Hiroshima castle before bomb (greyscale version)

, sometimes called , is a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

, Japan that was the residence of the ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

'' (

feudal lord An overlord in the Kingdom of England, English Feudalism in England, feudal system was a lord of the manor, lord of a manor who had Subinfeudation, subinfeudated a particular Manorialism, manor, Estate in land, estate or fief, fee, to a Leaseho ...

) of the

Hiroshima Domain The was a domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1601 to 1871. The Hiroshima Domain was based at Hiroshima Castle in Aki Province, in the modern city of Hiroshima, located in the Chūgoku region of the island of Ho ...

. The castle was originally constructed in the 1590s, but was destroyed by the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945. The castle was rebuilt in 1958, a replica of the original that now serves as a museum of Hiroshima's history before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

History

Mōri Terumoto Mōri Terumoto (毛利輝元, January 22, 1553 – June 2, 1625) was a Japanese ''daimyō''. The son of Mōri Takamoto, and grandson and successor of the great warlord Mōri Motonari, he fought against Oda Nobunaga but was eventually overco ...

, one of

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

council of Five Elders The Council of Five Elders (Japanese: :jp:五大老, 五大老, ''Go-Tairō'') was a group of five powerful feudal lords (Japanese: 大名, ''Daimyō'') formed in 1598 by the Regent (Japanese: 太閤 ''Sesshō and Kampaku, Taikō'') Toyotomi Hideyo ...

, built Hiroshima castle between 1589 and 1599. It was located on the delta of the Otagawa river. There was no Hiroshima city or town at the time, and the area was called Gokamura, meaning "five villages". Beginning in 1591,

moved from

Yoshida-Kōriyama Castle was a Japanese castle located in Akitakata, Hiroshima, Akitakata, Hiroshima Prefecture. History Yoshida-Kōriyama Castle was initially built as a small castle in Aki Province in the 14th century, but was later expanded into a large castle by M� ...

and governed nine provinces from this castle, including much of what is now

Shimane is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguc ...

, Yamaguchi, Tottori,

Okayama is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per km2. The total area is . The city is ...

and

Hiroshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 8,479 km² (3,274 sq mi). Hiroshima Prefecture borders Okayama ...

s. When construction on the castle began, Gokamura was renamed Hiroshima, as a more impressive name was called for. "Hiro" was taken from

Ōe no Hiromoto Ōe no Hiromoto (, 1148–1225) was a Japanese '' kuge'' (court noble) and vassal of the Kamakura shogunate, and contributed to establishing the shogunate's governmental structure. Life A great-grandson of the famous scholar Ōe no Masaf ...

, an ancestor of the Mōri family, and "Shima" was taken from

Fukushima Motonaga may refer to: Japan * Fukushima Prefecture, Japanese prefecture ** Fukushima, Fukushima, capital city of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan ***Fukushima University, national university in Japan ***Fukushima Station (Fukushima) in Fukushima, Fukushim ...

, who helped Mōri Terumoto choose the castle site. Some accounts state that the name "Hiroshima", meaning "wide island", comes from the existence of several large islands in the delta of the Otagawa, near the castle's site. Following the

battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu prefecture, Japan, at the end of ...

in 1600, Mōri was forced out of the castle, retreating to Hagi in today's

Yamaguchi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 Square kilometre, km2 (2,359 Square mile, sq mi). Y ...

Fukushima Masanori was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Sengoku period to early Edo period who served as lord of the Hiroshima Domain. A retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he fought in the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583, and soon became known as one of Seven Spears ...

became the lord of Aki and Bingo Provinces (which today make up

) and of Hiroshima castle. However, the new

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

forbade any castle construction without permission from Edo; this was part of how the shogunate kept the ''daimyōs'' from gaining power and overthrowing the shogunate. When Fukushima repaired the castle following a flood in 1619, he was dispatched to Kawanakajima in today's

Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...

Asano Nagaakira was a Japanese samurai of the early Edo period who served as ''daimyō'' of Wakayama Domain, and was later transferred to the Hiroshima Domain. Biography Born Asano Iwamatsu, he was the son of Asano Nagamasa, who was a senior retainer of Toyo ...

then became lord of the castle. From 1619 until the abolition of the feudal system during the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

(1869), the

Asano family The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan, and the Emperor Seiwa (850-881), the 56th Emperor of Japan. The Main Lineage (''sōke'', 宗家) were Lords (daimyō) of the Hiroshima Domain in Aki Province a ...

were lords of Aki and Bingo Provinces. After the Meiji Restoration, the castle came to serve as a military facility, and the

Imperial General Headquarters The was part of the Supreme War Council and was established in 1893 to coordinate efforts between the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during wartime. In terms of function, it was approximately equivalent to the United States ...

was based there during the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the po ...

in 1894–1895. The foundations of several of the GHQ outbuildings, just a few hundred paces from the castle's main tower, remain today. During the final months of World War II, the castle served as the headquarters of the

2nd General Army ''Dai-ni Sōgun'' , image = , caption = , dates = April 8, 1945-November 30, 1945 , country = Empire of Japan , allegiance = Empe ...

and Fifth Division, stationed there to deter the projected Allied invasion of the Japanese mainland. The castle was destroyed in the atomic bomb blast of August 6, 1945, and for many years, it was believed the castle structure was blown away by the explosion that destroyed Hiroshima, but newly discovered evidence suggests the explosion only destroyed the lower pillars of the castle, and the rest of it collapsed as a result. The present tower, constructed largely of concrete, was completed in 1958.

''Daimyōs'' of Hiroshima

(1591–1600)*; 1,120,000 ''

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. 1 koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about . It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1000 gō. One ''gō'' is the volume of the "rice cup", the plastic measuring cup that is supplied ...

'' #

(1600–1619); 498,223 ''koku'' # Kamon Asano

(1619–1632); 426,500 ''koku''** # Kamon Asano

Asano Mitsuakira Asano Mitsuakira (September 11, 1617 – May 27, 1693) was a Japanese samurai of the early Edo period who served as ''daimyō'' of the Hiroshima Domain from 1632 to 1672. His childhood name was Ichimatsu () and later become Iwamatsu (). Family * ...

(1632–1672) # Kamon Asano

Asano Tsunaakira was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who ruled the Hiroshima Domain. Two of his consorts were daughters of the court noble and regent Kujō Michifusa. His childhood name was Iwamatsu (). Family * Father: Asano Mitsuakira * Mother: Ma ...

(1672–1673) # Kamon Asano

Asano Tsunanaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who ruled the Hiroshima Domain. He held the title of '' Aki no kami''. His childhood name was Iwamatsu (岩松). During the 47 ''rōnin'' incident, Tsunanaga sent a messenger to Akō, which was r ...

(1673–1708) # Kamon Asano

Asano Yoshinaga was a Japanese samurai and feudal lord of the late Sengoku and early Edo periods. His father served as one of the '' Go-Bugyō'' in the late Azuchi–Momoyama period. Asano Yoshinaga was born at Odani, in the Asai district of Ōmi Province, in ...

(1708–1752) # Kamon Asano

Asano Munetsune Asano Munetsune (September 27, 1717 – January 2, 1788) was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of period, who ruled the Hiroshima Domain. His childhood name was Senjirō (仙次郎) later Iwamatsu (岩松). Family * Father: Asano Yoshinaga (Lord of Hiroshima ...

(1752–1763) # Kamon Asano

Asano Shigeakira Asano Shigeakira (December 2, 1743 – January 4, 1814) was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who ruled the Hiroshima Domain. Family * Father: Asano Munetsune * Mother: Izumi no Kata * Wives: ** Tokugawa Kunihime (1736–1767), daughter o ...

(1763–1799) # Kamon Asano

Asano Narikata Asano Narikata (November 5, 1773 – January 4, 1831) was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who ruled the Hiroshima Domain. His childhood name was Jinnosuke (時之丞) later Zenjirō (善次郎). Family * Father: Asano Shigeakira * Mother ...

(1799–1830) # Kamon Asano

Asano Naritaka (1831–1858) # Kamon Asano

Asano Yoshiteru was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who ruled Hiroshima Domain. His childhood name was Sadakichi (定吉) later become Sadanosuke (定之丞) later become Zenjirō (善次郎). Family * Father: Asano Naritaka * Wife: Tokugawa Toshi ...

(1858–1858) # Kamon Asano

Asano Nagamichi was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who ruled Hiroshima Domain The was a domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1601 to 1871. The Hiroshima Domain was based at Hiroshima Castle in Aki Province, in the ...

(1858–1869) # Kamon Asano

Asano Nagakoto Marquis was a ''daimyō'' of Hiroshima Domain for a short time after the Meiji Restoration. For the rest of the Meiji period, he was a politician and diplomat, and was one of the last surviving Japanese ''daimyō'' ( Hayashi Tadataka and Wa ...

(1869–1871) *''The years listed are those in which the lord occupied Hiroshima castle, not the years of his life.'' **''All of the lords after Asano Nagaakira enjoyed the same 426,500 ''koku''.

Structure

Ninomaru, Hiroshima Castle, West view 20190417 1

The castle was originally constructed in wood, pine primarily, and had attached wings to the east and to the south. It was completed sometime between 1592 and 1599, and was designated a

National Treasure The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the fundame ...

in 1931. The reconstructed castle features the main tower (''tenshu'') only, which is made primarily of reinforced concrete. Its five floors stand above the stone foundation, which, in turn, is high off the ground. However, in 1994, a gate and a ''yagura'' in the ''ninomaru'' were re-constructed out of wood using the original methods. An excellent example of a ''hirajiro'' or flatlands (plains) castle, Hiroshima castle once had three concentric moats in addition to the Otagawa river to the west (now called the Hongawa), which provided an additional natural barrier. The two outer moats were filled in during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and much of what was once within the castle grounds is now modern urban area, including homes, schools, offices and shops. A number of secondary castle buildings, towers and turrets once stood, and a

Shinto shrine A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...

called Hiroshima Gokoku Jinja is located within the innermost moat, having been moved there after 1945. Within the castle walls, three trees survived the atomic bombing: a

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...

and a

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

at approximately 740 m from the

hypocenter In seismology, a hypocenter or hypocentre () is the point of origin of an earthquake or a subsurface nuclear explosion. A synonym is the focus of an earthquake. Earthquakes An earthquake's hypocenter is the position where the strain energy s ...

, and a

holly ''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...

approximately 935 m from the hypocenter. Both specimens are preserved just beyond the Honmaru. Also located inside the Honmaru is the concrete bunker from which the first radio broadcast out of Hiroshima following the atomic bombing was made.

Notes

References

Hiroshima Castle tourist brochure obtained at the castle

James McMullen, "The Worship of Confucius in Hiroshima" ''Japonica Humboldtiana'', vol. 16 (2013) pp. 83-107

External links

*
Junji Akechi, "New theory offered for collapse of Hiroshima Castle tower in the bombing" Chugoku Shimbun Website
*
Virtual tour of Hiroshima Castle examining its modern history on the Japan's Modern Castles YouTube channel
{{Authority control Castles in Hiroshima Prefecture Tourist attractions in Hiroshima Museums in Hiroshima History museums in Japan Houses completed in 1599 Historic Sites of Japan Buildings and structures in Japan destroyed during World War II Old National Treasures of Japan Rebuilt buildings and structures in Japan Lowland castles Mōri clan