【川越市】「時の鐘」から「時の鐘」!? 川越の「時の鐘」との関係は？旅行しながら深掘り解説【埼玉県】

【川越市】「時の鐘」から「時の鐘」!? 川越の「時の鐘」との関係は？旅行しながら深掘り解説【埼玉県】

This time, we will go on a deep-dive journey from "Toki no Kane" to "Toki no Kane." My role as commentator is “Scucchi.” The listener is me, “Yacchi.” Well then, let’s start the deep journey of Travel Robot. Travel robot’s in-depth journey. The place I came to was the “Toki no Kane” in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture. Kawagoe is famous not only for “The Bell of Time,” but also for its storehouse-style townscape and confectionery alley, and is sometimes called “Little Edo.” The “Toki no Kane” is located in Kawagoe, but did you know that there are other ones in other places as well? “Toki no kane” are probably bells that tell the time, so if you look for them, there are probably a lot of them. That’s right, I think you can find them all over Japan if you look for them. However, this time we will go to a place with a special “Toki no Kane” in Kawagoe. The first “Toki no Kane” in Kawagoe is said to have been built at its current location between 1627 and 1634. The current bell tower is said to have been rebuilt the year after the Kawagoe Great Fire in 1893. Departure is at noon. Kawagoe’s "Time Bell" rings at 6:00, 12:00, 15:00, and 18:00. When you hear the 12 o’clock bell, it’s time to leave. Turn up the volume and try again. Well then, let’s leave. In Kawagoe, Starbucks is also Japanese-style. It seems like there are regulations in place to preserve the old townscape. You’ll have to move a little quickly from here. I’m heading to Kawagoe Station, but according to Google Maps, it’s a 31-minute walk. The train time is 12:45. When you hear the “Toki no Kane” ringing on a street with bells, you rush to the next “Toki no Kane.” There is also a bus, but since I can’t read the time, I decide to walk to the station. Turn right at Otemachi intersection. The name of the intersection gives the impression of a castle town. The reason you pass here is because it is the Kawagoe Highway. Although it is not the shortest route, take Kawagoe Kaido to Kawagoe Station. While I’m on the move, I’ll dig deeper into Kawagoe. Kawagoe is famous as a castle town. I would like to explain while touring the ruins of the castle. Kawagoe is located at the red circle on the map. From Shinjuku, the shortest distance is about 44 minutes using the Seibu Line. Kawagoe is both a post town and a castle town. The structure of this road remains on Kawagoe Highway on the way to Kawagoe Station. The road here is unnaturally curved. This looks like the hook hand that is said to have been at the entrance of the post. It seems like the hooked hands fit together. The explanation on the monument of the former Edomachi says that Edomachi refers to the area from Kawagoe Castle’s Nishi Otemon Gate to Kaginote. Because it was the starting point for going to Edo, it was called Edo Kaido, and as the town prospered, it came to be called Edo Town. It is also written that “the hook mark is unique to castle towns where the road curves twice at right angles.” If you didn’t know about it, you’d think it was a road with poor prospects. I would like it to be straightened because it’s dangerous, but when I learn about the historical facts, I think it’s better to leave it as is. There was one more structure that appeared to be a hooked hand. The hook had the meaning of indicating the entrance to a post town or castle town, as well as for defensive reasons. The hooked hand makes visibility difficult. This makes it difficult for them to invade. I think this is because there is a possibility that there will be an enemy around the corner or something will be set up, making it impossible to advance all at once. It is said that the reason why there is a defense facility called “mitsuke” at the entrance to the post is said to be for the defense of the post. This kind of road in a town that has been around for a long time may have been around since the Edo period or even earlier. There is no explanation here, so it is unclear whether this is also a hook hand. At the end of the Kawagoe Highway in Kawagoe, there is a monument to the “Old Honmachi” (Kyuhonmachi). Honmachi is said to be the main street on the west side of Kawagoe Castle. It is also said that there was a ticket office there, and it was called “Fuda-no-tsuji,” and it was also the starting point of the road marker. The road marker is the one explained in the Shinagawa-shuku video of the 53 post stations of the Tokaido. It’s the end of Kawagoe Kaido, so it wouldn’t be strange for it to be here. This is the intersection where Kawagoe City Hall is located. There is a statue in front of the city hall, so I will go there. A stone monument in front of the statue. This is said to be the “Kawagoe Castle Otemonzeki”. Otemon is the gate at the front of the castle. It seems that the “main gate” of Kawagoe Castle was located around here. The person behind the stone monument at Otemonzeki was Dokan Ota, the man who built Kawagoe Castle. As written here, it was Dokan Ota who built Edo Castle. Edo Castle is mentioned in the video “The Mystery of Gotemba’s Name”. Near the statue was a diagram of Kawagoe Castle. Kawagoe is a post town on the Kawagoe Highway and is also the castle town of Kawagoe Castle, so I think it’s a great place to go sightseeing while feeling the history. Compared to Hodogaya-juku, the fourth post town on the old Tokaido, Kawagoe seems to have a more post town feel. The old townscape remains. Kawagoe is called “Little Edo,” but there are other places that are also called “Little Edo.” Tochigi City in Tochigi Prefecture and Katori City in Chiba Prefecture (formerly Sawara City) are also called Little Edo. The reason for this seems to be that it prospered due to its connection with Edo by boat, and has a warehouse-style townscape that retains the Edo atmosphere, as well as a float festival influenced by the Edo Tenka Festival. The Edo Tenka Festival refers to the Sanno Festival at Hie Shrine, the Kanda Festival at Kanda Shrine (Kanda Myojin), and the Nezu Festival at Nezu Shrine. The Nezu Festival was held only once as a Tenka Festival, and the Sanno Festival and Kanda Festival were basically the Edo Tenka Festivals. The Sanno Festival and Kanda Festival were held alternately once every two years. The title “Tenka Matsuri” was given only to those whose processions were allowed to enter Edo Castle. It is said that the Shogun was also watching the festival inside Edo Castle. The Kawagoe Festival was developed under the strong influence of the Tenka Matsuri. The Kawagoe Festival was designated as a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 2005 as the Kawagoe Hikawa Festival Dashi Festival. In 2016, it was also registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, “Yama, Hoko, and Float Festivals”. I arrived at Kawagoe Station. If I miss the 12:45 train here, this plan will be over. Kawagoe Station is served by JR and Tobu Railway. This time I will use JR. I made it on time. Take the Kawagoe Line bound for Shinkiba. I didn’t take any photos until the next station, so I’ll go back to explaining Kawagoe Castle for a moment. We were heading towards the Honmaru Palace of Kawagoe Castle, but there were remains of a moat on the way. Many of the facilities and buildings at Kawagoe Castle have been demolished since the Meiji era, so I think it’s valuable that this moat remains. I arrived at Omiya Station. Transfer here. The positional relationship between Kawagoe Station and Omiya Station is as follows. This is the route taken by the blue line. Eh, Shinkansen? that’s right. Transfer to the Shinkansen at Omiya Station. You can also go by conventional line, but since you won’t be able to get there in time, you’ll use the Shinkansen. Tohoku, Yamagata, Akita, Hokkaido Shinkansen outbound. You can go to Hokkaido by conventional lines, right? At this point, Hokkaido is no longer a candidate. It would be interesting to go to Hokkaido by Shinkansen, but it would take about 4 hours to get from Omiya Station to Hakodate-Hokuto Station. If my destination this time was Hokkaido, I would probably take a plane. Refueling for lunch on the Shinkansen. There is also a stone monument marking the site of Kawagoe Castle’s Minami Ote Monzeki, but since it is within the grounds of Kawagoe Daiichi Elementary School, I gave up and headed for Honmaru Palace instead. There was a statue of Dokan Ota, the man who built Kawagoe Castle, and it seems that he built it together with his father, Tadamasa Ota. However, it seems that the Honmaru Palace that remains today was not built by Ota and his son. Honmaru Palace was used as a lodging facility for the generals who went falconry. After the visit of the third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, the Honmaru Palace was apparently demolished as it was no longer used. At the end of the Edo period, Ninomaru Palace was burnt down. After that, a palace was built on the main enclosure, which had been vacant land for a long time. That palace is the Honmaru Palace that remains today. This is the Takuruwamon gate ruins of Kawagoe Castle. There was Fujimi Yagura near here. Yagura (turret), also written as “Yagura”, was used as a platform for observation and defense during battles. Kawagoe Castle did not have a castle tower, and it is said that the Fujimi turret at the highest point may have been a substitute for a castle tower. Fujimi Yagura is said to have been 8 ken and 3 shaku (approximately 15 m) long and 8 ken (approximately 14 m) wide. I don’t really understand the difference between length and width… I don’t know what it looked like, so I don’t really understand it. Kawagoe Castle was built in 1457, but after the Meiji Restoration, the moat was filled in and the earthworks were destroyed. All that remains today is the Fujimi Yagura Ruins and part of the Honmaru Palace. I think Mt. Fuji is probably in this direction. I can’t see it because it’s hazy, but I wonder if it might be visible depending on the weather? If you could see Mt. Fuji from here, you’d be a little moved. Yeah. We will soon arrive at Shin-Shirakawa Station. Shin-Shirakawa Station is a station in Fukushima Prefecture. I arrived at Shin-Shirakawa Station. If you go outside the station, is there a Toki no Kane around here? “The Bell of Time” is still a long way off. First, let’s check the location of Shin-Shirakawa Station. Shin-Shirakawa Station is located in Saigo Village, Nishishirakawa District, Fukushima Prefecture. It is located in the south of Fukushima Prefecture, next to Shirakawa City. Shirakawa Station, one stop away on the Tohoku Main Line, is located in Shirakawa City. The distance traveled by train from Kawagoe Station is 171.2km. It is indicated by a blue line on the map. From here we will travel by bus. There is about one bus per hour. You have about 30 minutes to transfer, but if you get careless and miss your train, you’ll be in trouble. I was able to ride safely. From here it’s a bus trip. Kawagoe is said to be the birthplace of "Touryanse". I went through the Minami Otemon gate that was at the elementary school, passed through the Taguruwa gate that was here, and visited Miyoshino Shrine. It really says, “The birthplace of Toryanse’s songs.” There is also a theory that Odawara is its birthplace, so it might be interesting to do some research. We arrived at our destination, Honmaru Palace. It is said that there are only two castles that still have Honmaru Palace. Kochi Castle and Kawagoe Castle. All of Kochi Castle’s Honmaru Palace remains, and a portion of Kawagoe Castle remains. There are four castles that still have palaces: Kochi Castle and Kawagoe Castle, as well as Nijo Castle and Kakegawa Castle, where the Ninomaru Palace remains. Kochi Castle is said to be the only castle where the castle tower and Honmaru Palace remain. By the way, the main castle palaces of Nagoya Castle and Kumamoto Castle look like restored palaces. Kakegawa-juku is the 26th post station in the 53 stations of the Tokaido, so perhaps Kakegawa Castle will be dug deeper at that time. I’m looking forward to it. The reason why there are so few castles with palaces remaining seems to be related to the Castle Abolition Ordinance of 1873. According to the Castle Abandonment Ordinance, castles owned by feudal clans became the property of the Ministry of Military Affairs. The Ministry of Military Affairs later became the Ministry of War. Because the military took the lead in deciding which castles to keep, most of the castles that were not of military importance were demolished. Most of Kawagoe Castle was demolished, but part of the Honmaru Palace was apparently used as the prefectural government building. It is said that this has something to do with the fact that the castle was built only 20 years ago. You can also tour the inside of Kawagoe Castle’s Honmaru Palace. As of June 2024, admission is 100 yen for the general public, 50 yen for high school and university students, and free for junior high school students and younger. It’s so cheap that I’m a little worried. The fact that it’s not priced like a tourist spot means there aren’t that many people going to see it. There were many people around the Toki no Kane, but there were not many people near the Honmaru Palace. We also thought about taking a tour, but it seemed like we wouldn’t be able to catch the train in time, so we gave up. From now on, I plan to leave Kawagoe and dig deeper as I head toward my destination. You’re passing through a strange narrow road. I thought we were going to take a normal road, but halfway through we turned onto a road that could barely accommodate a single bus. After researching, it seems that this is a bus-only route. Originally, a railroad ran through here. In 1916, it opened as the Hakuho Railway. It was 23.3km from Shirakawacho Station to Iwaki Tanagura Station. In 1932, the Suigun Line was extended to Iwaki Tanakura Station. As a result, due to freight costs, the company lost its cargo transportation to Japan National Railways, and the company fell into financial slump. In 1938, the government leased it and it became the White Shelf Line. Nationalized in 1941. In 1944, the entire line was suspended and replacement bus service started. It seems that what used to be a railroad track has been turned into a bus-only road, and the bus service continues to this day. There are two designated bus routes, and the rest of the bus runs on regular roads. One of them, the one currently running, will be abolished on July 1, 2024. Due to the deterioration of the bus-only road, the route will be changed to parallel National Route 289. The area that will be abolished is the section from Mimori to Omotegochoshamae. It seems that the “Takagi”, “Yamori”, and “Omotegochosha-mae” bus stops on that route will be moved to National Route 289. If it’s because it’s old, that means it’s difficult to pay for repairs, right? I think so. Does that mean the other bus-only road will also be abolished someday? That seems to be a possibility. I don’t know what will happen, but if you want to visit it, it seems better to go early. I got off the bus at the Tanagura Elementary School bus stop. It’s a short walk from here. This location is Tanagura-cho, Higashi-Shirakawa-gun, Fukushima Prefecture. The bus stop I saw earlier was “Tanagura Shogakko,” but the name of the school seems to be “Tanagura Choritsu Tanagura Shogakko.” “Iwaki Tanakura Station” on the Shiratana Line is “Iwaki Tanakura Eki”. It’s confusing whether it’s "ku" or "gu". This road appears to have the shape of a hook, just like the Kawagoe Highway. And where the road bends is the “Toki no Kane”. We left Kawagoe’s Toki no Kane at 12:00, and it was now exactly 4:00 p.m., so it took us 4 hours. The route from Kawagoe Station to Tanagura Town is like this. I’m not sure about the bus route, so I’ve drawn a line based on the straight distance. This time’s destination was the “Toki no Kane” in Tanagura-cho, Higashi-Shirakawa-gun, Fukushima Prefecture. This “Toki no Kane” is related to the “Toki no Kane” in Kawagoe. Tanagura, like Kawagoe, was also a castle town. The castle that existed in Tanagura was “Tanagura Castle,” which was also called “Kamega Castle.” Inawashiro Castle, located in Inawashiro Town, Yama District, Fukushima Prefecture, also has another name, “Kamegajo.” Inawashiro Castle was marked with a small "ga", and Tanagura Castle was marked with a large "ke". At the bell of time in Tanagura, there is an explanation about the successive feudal lords. Just by coming here, you can learn a certain amount about the history of Tanagura. It is interesting that Dokan Ota’s name appears here as well. So, are Kawagoe and Tanagura connected to Ota Dokan? It wasn’t until I came here that I realized that there was a connection. So is there another connection? In fact, Kawagoe City and Tanagura Town are sister and friendship cities. In 1972, Kawagoe City and Tanagura Town concluded a friendship city agreement. Kawagoe Castle and Tanagura Castle are related to this. In 1864, Yasuhide Matsudaira became the lord of Tanagura Castle. Yasuhide Matsudaira was the 16th lord of the Tanagura domain, and apparently the 15th lord of Tanagura Castle. In 1866, Yasuhide Matsudaira moved to the Kawagoe domain. The Tanagura Town website says, “The 15th lord of Tanagura Castle, Matsudaira Suo no Kami Yasuhide, became the lord of Kawagoe Castle.” On the Kawagoe City website, it says, “Matsudaira Suo no kami was given to the feudal lord of the Kawagoe domain and the Tanakura domain in ancient times.” Due to such historical circumstances, Kawagoe City and Tanagura Town have become sister and friendship cities. The “Toki no Kane” in Tanagura Town is a replica of the “Toki no Kane” in Kawagoe City, and was built in 2003. The bell of time in Tanagura Town rings at 8:00, 10:00, 15:00, 17:00, and 19:00. This is why I was concerned about time. Since I have time until the 5pm bell, I will go to see the ruins of Tanagura Castle. This large tree is the sacred tree of Chikatsu Myojin. Chikatsu Myojin is said to be the current Baba Tsutsukowake Shrine. Chikatsu Myojin Shrine once stood where Tanagura Castle was located. In 1625, Chikatsu Myojin was relocated and Tanagura Castle was built. It is said that the castle was built by Niwa Nagashige, who became the lord of the Tanagura domain in 1622. It is said that this large zelkova was left behind because of its excellent shape. It’s amazing to move a shrine and build a castle. I feel like I did something drastic. Tanagura Castle is now Kamegajo Park. It has a small "ke" here, but on the Tanagura Town Tourism Association website, it has a big "ke". The stone monument has a small “ka”, so the small “ka” may be correct. However, there is a big "ke" here. At Hodogaya-juku, there was a problem with the size of the "ke", and it seems that the same problem exists at Tanagura Castle. Hodogaya was officially determined by ordinance. Yeah. The Hodogaya-juku video explains it in detail. Enough about this issue, let’s take a look at the Tanagura Castle ruins. It seems that there was a gate called “Yaguramon” here. I think there was a castle building in the back, but it may have been a surprisingly small castle. It’s not as spacious as I imagined. Pass the turret ruins and go up the stairs on the immediate left. This raised area is an earthwork, and it goes all the way around. Earthworks are mounds of earth built in the shape of embankments to prevent enemy invasion. If you look at the yaguramon ruins from above, it looks like the structure has a gate between the earthworks. I feel like I can see that the castle is a military facility. And there was a night light here. The top looks old, so I guess they just fixed the bottom. The moat can be seen behind it. Is there any significance to having a night light in this place? I wish there was some explanation. I also like that there is a bench underneath. I need to get back to Toki no Kane by 5pm, so it’s a pity that I can’t find out where to go from there. Next, we will go to the place where the castle building is thought to have been. This area is the center. You can pass through the part where the turret remains, and the rest is surrounded by a structure. There is a moat on the other side. It seems like it’s getting harder to attack from other than the gate. I guess it’s relatively easy to defend if you strengthen the gate’s defense. Maybe so. I don’t know the details, but I feel like Tanagura Castle has few natural barriers. It feels like you created the terrain rather than using it. After researching, it seems there are two ways to get inside. I completely overlooked this part of the video earlier. The two entrances are said to be in the shape of a square with two gates. Masugata seems to have the same structure as the hook hand seen on Kawagoe Kaido. That’s why I couldn’t see what was ahead and it seemed like a dead end. That’s it. There was an interesting atmosphere, but due to time constraints I didn’t go all the way inside, which was a mistake. It is said that this area inside the gate was the main enclosure, where the palace was built. Are the several large stones the remains of the palace? It looks like it used to be a garden. I don’t know if there was a large tree or a thick pillar here, but there are still some things that interest me. I really wish there was some explanation. By the way, the nickname “Kamegajo” comes from a legend that if a giant turtle living in the moat shows up, the lord will lose his fief. Tenfu was the transfer of a feudal lord’s territory by order of the shogunate. Yasuhide Matsudaira was also transferred from the Tanakura domain to the Kawagoe domain. If the legend is correct, the giant turtle would have appeared at that time as well. If you look at the moat from the outside, you won’t see any stone walls. Tanagura Castle has almost no stone walls other than a part of the Ninomaru, and is made up of earthworks and a double moat. It feels strange because it has the image of “Japanese castles = stone walls.” It was 5pm, so I returned to the bell. picture…. Just when I thought there was about a minute left, the bell rang. The bell is shaking so it’s fully ringing. Could you please ring it one more time? The bell rang without any preparatory action. This goal has now been achieved. Listen to Kawagoe’s “Toki no Kane” at 12:00, and then listen to Tanakura’s “Toki no Kane” at 5:00 pm. I do some strange things when it comes to "travel," but sometimes it’s nice to do something like this. In fact, there is a “Tanagura Town Road Original Marker” near here. I wanted to go there as well, but I don’t think I’ll be able to catch the bus in time, so I’ll give up. I want to go through that bus-only road again, so it might be a good idea to check out the road marker while I’m at it. In that case, sit in the front seat of the bus. Yeah. This is the end of this deep-dive journey “From the Bell of Time to the Bell of Time.” Well, let’s meet again in another place. Well, let’s meet again in another place.

埼玉県川越市にある「時の鐘」から、ある場所にある「時の鐘」まで行きながら、深掘り解説。
2つの「時の鐘」の関係とは？