The fact that more than 130 Sengoku Daimyo(Regional rulers during the Sengoku period), who had previously fought bloody battles, were able to gather together to make up one team was possible only because of the command of Hideyoshi, who had unified the country. Moreover, Nagoya Castle, which was the same size as Osaka Castle, was completed in just a few months, and this walled city, which housed 200,000 troops dispatched to Korea and 100,000 people stationed there, only lasted seven years, falling into ruins with Hideyoshi’s death. There is an anecdote that Hideyoshi was pleased because the name Nagoya, where the castle was located, is pronounced the same as Nagoya, Hideyoshi’s hometown, but it seems that Nagoya in Kyushu was a more famous place name at that time.
After it was abandoned, the castle walls were reused as raw materials for Karatsu Castle and other buildings, and no longer retain their original form. However, there was an example of Hara Castle, which remained intact during the Shimabara Rebellion, becoming a base for an armed uprising by oppressed Christians, and it seems that the castle was actively demolished out of fear that a similar incident might occur. This is why there are few clear traces, and it is understandable that only some stone walls and earthworks remain. Furthermore, it is unusual for feudal lords to have their castles concentrated in such a densely packed area, especially on hilly terrain.
The dispatch of troops to Korea is seen as Hideyoshi’s ambition to invade the Ming Dynasty, but in any case, this battle caused a division among the Toyotomi clan’s vassals after Hideyoshi’s death between those who dispatched troops to Korea and those who remained behind to take charge of the supply routes, and Ieyasu‘s cunning took advantage of this, leading to the downfall of the Toyotomi clan. On the other hand, Korea’s land was devastated, and the Ming Dynasty lost its national power and was destroyed by the Qing Dynasty, a foreign ethnic group from the north. No one involved gained anything. It is clear that Korea and the Ming Dynasty were the ones who suffered the most.
However, it wasn’t all bad. The soldiers who went to war had a hard time, but the feudal lords stayed behind and indulged in the tea ceremony, which helped spread Momoyama culture throughout the country. Potters brought from Korea laid the foundations for pottery in this area. The museum, located in a corner of the castle, is free to visit and is packed with historical documents. It even features a reproduction of the gold tea room where Hideyoshi held his tea ceremony. The construction of the tea room alone cost 30 million yen, and 16,000 sheets of gold leaf weighing 500 grams were used, with two layers of gold leaf. The shoji screens are made of red silk and feature a watermark of the paulownia crest. Apparently, a tea ceremony is held in this tea room once a year, and even the participation fee of 10,000 yen may be worth it. However, it is unlikely that you will be able to fully experience the feeling of wabi-sabi.
Detour
Nanatsugama(Seven pots) is a place where the columnar joints have been eroded by the waves of the Genkai Sea, creating seven hollowed-out caves.
Apparently, the deepest cave is 100m, and when the sea is calm, you can go all the way to the back by sightseeing boat. The sea was raging on the day we went, and it was terrifying. I can imagine that it must have been extremely difficult to row out to Korea from here during the Korean War.
