HISTORY

History of Karatsu Castle

The first lord of the castle, Terasawa Shima no kami Hirotaka, was responsible for transporting troops and supplying food during the construction of Nagoya Castle and the invasion of Korea. He was trusted by Hideyoshi, and Hirotaka was assigned the domain of Hata Mikawanokami, the lord of Kishidake Castle. When building Karatsu Castle, Hirotaka implemented major renovations at the mouths of the Matsuura and Kanda Rivers. He completed the castle as a fortress surrounded by the sea and mouth of the river. This work took seven years to complete—utilizing Nagoya Castle’s construction materials, the cooperation of the Kyushu clans centering on the Satsuma and Higo clans, and the masonry techniques of the Ano-Ushu.

PAST DAIMYO

Past Daimyo (Japanese feudal lords) of Karatsu Castle

After the first two generations, the Terasawa clan ceased to exist and the Karatsu domain was ruled by the feudal lords Okubo, Matsudaira, Doi, Mizuno, and Ogasawara. After a year of official rule. This was because the shogunate considered the Karatsu domain as playing an important custodial role for Nagasaki and also acting as a watchdog over powerful foreign feudal lords in Kyushu.

TERASAWA1593-1647

Terasawa served as a vassal of Hideyoshi and—at the time of the invasion of Korea—built the castle of Nagoya and provided transportation for troops and food supplies. In 1595, Terasawa Hirotaka replaced Hata Chikashi, who had been appointed to the Karatsu domain by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He fought hard in the Battle of Sekigahara as a member of the Eastern Army. With the addition of 40,000 goku in the Amakai territory, he built Karatsu Castle, divided the castle area, made major repairs to the Matsuura River, planted black pine trees (today’s Nijinomatsubara), and established the foundation for Karatsu as a daimyo (feudal lord) with 123,000 goku.

Okubo1649-1678

The first Tadatomo Okubo entered the Akashi domain of Harima in 1649. He established a system of three village headmen under the headman and implemented the Karatsu clan’s unique village headman system and shoya transfer system, thereby strengthening the control of local villages.

Matsudaira1678-1691

Three generations, 14 years old, and 70,000 Goku. In 1678, Matsudaira Izumi-no-Mori Norihisa entered the Karatsu domain from Sakura in Shimousa. In 1682, a famine struck the Karatsu domain, killing over 1,800 people. Noriharu Nodairai II built Muryoken in Ama-machi as a temple for the repose of the souls of the dead. Norioppu Nodairai III inherited the governorship at the age of five and moved to Toba in Shima the following year; thus, he never came to Karatsu.

Doi1691-1762

The Doi clan promoted education and encouraged industry within the clan. Encouraged by profit, the Confucian school of the scholar, Okutoe, and the private cram school of Yoshitake Houmei flourished. Additionally, the opening of imperial kilns for Karatsu porcelain, whaling, Japanese paper, and other industries within the domain were encouraged to improve the economy.

Mizuno1762-1817

During the Mizuno clan’s reign, seven years of bad harvests, as well as droughts and floods, hit the domain, beginning in 1764. However, the clan reformed its finances by raising taxes, which led to the “Nijinomatsubara Revolt” in 1771, and Tadahuni IV, as a senior shogunate official, was known for his “Tempo Reforms” following his move to Hamamatsu.

Ogasawara1817-1871

The Ogasawara clan, the last feudal lord of the Karatsu domain, monopolized the sale of sumac, paper mulberry , dried abalone, and dried sea squirts, as well as coal and whaling , to rebuild the domain's strained finances, thereby increasing economic power in the domain. Nagamichi, Nagamasa’s son, was a prominent figure during the final years of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Nagamichi was promoted to the rank of “senchu” (chief lieutenant) and was instrumental in the Namamugi Incident and the second conquest of Choshu.

Azuchi Castle, Nagoya Castle

Stone wall leading to Karatsu Castle

Karatsu Castle was built by Hirotaka Terasawa Shima no Kami,

a general who was promoted for his distinguished

service in the Battle of Sekigahara,

on a hill (Mt. Mitsushima) jutting out

like a peninsula at the mouth of the Matsuura River.

Karatsu Castle is the center of the castle town of Karatsu,

nd numerous stone walls can still be seen today.

The stone walls of Karatsu Castle are believed to

have been constructed by the “Ano-Ushu ,” who were involved in building

the stone walls of Azuchi and Nagoya Castles.

Other “gold leaf tiles”—believed to have first been

used by Oda Nobunaga at Azuchi Castle—

were also inherited by Osaka and Nagoya Castles,

built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and found at Karatsu Castle. In Karatsu,

several aspects of Azuchi-Momoyama culture

have been handed down over the past 400 years,

including Noh, Joruri, the tea ceremony, and Karatsu ware.

Karatsu Castle was built by Hirotaka Terasawa Shima no Kami, a general who was promoted for his distinguished service in the Battle of Sekigahara, on a hill (Mt. Mitsushima) jutting out like a peninsula at the mouth of the Matsuura River. Karatsu Castle is the center of the castle town of Karatsu, and numerous stone walls can still be seen today. The stone walls of Karatsu Castle are believed to have been constructed by the “Ano-Ushu ,” who were involved in building the stone walls of Azuchi and Nagoya Castles. Other “gold leaf tiles”—believed to have first been used by Oda Nobunaga at Azuchi Castle—were also inherited by Osaka and Nagoya Castles, built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and found at Karatsu Castle. In Karatsu, several aspects of Azuchi-Momoyama culture have been handed down over the past 400 years, including Noh, Joruri, the tea ceremony, and Karatsu ware.

Architectural Techniques at Azuchi Castle

Karatsu Castle was built using materials from the dismantled Nagoya Castle, and several of the field masonry techniques were created by stone masons from various parts of Kyushu, including professional Anata-shu masonry workers dispatched from Omi. The stone wall walkway exhibits field masonry, hammered-in masonry, and cut-in masonry built by the Anata-shu, who remained in the area after Nagoya Castle was destroyed, as well as other masonry masons from various regions.

Three Types of Stone Wall Building

At Karatsu Castle and the Stone Wall Path, visitors can see various types of stone wall piling. In some parts of the site, stone walls called nomen-zumi, uchikometsuke, and kirikometsuke are still visible. The techniques of the Anata-shu, who moved to this area, were used to build torii gates, komainu (guardian dogs), and stone walls for terraced rice paddies.

Anego-no-se

When Karatsu Castle was built, Terasawa, the first lord of the domain, made efforts to improve the Matsuura and Machida Rivers to facilitate water transportation and to avoid damage from floods and other disasters. According to one theory, the castle was built using stone walls transferred from Nagoya Castle to prevent invasion from the sea.

The Story of History Told by the Stone Walls

Crest of the Shimazu of the Satsuma Domain

On the stone wall by the gate on the right side of the entrance to the Karatsu Castle keep, one can see a stone wall engraved with a cross in a circle . This is the crest of the Shimazu family of the Satsuma Domain, which indicates that this castle was built with the assistance of various feudal lords in Kyushu after Nagoya Castle was abandoned.

Certificate of Cooperation

There is a moat named “Higo Moat” at the southern end of San-no-maru. This name is a sign of respect to Kiyomasa Kato, the lord of the Higo domain, who helped build the castle. Along with the Higo moat, the moats around the castle, including the Satsuma, Choshu, Saga, and Yanagi moats, were named after the territories of the feudal lords who cooperated in castle construction.