This article is based on a visit made on Sunday, 13 May 2018.
Edit 10 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.
Previously on Sekai Ichi, I visited the Iga-Ryu Ninja Museum in Iga City. Nestled in the northern end of Ueno Park, the museum is a virtual stone's throw away from Iga-Ueno Castle (伊賀上野城,
Iga Ueno-jō). Also known as Ueno Castle for short, or as the "White Phoenix Castle" (白鳳城,
Hakuhō-jō), this white-clad keep is practically a scaled-down version of the great
Himeji Castle.
Ueno Castle was constructed in 1585 under the command of Sadatsugu Tsutsui (
筒井 定次, 1562-1615), who occupied it until he was overthrown by the Tokugawa shogunate in 1608. It was then picked up by
Todo Takatora (藤堂高虎,
Tōdō Takatora, 1556-1630), whose likeness is shown above on the left. Todo's renovations included building 30-meter (99-foot) foundation walls, the tallest of their kind in Japan, at the base of the castle. On the right is the castle's mascot, Tiger-kun (た伊賀ーくん,
Taigā-kun). He is a tiger because the kanji for "tiger" (
虎) is present in lord Todo's name. The "iga" sound in Tiger-kun's name is also spelled with the kanji for its hometown of Iga (伊賀).
After peace broke out, the Tokugawa shogunate placed restrictions on building new castles. When Ueno Castle's keep was felled by a typhoon in 1612, no one bothered to have it rebuilt. And so it was for centuries until 1935, when Katsu Kawasaki (川崎 克,
Kawasaki Katsu, 1880-1949), a Iga-born Diet representative, raised funds to have the castle finally rebuilt. Mr. Kawasaki also funded construction of the Haisenden, the nearby monument hall to the poet Bashō, in 1942.
Pretty much all descriptive signs throughout the museum are written in Japanese only. The artifacts on display throughout the castle museum includes this set of helmets. Japanese helmets, which come in multiple styles collectively known as
kabuto (兜 / 冑), were frequently adorned with distinctive, often hornlike crests on the front, top, or sides; these are called
tatemono (
立物).
Also on display was an example of a
norimono (乗り物, lit. 'vehicle'), or palanquin. These sorts of vehicles became widespread among nobility and royalty of the Edo period, because A) the growing population in Japan meant that less space was available for raising horses, and B) there was a new law, called
"Sankin-kōtai" (参勤交代, lit. 'alternate attendance'), which forced regional lords to travel to and from Edo and spend half the year there.
One can look at a few quirky artistic
interpretations of the castle. These images, of the castle on the left
and Haisenden on the right, are made out of postage stamps. Personally, I also got a kick out of looking at photos of most of Japan's other castles, lining the upper walls of the second floor, and seeing how many I recognised.
In its current form, Ueno Castle was rebuilt exclusively in wood, as opposed to other 20th-century reconstructions which favoured concrete and other materials. Considering the decision to rebuild castles in their traditional style is becoming a more common decision in recent days --
Nagoya Castle is currently undergoing such a process -- Kawasaki-san was ahead of his time.
The keep's interior has three floors, and from the top, there are windows to look out in all four directions. The ceiling on the third floor is lined with paintings and calligraphy from various 20th-century Japanese artists. Note that the stairs from the second to third floors are very steep.
Honestly, there aren't that many landmarks to look out upon, especially in this weather. If I have recalled (and researched) this correctly, this is the view looking to the south. Ueno-shi Station should be somewhere off to the left.
Of course, it wouldn't be Iga if there weren't ninjas involved somehow. To that end, it should be pretty easy to spot a couple of ninja mannequins hiding in the rafters of Ueno Castle. At least, I think they were mannequins. There are actually places in town where one can rent ninja costumes, so I can't be sure... Find out where that could be... I mean, where I could be going to after this, next time on Sekai Ichi!
Hours: Open 9:00 AM to 4:45 PM. Closed on 29-31 December.
Costs: ¥600.
Address: 106 Ueno Marunouchi, Iga-shi, Mie-ken 〒518-0873
Access: Ueno Castle is a 10-15 minutes' walk from Ueno-shi station.
Directions: From the exit of Ueno-shi Station, head across the parking lot, turn
left, and cross the tracks. Turn left at the second traffic light, then
the next right, and you will be at the entrance of Ueno Park. In the
park, head straight uphill for 150m (500 ft.), until you reach a clearing. Following signs for the
tenshukaku (天守閣), turn left. At the top of the hill, turn left, head down the stairs, then turn right. Continue across the clearing to reach the castle entrance.
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
