Sunpu Castle ( 駿府城 , Sunpu-jō ) is a Japanese castle in Shizuoka City , Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan . The sobriquet of this feudal fortress was the "Castle of the Floating Isle". It was also referred to as Fuchu Castle ( 府中城 , Fuchū-jō ) or Shizuoka Castle ( 静岡城 , Shizuoka-jō ) .
51-699: During the Muromachi period , the Imagawa clan ruled Suruga Province from their base at Sunpu (modern-day Shizuoka City). It is not certain exactly when a castle was built on this site. After Imagawa Yoshimoto was defeated at the Battle of Okehazama in 1560, Suruga Province passed to the Takeda clan , and then to Tokugawa Ieyasu , who had spent his youth in Sunpu as Yoshimoto's hostage. In 1585, Ieyasu constructed
102-579: A base for the IJA 34th Infantry Regiment. In 1949, the army base was abolished, and the area turned over to the city government, which transformed the area into "Sunpu Park". Reconstruction projects in 1989 and in 1996 recreated the Tatsumi Yagura and eastern gate. [REDACTED] Media related to Sunpu Castle at Wikimedia Commons Muromachi period The Muromachi period or Muromachi era ( 室町時代 , Muromachi jidai ) , also known as
153-407: A hill (as in a spur castle ), giving an upper bailey and lower bailey . They can also be nested one inside the other, as in a concentric castle , giving an outer bailey and inner bailey . Large castles may have two outer baileys; if in line they may form an outer and middle bailey. On the other hand, tower houses lack an enclosed bailey. The most important and prestigious buildings, such as
204-574: A national consciousness of the role of the kamikaze in defeating the enemy. Less than fifty years later (1339–43), Kitabatake Chikafusa (1293–1354), the chief commander of the Southern Court forces, wrote the Jinnō Shōtōki . This chronicle emphasized the importance of maintaining the divine descent of the imperial line from Amaterasu to the current emperor, a condition that gave Japan a special national polity ( kokutai ). Besides reinforcing
255-401: A new Sunpu Castle on the approximate site of the former fortified Imagawa residence. He took up residence at the castle in 1586, along with his favored consort, Lady Saigō , and their two sons, Hidetada and Tadayoshi. Lady Saigo died at Sunpu Castle in 1589. After the defeat of the later Hōjō clan at the Battle of Odawara by Toyotomi Hideyoshi , Ieyasu was forced to change his domains in
306-421: A number of attendants, and do not in the least care to save money. They are, in short, a very warlike people, and engaged in continual wars among themselves; the most powerful in arms bearing the most extensive sway. They have all one sovereign, although for one hundred and fifty years past the princes have ceased to obey him, and this is the cause of their perpetual feuds. The Spanish arrived in 1587, followed by
357-488: A series of appointed overseers were based at Sunpu Castle to serve as administrators for the region. These officials were called the Sunpu jōdai ( 駿府城代 ) or Sushū Rioban , and were most often appointed from the ranks of the Ōbangashira . In 1635, most of Sunpu burned down in a fire, which also consumed the buildings of Sunpu Castle. By 1638, the palace, gates, yagura and other structures were reconstructed, but notably,
408-545: A year later in 1869. In 1871, American educator E. Warren Clark arrived in Shizuoka to teach science. Shortly thereafter, he directed construction of an American-style house on the grounds of the former castle. In 1873, Clark left Shizuoka for Tokyo. A western-style school, the Shizuhatasha (or Shizuhatanoya ) was established in the house which had been built for Clark; and a Canadian missionary, Davidson McDonald,
459-746: Is marked by the continued resistance of the supporters of Emperor Go-Daigo , the emperor behind the Kenmu Restoration . The Sengoku period or Warring States period, which begins in 1465, largely overlaps with the Muromachi period. The Muromachi period is succeeded by the Azuchi–Momoyama period (1568–1600), the final phase of the Sengoku period, and later by the Edo period (1603–1867). Emperor Go-Daigo 's brief attempt to restore imperial power in
510-520: Is nothing of which they are so proud as of weapons adorned with gold and silver. They always wear swords and daggers both in and out of the house, and when they go to sleep they hang them at the bed's head. In short, they value arms more than any people I have ever seen. They are excellent archers, and usually fight on foot, though there is no lack of horses in the country. They are very polite to each other, but not to foreigners, whom they utterly despise. They spend their means on arms, bodily adornment, and on
561-522: The Hana-no-gosho ( 花の御所 , Flower Palace) – were relocated by the third shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu , in 1378. What distinguished the Ashikaga shogunate from that of Kamakura was that, whereas Kamakura had existed in equilibrium with the imperial court, Ashikaga took over the remnants of the imperial government. Nevertheless, the Ashikaga shogunate was not as strong as Kamakura had been, and
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#1732776188713612-499: The Ashikaga period or Ashikaga era ( 足利時代 , Ashikaga jidai ) , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( Muromachi bakufu or Ashikaga bakufu ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shōgun , Ashikaga Takauji , two years after the brief Kenmu Restoration (1333–1336) of imperial rule
663-790: The Gohojo clan in Odawara provided protection later. Francis Xavier , a missionary of the Society of Jesus , who propagated Christianity in Japan, described that "the Ashikaga Gakko is the biggest and most famous academy of Bando in Japan (the university of eastern Japan)." Shukyu Banri, a priest and a composer of Chinese-style poems, went down to Mino Province in the Onin War, and then left for Edo at Dokan Ota's invitation. He traveled all over
714-776: The Hatakeyama clan in Noto Province , the Takeda clan in Wakasa Province , and the Asakura clan in Echizen Province . Meanwhile, in the eastern part of Japan, Norizane Uesugi re-established the Ashikaga Gakko , Japan's oldest surviving academic institution, by adding a collection of books and so priests and warriors from all over the country gathered there to learn. For the Ashikaga Gakko ,
765-531: The Kenmu Restoration alienated the samurai class, and Ashikaga Takauji deposed Emperor Go-Daigo with their support. In 1338 Takauji was proclaimed shōgun and established his government in Kyoto . However, Emperor Go-Daigo escaped from his confinement and revived his political power in Nara . The ensuing period of Ashikaga rule (1336–1573) was called Muromachi after the district of Kyoto in which its headquarters –
816-650: The Tōkai region with the provinces of the Kantō region , and turned Sunpu Castle over to Toyotomi retainer Nakamura Kazuichi in 1590. After the defeat of the Toyotomi at the Battle of Sekigahara , Ieyasu recovered Sunpu. With the formation of the Tokugawa shogunate , Ieyasu turned the title of shōgun over to his son Tokugawa Hidetada , and retired to Sunpu, where he set up a shadow government to maintain effective rule over
867-501: The daimyōs could back their own candidates. In time, the Ashikaga family had its own succession problems, resulting finally in the Ōnin War (1467–77), which left Kyoto devastated and effectively ended the national authority of the bakufu . The power vacuum that ensued launched a century of anarchy. The Japanese contact with the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) began when China was renewed during
918-403: The great hall and the keep or bergfried , were usually located in the inner bailey of the castle, sometimes called the central bailey or main bailey. Nonetheless, there are a few castles where the keep is outside the inner bailey, such as Château de Dourdan and Flint Castle . The lower or outer bailey often held less important structures, such as stables , if there was not enough space in
969-566: The shōgun at Kyoto. Yoshimitsu was finally successful in reunifying the Northern and Southern courts in 1392, but despite his promise of greater balance between the imperial lines, the Northern Court maintained control over the throne thereafter. The line of shoguns gradually weakened after Yoshimitsu and increasingly lost power to the daimyōs and other regional strongmen. The shōgun ' s influence on imperial succession waned, and
1020-576: The Dutch in 1609. The Japanese began to attempt studies of European civilization in depth, and new opportunities were presented for the economy, along with serious political challenges. European firearms, fabrics, glassware, clocks, tobacco, and other Western innovations were traded for Japanese gold and silver. Significant wealth was accumulated through trade, and lesser daimyō, especially in Kyūshū, greatly increased their power. Provincial wars became more deadly with
1071-662: The Germanic castles of the Holy Roman Empire , there is a distinction between a Vorburg and a Kernburg roughly corresponding to lower and upper baileys in English castles. In German-speaking countries, many castles had double curtain walls with a narrow enclosure outside the main walls, acting as a killing ground between them, referred to as a zwinger . The outermost wall was a Zwingermauer or type of low mantlet wall. These were often added at vulnerable points like
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#17327761887131122-588: The Kanto region, Echigo Province , and Hida Province . The above-mentioned Sesshu visited the Risshaku-ji Temple in Yamagata City , Dewa Province . In this period, local lords and local clans considered it indispensable to acquire skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic for the management of their territories. A growing number of land deeds were written by peasants, which means that literacy
1173-973: The Ming dynasty, traveled around Kyushu, he was invited by the Kikuchi clan in Higo Province and the Shimazu clan in Satsuma Province to give a lecture; and later, he established the Satsunan school (school of Neo-Confucianism in Satsuma). In Tosa, Baiken Minamimura, who lectured on Neo-Confucianism, became known as the founder of Nangaku (Neo-Confucianism in Tosa); in Hokuriku region , Nobutaka Kiyohara lectured on Confucianism for various daimyo such as
1224-459: The Muromachi period after the Chinese sought support in suppressing Japanese pirates in coastal areas of China. Japanese pirates of this era and region were referred to as wokou by the Chinese (Japanese wakō ). Wanting to improve relations with China and to rid Japan of the wokou threat, Yoshimitsu accepted a relationship with the Chinese that was to last for half a century. In 1401 he restarted
1275-515: The Muromachi period, the re-constituted Blue Cliff Record became the central text of Japanese Zen literature; it still holds that position today. Art of all kinds—architecture, literature, Noh drama, Kyōgen (comedy) , poetry, sarugaku (folk entertainment) , the tea ceremony , landscape gardening, and flower arranging—all flourished during Muromachi times. There was renewed interest in Shinto , which had quietly coexisted with Buddhism during
1326-592: The bakufu headquarters in Kyoto to reach all levels of society, strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism. Zen played a central role in spreading not only religious teachings and practices but also art and culture, including influences derived from paintings of the Chinese Song (960–1279), Yuan , and Ming dynasties. The proximity of the imperial court to the bakufu resulted in a co-mingling of imperial family members, courtiers, daimyō, samurai, and Zen priests. During
1377-534: The central region, which no daimyō had been able to control, and to the Inland Sea . Economic developments and the desire to protect trade achievements brought about the establishment of merchant and artisan guilds. By the end of the Muromachi period, the first Europeans had arrived. The Portuguese landed in Tanegashima south of Kyūshū in 1543 and within two years were making regular port calls, initiating
1428-476: The centuries of the latter's predominance. Shinto, which lacked its own scriptures and had few prayers, had, as a result of syncretic practices begun in the Nara period, widely adopted Shingon Buddhist rituals. Between the eighth and fourteenth centuries, Shinto was nearly totally absorbed by Buddhism, becoming known as Ryōbu Shinto (Dual Shinto). The Mongol invasions in the late thirteenth century, however, evoked
1479-747: The century-long Nanban trade period . In 1551, the Navarrese Roman Catholic missionary Francis Xavier was one of the first Westerners who visited Japan . Francis described Japan as follows: Japan is a very large empire entirely composed of islands. One language is spoken throughout, not very difficult to learn. This country was discovered by the Portuguese eight or nine years ago. The Japanese are very ambitious of honors and distinctions, and think themselves superior to all nations in military glory and valor. They prize and honor all that has to do with war, and all such things, and there
1530-684: The children are quick to grasp our lessons and instructions. They learn to read and write our language far more quickly and easily than children in Europe. The lower classes in Japan are not so coarse and ignorant as those in Europe; on the contrary, they are generally intelligent, well brought up and quick to learn." Teikin Orai (Home Education Text Book), Joe-shikimoku (legal code of the Kamakura shogunate), and Jitsugokyo (a text for primary education) were widely used in shrines and temples as textbooks for
1581-483: The concept of the emperor as a deity, the Jinnōshōtōki provided a Shinto view of history, which stressed the divine nature of all Japanese and the country's spiritual supremacy over China and India. Buddhism, arriving in the 6th century, impacted education but did not replace Shinto. Confucianism began to be recognized as essential to the education of a daimyo in the Muromachi period. When Genju Keian, who returned from
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1632-466: The country from behind the scenes. As part of the Tokugawa policy to sap potential rivals of economic strength, daimyōs from around the country were called upon to rebuild Sumpu Castle in 1607 with a triple moat system, keep and palace. When this burned down in 1610, the daimyōs were ordered to rebuild it immediately, this time with a seven-story donjon. The castle was visited by John Saris on
1683-562: The donjon was not, since Sunpu was ruled by an appointed administrator, rather than by a daimyō . After the Meiji Restoration , the final Tokugawa shōgun , Tokugawa Yoshinobu , resigned his post and moved to Sunpu in retirement. However, he was not allowed to move into Sunpu Castle, but was given the former Sunpu Daikansho offices to be his residence. His heir, Tokugawa Iesato , was briefly established as daimyō of "Shizuoka Domain" (700,000 koku ) in 1868 until its abolition
1734-553: The education of children of the warrior class. It was in the Sengoku Period that the following books were published: Setsuyoshu (a Japanese-language dictionary in iroha order) written by Soji MANJUYA, and "Ishotaizen" (The Complete Book of Medicine), a medical book in Ming's language, translated by Asai no Sozui, who was a merchant in Sakai City and a physician. The new Zen monasteries, with their Chinese background and
1785-510: The enclosure wall building material may have been at first in wood, and later transitioned to stone. Their layout depends both on the local topography and the level of fortification technology employed, ranging from simple enclosures to elaborate concentric defences. In addition to the gradual evolution of more complex fortification plans, there are also significant differences in regional traditions of military architecture regarding subdivisions into baileys. Baileys can be arranged in sequence along
1836-488: The first English trade mission to Japan in 1613. Saris and William Adams met with Ieyasu here to exchange gifts and negotiate terms for the East India Company to trade with Japan. After Ieyasu's death in 1616, Sunpu Castle remained the seat of government for the surrounding Sunpu Domain , which for most of its existence was a tenryō territory governed directly by the shōgun in Edo . During this period,
1887-558: The initial creative restrictions, Japanese Zen ink painting soon achieved poetic and indigenous expression as elements were rearranged in a Japanese manner, and brushstrokes became gentle, fluid and more impulsive. The Ōnin War (1467–77) led to serious political fragmentation and obliteration of domains: a great struggle for land and power ensued among bushi chieftains and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century. Peasants rose against their landlords and samurai against their overlords as central control virtually disappeared. The imperial house
1938-441: The inner bailey. Outer baileys could also be largely defensive in function, without significant buildings. In the concentric castles of the military orders, such as Krak des Chevaliers or Belvoir , the inner bailey resembled a cloistered monastery , while the outer bailey was little more than a narrow passage between the concentric enceintes . In general, baileys could have any shape, including irregular or elongated ones, when
1989-650: The introduction of firearms, such as muskets and cannons, and greater use of infantry. Christianity affected Japan, largely through the efforts of the Jesuits , led first by the Spanish Francis Xavier (1506–1552), who arrived in Kagoshima in southern Kyūshū in 1549. Both daimyō and merchants seeking better trade arrangements as well as peasants were among the converts. By 1560 Kyoto had become another major area of missionary activity in Japan. In 1568
2040-494: The martial rulers in Kamakura sought to produce a unique cultural legacy to rival the Fujiwara tradition. Hence, Chinese painter-monks were frequently invited to the monasteries while Japanese monks travelled back and forth. This exchange led to the creation of Muromachi ink painting which often included Chinese themes, Chinese ink-washing techniques, fluid descriptive lines, dry brushes, and almost invisible facial features. Despite
2091-462: The peasantry in permanent serfdom in exchange for protection. Most wars of the period were short and localized, although they occurred throughout Japan. By 1500 the entire country was engulfed in civil wars. Rather than disrupting the local economies, however, the frequent movement of armies stimulated the growth of transportation and communications, which in turn provided additional revenues from customs and tolls. To avoid such fees, commerce shifted to
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2142-461: The port of Nagasaki , in northwestern Kyūshū, was established by a Christian daimyō and was turned over to Jesuit administration in 1579. By 1582 there were as many as 150,000 converts (two percent of the population) and 200 churches. But bakufu tolerance for this alien influence diminished as the country became more unified and openness decreased. Proscriptions against Christianity began in 1587 and outright persecutions in 1597. Although foreign trade
2193-589: The tribute system, describing himself in a letter to the Chinese Emperor as "Your subject, the King of Japan". Japanese wood, sulfur, copper ore, swords, and folding fans were traded for Chinese silk, porcelain, books, and coins, in what the Chinese considered tribute but the Japanese saw as profitable trade. During the time of the Ashikaga bakufu, a new national culture, called Muromachi culture, emerged from
2244-413: The walls followed the contour lines of the terrain where the castle was sited. Rectangular shapes are very common (as in castra and quadrangular castles ). A particularly complex arrangement of baileys can be found at Château Gaillard . There is both a lower bailey separated from the main castle by a deep ditch, and a concentric arrangement inside the main castle with an inner and middle bailey. In
2295-570: Was brought to a close. The period ended in 1573 when the 15th and last shogun of this line, Ashikaga Yoshiaki , was driven out of the capital in Kyoto by Oda Nobunaga . From a cultural perspective, the period can be divided into the Kitayama and Higashiyama cultures (later 15th – early 16th centuries). The early years from 1336 to 1392 of the Muromachi period are known as the Nanboku-chō or Northern and Southern Court period. This period
2346-588: Was engaged to run it. McDonald later helped establish Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo. The castle grounds became property of Shizuoka City from 1889. Much of the moat system was filled in, and portions of the bailey either became a park, or were used as for prefectural government offices. In 1896, a large portion of the inner castle grounds was turned over to the Imperial Japanese Army as
2397-458: Was greatly preoccupied with civil war. Not until the rule of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (as shōgun , 1368–94, and chancellor, 1394–1408) did a semblance of order emerge. Yoshimitsu allowed the constables, who had had limited powers during the Kamakura period, to become strong regional rulers, later called daimyōs . In time, a balance of power evolved between the shōgun and the daimyōs ; the three most prominent daimyō families rotated as deputies to
2448-559: Was left impoverished, and the bakufu was controlled by contending chieftains in Kyoto. The provincial domains that emerged after the Ōnin War were smaller and easier to control. Many new small daimyō arose from among the samurai who had overthrown their great overlords. Border defenses were improved, and well fortified castle towns were built to protect the newly opened domains, for which land surveys were made, roads built, and mines opened. New house laws provided practical means of administration, stressing duties and rules of behavior. Emphasis
2499-416: Was put on success in war, estate management, and finance. Threatening alliances were guarded against through strict marriage rules. Aristocratic society was overwhelmingly military in character. The rest of society was controlled in a system of vassalage. The shōen (feudal manors) were obliterated, and court nobles and absentee landlords were dispossessed. The new daimyō directly controlled the land, keeping
2550-439: Was still encouraged, it was closely regulated, and by 1640, in the Edo period , the exclusion and suppression of Christianity became national policy. Ward (fortification) A bailey or ward in a fortification is a leveled courtyard , typically enclosed by a curtain wall . In particular, a medieval type of European castle is known as a motte-and-bailey . Castles and fortifications may have more than one bailey, and
2601-443: Was widespread even among the commoner class. The Italian Jesuit, Alessandro Valignano (1539–1606), wrote: "The people are white (not dark-skinned) and cultured; even the common folk and peasants are well brought up and are so remarkably polite that they give the impression that they were trained at court. In this respect they are superior to other Eastern peoples but also to Europeans as well. They are very capable and intelligent, and
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