Fushimi-Momoyama-jô

Fushimi-Momoyama-jô, Fushimi Castle, or Momoyama Castle was the former capital of Japan under the rule of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The castle does not have a storied history and spent the vast majority of its history as a pile of rubble and raw materials for other castles and temples. The name of the castle can be rather confusing, but fundamentally the castle is in the neighborhood of Fushimi in Kyoto Prefecture. However, following an earthquake that destroyed the castle only two years after its completion, the castle was rebuilt again with groves of peach trees which gave the area the name Momoyama meaning “peach mountain.”

The primary motive of the castle was never to be as a defensible structure, although it was designed with the basics all the same, the castle was really only meant to be the retirement palace for Toyotomi Hideyoshi once he named his successor. Because the castle is closely associated with Hideyoshi, and it was his seat of power in Kyoto, the time period of growing stability following the Sengoku Jidai (The Warring States Period) is called the Azuchi-Momoyama Period so named for the castles of Oda Nobunaga and Hideyoshi respectively. Following the death of Hideyoshi at Momoyama-jô, the castle was maintained by Torii Mototada, a loyal retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu. During the power play that resulted with Tokugawa Ieyasu becoming shogun, Torii Mototada defended the castle in an eleven day siege which ended with Torii and his remaining forces committing seppuku. The siege was extremely usefull because it allowed Ieyasu to build up an army and take a decisive victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, a battle which effectively won Ieyasu control of Japan. The ritual suicides of Torii Mototada and his men stained the floorboards so much that it was noted the stain could not be removed later. Sections of the floorboards are still visible at several temples in the Kyoto area where they are prominently displayed as the ceiling boards.

In the Edo period, the castle was completely dismantled, and its materials used to build several temples and to supply other castles in the area. In the 20th century the castle was rebuilt as a tourist throw-back entertainment park on the west side of the hill. The castle was closed again in 2003 with only tentative plans to reopen it. The tombs of Emperor Meiji and his wife now stand where the original castle foundations were built.

For visitors: 2.

This is a very weird castle and outside of the interest in just seeing a full standing yet derelict castle, there’s not really any great motivation to visit. I think if it was fixed and reopened my opinion would likely change since my research spoke very highly about the castle’s gold leaf tea room. With that said, the castle that they built and maintained sounded like it was someplace that you would need to spend a great deal of money to enjoy rather than reveling in the castle experience remenicent of Osaka or Nijô. I will say that it’s a generally easy castle to get to with a train station nearby and only a short (albeit steep) walk to the castle itself. They do maintain the grounds at least, but the buildings are lacking. You can however enjoy watching people play all sorts of games on the various fields around the tower. If that doesn’t sound particularly appealing, then just keep riding the train to Uji for some tea and Byôdô-in or go even further and to go Nara. The choice is up to you.

My biggest regret is that I never knew that Emperor Meiji’s tomb was just on the other side of the hill, so now I really have to get back over there.

Sorry, a computer error deleted my only photos of the castle, so I leave the search to you.

Heian-kyô (Kyoto)

Heian-kyô is the original name for a city that the majority of us have heard of: Kyoto. Kyoto was the new name given to the Imperial Capital after the emperor’s move to Tokyo (then Edo) following the removal of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1869. Now, the term Heian-kyô refers to the Imperial Palace in the center of Kyoto. If the name “Heian” sounds familiar, then you probably have studied a little bit of Japanese history, or the name has popped up while reading about other temples in Kyoto. The Heian Period lasted from the 8th century to the 12th century and was so named because Heian-kyô was the seat of political power in the country. The palace and the grounds have changed much over the centuries, fluxuating in grandeur, size, and location for a variety of reasons. Conflicts like the Onin Wars and the Sengoku Jidai are the most notable for bringing war into the very streets of Kyoto with various factions declaring headquarters in different districts, gathering imperial allies, and building palaces to establish a physical seat of government and authority. As a result, the palace grounds of today are simply the latest in a long line of foundations, but unlike Heijô-kyô in Nara, Heian-kyô is not a series of ruins, but a functioning residence of the Emperor during traditional ceremonies and state events, therefore there are some times when visitation to the palace grounds are not allowed. However, the palace does allow for scheduled tours, some of which will require reservations and others that are open invites. There are certain days of the year when you do not need a reservation like on special holidays, but many people take advantage of this and the lines are often very long.

For visitors: 6.

The palace is essentially as you would expect it. It’s a very clean and traditonal complex which has been rennovated to allow easy living for the Emperor and his family. Some parts are off limits, but reception halls and ceremonial rooms are open for visitation. For the most part, a visit to the palace will typically focus on the gardens because there is no reservation required. The gardens are very large, pristinely kept, and great for picnics, dog walks, and photo oportunities. On special occasions, there are traditional parades which move through the palace grounds, but most times the grounds are fairly devoid of all crowds excpet those enjoying the day.

I’m not sure how important it is to see the palace, but I would say that if you’ve seen everything else, taking your chances at getting a tour is a good idea, or even just enjoying the grounds and the wonderful atmosphere they create.

Sorry for the haze, this photo was taken in August which is a very hot and very humid time of year.

 

Nijô-jô

Nijô-jô (Nijo Castle) was constructed by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603 when he first declared himself the new shogun of Japan. Though not necessarily constructed as a major defensible castle like one would in a designed castle town, it did have a main tower, defensible walls, and moats. Nijô-jô served as the Tokugawa base of operations when the shogun was in Kyoto, and was built with a vast garden and a luxurious palace on the castle grounds.

For visitors: 9.

There's no denying that Nijô-jô is a tourist trap. Apart from the main tower, which was removed, much of the castle grounds remain very much in great condition. Last I checked the castle is undergoing some renovations, and there might be plans for the tower to be rebuilt. (Honestly, I don't know about that last one since there are nationalist debates that are intertwined with that idea, but certainly the palace grounds are.) There are many reasons to go to the castle and enjoy it. From the architecture to the location, Nijô-jô is not one of the most castle-like castles, but it’s certainly one of the most opulent ones still standing in Japan. The Edo Period is renowned for its architecture which used bountiful colors and wooden carvings to create this sensation of overflowing joy and, most importantly, wealth. Gold accents highlight otherwise standard wooden supports and frames while the colors overwhelm the senses. But why is this important? Japanese architecture, and in particular the architecture of imperial and noble households in Kyoto, follows a very clean and simplistic style of elegant structures with brilliantly painted monochromatic paper screens. Some of you readers might have heard of the term wabi sabi, “refined simplicity.” Though this term and the popularized style it describes really grew during the Sengoku Jidai of the 16th century, many of the noble houses were not built with this idea in mind. Actually quite the opposite, these traditional noble households followed this style for hundreds of years until the warrior governments and the associated wave of overt displays of wealth pushed the aristocracy to adopt the growing trend as well. Edo Period architecture was the next step with more than just gold leaf screens, but the above mentioned accents and decorations applied to any and all available surfaces. Nijô-jô was built as a statement to the Kansai area with one message in mind: “Make no mistake, the Tokugawa clan holds the wealth and power here in Kyoto.” As a funny side note, look at where Nijô-jô is in Kyoto in reference to the Imperial palace and it becomes very clear what purpose the castle really holds in the heart of Kyoto.