- Hamamatsu Castle
Infobox Military Structure
name=Hamamatsu Castle
浜松城
partof=
location=Hamamatsu , Shizuoka,Japan
caption=Hamamatsu Castle with a cherry blossom in the foreground
type=Japanese castle
built=Circa 1532, rebuilt 1958
builder=Imagawa clan
materials=Wood, stone
height=Three stories
used=
demolished=
condition=Reconstructed. Serves as a museum
ownership=
controlledby=Imagawa clan (1532-1568),Tokugawa shogunate (1568-?)
garrison=
commanders=
occupants=
battles=
events=nihongo|Hamamatsu Castle|浜松城|Hamamatsu-jō is a reconstructed castle in the middle of down town
Hamamatsu ,Shizuoka Prefecture [cite book |author=Connolly, Peter |title=The Hutchinson Dictionary of Ancient and Medieval Warfare |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |year=1998 |pages=213 |isbn=1-57958-116-1 |oclc= |doi=] .History
Hikuma Castle was originally built on the site around 1532 by a vassal of the
Imagawa clan but was conquered in 1568 by the shogunTokugawa Ieyasu who moved there fromOkazaki Castle in 1570. Tokugawa renovated, expanded and renamed the castle to Hamamatsu Castle in 1577, spending 17 years there. At the end of the 19th century the castle was destroyed by fire and later rebuilt in 1958. The reconstruction sits on the original stone palisade built by Ieyasu known as the "Norzura-zumi", referring to the method used to fit the stones together.The castle, also called Shusse-jō or Castle of Success, has three stories with an observatory affording a view of the Pacific Ocean at the topmost level. There is a small museum inside which houses armour and other relics of Tokugawa as well as a miniature model of how the city might have looked 400 years ago.
Surrounding the castle is Hamamatsu Castle Park with a large amount of
sakura . During the from which paper lanterns are hung and illuminated during the night. A statue of Ieyasu stands in the parkReferences
Literature
*cite book | title=Castles in Japan| last=Schmorleitz| first=Morton S.| date=1974| pages= pg. 120-121| publisher=Charles E. Tuttle Co.| location=Tokyo| id=ISBN 0-8084-1102-4
External links
* [http://www.hamamatsu-navi.jp/shiro/ Hamamatsu Castle website (Japanese)]
* [http://www.amphi.com/~psteffen/fmf/hcastle.html Basic information page]
* [http://www.jcastle.info/castle/profile/42-Hamamatsu-Castle Hamamatsu Castle on the Guide to Japanese Castles site]
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