Nagoya Castle

A castle from the end of the Sengoku period. It is located in Nagoya, Chinzei-cho, Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture. The castle was built on a plateau at the tip of the Higashi Matsuura Peninsula, and was originally the base of the Nagoya clan, a member of the Matsuura Party, who were active as a navy in the Middle Ages. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Korea, he thought of building his headquarters here, which was the closest place to the Korean Peninsula, and began construction on the castle in 1591 (Tensho 19), completing it the following year in 1592 (Bunroku 1). Kato Kiyomasa and Terasawa Hirotaka were the magistrates for construction, and Kuroda Yoshitaka (Josui) was in charge of the layout. It was a vast castle on the plains, measuring 330 meters from east to west and 1.5 kilometers in circumference. The main citadel was located at the top of the plateau, and it had Ninomaru, Sannomaru, Yamazatomaru, Mizunote Kuruwa, and other enclosures. The lords of Kyushu were ordered to help with the construction. A five-story, seven-storey castle tower was built in the main citadel, and the castle's appearance in those days can be seen in detail in the "Hizen Nagoya Castle Folding Screen" (owned by Nagoya Castle Museum), which was released in 1968 (Showa 43). Hideyoshi resided in this castle for just over a year from 1593 (Bunroku 2), and there were 166 daimyo camps scattered around the castle, with over 100,000 troops stationed there at its peak, making it seem as if the entire peninsula on which the castle stood was a fortified city. After Hideyoshi's death, the castle was abandoned when the expeditionary forces returned home, and the buildings were demolished. The materials were transported to Karatsu Castle along with those from Kishidake Castle. Sendai Castle's Ninomaru Otemon Gate is said to have been moved from this castle, but was destroyed in a war disaster. Today, only the stone walls, moat, and foundation stones remain.

[Tetsuo Owada]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

戦国末期の城。佐賀県唐津(からつ)市鎮西(ちんぜい)町名護屋にある。城は東松浦(まつうら)半島突端の台地に築かれており、もともとは中世に水軍として活躍した松浦(まつら)党の1人名護屋氏の本拠が置かれていた所であった。豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉は朝鮮出兵にあたって、朝鮮半島に最短距離にあるこの地に本陣を築くことを考え、1591年（天正19）から築城の工をおこし、翌92年（文禄1）に完成させている。加藤清正(きよまさ)、寺沢広高(てらさわひろたか)を普請奉行(ふしんぶぎょう)とし、縄張りは黒田孝高(よしたか)（如水(じょすい)）が担当したもので、規模は東西約330メートル、周囲1.5キロメートルにも及ぶ広大な平城(ひらじろ)である。台地の頂上を本丸とし、二の丸、三の丸、山里丸、水の手曲輪(くるわ)などを備え、九州諸大名に手伝い普請を命じた。本丸には五層七階の天守閣が建てられ、往時の城の模様は1968年（昭和43）に世に出た「肥前名護屋城図屏風(びょうぶ)」（名護屋城博物館蔵）によって詳細にうかがうことができる。秀吉は1593年（文禄2）から1年余この城に在城しており、城の周囲には166か所の諸大名の陣営が散在し、全盛期には在陣軍勢は10万を超え、さながら城のある半島全体が要塞(ようさい)都市になっていたことを物語る。秀吉死後、遠征軍が帰国するとともに廃城となり建造物なども破却された。材は岸岳(きしだけ)城の材とともに、唐津城へ運ばれた。仙台城二の丸大手門はこの城から移築したものといわれているが、戦災で焼失してしまった。現在は石垣、堀、礎石などが残るのみである。

［小和田哲男］

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