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[Music] Today, I'm a bus guide, Grabi. I went to Ishikawa Prefecture for the first time, visiting Hokuriku Chubu. I have come to Ishikawa Prefecture, a city with many beautiful places. You can see it behind me; it's the symbol of Kenrokuen Garden. This is the Ishikawa Gate of Kanazawa Castle.
When you say Kanazawa, many people think of Kenrokuen Garden, I believe. Kenrokuen Garden is also a symbol of Kanazawa. The entrance is just behind me, but this time, I'd like to focus on Kanazawa Castle.
Speaking of Kanazawa Castle, after the Meiji Restoration, it was also used as the campus of Kanazawa University. However, in Heisei 7, the university campus moved to the suburbs, and here, the castle ruins are being restored. I think Kanazawa Castle is interesting. I want to talk about Kanazawa Castle.
It's April 1st, April Fool's Day. Cherry blossoms are in full bloom in Tokyo, but here, they are just beginning to bloom. You can see a few cherry blossoms, and the buds are swelling. The surroundings are gradually turning pink. Kanazawa Castle is famous as a cherry blossom viewing spot. Ideally, I would have shown you the full bloom, but the timing isn't quite right. Please imagine the cherry blossoms in full bloom as we head to Kanazawa Castle. The current temperature outside is 4 degrees Celsius. It's 5:40 AM, just sunrise. It's still a bit chilly in Kanazawa, but I'll do my best.
So, this time, I will be your guide. The cameraman is Miyuki-chan. She is carrying the camera today. Let's start our tour together. Please enjoy the video. We'll start by entering through the Ishikawa Gate. Let's go!
Now, this is the Hyakkenbori moat. The moat itself has been filled in, but it connected Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden. This is one of the seven entrances to Kenrokuen Garden, the Katsuzaka Gate. It's getting brighter and brighter.
Now, I'll show you the Ishikawa Yaguraya. You can see the two-story structure. The white plaster is very beautiful. A feature of this building is its lead-covered roof. The dull shine of the lead tiles is beautiful, and the white plaster is over a namako wall. It's a castle built for fire prevention and defense. Let's take a closer look at the beauty of this castle. Look, the cherry blossoms are blooming here. They've started blooming quite a bit.
We've arrived near the Ishikawa Yaguraya. This is a magnificent two-story Yaguraya. It was rebuilt in 1788 during the Edo period. It's an important cultural property. This is a two-story structure with a karhafu roof and bay windows. The lower part is a stone-dropping mechanism. The upper part, painted green, is a gun loophole. This is on the east side of the castle, built for defense. It stands as one of the gates of Kanazawa Castle.
Oh, really? Thank you. While I was talking, a couple walking by stopped to speak to us. They went on their way shortly, but it was nice to be noticed and complimented on our tour. It's a pleasant surprise to be recognized in Kanazawa.
This stone wall is a uchikomi-hagi style. We'll discuss the various styles of stone walls. We're going inside the Ishikawa Gate. Here, iron plates and rivets are used for the door. It's clear this was built for defense. Inside is a perfect masugata shape. A masugata is a structure that turns 90 degrees. This is a complete masugata structure. Let's go inside. If you look back, you'll see a korama style structure. I explained this at Odawara Castle, but these are roofed gate pillars. This form is called a korama mon, a distinctive feature of Kanazawa Castle.
Next, look at the hon-yagura. You can see it has an upper yaguraya. This is a yaguramon that would trap enemies and allow for attacks from above with guns. This structure was built for strong defense. Now, look at the stone walls. They're interesting. The main gate's stone wall is a kirikomi-hagi style. The stones are precisely cut and fitted together. This is a kirikomi-hagi style. Look here, the stacking method is different. This is an uchikomi-hagi style, with stones stacked and small stones filling the gaps. Why is one side kirikomi-hagi and the other uchikomi-hagi? This is the ingenuity and playful touches of Kanazawa Castle's stone wall construction. As a stone wall enthusiast, I'm fascinated. We're going inside. [Music]
Having passed through the Ishikawa Gate, we enter the San-no-maru. The Ishikawa Gate you just saw is actually a back gate. It faces the Ishikawa region, hence the name. Here is the San-no-maru, and you can see the restored Hishi-yagura, Gojukkan-nagaya, and Hashizume-mon-tsugi-yagura. Before we look at these, I want to visit this gate.
Let me guide you to the Kohoku Gate. It's located on the opposite side of the main gate. Entering from the Ote-mon Gate, this is the first entrance to the San-no-maru. It's a magnificent gate. This gate was restored in Heisei 22. Let's go inside. Look at these magnificent beams! The interior structure is impressive; the pillars are thick. From Heisei 13 to 27, many buildings were restored. An incredible amount of wood was used. Castle wood is more durable than that of ordinary buildings; countless pillars are used. About 70% of the wood is Noto Hiba from the northern part of Ishikawa Prefecture. Let's go inside.
We just went through a two-story yaguramon, a prominent gate. The structure visible here is a yaguramon, also with a korama structure. Ahead is the Shinmaru, and beyond that is the Otemon Gate. So, this is a crucial gate for entering the San-no-maru from the Otemon Gate. As you enter, look back at the plastered wall. It's a common earthen wall, but it's actually a hidden stone wall. Small stones are packed within the plaster. The plaster covers a skillfully constructed stone wall. This would deflect bullets. A strong will is hidden within.
We're on top of the Kohoku Gate's second gate. The view is great! The Kohoku Gate, restored in Heisei 22, and beyond it, the Hishi-yagura and Gojukkan-nagaya. This is truly a castle. It's hard to believe that there was a university here until Heisei 7. The restoration is exceptional. It has a long history. Kanazawa Castle served as the castle of 14 lords over 300 years. The present restoration reflects the late Edo period. Kanazawa Castle has suffered many fires, and each time, it has been rebuilt.
Kanazawa Castle is known as the castle of the Kaga million-koku domain, ruled by Maeda Toshiie. However, Kanazawa's development began when the Ikko sect established a temple here. This flourished for 100 years as a temple town. After the Ikko-ikki uprisings were suppressed, Oda Nobunaga ordered Shibata Katsuie's vassal, Sakuma Morimasa, to build Kanazawa Castle. In 1580, three years after Sakuma Morimasa built the castle, he was defeated in the Battle of Shizugatake. Toyotomi Hideyoshi then appointed Maeda Toshiie to take over Kanazawa Castle. The name Kanazawa had been used since the Ikko sect era. Maeda Toshiie renamed it Ozam-jo Castle, after Owari Province, his home. However, the second lord, Toshinaga, changed the name back to Kanazawa Castle. For 300 years, 14 lords of the Maeda clan made this their castle.
The Maeda family, an outside daimyo with a million-koku, was always under the watchful eye of the shogunate. While a defensive castle, it focused on art, tea ceremony, and culture. Maeda art, Maki-e lacquerware, and Kutani porcelain are well-known. It's truly beautiful. You see that colored cloth over there? That's the Niram-yagura-dai, a lookout point, complete with stone-dropping mechanisms and gun loopholes. You see the namako walls, the white plaster walls with the characteristic curved black tiles. They were built for fire protection, and by breaking one tile, you would reveal a gun loophole. There are hidden gun loopholes in the namako walls. Impressive for an outside daimyo with a million-koku.
We're back in the San-no-maru. The representative wooden structures of Kanazawa Castle are the Hishi-yagura, restored in Heisei 13; the Gojukkan-nagaya; and the Shizumen-tsugi-yagura. There are a total of 100 towers. It's the largest restored castle complex in Japan. When Maeda Toshiie entered, the castle had a tenshu (main keep) in the Honmaru. However, it burned down in 1602. It was never rebuilt, so the Hishi-yagura and other structures represented the castle. Unfortunately, it burned down in the fire of 1915. It was faithfully restored in Heisei 13. The Hishi-yagura, with its diamond shape, gets its name from this shape. From a distance, the diamond shape might not be clear, but the right side connects to the Ote-mon gate; the back, to the Kohoku Gate. It's a diamond shape so it can be seen from both directions. The Gojukkan-nagaya connects to the Shizumen-tsugi-yagura, smaller in scale. To build this, all the resources were mobilized, taking 46,000 boards. The white plaster is beautiful, 100 meters long. To prevent cracks from appearing due to the wind, 100 plasterers worked simultaneously. The Gojukkan-nagaya is two-story. The upper and lower windows are staggered to prevent visibility. This is the final defense protecting the lord's residence.
We've arrived at the Ume crest, the Maeda family crest, just below the karhafu roof. Impressive. The amount of karhafu roof used in the yagura and nagaya reflects the intentions of the Maeda clan. The crest is incorporated into the design. The stone wall is 11.7 meters high, with a 17-meter-high Hishi-yagura on top. The stone walls were constructed with existing stones, some new ones added. The restored inner moat uses lead-covered tiles like the Ishikawa Gate. The base stone wall is uchikomi-hagi. We will compare it to another later. [Music]
This is the Hashizume-mon Gate, rebuilt in Heisei 13, along with the Ichinoya-yagura. This gate connects to the Ninomaru, where the lord resided; therefore, it is extremely strong. The Hashizume-mon Gate, the Kohoku Gate, and the Ishikawa Gate are Kanazawa Castle's three main gates. Crossing the inner moat, we reach the Hashizume-mon Gate. This gate is also korama style. We cross the wooden Hashizume-mon Gate. The white plastered walls have hidden gun loopholes. By breaking a black tile, a gun loophole appears. There are three bay windows with stone-dropping mechanisms. It's a strong defense for a gate leading to the Ninomaru. Here's the back view of the gun loophole. The front is a beautiful namako wall, but in the back, a single black tile hides a gun loophole. The gun loopholes are low, as guns were fired from a kneeling position. Let's enter the Hashizume-mon Gate.
This door has iron plates and rivets. It's a perfect masugata shape. This is the largest masugata structure in the castle. It has a 20-meter-high wall. Here is the Hashizume-mon-tsugi-yagura and the yaguramon. There is no gap in the defenses. This gate was restored in Heisei 27. Now, let's look at these stone walls. See the colorful stones? These stones are called Dobutsu-ishi, from Tomiya near Kanazawa. They use red and blue-green stones. This is a kirikomi-hagi style. Another noteworthy point is this gate. Passing through the yaguramon, you arrive at the lord's residence in the Ninomaru. Notice the angle of the paving stones. They are intentionally placed at an angle, leading to the next gate. Usually, the stones are arranged in a grid pattern, but here, they are at an angle.
We're going through the second gate. The paving stones are made with the finest quality stones, Tomusho-ishi. Having passed through the Hashizume-mon Gate, the largest masugata in the castle, we've arrived at the Ninomaru, where the lord's residence was located. When Maeda Toshiie arrived, it was higher up, in the Honmaru, with the tenshu at its center. Takayama Ukon, known as the Christian daimyo, is said to have supervised its construction. Unfortunately, lightning struck and burned down the tenshu in 1602. It was not rebuilt, and the lord's residence moved to the Ninomaru. We'll head toward the Honmaru. You can see a yagura site on top.
Let's look at this stone wall beneath the Inui-yagura. It's uchikomi-hagi, and each stone has a mark. It shows who carried each stone. Marks are on the stones. These stone walls were common in the Keicho era (1596-1615). Kanazawa Castle suffered many fires, rebuilding the stone walls. The Keicho era is around 1620-1640. Marks are most common on stones from this period. This tunnel is from a different era. It's made of red brick. After the Meiji Restoration's abolition of the feudal system, this became an army garrison. An ammunition depot was built, creating this red brick tunnel in the stone wall. This thinner stone wall was constructed after the Meiji era. The original plan was to recreate the Edo-era style. Edo-era masonry skills were remarkable.
This is the Tsurumaru-kura, an important cultural property. In the castle grounds, the important cultural properties are the Ishikawa Gate, the Sanjukkan-nagaya, and the Tsurumaru-kura. Kanazawa Castle suffered many fires. The most severe was the great fire of 1759, and another in 1881, causing most of the castle to burn down. Only the Ishikawa Gate, Sanjukkan-nagaya, and Tsurumaru-kura remained. After Meiji 4, this served as a military warehouse for uniforms. This is one of the largest remaining warehouses. It is said that the stone wall on the east side of Tsurumaru-kura is the oldest in Kanazawa Castle, built in 1592. It's a wild stone wall, likely built by the Anauta-shu. [Music]
You can see the water drains on the oldest wild stone wall in the castle. This stone wall is impressive, steep and gentle sections, the base of a dry moat. From here, you can see the Honmaru, where the lord's residence was located. In the early Edo period, the tenshu and the lord's residence were in the Honmaru. A moat was dug here. We've come to the site of the Ushitora Yaguraya in the northeast corner of the Honmaru. The view is excellent. Look at the snow-covered mountain. There is still some snow left. The two mountains are Hakuhageyama (on the left) and Oku-Iouzan (on the right). This area is high, 939 meters above sea level. Slightly closer, the dark mountain is Tomushoyama. They quarried stone from that mountain. The prominent mountain in front is Kenrokuen Garden, the symbol of Kanazawa. This garden is across the Hyakkenbori moat from Kanazawa Castle. The castle grounds are 300,000 square meters; Kenrokuen, 100,000 square meters, one-third the castle. It's one of Japan's three great gardens. From the fifth lord's time, it began to take shape. On the left is the Kasuga-yagura, at the southeast corner of the Honmaru. From this Tategami Yaguraya, the view is stunning. It burned down in the Ho-reki era and was never rebuilt. From here, you can see Kenrokuen Garden. The cherry blossoms are not in full bloom, but the buds are pink. You can appreciate the contrast of the deep green of Kenrokuen and the cherry blossoms along the Hyakkenbori moat. They will soon be in full bloom. To the opposite direction, you can see Kanazawa city. The round building is the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. It's a very popular museum.
Next to the Odagura is the Maeda family's mausoleum, on Mount Nodayama. We're not visiting today. It involves a considerable walk up 256 steps. But the graves of Maeda Toshiie and the Maeda family are there. Kanazawa Castle is vast, so our tour continues. We'll continue next time. For now, let's find some delicious food. Let's visit the Ohmicho Market, Kanazawa's kitchen.
We're at Ohmicho Market, the kitchen of Kanazawa. When you think of delicious food in Kanazawa, this is the place. This is the Musashi Gate, a large entrance with about 180 shops. We're at the Musashi Gate entrance. From fresh produce to various shops, there are many delicious things here. It is Kanazawa's kitchen, with the freshest seafood. Ohmicho Market; locals call it Omicho. Its history is old, dating back to 1721, established as a wholesale market by merchants from Omi. Let's find something delicious. Let's go.
We're at Ohmicho Market, entering from the Musashi Gate, closest to Kanazawa Station. First, we're at the Sakana-dori (fish market). Turning right, we enter the Shin-dori. On the right are tofu dessert shops and sushi restaurants. On the left are vegetables and fruits. There's a lot of fresh seafood, along with delicious-looking fruit. We'll fast forward to the fresh fish market. I want oysters and hotaru-ika (firefly squid).
We've arrived at the fresh fish section. On both sides of this road is Sakana-dori. I wonder what delicacies we will find. I want to eat live shrimp and live scallops. We can also have bamboo shoots. I found it! Sea urchin, scallops, and nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch), fish of the Hokuriku region. Delicious! [Laughter] It's time for a food review. Let's start with the nodoguro. It's a fish from Hokuriku region.
The nodoguro. It's sweet. It's delicious! I'm so happy! We'll use soy sauce and wasabi as you prefer. Delicious! The texture is firm. The sweetness and the ocean smell are wonderful. A second bite. Sea urchin, button shrimp, and nodoguro. This is amazing. The taste and texture are amazing. It's sweet. [Music] This is a unique taste; I've never had anything quite like it. It's sweet, sour, and has a unique texture. Thank you for the delicious food. Another bite. It's really delicious.
[Laughter] It's all right, just try it! Ohmicho Market has a wide selection of high-quality seafood.
This is Jimura Suisan. Please visit! We'll have one more! We might have to visit several shops. That's a yakigai (grilled oyster) shop. Grilled oysters, scallops, butter scallops, clams, and a hama-yaki set. After much wandering, we settled on a seafood bowl. Delicious! It was truly delicious. The freshness and absence of odor are remarkable.
This concludes our tour of Kanazawa, the castle town of Kaga's million-koku domain. What did you think? It’s a beautiful town, with lots of greenery and delicious food. Please visit Kanazawa. See you next time! We’re not finished with Kanazawa. Next time, we'll continue our tour of Kanazawa Castle. Kanazawa Castle, a museum of stone walls, has many more highlights. We’ll visit the Koyama Shrine, dedicated to Maeda Toshiie. See you next time in Kanazawa! [Music]