Cherry blossoms at Tatsuoka Castle
In 1863, Norikata Matsudaira, the lord of the Okudono domain in Mikawa Province, moved his domain office to Tanokuchi in Shinano Province, where the domain’s enclave was located, and built Tatsuoka Castle. It was at Inariyama Park that I learned that the former Usuda Town and Okazaki City in Aichi Prefecture began to interact with each other through this relationship.
From Inariyama Park, I headed toward Tatsuoka Castle. Last year, I missed the cherry blossoms at Tatsuoka Castle, but this year I made it in time.
I parked my car and came close to the moat. The water surface of the moat and the road in front of the Ote-bashi Bridge were covered with petals.
When I came near the Ote-bashi Bridge, the wind blew and the petals danced beautifully.
The last time I visited the site was last May. The moats had been drained to remove earth and sand.
I wanted to check what the current situation was.
I came to the northeast corner of the moat.
The earth and sand that had held back the water had been removed, and the moat was filled with water. Petals were floating on the surface of the water.
Where the stone wall was slightly crumbling, it had been repaired by piling up bags of gravel.
I thought they were going to fit stones into the missing parts, but instead, they were piled up in front of the stone wall. I think if this may be to distinguish the original part from the repaired part as a cultural asset.
The (former) Taguchi Elementary School building was not particularly changed, but it is scheduled to be demolished eventually.
The front entrance of the school building. The “Thank you Taguchi Elementary School” banner is still there.
The schoolyard, however, is a bit rundown, with dead grass standing out. I wonder if the gymnasium is no longer used by the community.
This is the Ote-bashi Bridge on the north side.
On the north side of the Ote-bashi Bridge is the “Goryokaku Deai-no-Yakata (Goryokaku Communication Center)", a tourist facility of the city, which is currently undergoing expansion work. It seems that they are planning to enhance the exhibits related to Tatsuoka Castle, Norikata Matsudaira, and Taguchi Elementary School.
Although I only read about it in a newspaper article, I am a little relieved to hear that the Taguchi Elementary School will be included in the exhibits.
A monument about Yuzuru Ogyu was built near there. It was donated in March 2024 by Okazaki City, with which Saku City has a relationship.
Yuzuru Ogyu was the posthumous name of Norikata Matsudaira. Together with Tsunetami Sano , Ogyu contributed to the establishment of Hakuai-sha, the predecessor of the Japanese Red Cross Society.
He also helped the Meiji government establish the Order of Merit system.
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Moved a little. This is about 300m north-northwest of Tatsuoka Castle.
Behind the torii gate, we can see a stone wall, which is the “Masugata" of Tatsuoka Castle and was originally the north entrance to the castle. Masugata is a square space separated by stone walls and gates.
This photo was taken from the west side of the torii gate.
The wooden explanation board was installed in 2005.
On the left side, a stone monument with the inscription “Historic Site of Tatsuoka Castle”. Its side is engraved that Tatsuoka Castle was designated as a historic site in 1934, but the monument itself was erected in 1954.
For the location of the monument, please refer to the photo of the map on the site.
Finally, I will end this article by transcribing the contents of the explanatory board.
“Historic Site of Tatsuoka Castle
This castle was built by Norikata Matsudaira, lord of the former Tatsuoka domain, as his residence. Construction began in March 1864 and was completed in April 1867.
The castle was abandoned in 1871 when the Tatsuoka domain was abolished, and all but a few of the buildings were removed, but the stonewalls and moat remain in the same condition as when the castle was built.
The five-cornered, star-shaped castle, which adopted the style of Western-style castles, is similar to Goryokaku in Hakodate, and is of historical value not only for its unique in the history of castles, but also as an example of how foreign cultures were introduced to the area at the end of the Edo period.
In May 1934, it was designated as a National Historic Site.
This place is located at the northern entrance to Tatsuoka Castle, and is a hook-shaped square that served both as a defense and as an offense. It is a valuable structure that has been preserved in good condition.
April 2005, Saku City Board of Education"