Maruoka Castle

The stone tiles at Maruoka Castle are very valuable. The Maruoka area where the castle is located is a region with heavy snowfall, so normal stone tiles cannot withstand the weight and easily break. Therefore, tiles made of Shakudani stone, which can only be quarried at Mount Ashiba near Fukui Station in Fukui Prefecture, are used. Shakudani stone is a very valuable stone that is no longer being mined. In addition, the stone walls use an old method called "nozura-zumi," where stones are irregularly stacked, but the characteristic is good drainage.

Maruoka Castle is said to have the oldest castle tower in Japan. This is influenced by its old-fashioned appearance, which is typical of castle towers built during the Sengoku period before the Edo period. (In a 2019 academic survey in Sakai City, it was discovered that it was built in the early Edo period.) It's recommended to view the powerful castle tower of Maruoka Castle from a distance, as you can appreciate its great appearance from afar.

Maruoka Castle is also famous as a cherry blossom spot and has been selected as one of Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots. Legend has it that when the castle was attacked by the Ikkō-ikki, a giant snake appeared from a well and saved the castle by covering it with a mist, which is why Maruoka Castle is also known as "Kasumi-ga Castle". In spring, when the cherry blossoms bloom, Maruoka Castle is covered in cherry blossoms and becomes a stunning sight reminiscent of a misty landscape.

Katsuto Shibata, who built Maruoka Castle, decided to sacrifice a human pillar because the stone wall of the castle keep collapsed many times. A human pillar refers to burying a living person in the ground to soothe the hearts of the gods when large-scale and difficult construction projects such as castles and bridges do not go well. When Maruoka Castle was built, a woman named Oshizu became the human pillar on the condition that her child would be employed. However, since the castle lord changed from Katsuto, Oshizu's child was not employed. Since then, heavy rain has fallen around the time of rice planting, which the local people call "Oshizu's tears of rain." A memorial monument to comfort Oshizu's spirit remains near the castle keep. Please take a look and pay attention to it.

"Ichihi-kei-jo, hi no yojin, Osen nakasu na, uma ko ya se." This is said to be a letter written by Honda Juji, a loyal retainer of the Tokugawa family, to his wife. It is considered a model of a letter that conveys one's thoughts clearly and concisely. The "Osen" mentioned in the letter refers to Juji's son, Narushige, who later became the lord of Maruoka Castle and helped to revitalize the Honda family. This letter by Juji led to the creation of the "Ichihi-kei-jo Award" for Japan's shortest letter, and a museum dedicated to Japan's shortest letters was also established. The museum features video exhibits of past award-winning works and more. Be sure to visit the Museum of Japan's Shortest Letter, "Ichihi-kei-jo."