Japan has many famous cherry blossom viewing spots at the ruins of castles from the Sengoku period. I feel like cherry blossoms are an indispensable part of a castle. The sight of the stately castle towering majestically among the pale pink cherry blossoms continues to fascinate us. So why are there so many famous cherry blossom viewing spots at the ruins of castles? Let’s explore together.
In the first place, when warlords were fighting wars during the Sengoku period, there were very few trees in the castle. This is because, if the castle were to be attacked, the trees would block the view and provide an ideal hiding place for the enemy. In pictures of castles drawn at the instruction of the Edo shogunate, very few trees can be seen. The trees planted were pine trees, Castanopsis, and plum trees that could be used for food, medicine, or bamboo that could be used in times of war. There is a theory that cherry blossoms are bad luck because their flowers fall quickly, and because they have deep roots that grow sideways, they are said to have a negative impact on castles and stone walls. That may be because warlords did not plant cherry trees in their castles.
At the end of the Azuchi-Momoyama period, there were 3,000 castles. But in the Edo period, when Tokugawa Ieyasu took control of the country, law was enacted stating “one castle per province” (武家諸法度) and 95% of castles disappeared. In the Meiji period, an edict to abolish castles (廃城令) was issued, and the number of castles decreased from 340 to 43. Currently, there are 12 castle towers remaining. As the castles were demolished, the surrounding stone walls and earthworks began to collapse. To prevent the castle from collapsing, cherry trees with their deep roots were chosen, allowing some of the castle to be preserved.
While cherry blossoms are considered to be unlucky flowers, they were revered by farmers as trees that house the rice field God. It is said that a long time ago, a ritual to pray for a good harvest developed into the cherry blossom viewing that followed. The Urban Parks Act came into force in 1956, and the cherry blossoms are now protected and bloom beautifully within the castle.
Let me introduce one of the cherry blossom spots here, the ruins of Hiji Castle in Oita Prefecture. The lord was Kinoshita Nobutoshi (木下延俊). He came from Hyogo prefecture after the Battle of Sekigahara(関ケ原の合戦). The area around Hiji castle developed as a castle town with ties to Toyotomi. The cherry blossoms of the ruins of Hiji castle show us their beautiful figure every year with Beppu Bay in the background. Thank you for reading.
I’m a forever beginner English learner. I am trying to be better, but I haven’t made any major changes. Despite this, there is a lot I would like to tell you. Please read my story. Thank you.
HTJ has a YouTube page! Check it out