I’d already talked about how I enjoyed Kanazawa Castle Park, now I’m going to share what I think about one of its main attractions: the Gojikken Nagaya storehouse. If you read my review of what Gojikken Nagaya is. If you haven’t yet then I highly recommend that you check that out first. With that said, Gojikken Nagaya is probably one of the most interesting places I’ve had the pleasure of going to.
Kanazawa Castle’s Gojikken Nagaya: History and Construction
This is the Ninomaru Information Center (building in the foreground) and you can also purchase your tickets to enter Gojikken Nagaya (the building in the background) here. The admission fee is relatively cheap at just JPY320 for adults. Once you’ve paid, you can then head up to the entrance and you can start your tour of the storehouse from there.
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After entering, you’ll find that there’s going to be a recommended route for touring the building. A couple of steps into that route, you’ll find this map as well as the major displays and attractions you’ll likely find along the way. In addition to the map, there’s also a brief history of Gojikken Nagaya that you can read.
This sign outlines and breaks down the buildings’ restoration. If you read through the inscription here though, I think restoration might be an understatement. It seems like what was done here was more along the lines of a reconstruction. It’s also interesting to read that despite the availability of new construction techniques and materials, the reconstruction proceeded with the use of traditional Japanese woodworking techniques and methods.
Here’s a glimpse of the structure of the inner wall and the materials used in it. What I’m most amazed about this structure though is the fact that they (whoever headed the reconstruction process) still had information about this construction method. Then again, the Japanese were quite meticulous in keeping records so it’s probably not too far-fetched that they knew and could still replicate this.
Here’s a more detailed history of Kanazawa Castle with a focus on the key historical figures that played a part in its construction. The story basically starts out with Kanazawa Mido Temple’s establishment by the Hongan-ji Temple’s (a temple in Osaka) 10th head priest in 1546. Then Sakuma Morimasa became the first lord of Kanazawa after Shibata Katsuie captured Kanazawa Mido in 1580. Sakuma began the castle’s fortifications and planned its defense by creating ramparts and moats around it. After the death of Oda Nobunaga, Maeda Toshiie (who sided with Hashiba Hideyoshi against Shibata Katsuie) was granted Kanazawa Castle and continued its development.
A continuation of the history of Kanazawa Castle. This time, this sign covers the events of the construction of the castle area’s third enclosure, its destruction by fire and subsequent reconstruction, and the changes it had gone through following the Meiji restoration. Some of the more notable events here for me is the fire of 1759 that apparently resulted in the destruction of over 10000 residences in the castle town.
This section features some of the artifacts that researchers have recovered from their excavations of Kanazawa Castle and its surrounding area. Most of these artifacts were recovered from the Remains of the Eastern Shrine as well as from a Late Edo period workshop for the castle’s gunsmiths. As for the artifacts, these were mostly roof tiles or Ibushi-gawara and some pieces of pottery.
Moving to this section, I came across another set of artifacts and relics this time from other sections of the castle. This time around, these artifacts came from what used to be a residential area before the building of the stone walls, the foundation of the Hashizume-mon Gate Bridge Pier, and the Edo-period stone wall (just to name a few). According to the sign, these areas were excavated from 1997 up to 1999.
A chronological history of Kanazawa Castle in 4 languages. If you’re not too keen on reading up on the various goings-on that happened here then you should check this area out instead. Seriously though, I suggest that you at least familiarize yourself with the castle’s rich history and not just rely on a cliff notes version of it.
I’m now at the area where the Hashizume-mon Gate is. This sign talks about how the gate is considered the most prestigious in the castle park and how it (specifically the second gate) was restored in 2015. One important thing talked about in this sign is that the second gate wasn’t supposed to be connected to the Hashizume-mon. Apparently the reconstruction team decided to connect them for better disaster prevention as well as for evacuation purposes.
These are the stairs leading up to the Hashizumemon Tsuzuki Yagura turret. From the windows/openings, you can see the Hashizumemon first gate and section of the walls or masu (square enclosure). Here would be a great vantage point for defenders to snipe invading forces who might have wandered into the square enclosure outside.
Here we have pictures of the Kanazawa Castle grounds from the Meiji period all the way to contemporary times. It’s really interesting to see how this place has developed and evolved as well as how the restoration/reconstruction stayed true to the castle buildings’ design and architecture from these pictures.
A more detailed history of the Hashizume-mon Gate. The sign talks about the gate originally being built and rebuilt many times over the years. Its current iteration was based off of the historical records (see pictures prior to this) found during the Meiji period. There’s also a table here comparing its size to the two other gates in the castle park.
This section has more pictures of the Gojikken Nagaya and the Yaguras during the Meiji period. What’s interesting here is the map off to the left that shows where these locations were when they were taken.
Here are some of the joinery techniques used for these buildings (specifically the Hashizumemon Tsuzuki Yagura). From what I can understand, some of the main techniques used here are Okuri Ari, Koshikake Kama Tsugi, and Zen Shachi Tsugi. If you’re curious about these techniques, you can actually play around with the examples of the joinery that’s on the table.
In another table, you’ll find another set of joinery examples with the techniques used this time being (from left to right) Nagahei Sumitsuke Kusabi Shime, Tsukake Sen, and Kusabi Nuki. As you might have noticed, these joinery techniques don’t make use of any nails. In the case of Nagahei Sumitsuke Kusabi Shime, wedges are used to tighten joints and ensure that they don’t fall apart. In general, these types of techniques are what could be considered as sashimono.
This is a poster showing the timeline of Kanazawa Castle Park’s reconstruction projects. Initiated by the Ishikawa Prefectural Government, the first of these projects was the reconstruction of this very building complex that I’m on in 2001. By 2010, the government had started work on the Kahoku-mon and the Imori moat. 2015 saw the start of the Ni-no maru, Hashizumemon, and Gyokusen’inmaru Garden projects. Once 2020 went underway, work started on the Nezumitamon and Nezumitamon Bridge. The latest project started the following year in 2021 with the ambitious reconstruction of the Ninomaru Palace.
In case you didn’t notice, I’m now on the second floor of the Hashizumemon Tsuzuki Yagura. From this vantage, you can check out the Ninomaru Information Center that we saw outside earlier through this window. More importantly though, the display in front of me has an infographic detailing the specific technique used to reconstruct the walls in this floor.
Much like with the first floor display, this shows the walls numerous layers and details the materials used on each. This type of wall is called Namako kabe or sea cucumber wall and this name was said to be from the bamboo joints looking like a sea cucumber thanks to the shape of the plaster binding on it.
Now this display shows the construction materials and techniques used on the roof. The explanation for the Yane o Tsukuro (roof construction process) is actually quite thorough and is divided into 6 distinct steps. Much like with the joinery earlier, the whole process does not make use of any metal nails. That said, it’s not as if the builders didn’t use any metal at all. In fact, lead was used to coat and wrap the wooden areas of the roof.
Here’s a view of the moat with a glimpse of the top of the Hashizumemon’s first gate from behind the yagura’s renji-mado or barred window.
Now I initially thought the purpose of the lead was to serve as protection for the wood against the elements. Apparently that’s not the case. According to the sign in this display, the probable reasons for the use of lead might have to do with decreasing the weight of the roof or because the Kaga region just had a lot of lead lying around at that time.
There is one other probable reason for the use of lead on the roof and it’s probably the most out there. So this reasoning goes that in times of war, the lead wrapping the roof could be taken down and melted for use as projectiles for the defender’s rifles or as arrowheads.
While the previous section detailed the lead roofing used for the building complex, this next one talks about the stones and wood instead. Perhaps one of my favorite design elements here in Kanazawa Castle Park is its stones. Specifically, I’m talking about the stones used as a foundation like in the Gojikken Nagaya and the turrets. According to the sign, the stones used here are Kashiwazaki, Fukuura, Tomuro, and Tuff. Depending on the period, the wood used range from Zelkova serrata, hinoki, pine, sugi, and atenoto just to name a few.
Here’s a much larger example of the joinery and joinery techniques used for the wood here. According to the sign on the right, this shows an example of the buildings’ columns and the base joints that support it. What’s so ingenious about this though is that this particular technique in joinery is very earthquake proof.
Much like the displays I saw downstairs, this particular example can be disassembled. Right now though, the sign is showing what it would look like when it’s completed.
This is quite possibly one of the coolest things I saw here in this section. Basically it’s a scale reconstruction of just the wooden frames of both the Gojikken Nagaya and the Hashizumemon Tsuzuki Yagura. What’s so cool about this is that much like the real buildings, these also don’t make use of any metallic nails in their construction.
Here’s a really interesting project that the Ishikawa Prefectural Government is working on. Basically, this poster details the work that’s currently being planned and done for the reconstruction of the Ninomaru Palace. If you’ve been paying attention earlier, I talked about the palace being the most recent project that is being worked on here at the Kanazawa Castle Park. According to the poster, the scope of the restoration currently prioritizes the restoration of the front-facing structures such as entrance and great halls as well as the study. After these are done, work will then proceed to the palace’s private quarters/areas.
Speaking of areas of the palace, here’s a nifty map showcasing the changes it has gone through over three distinct periods. The left-most image is of Ninomaru during the early Edo period. To its right, you’ll find the palace got smaller during the Edo period. By the late Edo period though, the palace eventually managed to expand as evidenced by the larger area it covered.
A continuation of the display earlier. This still talks about Ninomaru palace and this time, it starts with a roof plan drawing of it during the late Edo period. Next to it is another late Edo period drawing of the palace’s entrance as well as details of its floor plans and interiors. Finally, the right-most image is another map and this time it’s of the palace during the Meiji period.
This is an infographic detailing the excavation efforts made on the Ninomaru Palace. The post talks about how the researchers managed to find the palace’s foundation stones. More importantly, the researchers found that they were able to pinpoint the foundation stones location by cross-referencing them with drawings from around that time period.
Here’s another interesting display in this area. Essentially these are the designs and specifications of the Kanazawa Castle Palace (which includes the Ninomaru Palace). This document is called the ‘Zenin Goten Construction Interior Memoranda and Samples’ and it is said to be written by Inoue Shoemon in the late Edo period. What’s so great about this is that it actually goes into details as to what kind of metal fittings were used as well as the construction methods used to for its floors, ceilings, and walls.
Here are some of the designs used as motifs in the palace. These were typically found on Karakami that were in turn used on sliding doors. What’s interesting is that some of these designs are actually still being used in some form or another outside of the castle park.
So this display talks about Ganku, an artist from the Edo period, and how his work used to adorn the Ninomaru palace. Pictured on the poster is one of his works called Shouku-zu which translates to Pine and Tiger. Ganku was known to draw tigers and it’s said that he was able to cover the palace with his works similar to what’s pictured on the poster.
I’ve now reached the Hishi Yagura and what greeted me here was this display that shows the view of the East from this vantage point. It shows both the first and second entrances of the Kahokumon Gate as well as the Nirami Yaguradai or watchtower. Then off in the distance, you can just make out the outline of the Ishikawamon Gate.
This is the specification sheet for the Hishi Yagura detailing its height as well as its uniquely shaped layout. While most rectangular buildings have ninety degree angles for their corners, the Hishi Yagura has alternating 80 and 100 degrees. To accommodate for this, the builders used pillars, flooring, beams, and a ceiling that are diamond shaped. Hence why the structure is called Hishi Yagura or Diamond Turret.
A view of the North from Hishi Yagura’s vantage point. From here, you’ll see the direction going to Kanazawa Station, Omi-cho Market and Musashi-ga-Tsuji, Mount Hodatsu, and the Noto Peninsula.
These are the wooden joinery here at Hishi Yagura before they are assembled. This gives visitors a look at the uniquely shaped wood used in this building.
Here’s the explanation of the wooden framework of Hishi Yagura as well as an assembled version of the joinery. Apparently these attach to the building’s pillars and function as supports for the flooring. According to the sign, the joinery techniques used here are much more complex since the builders had to account for the deformation of the timber.
It’s not just the walls and beams that are complex, you’ll see that even the doorways and sliding doors here are much more complicated than they look. This display shows just how dense the doors are with around 6-7 layers. Owing to these layers though, the doors here have become quite heavy so there’s now wheels attached to them so now they’re easier to open.
These dashi stone dropping windows make defending the Gojikken Nagaya even easier. So long as they have a supply of rocks, defenders of the castle can drop them through here indefinitely on the heads of their attackers.
Since I’m now at the ground level, I checked out the base pillars of the Hishi Yagura. Similar to Hashizumemon, the pillars here are designed to withstand earthquakes. What makes it quite different though is again, its diamond shape which has made it quite difficult to reconstruct. Once the wood was joined to the pillar, it all just needed soil, clay, and other materials to serve as the ground surface.
Here’s exactly how the base pillar looks. It’s actually quite astonishing how the builders managed to make all of this work without the use of any nails other than the wooden ones to ensure joints and connections are tight.
So that ends my short tour of the Gojikken Nagaya, Hachizumemon Tsuzuki Yagura, and the Hishi Yagura. I will say that as someone who enjoys architecture and history, this tour of the inside of these buildings was so good. There were plenty of interesting joinery here that was super impressive. Quite possibly the only issue I had was that the Ninomaru Palace still isn’t done. Otherwise, I think Gojikken Nagaya is definitely worth checking out.
