Walking on Mount. Komaki

※Komaki City History Museum standing at the top of Mt. Komaki = Courtesy of Komakiyama Castle Historic Site Information Center (Reki Shiru Komaki)

Using a holiday, I visited Mt. Komaki (85.9 meters above sea level), located north of Komaki City Hall (Aichi Prefecture).

I had always wanted to visit there at least once, because the castle keep (or something like it) of Komakiyama Castle at the top of the mountain looks very picturesque from the Nagoya Expressway.

Komakiyama Castle is known as the mountain castle where Nobunaga Oda moved his headquarters from Kiyosu Castle, and where the allied forces of Oda and Tokugawa were based during the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute that took place after the Honnoji Incident.

As far as I remember, the castle's keep was built in an era later than the construction of Komaki Castle.

Therefore, I naturally assumed that this magnificent keep-like building was not a "reconstructed keep" modeled after its original appearance.

I had always wondered why the castle keep-like structure was built on the summit of Mt. Komaki.

As a matter of fact, a local businessman, Mr. Shigeru Hiramatsu, visited Mt. Komaki and wished to have a castle on the top of the mountain, so he offered to donate the construction of it to Komaki City.

The model for the castle was Hiunkaku at Nishi Honganji Temple in Kyoto.

Thus, Mr. Hiramatsu invested his personal fortune to complete the four-story reinforced concrete "Komaki City History Museum" and donated it to Komaki City in 1968.

Recent excavations have revealed that the castle incorporates the design concept of Azuchi Castle, including large-scale stone walls and a straight major road leading from the base to the top, and it is said to be "the starting point of castle building and the turning point of the era”.

I felt as if I had seen a part of Oda Nobunaga's "breaking through past concepts" that ushered in a new era.

I also think it is wonderful that Mr. Hiramatsu has realized Nobunaga’s thoughts and romance.

Walking on Mount. Komaki reminded me that I also must live boldly in these stormy times and devote myself daily to achieve my goals. Once again, I braced myself.