July 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Nouken Castle (Nicely done! This is one I looked into a couple times but, but eventually took a pass on in favor other sites. Nice to see it well covered here including the toride's.)
  • 10:38, 30 July 2023 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2583 on Nouken Castle
  • 10:38, 30 July 2023 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2584 on Nouken Castle
  • 10:38, 30 July 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Nouken Castle (well covered - including toride's)
  • 10:37, 30 July 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Nouken Castle (Nicely done! This is one I looked into a couple times but, but eventually took a pass on in favor other sites. Nice to see it well covered here.)
  • 21:41, 28 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Unuma Castle (Unlike a certain Nagoya-based radio host and author we all know and love, I couldn't visit this site by helicopter, so, instead, since I was visiting Inuyamajō, I got off at Inuyama-Yūenchi Station which is just one station along after Inuyama Station (I was even able to do that taking a Meitetsu train all the way from Higashi-Okazaki Station without any changes), and simply walked to the Kiso River where I took some nice photos of the castle mount from the Owari / Aichi side. Since this site...)
  • 09:29, 26 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Inuyama Castle (Whoops, that should be KANEYAMA Castle.)
  • 09:27, 26 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Inuyama Castle (I'll visit today. It seems that the shifting timeline for the tenshu at this castle has settled on the 1580s. The old theory about the keep being from Kanayama Castle in Mino has been long debunked, except maybe in Kanayama where the tradition is kept alive inspire of the latest research. Maybe i mentioned about it in my profile for Mino Kanayama Castle.)
  • 17:06, 24 July 2023 豪谷 talk contribs posted a new comment on Kojima Castle (Hida) (Nothing worse than sulking skulking bears!)
  • 21:00, 23 July 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Wakayama Castle (Apparently there has been some recent (late July 2023) chatter about kokuins (stonemason’s seals) at Wakayama Castle on another website. One experienced castle fan initially wasn’t even sure if there were kokuins at Wakayama Castle. If he had just read my comment posted months ago below, he would have noticed that I mentioned there are lots of kokuins at this castle. It is after all a Shinpan Daimyo’s castle with a Tokugawa as the castle lord from 1619 until the Meiji Restoration. There are l...)
  • 13:15, 18 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Ogyu Castle (Ogyū Castle is a magical place. Which is to say, this is a unique and impressive castle site. I was charmed, enchanted and only a bit endangered exploring this beautiful mountaintop castle ruin. The castle features impressive karabori (dry moats), dorui (earthen ramparts), ishigaki (stone-piled walls), baileys and other interesting features. I was particularly impressed with a system of medieval damns which were once used at the castle to store water. With so much water available, it would...)
  • 13:12, 18 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Matsudaira Castle (Matsudairajō, located in Matsudaira Township of Toyota Municipality, chiefly features bailey spaces, earthworks created by levelling ridge lines and mountaintops. There is a yaguradai (platform for a keep) at the end of the fourth bailey wherein there is also a small shrine building. There is a marker and explanation board for the castle in the main bailey which is at the top of the hill. The most impressive feature of this site is a yokobori (lateral) moat complex which goes around much of t...)
  • 13:11, 18 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Matsudaira Yakata (Matsudaira-yakata was the manor hall at the heart of the ancestral homeland – it is traditionally held – of the Matsudaira Clan. The clan gave rise to Matsudaira Motoyasu, better known as Tokugawa Ieyasu. The ruins, located in the expansive and rural township of Matsudaira in Toyota Municipality, date to 1613 when Matsudaira Naoyoshi took over Matsudaira Manor; after the death of Tokugawa Ieyasu the yakata was converted into a temple (a gongen), the Matsudaira-Toushouguu. What makes this site...)
  • 07:23, 17 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Furumiya Castle (by all means use a grass covering. any reasonable castle enthusiast or casual visitor would pay to see this site.)
  • 21:52, 16 July 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Furumiya Castle (ART, I agree with you that the castle ruin would be more visible and easier to appreciate for castle fans if the cedar trees were chopped down and removed. However, I still think completely stripping a yamajiro ruin of all of its green cover will lead to faster erosion of the earthwork remnants. Think about it, why do (mostly) earthwork castle ruins like Hachigata Castle and Yamanaka Castle have a layer of grass growing on its earthen ramparts? One reason is likely for improved aesthetic appe...)
  • 21:33, 16 July 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Matsuyama Castle (Saitama) (Eric, it’s good to hear that it’s been cleaned up, perhaps more than I went to this castle ruin in spring 2017. When I visited, the Main Bailey(本曲輪), Second Bailey, Third Bailey, and Fourth Bailey all have signposts on site, so castle fans visiting can know which bailey they are actually at. The interiors of these baileys were reasonably well kept with the grass cut low, so it almost resembled a lawn, something that can’t be said about many parks in Japan with nothing but just dirt. This cas...)
  • 08:44, 16 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Hiroshima Castle (It appears that the ishigaki was largely unaffected, in fact. Pictures of the tenshudai after the blast do not appear to show anything other than superficial damage.)
  • 16:50, 15 July 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Hiroshima Castle (I find it impressive that apparently a fair bit of the ishigaki survived the atomic bombing. I visited Hiroshima Castle about 20 years ago, and found the main keep quite disappointing, though it does look nice from outside, especially from a distance. Reading about it now, the other buildings that have been reconstructed in wood sound much more interesting--don't know why I didn't pay much attention to them back then. My ability to appreciate castles has really increased since then. It...)
  • 17:04, 12 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Ueda Castle (I believe it's original and located at its original site.)
  • 11:30, 12 July 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Ueda Castle (This castle looks like a very worthy visit. As for the gate to the lord's palace pictured above (3rd picture to last) an original structure? And is it located on the castle grounds, or elsewhere?)
  • 06:52, 10 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Furumiya Castle (Okay, changed to 1571. Most blogs say 1571 so i don't know where 1572 came from, actually. The construction date is apparently known via the 『三河国二葉松』. Thanks for the comment. Having gone through my pictures of the site, i strongly feel that the sheer amount of trees is hugely detrimental to appreciating the site without physically being there. The land is supposedly owned by a party of individuals, and the cedar plantation will remain for the forseeable future it seems. Maybe they're hoping t...)
  • 21:37, 9 July 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Furumiya Castle (It’s good to see that another castle fan has visited this highly enjoyable castle ruin in the back waters of Shinshiro City, Aichi. I visited this castle ruin along with five others in area in early 2017 during prime yamajiro season. This almost semi-circular castle ruin is the most interesting of the six castle ruins in the area. Near 白鳥神社(White Bird Shrine’s) stone gate, one of the ways to get into the castle ruin, is a sign about the history of the castle erected by the Shinshiro Board of...)
  • 15:41, 9 July 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Silver Linings Castlebook (3 new castles in Saitama) (Great discovery of several yakata ruins in Saitama, Eric. Thanks for sharing them with other castle fans on Jcastle. I guess that unintentional weekend stay in Tokyo did have a silver lining for you. The jin’yas and the single yakata look a bit off the regular trail for visiting castle ruins in Saitama if one is using public transport to get around. I remember using mostly the Tobu Tojo Line to get round to some of the castle ruins in Saitama.)
  • 15:34, 9 July 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Ogawa Nakanojo Castle (Koka) (You’re right about those possible baileys having a “?” over them on the map produced by the Koga BoE. Since I didn’t get into those baileys, I can’t tell if they look more like farm terraces or medieval baileys. From the trailhead, I took the path up into the bailey below the main bailey and then followed it into a fairly bushy part of this castle ruin. At that point, I decided it wasn’t worth going any further and decided to try to find a way up to the Main Bailey. That is always the case wi...)
  • 15:24, 9 July 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Ogawa Nishinojo Castle (Koka) (Eric, my wife and I gave up in going into the bushier baileys of this castle ruin after finding ticks there in the relatively clearer baileys of this yamajiro ruin. You’re hardcore to be waddling through head-high bamboo and weeds to get to those baileys further at the back end of this castle. That’s why you’re the JCastle Shogun. There are a few fallen trees on site, so I assume they are probably the result of the direct typhoon strike on Kansai back in the autumn of 2018. Yeah, I have whack...)
  • 20:53, 6 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Fukazawa Castle (Fukazawajō is a medieval earthworks fortification site with substantial ruins. Most of the baileys, which are now farmland, are divided by deep karabori (dry moats). The site is farmed and many of the karabori are too overgrown to properly explore. I did have a little peak in one which was a little more clear. It's always fun to wander around a karabori! The site is quite extensive and has many baileys; it starts at the road where there is a monument to the historic site and an information bo...)
  • 07:21, 5 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Fukuoka Castle (Added Najimamon)
  • 13:40, 3 July 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Ogawa Nishinojo Castle (Koka) (haha, also very true. For the sake of transparency, in one place along the far ridge I was wading through weeds as tall as I am and once I was seeing stars after banging my head on a partially fallen tree while trying to keep my eyes on where I was walking with my feet rather than what was in front of me! I was perhaps lucky not to end up with any ticks or other critters on me but my rain jacket and wide brim hiking hat probably helped.)
  • 13:40, 3 July 2023 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2559 on Ogawa Nishinojo Castle (Koka)
  • 13:40, 3 July 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Ogawa Nishinojo Castle (Koka) (haha, also very true. For the sake of transparency, in one place along the far ridge I was wading through weeds as tall as I am and one I was seeing stars after banging my head on a partially fallen tree while trying to keep my eyes on where I was walking with my feet rather than what was in front of me! I was perhaps lucky not to end up with any ticks or other critters on me but my rain jacket and wide brim hiking hat probably helped.)
  • 13:33, 3 July 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Ogawa Nakanojo Castle (Koka) (Ray, good point. I actually started down into those "baileys" but turned back after crawling over 2 fallen trees on the hillside and not seeing any good footing down into them from the main part of the castle. Even the map in the Koka City book gives "?" marks on them! It is possible/likely that this set of three terraced baileys in between this ridge and the next ridge were more like residential or farming areas. They're fairly big, wide and I don't see any recognizable defensive type struc...)
  • 23:44, 2 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Gifu Castle (復興 is mogi adjacent haha. Sometimes it can mean 'speculative reconstruction', i'd say, but generally they're just mogies, yeah. There was some sort of tower up on the mount so it's a reconstruction, after a fashion, and not wholly a folly.)
  • 22:06, 2 July 2023 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2361 on Gifu Castle
  • 22:06, 2 July 2023 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2362 on Gifu Castle
  • 21:46, 2 July 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Kashiwabara Castle (Omi) (@Eric, there are lots of Kyōgoku kamons the roof tiles there. They are very similar to the Sasaki kamons, except that they have been rotated 45 degrees. I'm guessing such a design is to show that they have their roots in the Sasaki Clan and are their descendants. @ART. No worries, mate. Feel free to add a single combined profile for Takekurabe Castle and Takekurabe Toride to Jcastle after you have visited them. They were built at the same time and were part of the same defence for the Mt Nos...)
  • 21:35, 2 July 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Ogawa Nakanojo Castle (Koka) (This is the smallest of the three castle ruins in the Ogawa set. It’s more akin to a toride (fort), providing a link between the Ogawa Castle up on top of the mountain with Ogawa Nishino Castle, possibly the main castle in the area. Unlike Eric, I did not take the trail down from Ogawa Castle. Instead, Ogawa Nakano was the last castle I visited in the set of three Ogawa castles after sussing out Ogawa Nishino Castle. I walked up to the castle ruin instead down to it from Ogawa Castle. The f...)
  • 21:22, 2 July 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Ogawa Nishinojo Castle (Koka) (This castle ruin is certainly bigger than Ogawa Castle up on the mountain. However, Ogawa Nishino Castle is also much more overgrown that Ogawa Castle, but there are some nice earthwork remnants that can be made out including ditches, earthen ramparts, and sites of gateways. Unlike like Eric, my wife and I did not fully explore Ogawa Nishino Castle as we were running short of time, and after flicking ticks off our legs, we thought it was best to hit the third castle in the area, Ogawa Nakano...)
  • 18:00, 2 July 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Nakijin Castle (I went to Nakijin Castle about 10 years ago. Although I slightly prefer Nakagusuku, Nakijin is a fabulous ruin. The highlight is the walls--they remind me of a gigantic ancient ship or something. As you can see in the pictures above, there are also some neat stone gates, which is something you don't see at mainland Japanese castles (at least, not gates with tops that you can walk under). And it has a very big scale. Another 5-star ruin that is deserving of its World Heritage status.)
  • 17:35, 2 July 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Nakagusuku Castle (Fantastic, evocative ruin. I also visited Nakajin Castle and loved that one too, but I'd rate this one even higher, for the variety of stone structures. As the pictures above show, there are some arched gates, and a lot of those wonderful curved walls you see at gusukus. When I finally make it back to mainland Okinawa, I'd like to see Katsuren Castle too, as that one looks like the 3rd fantastic ruin. Anyway, this one gets 5 stars from me.)
  • 17:29, 2 July 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Gifu Castle (Fantastic location, important castle, but curiously uninspired and inauthentic reconstructions. The Japanese Wiki page lists it as 復興, but isn't it more of a mogi? Anyway, given the importance of the castle, I kind of wonder whether the city might take another shot at doing a better job of reconstructing it someday. I'll give it a 3 for the location alone (really one of the more dramatic locations of any Japanese castle), but hope they can do something better with it in the future. The...)
  • 17:23, 2 July 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Ogaki Castle (This is a really nice little castle. The interior of concrete main keeps often leave me cold, but this one didn't. The reconstructed buildings are quite elegant, and there is some nice stonework. I also went to the nearby city museum, and they had a really good model of how the castle used to look... it helped me appreciate the castle, but also made me a bit sad. It would have been a great castle if it had survived WWII. But I still think it's worth 4 stars for the general attractivenes...)
  • 17:17, 2 July 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Iga Ueno Castle (I went to this castle several years ago, because my kids wanted to go to the ninja attractions. I didn't know about the castle before going, but enjoyed visiting it. I was actually pretty confused by the wooden exterior, because it doesn't look new like more recent wooden reconstructions do. Anyway, nice castle with some cool ishigaki, though I seem to have missed the really tall sections over the moat pictured above. I'll give it a 3 for the general attractiveness and authentic feel to t...)
  • 17:09, 2 July 2023 122.211.145.154 talk posted a new comment on Gujo Hachiman Castle (Interesting... I didn't know that there were any pre-war wood main keep reconstructions other than Iga Ueno castle... and that one is a total mogi, though an attractive one (in my opinion at least). This one sounds fairly attractive too, and likely more accurate.)
  • 13:34, 2 July 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Sunomata Castle (It's a cute little mogi, and was less underwhelming inside than many reconstructed castles. Also, the riverside location is nice. Worth 2 stars for the attractiveness and the museum.)
  • 09:30, 2 July 2023 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2545 on Tsuwano Castle
  • 09:01, 2 July 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Tsuwano Castle (Sorry, forgot to log in. Thanks for the quick reply!)
  • 09:00, 2 July 2023 122.211.145.154 talk posted a new comment on Tsuwano Castle (Thanks!)
  • 22:01, 1 July 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Hikone Castle (I rate Hikone Castle very highly, second only to Himeji Castle. Your comment about Hikone Castle being the most well-rounded Japanese castle is absolutely spot on. It has a bit of everything in terms of extant structures, rebuilt structures, ishigaki, earthworks, two sets of intact moats, and a castle town with many old ashigaru houses still around. I’m lucky I live in Japanese castle Mecca aka Shiga. Hikone Castle is the castle that I have visited the most followed very closely by Azuchi...)
  • 14:51, 1 July 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Tsuwano Castle (Outside it; they're relocated to the area of the former castle town.)
  • 12:39, 1 July 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Tsuwano Castle (Are the two turrets at the foot of the mountain located on part of the original castle grounds, or outside it?)
  • 18:39, 30 June 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Hikone Castle (I'd rate Himeji as the best Japanese castle just based on how incredibly extensive it is, but Hikone really so far behind (I'm also a huge fan of Iyo Matsuyama Castle).)
  • 18:34, 30 June 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Wakayama Castle (The other original gate is the Oimawashi Gate pictured above.)
  • 07:35, 30 June 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Hikone Castle (It sounds like you had great time. I'm glad you can enjoy it on a weekday without it being too crowded. Hikone is definitely overlooked by many castles fans but I think it's gaining in popularity. I think even with a well planned trip it probably takes at least 3 trips to see everything. I think I've been there 6 times now but I keep finding stuff I need to go back and visit or new sides/angles of the castle I want to shoot. Actually I have a bunch of news pics I need to upload here too.)
  • 05:55, 30 June 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Hikone Castle (You may be right about Hikone. Generally Himeji is seen as the best castle, but it does not have any kind of goten.)
  • 05:55, 30 June 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Kishiwada Castle (This is a very helpful review, thanks! The sumi-yagura is connected to the tamon yagura which carries on with two bends along the ramparts. It can be seen in the above gallery.)
  • 21:49, 29 June 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Hikone Castle (I visited Hikone Castle again today, my first visit in 6 years and either the 5th or 6th time I've been there. I've loved this castle for a long time, but it was the most satisfying visit I've ever had there, and really one of the best castle visits I've ever had. It was the first time I went there alone, as opposed to being with family members, and I really enjoyed being able to wander and spend as much time as I wanted on everything. Anyway, I pretty much saw everything on the castle g...)
  • 20:39, 29 June 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Kishiwada Castle (I finally went to Kishiwada Castle yesterday. As I suspected, I found the site both attractive and underwhelming. What I liked: the moats and ishigaki are pretty well-preserved, the restored buildings make it look like an authentic Japanese castle from the distance, and the garden is a really nice touch. It seems that it was added before the main keep was (re)built, and the artist deliberately designed it to harmonize with the main keep. Job well-done in that respect. What I didn't...)
  • 22:38, 27 June 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Nagahama Castle (Today, I had a class of junior high-school kids talk about their favorite famous place in Japan. I gave them some ideas before hand, and ended up getting places like Himeji Castle, Osaka Castle, Kinkakuji, Amanohashidate, Tokyo Disneyland, Todai-ji, Shirahama Beach, and so on. But then this one girl said 'Nagahama Castle.' I was pretty surprised as it's a quite obscure castle, so I said 'You mean Nagahama Castle in Shiga?' She said yes. I praised her for coming up with something original...)
  • 17:19, 26 June 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Kumamoto Castle (I visited Kumamoto Castle not long before the earthquake, and was extremely impressed. It’s a very large, imposing castle with extensive stone walls and a great variety of yagura (11 in all), many of them original. Some of them are bigger than the main keeps of smaller castles--the Uto Yagura pictured above, for example, is like a main keep and is my favorite structure in the castle. At the time, we were able to enter at least a few of them, and not surprisingly, they had more atmosphere t...)
  • 15:32, 26 June 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Honshouji Castle (Have updated description and highlight photo (the weather wasn't much better than during my first visit, but now there's more flowers!), and some other bits and bobs. Will add pictures of the recently made public earthworks at some point.)
  • 14:47, 26 June 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Kasama Castle (I don't think so but the Hachimandai yagura is still pretty close by.)
  • 14:09, 26 June 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Ozu Castle (Sorry for the late reply. They appeared to be merchant-style buildings to me.)
  • 11:04, 26 June 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Kasama Castle (Have any of the original buildings been relocated back to the castle grounds?)
  • 10:26, 26 June 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Honshouji Castle (With the Ieyasu boom ongoing they've opened up the usually closed rear parts of the temple with the dorui and karabori. Will update soon.)
  • 09:24, 26 June 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Kashiwabara Castle (Omi) (I love the Kamon on those roof tiles. Nice shot. I want to line that up with some kokuin from Osaka-jo. You see the Kyogoku Kamon kokuin a lot. Thanks for the recommendations too Ray. I do like sets of castles with some history and story behind them.)
  • 07:26, 26 June 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Kashiwabara Castle (Omi) (Thanks for the recommendations, Raymond; if i get the opportunity i'll be sure to visit those sites and make profiles for them here on jcastle ^0^)
  • 21:35, 25 June 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Kashiwabara Castle (Omi) (I visited this “castle ruin” with just a stone marker after I have spent time castle-hunting at a nearby yamajiro ruin with earthwork ruins to see. Tokugen’in is worth visiting for those history / castle fans who want to see places related to the Kyōgoku Clan. As ART has mentioned on his profile here, there are Kyōgoku tombstones to be seen here, and the three-storey pogoda is worth seeing. Also, if you are a Kyōgoku fan, there is the Kyōgoku Yakata ruin located just a few kilometres away. On...)
  • 21:38, 24 June 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Damine Castle (It looks like you fellows have found a little gem of a castle site to visit. Thanks for the profile and comments. I will have to visit Damine Castle when I revisit the Nagashino and Shinshiro areas for some castle-hunting.)
  • 21:30, 24 June 2023 RaymondW talk contribs posted a new comment on Fukui Castle (@ Matthew Ward. I think it’s difficult to relocate government buildings such as a local council building, so a castle can be rebuilt. A castle is located in a fairly central location relative to the castle town that developed around it, so it makes sense to build some government buildings there post-Edo Period for easy access by the locals like at Fukui Castle. However, there are precedents at Shuri Castle and Kanazawa Castle where a university campus was relocated from the castle ground to m...)
  • 21:17, 24 June 2023 ART talk contribs posted a new comment on Matsumae Castle (I hope so. I remember something about that. 2035 is long enough away though for me not to hold my breath. They might yet change their minds.)
  • 14:50, 24 June 2023 Matthew Ward talk contribs posted a new comment on Matsumae Castle (According to the Japanese Wiki page, the city has decided to reconstruct the main keep in wood, finishing by 2035. It's another one of those cases where the concrete main keep has deteriorated and is falling below earthquake standards. They considered whether to reinforce it or rebuild it in wood, and chose the latter.)
  • 09:38, 24 June 2023 Eric talk contribs deleted comment #2511 on Nijo Castle
  • 09:37, 24 June 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Nijo Castle (I've seen two excuses given for no photos - people bunch up and spend too much time taking photos. The other is that camera flashed do damage old artworks. Still, there is way too much of this no photography stuff inside wooden buildings with few visitors and no special artworks. Similarly, for my recent revisit to Fukuyama Castle, even that reconstructed museum main keep was no photos despite few artifacts and few people!)
  • 09:31, 24 June 2023 Eric talk contribs posted a new comment on Fukui Castle (I think it's very unlikely they would relocate any of the gov't buildings. They don't really hinder the enjoyment of the site and would only hinder reconstructions around the middle of the main bailey, which are unlikely to happen anyway. A recent news article mentions a plan to rebuild another yagura towards the station making a nice view and avenue from the station to the castle: https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/714490 I visited during GW this year and will update the profile soon...)
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