After the defeat of Toyotomi Hideyori’s supporters in the Osaka Campaigns of 1614–1615, many clans in Japan still remained not fully loyal to the Tokugawa shogunate, especially in the western Chūgoku region. Mizuno Katsunari (1564–1651), a cousin of Tokugawa Ieyasu, became the first of the Tokugawa house’s close retainers, the so-called fudai daimyō, to be relocated to this strategically important area.
At first, Katsunari settled in Kannabe Castle, which had served as the main stronghold of the former province of Bungo. However, Kannabe was a typical mountain castle, from which it was difficult to effectively administer and control the lands granted to Katsunari. After obtaining permission from the shogunate, he moved his residence to the village of Nogami, since its coastal location offered significant strategic advantages. From there, it was convenient to keep watch over the subdued but potentially unreliable tozama daimyō in Hiroshima and Okayama, as well as to control the important transportation artery known as the San’yō Road.
Katsunari enjoyed full support from the Tokugawa house, including generous financial backing. As in the construction of Nijō Castle, the building of Fukuyama made extensive use of materials and entire structures from Fushimi Castle, which had once belonged to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and later to Tokugawa Ieyasu. In addition, materials from Kannabe Castle were also reused. This made it possible to construct a large-scale fortress in a relatively short period of time, despite the fact that construction was temporarily suspended in 1620 due to a major flood. The castle was finally completed in 1622.
On its northern side, the castle bordered the Komaru and Tenjin hills, while to the south it faced the Seto Inland Sea. Fukuyama was considered one of the most powerful castles of the Edo period. Its defensive system included seven three-story yagura towers, fifteen smaller towers, ten gates, and high stone walls (ishigaki) topped with earthen ramparts (dobei) or roofed corridors known as tamon-yagura.
Additional protection was provided by two moats, an outer and an inner one, which curved around the castle from the south. Water was supplied to the moats through a wide canal dug to connect them to the sea. The jōkamachi castle town that developed around the fortress was also incorporated into the overall defensive system.
After the shogunate issued the 1615 decree of “One province, one castle,” the construction of new main keeps (tenshu) required special permission, which is why many Edo-period castles lacked a central tower. Katsunari received such permission, indicating the high importance of Fukuyama to the Tokugawa shogunate. A five-tiered, six-story donjon was built in the northern part of the castle. It belonged to the fukugōshiki type, as a smaller auxiliary tower was attached to it.
The Mizuno clan ruled Fukuyama Castle and the Fukuyama Domain for five generations, until 1698. Since the last daimyō of the Mizuno line left no heirs, the domain came under the direct control of the shogunate. From 1700 to 1710, the domain was governed by Matsudaira Tadamasa, after which control of the castle was transferred to the Abe clan. Ten generations of the Abe clan held Fukuyama Castle until the Meiji government issued the decree for the dismantling of castles in 1873.
Between 1730 and 1750, part of the palace buildings of the main bailey, known as the honmaru goten, were relocated to the Abe clan’s residence in Edo. During the Bakumatsu period, in 1865, Abe Masakata, the ninth daimyō of the Fukuyama Domain, took part in the second punitive expedition against the Chōshū Domain. While preparations for this campaign were underway, a gunpowder explosion occurred in the Kushigata-yagura tower, causing a fire that destroyed the neighboring Yari-yagura and Teppō-yagura towers. During the Boshin War of 1868, the castle was attacked by imperial loyalist forces, but it did not suffer serious damage, as the Abe clan decided to side with the emperor.
After the abolition of the feudal domain system and the issuance of the castle dismantlement decree, most of Fukuyama Castle’s buildings were sold off to local residents and taken apart. The outer moat was filled in and built over, and in 1891 a railway station was constructed on the site of the inner moat.
Nevertheless, some structures of the main bailey, including the donjon, escaped demolition. They came under the ownership of the city and later the prefecture. In 1897, at the request of local residents, the buildings, which had fallen into disrepair by that time, were repaired at the prefecture’s expense.
With the enactment of the 1929 Law for the Preservation of National Treasures, several surviving structures received official protected status: the tenshu donjon was designated a National Treasure in 1931, while the Fushimi-yagura tower, the Sujigane-gomon gate, and the Goyūdono bathhouse received the same status in 1933. In 1936, the entire castle complex within the boundaries of the former main bailey was designated a National Historic Site.
However, a large portion of the structures that had survived the Meiji era, including the donjon, were destroyed during the bombing by American aircraft on August 8, 1945.
Only two structures of the second bailey, the ninomaru, have survived to the present day in their original form: the Fushimi-yagura tower and the Sujigane-gomon gate, both of which had originally been transferred from Fushimi Castle. Under the new 1950 Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, they were designated Important Cultural Properties and underwent major restoration work in 1952–1953.
In 1964, the castle complex within the boundaries of the main bailey (honmaru) and the second bailey (ninomaru) was once again designated a National Historic Site. For this purpose, the land of the ninomaru, which had previously been occupied by private buildings, was purchased.
In 1966, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Fukuyama’s designation as a city, several structures of the main bailey were reconstructed, including the donjon, the Tsukimi-yagura tower, and the Goyūdono bathhouse.
The donjon was rebuilt in reinforced concrete and takes the form of a five-tiered, six-story tower with an attached structure. Although its overall appearance resembles the prewar version, the reconstructed donjon is not an exact replica of the original.
In 1973, the Kagami-yagura, or Mirror Tower, was reconstructed, followed in 1979 by the Shōrō bell tower.
In 2022, the 400th anniversary of the completion of the historic Fukuyama Castle, the authorities carried out a major renovation of the reconstructed donjon, significantly altering its external appearance. The most notable change was the covering of the north side of the tower with black iron panels.
The northern side of the castle had traditionally been considered the most vulnerable, and for that reason the donjon had originally been reinforced with such armor panels specifically on its northern face. This type of one-sided armoring was not found in any other Japanese castle. Only a single photograph of Fukuyama Castle from the north side, taken in 1891, has survived, showing these panels; they are believed to have been added in the late Edo period.
In 2006, Fukuyama Castle was included by the Japan Castle Foundation (Nihon Jōkaku Kyōkai) in its list of the “100 Fine Castles of Japan.” The castle is also known by the names Hisamatsu and Iyo.
See also
-
Tiba Castle
The founder of the Chiba clan is considered to be Chiba Tsunesige (1083–1180), who in 1126 moved his residence to the Inohana area and built a strongly fortified stronghold there. Although Tsunesige himself came from the Taira clan, the Chiba clan later supported Minamoto no Yoritomo, the future founder of the first shogunate.
-
Sunomata Castle
Oda Nobunaga, as part of his “final solution” to the conflict with the Saitō clan, conceived the construction of a fort in the Sunomata area, which was intended to serve as a forward base for an attack on Inabayama Castle (later renamed Gifu). Sunomata was a swampy area located between Ogaki Castle, a stronghold of the Oda clan, and Inabayama, the main fortress of the Saitō clan. Earlier attempts to build fortifications in this area, carried out by Oda generals Sakuma Nobumori and Shibata Katsuie, had all ended in failure. After that, the task was entrusted to the young vassal Kinoshita Tokichirō, who later became known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
-
Shibata Castle
The exact time when structures first appeared on the site of the present-day castle is unknown; however, it is generally believed that the first fortified buildings were constructed here during the Muromachi period, when these lands were controlled by the Shibata clan.
-
Okayama Castle
According to a number of accounts, the earliest fortifications on the site of present-day Okayama Castle appeared as early as the 14th century and were built by the Nawa clan. The Asahigawa River was used as a natural defensive barrier, protecting one side of the fortifications.
In the early 16th century, the Kanamitsu clan constructed a new castle here, which at the time was known as Ishiyama. In 1573, it came under the control of the Ukita clan, after which Ukita Naoie (1529–1582) launched large-scale reconstruction efforts. He did not live to see the work completed, and construction was continued by his son Hideie. -
Nagahama Castle
Hashiba, later known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, received Odani Castle and the surrounding lands from Oda Nobunaga after the defeat of the Azai clan. However, Odani Castle was located high in the mountains, which made it poorly suited for the effective administration of the territory. For this reason, in 1575 Hideyoshi began constructing a new castle in the village of Imahama on the shore of Lake Biwa. Taking the character naga from Nobunaga’s name, he renamed both the village and the new castle Nagahama.
-
Kokura Castle
Kokura Castle is traditionally considered to have been founded by Hosokawa Tadaoki (1563–1645), although by the time the Hosokawa clan came to control these lands, the fortification had already existed since at least 1569 and was most likely built by members of the Mori clan.
-
Ikeda Castle
In 1334, Ikeda Noriyoshi built a small fort on this site, which over time was repeatedly expanded and rebuilt. During the Ōnin War of 1467–1477, the Ikeda clan supported the Western Coalition. As a result, Ikeda Castle was attacked and captured by the forces of the Eastern Coalition, but it was soon recaptured, allowing it to avoid serious destruction.
-
Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle
Aizu-Wakamatsu is the most powerful and at the same time the oldest castle in the Tōhoku region in the north of Honshu Island. Its history begins in the 14th century and is closely connected with the Ashina clan, whose members claimed descent from the legendary Taira family.
