Maruoka Castle

Maruoka Castle was built in 1576 by Katsutoyo Shibata, a nephew of Katsuie Shibata, on the order of Nobunaga Oda during the Warring States period.

It is a flat mountain castle with the oldest architectural style among the existing castle towers. Also known as “Kasumiga-jo,” the castle is characterized by its fantastically beautiful appearance in spring when it floats amidst cherry blossoms in full bloom.

Although only a portion of the castle tower remains, it is an early form of castle tower with a two-story exterior and a three-story interior, with an irimoya style roof and a watchtower with a corbelled roof railing.

It is considered an important structure in the history of castle architecture and is designated as a National Important Cultural Property.

The castle tower is located approximately 18 meters above the main citadel and 35 meters above the foot of the castle mountain, and its large windows offer views from the east, west, north, south, and west. Especially from the west, visitors can enjoy a splendid view of the Sea of Japan and the coast of Mikuni.

The stone walls are built in the old “field masonry” style, which gives the impression of being rough with many gaps, but they are said to drain well and are not subject to collapse due to heavy rains.

The area around Maruoka Castle has been developed as “Kasumigajo Park” and is designed in the style of a Japanese garden. This park has been recognized as a wonderful place to utilize historical and cultural resources and has been selected as one of the “100 Best Historical Parks in Japan.

Within the castle grounds, there is a Japanese garden-style park built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the construction of Maruoka Castle, as well as a history and folklore museum, which displays items related to successive lords of the castle.

The park is also home to 400 Someiyoshino cherry trees that surround the castle keep, giving the park the aptly named “Kasumiga-jo” (Kasumiga Castle), and it has been selected as one of the 100 best cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan.

When the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, visitors can enjoy the fantastic view of Maruoka Castle floating in the haze created by the cherry blossoms, or Maruoka Castle and the cherry blossoms illuminated at night. This is because of its beauty.

The Maruoka Castle Cherry Blossom Festival is also held in April under the castle. The scenery illuminated by bonbori at night is fantastic, and on the days of the main events during the festival, stage events and sales of local specialties make the festival even more lively.

Maruoka Castle, also known as Kasumiga Castle, served as the administrative office of the Maruoka Domain during the Edo period. It is one of the 12 existing castle towers.

This castle was a flat mountain castle built on a small hill east of the Maruoka urban area in the Fukui Plain. In modern times, the base of the hill was extended and a pentagonal inner moat was built around it.

The castle tower is estimated to have been built in the Azuchi-Momoyama period and is designated as an important cultural property. Other stone walls still exist. Among the buildings that have been moved and are still standing are the castle gates at Kozenji Temple in Komatsu City and Renjoji Temple in Awara City, and the castle gate, which is said to be an “unknown gate,” at a private house in Nonakayama-o, Maruoka Town.

A portion of an earthen wall also survives. The pentagonal inner moat has now been filled in, but plans are underway to restore it.

The name “Kasumiga-jo” comes from a legend that a giant snake appeared during a battle and blew a haze, hiding the castle.

In 2019, the Maruoka Castle Research Committee, commissioned by Sakai City, revealed a report estimating that the existing castle tower was built during the Kan’ei era (1624-1644) of the Edo period.

Today, Maruoka Castle is the only remaining castle tower in the Hokuriku region. This keep has an old-style appearance, with a large irimoya roof topped by a small watchtower. It was once said to be the oldest existing castle tower, but research by the Sakai City Board of Education in Fukui Prefecture has revealed that it was built during the Kan’ei period (1624-1644) of the Edo period.

The present keep was rebuilt in 1955 with more than 70% of its components reused after it collapsed during the Fukui Earthquake of 1948. During the restoration, the design of the window on the top floor was changed from a sliding door to a raised window (juchido).

This keep is a freestanding watchtower type, three stories high with two floors; the ground floor plane is built to wrap around the keep platform and has a hip roof.

When first constructed, the roof was shingled and fitted with wooden, lacquered and gilded ornamentation. Later, due to climatic conditions, the roof tiles were said to have been replaced with stone tiles made of sceptered sceptered tani stone.

The stairs inside the keep are steep, and auxiliary ropes have been installed for sightseeing purposes.

History
Azuchi-Momoyama Period and Edo Period

Maruoka Castle was built in 1576 by Katsutoyo, a nephew of Katsuie Shibata, who controlled almost all of the Echizen area. Katsutoyo moved from Toyoharadera Castle to this castle.

In 1582, following the Honnoji Incident, Katsutoyo was moved to Nagahama Castle in Omi Province as a result of the Kiyosu Conference. In his place, Katsuie appointed Yasui Ieyoshi as the castle’s representative.

In 1583, after Katsuie Shibata was destroyed by Hideyoshi Toyotomi at Kitanosho Castle, the area became the domain of Nagahide Niwa, who placed Muneyoshi (repairman) Aoyama as the lord of Maruoka Castle.

After the death of Niwa Nagahide in 1600, Aoyama Munekatsu and his son Tadamoto were defeated in the Battle of Sekigahara by the western forces and were exiled. Afterwards, Yuki Hideyasu, the second son of the victor Tokugawa Ieyasu, entered Echizen Province, and Imamura Moritsugu, a vassal of Hideyasu, entered Maruoka Castle with a territory of 26,000 koku.

In 1612, Imamura Moritsugu lost his post in connection with the Echizen Disturbance, and Honda Narushige, who was sent by the shogunate as an attached retainer of the Fukui domain, became the new lord of the castle.

In 1624, Matsudaira Tadanao, the second generation of the Fukui domain, was exiled to Bungo for misbehavior, and the Fukui domain was reduced in size. At the same time, Honda Narushige became independent from the Fukui domain and the Maruoka domain was established.

In 1695, during the reign of the fourth Shigemasu, a family dispute broke out in the Honda family’s Maruoka domain, and the shogunate ruled that the family was to be exiled. Instead, Kiyozumi Arima entered the castle with 50,000 koku from the Itoigawa domain in Echigo Province. Thereafter, Arima became the sixth lord of the Maruoka domain, and the Meiji Restoration began.

Modern Times

In 1871, Maruoka Castle was abolished due to the abolition of the han system, and all buildings except for the castle tower were dismantled and removed.

In 1901, the remaining castle tower was purchased back by the then town of Maruoka and saved from demolition. The ruins of the castle were developed into a park. The moat surrounding the castle was gradually filled in and disappeared between the late Taisho and early Showa periods.

On January 30, 1934, the castle tower was designated a National Treasure under the National Treasure Preservation Law (former law).

In 1948, the castle tower collapsed due to the Fukui Earthquake.

In 1950, the castle tower was designated as an Important Cultural Property under the new Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties.

In 1955, the collapsed keep was restored using the original materials.

In 1990, Kasumigajo Park was selected as one of the 100 best cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan.

On April 6, 2006, Maruoka Castle was selected as one of the 100 best castles in Japan (No. 36).