Hamamatsu Castle

In detail

Hamamatsu Castle was built on the site of a smaller fortification called Hikuma Castle that was built by the Imagawa family in the early to mid-1500s. The Imagawa were defeated by Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542–1616), who moved his headquarters to the area in 1570 and began construction on a larger castle. Legend has it that Ieyasu renamed the castle, as “Hikuma” was seen as an unlucky omen. It is written with the kanji characters for “dismount” and “horse,” and samurai were in danger of losing a battle when dismounted. The current name of Hamamatsu translates to “pine trees along the shore.”

The castle buildings were dismantled and much of the land was sold off after the shogunate was abolished in 1867. The present keep is a reconstruction built in 1958, and was built on the stone foundations thought to have been constructed by Horio Yoshiharu (1543–1611), the next lord of the castle following Ieyasu. The foundations were built in the nozura zumi style, which consists of stones stacked on top of one another with their largest sides facing outwards. Smaller stones are then added to fill in the gaps. These sturdy foundations have lasted for hundreds of years and allow for adequate drainage and excellent earthquake resistance.