Tsuchiura Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

Built about two metres above sea level on the delta at the mouth of the Sakura River, Tsuchiura Castle relied first of all on water for its defence: a double network of moats surrounded it, and floods are said to have made it look like a floating shell, hence its nickname Kijō, the "Turtle Castle". It never had a keep; two towers set on the earthworks of the honmaru served in its place. Its chief interest lies in a rare survival: the turret gate known as the Taiko yagura-mon, which took its present form around 1656, still stands in the middle of the municipal park, along with the Kasumi Gate. These two period structures stand alongside the former Maekawaguchi Gate, re-erected on site, as well as earthen walls and the two towers reconstructed during the Heisei era. The east tower, rebuilt in 1998, serves as an annex to the nearby municipal museum, whose sword collection comes in part from the Tsuchiya, daimyō of what was the second domain of Hitachi Province after Mito. Today the honmaru and much of the ninomaru form Kijō Park, given to the town at the end of the 19th century by the Tsuchiya, whose family shrine occupies the former central enclosure. The mikoshi route of the Gion festival of Yasaka Shrine still passes through it, one of the reasons for its listing in December 2024 among the buildings that make up the city's historic heritage.