[History] The Phantom Mountain Castle: Kannonji Castle (Part 3)

In the previous installment, I introduced the fact that numerous baileys existed at Kannonji Castle.

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[History] The Phantom Mountain Castle: Kannonji Castle (Part 2) | Akada's Memorandum

What exactly were those buildings like? This time, I would like to delve a little deeper into the castle and its surrounding facilities.

・Roof structure of the buildings at Kannonji Castle

Although there were many buildings, archaeological excavations have confirmed that roof tiles have not been unearthed at all at Kannonji Castle. Furthermore, based on the structure of the buildings, expert opinions, and the fact that their habitat has existed in the vicinity since ancient times, Tanaka concludes that the buildings at Kannonji Castle were not tiled, but rather reed-thatched.
(Ibid., p. 141.)

・Existing gardens

Also, it is said that all of these large baileys and residences were equipped with gardens featuring ponds, flat gardens, or front gardens. Among them, there were large gardens of the strolling pond style that incorporated waterfalls, as well as what are presumed to be dry landscape gardens, and the Hirai bailey is said to have had reception rooms and tea rooms. In this way, although they no longer exist, we can catch a glimpse of the lives of the warriors of that time through these remains.
(Ibid., pp. 38-42.)

・Regarding the water moats

So far, we have looked at individual residences and baileys, but I would like to look at Kannonji Castle on a larger scale. Therefore, I would like to focus on the relationship with "water," which can be said to be one of the most important items when building a castle in general.

In large castles, it is common to build water moats to prevent enemy intrusion, and in such cases, castles are often built near the sea or lakes. In fact, Kannonji Castle was also adjacent to Lake Biwa on the west side of Mt. Azuchi at the time, although it has since been filled in due to the Daichu land reclamation project.
(It is said that Tsuda Port in Omihachiman was used when utilizing transport on the lake.)

And while Kannonji Castle is thought to have been a castle with water moats, what is surprising about this castle is that the water used for the moats was not drawn from Lake Biwa, but rather from the upper reaches of the Echi River (Imoto Village, Kanzaki District), where a ten-plus kilometer waterway was constructed, passing through twenty-plus villages to reach Ishidera at Kannonji Castle.

Furthermore, this served not only as a water moat but also as an irrigation channel that could be used in the fields of a vast area extending to the townspeople of the castle town and parts of Yokaichi, Gokasho, Azuchi, and Omihachiman. This is considered to have been a major construction project that was extremely difficult at the time, and it gives us a glimpse into the prosperity of the Omi Sasaki clan, who were able to realize it.
(Ibid., pp. 29-30.)

Moreover, despite constructing such a massive waterway, the terrifying thing about Kannonji Castle is that it also possessed a water source within the castle.

Fresh water gushed out on Mt. Kannonji (Mt. Kinugasa), and even near the summit (400 meters above ground), it is said that it never dried up even during prolonged droughts. There are rarely any castles in all of Japan that can possess such an abundant water source, and since the water source was enclosed within the castle walls, there was no fear of it being cut off from the outside, making it a castle suitable for a siege. In fact, it can be confirmed that there were many wells, both as physical remains and as place names.

(Ibid., p. 80.)

・The castle town and the system of castle guards

The place name at the southern foot of Mt. Kannonji is Ishidera (present-day: Ishidera, Azuchi-cho, Omihachiman City), and it is said that there existed the Rakuichi (free market) castle town of Ishidera, which was once touted as the best in Japan and pioneered the practice before the era of Oda Nobunaga. The water moat introduced earlier was spread around the outside of this castle town, and many townspeople lived within it. Even today, the private houses in this area are all built on stone walls comparable to old castle fortifications, preserving the remains of that time, and these traces can be seen throughout the entire area, not only in Ishidera and Katahara but also extending to Shimizu-bana in Gokasho-cho, which is adjacent to the east.

Also, as evidence that many people lived here, Tanaka cites the Zaiban (castle guard) system of Kannonji Castle.

While the details of the Zaiban (garrison duty) system have not been fully clarified, it is said to be a system where flag-bearers served in rotation, performing duties such as guarding the main castle and other various tasks for a set period. It is also estimated that this rotation occurred on a "monthly" basis.
(Ibid., p. 133.)

What the Zaiban system brought about

In addition, Tanaka lists the following as what this Zaiban system brought about.
(Based on the author's summary.)

・Unity of the vassal group
・Precedent for Sankin-kotai (alternate attendance)

Since the Sasaki clan governed the entire Omi Province, it is thought that they summoned the various local lords of the territory to their own residence, Kannonji Castle, to keep them within sight and ensure that their relationships remained intact.

Furthermore, Tanaka points out the possibility that this system became a precursor to the Sankin-kotai of the Tokugawa period, citing Todo Takatora. This is because the warlord Todo Takatora, who was a favorite tozama daimyo of Tokugawa Ieyasu, had a background as a samurai from Omi, specifically from Inukami District, and was a vassal of the Sasaki and Kyogoku clans. There is a theory that the Tokugawa Shogunate's Sankin-kotai was based on his proposal, and if this is correct, it can be considered that this system was an imitation of the Kannonji Castle Zaiban system.

However, while the purpose of the Tokugawa Shogunate's system was to strip power from the daimyo, the Sasaki clan's system was intended to build a peaceful and stable relationship. It is said that even in the midst of the trend of gekokujo (the lower overcoming the higher), there was no sign of such unrest at Kannonji Castle, so one must be careful about the difference in intent between the two. This is likely because when it comes to the entire nation of Japan, the numbers and scale are much larger, making control more difficult.

Tanaka also makes a brief mention of the possibility that the relationship between Kannonji Castle and the Ishidera castle town was a precursor to the town of Edo, comparing it to Edo Castle and the town of Edo in terms of scale and concept.
(Ibid., p. 97.)

To be continued in the next installment.