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[Sumpu Castle Town (② The Tokugawa Clan's Enlightenment and Castles)] (Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Former Province: Suruga)



Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), who would later become the ruler of Japan, spent his childhood and final days in Sunpu, the capital of Suruga Province (present-day eastern Shizuoka Prefecture). Ieyasu was born as the eldest son of the Matsudaira clan, lord of Okazaki Castle in Mikawa Province (present-day eastern Aichi Prefecture), but because he was surrounded by the powerful Imagawa clan to the east and the Oda clan to the west, he was constantly exposed to turmoil and was forced to seek protection from the Imagawa clan in the east. However, in return, Ieyasu, the eldest son, was sent as a hostage to Sunpu, the home base of the Imagawa clan, at an early age, where he was taught by Tonomoto Motoimoto (1519-1560) and his senior vassal, Taigen Sessai (1496-1555). At that time, the Imagawa clan had established provincial laws such as the "Imagawa Kana Mokuroku" enacted by Yoshimoto's father, Ujichika (1471-1526), ​​and the "Imagawa Kana Mokuroku Supplement" updated by Yoshimoto, and attempted to transition to a "state governed by laws" that transcended the framework of the shugo daimyo of the Muromachi shogunate, building an advanced governing system that was ahead of the rest of the country. Many notable people who escaped the turmoil of the capital gathered in Sunpu, their base, and the first-class culture and art of the time flourished there. Ieyasu was able to witness the prosperity of this cultural city, which was unique in the Warring States period, at a sensitive age and feel its spirit firsthand.

However, after Sessai's death and Yoshimoto's death in the Battle of Okehazama five years later, the situation surrounding the Imagawa clan began to change. His successor, Ujizane (1538-1615), was unable to stop the successive defections of powerful clans, and Ieyasu finally became independent in Okazaki and began fighting the Imagawa clan. Eventually, at the invitation of the Takeda clan, he began to actively invade the Imagawa territory, and in 1568 the Imagawa clan was destroyed and Sunpu was reduced to ashes. After the Takeda clan was destroyed in 1582, Ieyasu took control of Suruga Province. In 1586 he moved his base from Hamamatsu to Sunpu, making it the capital of a vast territory spanning five provinces in the Tokai and Chubu regions. Ieyasu carried out full-scale construction work on the site of the former Imagawa clan mansion and built the new Sunpu Castle (photos 2-4). He firmly controlled the flow of people and goods along the Tokaido, and developed the castle town by reviving Shizuoka Sengen Shrine (photos 1, 5, and 6), where he had once held his coming-of-age ceremony, and had a hidden presence between Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the Hojo clan of Odawara in the Kinai region.
When the Hojo clan was destroyed in 1590, Ieyasu was transferred to Kanto, and Sunpu was ruled by Toyotomi vassal Nakamura Kazuuji (?-1600). However, after the Battle of Sekigahara and the establishment of the Edo Shogunate, Ieyasu handed over the position of Shogun to his son Hidetada (1579-1632), and returned to Sunpu as his own retirement castle. Ieyasu ordered various daimyo to begin repairs to Sunpu Castle through the so-called "national construction" program, expanding it into a huge flat castle with three moats and building a castle tower said to be seven stories tall at its center. This grandeur was nothing less than a symbol of Ieyasu's authority, and he dominated the country through his dual government with Hidetada in Edo.

Today's Shizuoka City is based on Sunpu Castle and the castle town from Ieyasu's time. Although only the Honmaru and Ninomaru remain of Sunpu Castle and the moat has been partially filled in, the vast grounds of over 18 hectares remain intact. In particular, the size of the inner moat, which is about 25 meters wide, can be considered the apex of a castle on the plains, and together with the restored turrets, it fully speaks of the splendor of the time. Furthermore, the adjacent Shizuoka City Museum of History (photos 7-10) has a unique design that deliberately leaves part of the remains of Sunpu Castle exposed and is built to cover it, and you cannot help but be amazed by the size and power of the remains that appear in the lobby. Furthermore, if you visit the exhibits that carefully explain the development of Sunpu and Ieyasu, you can experience the greatness with a strong sense of realism.
Generally speaking, the Edo period intentionally limited exchange with foreign countries, and is often seen as an introverted period in the long history of Japan. However, before the so-called "national isolation", Sunpu during Ieyasu's lifetime was undoubtedly an international city. With trade with European countries booming at the time, Ieyasu actively brought many foreigners and foreign cultures into Sunpu and used them in politics. Learning about his achievements at Shizuoka City Museum of History, you can see that Ieyasu was reflecting on the way the city was under the Imagawa clan, but was also trying to lead Sunpu into an evolved cultural city of a new era.

Recommended for solo travelers: ★★★ (There are quite a few people, but it's a large place so it doesn't bother me)

Visited: 3rd Sunday in May around 2pm

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Post by hanakin_kozakura | Feb 11, 2025

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