Tamara - Scripts & Scribbles

About Buildings & Such

Kofu Castle, or Yogai Castle, or Tsutsjigasaki Palace, or Takeda Shrine, they are all the same place, on the top of Maruyama mountain.

It wasn't a castle as such, I have been to Nagoya & Gifu castles and they really are impressive. Lots of intricate stonework, and a sense of almost arrogant permanence, like, 'come and have a go if you think you're hard enough'.  I chose to use the word 'castle' because constantly writing 'huge fortified mansion and estate' or 'military palace' just didn't feel right.

It was more like a glorified military base, even though it was the home of three generations of the Takeda Clan. There was some stonework, at the gates and some of the keep, but mostly wood, very big pieces of wood, much of it worked into sharp points.

There was more stonework employed in the courtyard and some of the foundations, designed specifically to allow rain water to drain easily, than any of the buildings.

So many little details were everywhere, the clan logo was constantly in your field of vision, and many of the eaves were painted with incredibly beautiful designs.

Lord Takeda Shingen had a saying:

"Men are your castle, men are your castle walls, men are your moats."

He didn't see the need for a big castle to live in, he was always taking battle to his enemies, they never were under seige at home, plus he liked the idea he could move around Kai & Shinano Provinces, hence his above saying, he believed more in the power of people than of buildings.

Looking from my room, across the courtyard, I could see the stables went almost flush to some big embankment, a continuation of the walls, I also thought how different the layout was to here, we tend to build stables at the back of a castle, building, whatever, whereas these were at the front.

The horses kept in the complex were those belonging to the elite, the generals, the 10, a few of the higher ranking retainers and space for visiting dignitaries and ambassadors, so I would guess about 100/150 horses, possibly more.

I did go exploring, but it was a bit of a maze, like I should have taken a ball of string to find my way back, kind of thing, the Tack Rooms were stunning, rows and rows of glittering equipment, all in neat rows, but I usually stayed at the front of the complex, the three horses I worked with were in the front row, to the right as you entered, and it was a nice little quiet place for the most part.

The grooms lived on site, only the senior yard managers had residences, and it was often quite funny because a lot of them were camper than a row of pink tents. Like SO gay. Ryo was the Senior Yard Manager of the section I was in, he was a total sweetie, often getting quite emotional about his charges. I always remember how lovely his hands looked, despite the work they did.

The Main Hall was to the right of my room, across the courtyard, it could be accessed from either side by verandah, and the doors were just offset to an internal corridor that led to the Council Rooms and other apartments, but I never went poking around beyond the Council Room doors, so that whole part of the castle was unknown to me.

Without a guide I would never have found the kitchens, the network of verandahs was daunting, and a lot of it was the same military style, it was easy to get lost.

The Main Hall itself was huge, there were banners which I guess carried clan mantras, and only a few delicate murals, it was light and airy, and in the summer the long sides could be slid back, opening up the whole area.

The doors themselves were almost intimidating, they made you feel small, but the Hall itself had a warm energy, despite the echoes if there weren't many people in it. The dais wasn't all that high, from a seated perspective you did feel above those sitting at floor level, but it kept a closeness, rather than feeling aloof from those in the Hall.

Building Decorations

Kamon

This is what they called all the little crests everywhere, it showed status, the family line, and the origins of the house. The Takeda line was from the House of Seiwa Genji, and also had a fledgling set of clans, I can't remember all of them, but I do recall The Aki ('cos it's easy to remember), and The Nanbu, (for the same reason), but there were lots of others.

Often small versions of these were beautifully crafted to wear on formal robes, obi, almost anything.

Hoju

A ball like thing that was on a lot of shrines or temple roofs, right on top of the apex point. It was referred to as a 'Gem' of some sort, Ryo called it a 'dragon's brain', it's meant to make all your dreams come true. I would often see people sending wishes to them, apparently the power of Buddha in the Gem could grant them.

Shiachihoko

An imaginary fish with a tiger's head. They were at each end of a roof, and from what I saw pretty much compulsory to every building. They were a powerful protection talisman, covering just about anything a building might suffer. They would bring rain if there was a fire, or keep enemies away.

Giboshi

I loved these, they were often beautifully glazed, and related to the Hoju, and sat on bridge posts or handrails, particularly around shrines.

I saw two main styles of these, one almost exactly like a Hoju, the other more elongated, no, that's not right, it was more stylised. Like an Art Nouveau version.

Sasakanagu

Little metal strips that decorated a lot of the handrails, certainly stopped you running your hand along the wood! It was a stylised bamboo leaf.

Morikuni

An angled, often gold, decorated talisman that sat on the top of the roof. Another protection against all sorts of things, both physical or magical.