更新日：2021年1月1日

Hamamatsu Castle and its castle town revealed by excavation

a Ongoing archaeological excavation

Archaeological excavations made in recent years have revealed changes in the structure of Hamamatsu Castle and its castle town made by the Tokugawa clan, Horio clan, and fudai daimyo.

b Stone wall on the south side of the main bailey

Archaeological excavations have led to the discovery of a stone wall that appears to have been built by the Horio clan, on the interior side of the retaining wall on the south side of the main bailey. This is the stone wall that ran from the west of the Kuroganemon (iron gate) used as the Honmaru Seimon (main gate of the main bailey) in the Edo Period, and it was topped with hall turrets.

c Stone wall on the northeastern side of the main bailey

Archaeological excavations on the former site of Motoshiro Elementary School confirmed the existence of a stone wall in the northeastern side of the main bailey and a moat on the east side. This hints at the true scale and structure of the main bailey, which was lost after the castle was abandoned. The wall discovered here is thought to have been built by the Horio clan in the 1590s.

d Hikuma Castle

In the first half the 16th century, Hikuma Castle was constructed by the Inoo clan, who were vassals of the Imagawa clan. Later, Hikuma Castle was incorporated into Hamamatsu Castle by Tokugawa Ieyasu. There are remnants of earthworks on the grounds of the Motoshiro-cho Toshogu Shrine, and many glazed and unglazed ceramics from the 16th century have been unearthed there. The grounds of the shrine are understood to have once been the central area of Hikuma Castle.

e Main Keep Gate

Horio Yoshiharu, the second lord of Hamamatsu Castle, built a main keep gate with a tiled-roof. The main keep gate was repeatedly rebuilt in the Edo Period, and for a time it also had tiled rain gutters. The main keep gate was rebuilt in 2014, based on the results of archaeological excavations.

f Ongoing archaeological surveys of the castle town

Archaeological excavations have shown that the formation of a castle town around Hamamatsu Castle dates back to the second half of the 16th century, when Ieyasu had his base of operations in the castle. Furthermore the southern edge of the castle town at that time overlaps with the castle town in the early modern period. Archaeological excavations of the castle town are ongoing, and its proper form is gradually being revealed.