[Sakai City Hall] A special experience on a special day. Limited to 10 people – 12 existing castle towers and Maruoka Castle guided tour – now on sale! (Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture)
*Sakai City Hall*
Press release: September 17, 2024
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A special experience on a special day. Limited to 10 people – 12 existing castle towers and Maruoka Castle guided tour – now on sale! (Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture)
*This year marks the 400th anniversary of the birth of the Maruoka Domain. Japan’s largest castle event “Castle EXPO” will be held at Maruoka Castle on October 12th and 13th. To coincide with the event, we will be holding a special tour that can only be enjoyed on this day. *
Everyone* Do you know about the 12 existing castle towers?
There are many castles across the country, but only 12 of them were built before the Edo period and still have their castle towers (including renovations).
And one of them is *Maruoka Castle*!
Maruoka Castle
Maruoka Castle is also known as * “Miraculous Restoration Castle” *. In fact, among the 12 existing castle towers, Maruoka Castle is the only one that has been restored from complete collapse.
In 1933, after being designated as a national treasure (currently an important cultural property), it collapsed in an earthquake directly below it and was in danger of disappearing.
However, it has a history of miraculously being restored to its pre-earthquake appearance as donations for restoration costs were collected from all over the country and more than 70% of the parts were reused. It’s wonderful that it was brought back to life with the support of people all over the country and the passion of local people.
The Maruoka clan, whose residence was Maruoka Castle, will celebrate its 400th anniversary in Reiwa 6.
As a commemorative event, Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture will hold Japan’s largest castle event, “Castle EXPO”, at Maruoka Castle!
* 【business trip! Castle EXPO in Sakai/Maruoka Castle 2024]* Date: October 12th (Saturday), 2024, October 13th (Sunday)
Time: 9:00-17:00 *Last entry is 16:30
Price: Free *Some charges apply
Venue: Maruoka Gymnasium (3-1-2 Kasumi-cho, Maruoka-cho, Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture)
Click here for details
https://shiroexpo-sakaimaruokajo.jp/
And * To coincide with this special day, we will be holding a special guided tour of Maruoka Castle! *
* [Guided tour with the leader of the siege team Kono to the places related to Maruoka Castle] *
This is a guided tour where you walk through the castle town while holding an old map of Maruoka Castle and visit the family temple of the Maruoka feudal lord. This is a walk-rally-style guided tour where you can remember the castle town of Maruoka that has changed over time and learn about the history of the Maruoka clan.
The tour guide is Siege Team LLC, which operates the community site “Siege Team”, which introduces the history and highlights of Japanese castles and allows you to record the castles you visit.
We will invite the leader of the representative siege team, Kouno, and we will tour together the inner moat of Maruoka Castle and the family temple of the lord of the Maruoka domain, giving an explanation of each site.
*This tour involves a business trip! Comes with a ticket to carefully selected programs at Castle EXPO in Sakai/Maruoka Castle.
special tour guide
Leader of Siege Team Kono
– President of Siege Team LLC –
Event date and time: Reception starts from 10:30 on Saturday, October 12, 2020 (Scheduled end time: 15:30)
Lecture 11:00-12:30
business trip! Castle EXPO in Sakai/Maruoka Castle Lecture
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Speaker: Mr. Tetsuo Owada
Guided tour 13:30-15:30
Siege Leader Guided Tour
Guest Guide: The Castle Column Ko -Da
Sales price: 3,980 yen including tax
How to apply: Please apply using the dedicated reservation form (Google form). Application period: August 30th (Friday) 9:00 am to September 25th (Wednesday) 3:00 pm
However, as soon as the capacity is reached, the reception will end. Apply Click here to apply
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZxVnR1CIOk7XZdQKe4fcKFo25jCl78eYfFz-CvxRfB5I1ag/viewform Sponsor/Contact: DMO Sakai Tourism Bureau
(7-6-5 Nagahata, Sakai-cho, Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture)
Phone number: 0776-50-3200
Email: info@dmo-sakai.com
* [Reference information] *
Sakai City has many other sightseeing spots and foods that Fukui Prefecture is proud of. We will introduce some of them below. * -Nature-*
A rich and beautiful area of “sea, mountains, and rivers,” including beautiful coastlines such as Echizen Matsushima, which is included in Echizen Kaga Kaigan Quasi-National Park, the Kuzuryu River and Takeda River, the forest area in the eastern part of the city, and the vast countryside that supports Fukui Prefecture’s number one rice producer. We are blessed with nature.
Tojinbo
Tojinbo is a national natural monument and scenic spot known for the scenery of the rough waves of the Sea of Japan crashing against the cliffs. The impressive rock wall stretches for about 1 kilometer. It is said to be one of only three places in the world where such columnar joints of pyroxene andesite are found over a wide area, making it a geologically valuable place. The dazzling blue sky and Sea of Japan in early summer, the evening view of the sun setting over the Sea of Japan in autumn, and the rough waves and cold winds when snow falls. All of them are wonderful seasonal scenery that shows Tojinbo and the great nature of the Sea of Japan.
Echizen Matsushima
The scenery is made up of the same columnar joint rocks as Tojinbo, and there are some unique rocks scattered about, and if you follow the walking path, you can cross over to small islands and look into caves. Echizen Matsushima Aquarium and accommodation facilities are adjacent to it, making it a popular tourist destination for families and excursions.
* -tourist spot-*
There are historical resources such as Tojinbo, one of Japan’s most scenic spots, the coast centering on Mikuni Sunset Beach, Mikuni Minato, which flourished through the Kitamaebune trade, and Maruoka Castle, which has 12 castle towers.
Mikuni Minato
Mikuni Minato is located at the mouth of the Kuzuryu River, the largest river in Fukui Prefecture. It is a town that has prospered for a long time and has a long history, so much so that the place name “Mikuni” is mentioned in documents from more than 1,000 years ago. In addition to the history and culture left behind by the
Kitamae-bune, the townscape still has an emotional atmosphere, including townhouses with rows of lattice doors and historic buildings that retain the traces of wealthy merchants.
Maruoka Castle
Maruoka Castle, also known as Kasumigajo, is a flat mountain castle built using an independent hill in the plain. The sight of it floating among the cherry blossoms in full bloom in spring is fantastic and extremely beautiful. It was built by Katsutoyo, the nephew of Katsuie Shibata, on the orders of Oda Nobunaga in preparation for the Ikko Ikki in 1576 during the Sengoku period. The castle tower was built on an independent hill at an altitude of 27m, surrounded by the Ninomaru and inner moat, and outside of it was the Sannomaru and outer moat. Maruoka Castle Castle Tower is one of the 12 castle towers that were built before the Edo period and still remain today in their original appearance.
The stone walls were completely destroyed by the Fukui Earthquake in 1945, but they were restored in 1955 by reusing many of the main components such as the castle tower and stone walls. Of the 12 existing castle towers, Maruoka Castle is the only one that has been restored from a completely collapsed state. The stately appearance of the ancient style that still stands today is proof that it has stood up and recovered even after going through the difficult path of extinction, and its history has been a uniquely turbulent one. Oshima
Its nature is an island of the gods that has never been touched by humans. The entire island, which has a legend, is also popular as a walking route rich in nature. Ominato Shrine stands at the back of the island, and the annual Ominato Shrine festival is held by area residents on April 20th every year.
* -Food-*
Tourism that takes advantage of food is attractive, with marine products such as “Echizen crab”, a typical winter delicacy in Fukui Prefecture, agricultural products such as soba and rakkyo, wild vegetables, fried tofu, and Wakasa beef.
Echizen crab
“Echizen crab” from Mikuni Town, which is famous for being presented to the imperial family every year, is known as the “king of winter tastes” because its flesh is well packed inside the shell, sweet and firm in fiber. .
Sweet shrimp
Sweet shrimp is one of the most popular flavors from the Sea of Japan, along with Echizen crab. At Mikuni Fishing Port, there are lots of fresh, clear red sweet shrimp lined up.
Maruoka grated soba
Sakai City is one of the prefecture’s leading producers of soba, and the grated soba made with buckwheat flour from Maruoka is especially fragrant and has a strong flavor that you won’t get tired of. * -Culture/Tradition-*
Traditional technology industries such as fashion brand names, woven labels for quality indicators, and Velcro tapes, which have the largest market share in Japan, are thriving.
Echizen-ori: Name tag
Maruoka is a major producer of textiles, and the demand for “Ori labels” used as patches and sports names is increasing, and “Echizen Ori”, which is designed using computers and drawn on textiles, is also becoming popular as tourist souvenirs. I’m making it. Our main product is name tags for clothing, and we boast a 70% share of the domestic market.
A short letter in Japan: The shortest letter in Japan
A short letter written by Honda Sakuzaemon Shigetsugu, a loyal vassal of Tokugawa Ieyasu, connected to Maruoka Town, to his wife from his camp: “Let me tell you a lesson, be careful of fire, don’t cry, let your horses grow fat.” (“Osen” refers to the future lord of Echizen Maruoka Castle.)
Narishige Honda (childhood name)
There is a monument to Senchiyo) at Maruoka Castle. Using this monument as a hint, we aim to recreate the shortest letter in Japan and restore the letter culture.Since 1993, we have set a theme every year and have been collecting entries for the “Issho Keijo Award.” Applications are being received from all over Japan and overseas for the “Shinichihide Keijo Award.”