SASAYAMA CASTLE

Located in the heart of the town, Sasayama Castle was commissioned in 1609 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who wished to continue his strategy of building castles all around the town of Ōsaka to encircle and contain the power of the Toyotomi family, who controlled the town. Sasayama was an important crossroads on the road to San-in District and 20 lords from 15 provinces were mobilized to participate in the construction of the castle, which was completed in less than a year. It was then placed under the control of Ieyasu's son. Having survived the Meiji era, during which many castles in Japan were destroyed, Sasayama Castle finally burned down in a fire in 1944. In 2000, one of the buildings was rebuilt to allow visitors to soak up the atmosphere of yesteryear and discover what the castle looked like before the fire. The tour begins with an explanatory video about the castle, with English subtitles. We then arrive in front of the first tora no ma room, the Tiger Room. A large painting, representing a tiger, was on display there at the time. It was indeed customary to exhibit paintings of wild animals at the entrance of the lords' residences to show their power. As for the paintings in the private apartments, they represented flowers and birds for a more zen, refined and elegant atmosphere. Samurai costumes are also on display and it is possible for visitors to put them on to continue the visit and put themselves in the shoes of a real warrior of the time. A little further on, one can admire a magnificent screen, painted by Kano Korenobu, a great painter of the time. The next room is called the jyodan no ma, where the chief of the castle used to settle down to receive his subjects, who would present themselves in the adjacent room, tsugi no ma. It can be noted that the first room is higher than the second one and its ceiling is higher, to underline the superiority of the lord. This room was often used for film and television series. The works on display here are not originals, but were made using 17th century techniques. We will end the visit with kujyaku no ma, the peacock room, used for the tea ceremony. From the back of Sasayama Castle, one can enjoy an unobstructed view of the town and the surrounding countryside. The small Aoyama Shrine is also located within the walls of the building.