4️⃣ Castle tower excavation site
[9:00-16:30] (Entry until 16:00)
It was once built by Tokugawa Ieyasu.
While imagining ``a large castle tower that was thought to be the largest in Japan,''
Please look at the castle tower stone wall.
From the volunteer guide,
We received a detailed explanation.
At the ``Excavation Information Center Castle'', which has free admission,
Listen to the guide's explanation,
You can purchase materials.
◉Understanding Sunpu Castle 500 yen
◉Excavation of the entire castle tower of Sunpu Castle 300 yen etc.
There are four facilities in Sunpu Castle Park (Honmaru/Ninomaru).
All 9:00-16:30 (Admission until 16:00) Closed on Mondays
1️⃣Higashimikado/Tatsumi Yagura ¥200
2️⃣Konyagura ¥100
3️⃣Momijiyama Garden ¥150
4️⃣Excavation Information Center Castle ¥0
[1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣3 common tickets ¥360] 20% discount.
The remains of the castle tower's foundation (castle tower base), which was burnt down in 1635 during the early Edo period, are currently being excavated and can be viewed. The Keicho period castle tower is said to be wider than Edo Castle inside the Imperial Palace.
There are plans to restore and maintain the site, so I think this is a valuable opportunity to see it being excavated.
As expected, it is the residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the ruler of Japan, and it has a great sense of weight and power! The area around the castle tower is open to the public as it was when excavated, and I was overwhelmed by the height and scale of the stone walls.
The careful processing of the stone stacks is also impressive, and the structure, which was built with no gaps, is befitting a Japanese ruler.
The highlight of this excavation site is that you can enjoy the differences in structure and appearance of the Tensho era castle tower and the Keicho era castle tower, both of which were built overlapping each other.
The Tensho period castle tower was used as a symbol of the capital by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who took advantage of the political turmoil following the Honnoji Incident to take over Kai and Shinano in addition to Mikawa, Enshu, and Suruga, and became the satrap of five countries. It was built as a. Although detailed information about the castle tower from that time has not been found, excavation research shows that it was as huge as the castle tower of Osaka Castle during the Toyotomi period.
However, after the Odawara Campaign in 1590, Ieyasu was transferred to seven countries in the Kanto region, and had no choice but to leave and hand over the newly built castle tower and Sunpu Castle to Hajime Nakamura, a vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. That must have been really frustrating. ``Washing around''! ! It may have been at this time that Ieyasu decided to become a ruler of Japan.
One theory is that the Tensho period castle tower was built by Kazuuji Nakamura, who built a huge and splendid one (using gold-leaf tiles) to intimidate Ieyasu by risking the prestige of the Toyotomi government.
Ieyasu was displeased with this, and after becoming a ruler of Japan, he completely destroyed the castle tower, which was only 20 years old, and built the Keicho castle tower.The story was introduced on NHK's history program. I was there. However, this is proven to be incorrect in the literature.
This is because, from the written records left behind by Ieyasu's vassals, it is clear that the Tensho era castle tower was planned, designed, constructed, and completed by the Tokugawa family. The Tensho-era castle tower was removed because it did not suit Ieyasu, who was now a ruler of Japan, and the reason why it was disorganized was simply because construction was being done in a hurry. The truth was quite simple (lol).
The Keicho Castle Tower was built by Ieyasu, who became a ``great mogul'' after handing over the post of shogun to Hidetada, when he renovated Sunpu Castle as a retirement castle. Ieyasu was a big fan of Sunpu and praised it, saying, ``It's warm, the water is clean, and the food is delicious. If you stay in a place like this, you can live a long time, and the people are calm.''
The new castle tower that Ieyasu built in his favorite place was an extremely luxurious structure that was beyond imagination. Gold leaf tiles are not an eye. This 5-layer, 7-story castle tower has a distinctive roof, with the first layer being roofed with tiles, but the entire upper layer is covered with tin alloy that shines in a platinum color! Moreover, it is said that the eaves were plated with gold, which is amazing (lol). The top floor was paved with copper to add variety.
The whole area was covered in a metallic luster, and it was reflected so strongly on the white plastered walls of the castle tower that it caused "light pollution" in the surrounding area (lol). There is a story that says that a fisherman in Suruga Bay was unable to work because the fish were frightened by the shining castle tower.
I may be exaggerating this, but if you looked at the castle tower under direct sunlight, you might have said, "My eyes! My eyes!" just like Colonel Muska. Although the castle tower is somehow dangerous (lol), there seems to be a plan to rebuild it. Is it really okay?
In any case, it was a fun place that let your imagination run wild.