TOYAMA MUNICIPAL FOLK MUSEUM

Ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ　Ｐａｇｅ

History of Toyama Castle　 Brief History of Toyama Municipal Folk Museum

Visitor Information

History of Toyama Castle

　Located in the center of Toyama Plain，Toyama City was originally no more than a small village called Fujii-mura．In Tenbun12（1543），powerful clan led by Mizukoshi Katsushige，a follower of the Jimbo clan，built a castle and established the foundation of the town we know today as Toyama．

　For some time after that，the castle was ruled by three generations of the Jimbo clan．They fought wars against the Uesugi clan of Echico（Niigata Prefecture）．

In Tensho9（1581），Nobunaga Ode appointed his follower， Sassa Narimasa the governor of Chico．Several consecutive days of rain caused the Jinzu River to flood，bringing the course of the river to the castle's rear gate and making it impregnable．Taking advantage of this opportunity，Narimasa improved and strengthened the castle's defenses by commanding his men dig a river（the Itachi River）to bring water to the east of the castle．As a result，the castle came to be called‘the castle of safe refuge’or the ‘floating fortres．

　Nobunaga Oda was assassinated in Honno−ji Temple in Tensho10．After that Narimasa ousted the Uesugi clan and ruled the entire Ecchu．Gradually the power moved to Hideyoshi Toyotomi．

　Nobukatsu，Nobunaga's son，did not get along with Hideyoshi，resulting in the Komaki-Nagakute War in Tensho12．Narimasa was on the side of Nobukatsu and Ieyasu Tokugawa，Narimasa wanted to defeat Hideyosi so badly that he even dared to take a long journey to Hamamatsu Castle via the snow overed Zara Pass in Tateyama to persuade Ieyasu to attack Hideyoshi．However，Ieyasu didn't change his mind and Narimasa returned home depressed．

In Tensho13（1585），Hideyoshi Toyotomi advanced on the castle with a large force of men．Narimasa had no choice but surrender as he was facing an overwhelming force．Hideyoshi allowed Narimasa to retain only the Niikawa−county area and the rest was given to Toshinaga Maeda．

　Later in Tensho15（1587），Narimasa was forced to go to Higo（Kumamoyo Prefecture），thus bringing all of the Kaga，Noto and Ecchu destricts under Maeda’s control．

　Keicho2（1597）saw Maeda’s eldest son Toshimasa take command of the castle．His father’s death soon brought him back to Kanazawa Castle， where he remained until Kencho10．During his absence，a deputy castellan was assigned to the castle when he returned to Toyama，he set about improving the fortress．

　However，in Kencho14 the castle was destroyed by fire and Toshinaga had a new castle built in Takaoka．Toyama Castle lay neglected and in ruins with only a castle guard for the next thirty years．

In Kanei16 Toshitsugu，the second son of the third generation Maeda clan leader Toshitsune，established a new family and became the founder or the Toyama clan of 100,000 goku（size of the lordship area）．He moved into the castle in the following year Kanei17．Thirteen generations of Maeda’s ruled the castle over a period of 232 years until the Meiji Restoration ended feudal rule in Japan．

　The renovation of the castle began in Kanbun1（1661），-the keep，the intermediate outworks，the outermost outworks，and the tower were constructed and the moat surrounding the castle was dug．However，several fires occurred，：a part of the castle was burnt by fire in Empo3（1675）：the main palace was burnt down in Shotoku 4（1714）；the keep and some other parts which had been painstakingly reconstructed were destroyed completely in Tempo2（1831）；the Chitose Palace was wiped out in Ansei2（1855）；and the administration offices were burnt to ashes in Bunkyu 3（1863）．Most of the original structures of the castle had disappeared by the time of the Meiji Restoration．The remaining buildings were removed eventually and Toyama Prefectural Government Hall was built on the site in Meiji18（1885）．When the hall was burnt down in Showa5，the site was re-named Joshi Park．

Back

Brief History of Toyama Municipal Folk Museum　Now Closed

In 1954 the Toyama Grand Industrial Exposition was held on the grounds of the Joshi Park．The idea of building Toyama Castle in commemoration of the exposition began then and developed into a strong movement．The construction of a three-tiered，four-storied tower of the Keicho style began in July，1953 and finished in March the following year．A variety of items were exhibited in the tower during the Exposition and subsequently the tower as opened as the Toyama Municipal Folk Museum in November，1954．The museum displayed the following items on a permanent basis：materials which depicted Toyama’s geography and wildlife，historical items，and works of art．Various exhibitions have been held．

　The natural history and science-related exhibits were moved out to Toyama City Science and Culture Center in 1979 and documents regarding the sales of medicines were moved to Toyama City Medicine Museum in 1985．The current focus is on historical objects．

Back

Visitor Information (Satoh Art Museum Toyama)

　 REGULAR HOURS：

9:00 am−5:00 pm(Tuesday−Sunday)

(Enter by 4:30 pm)

HOLIDAYS：

Closed on Monday

(When Monday is a national holiday，the meseum stays open on Monday and closes the following Tuesday)

Closed from Dec.28−Jan.4

Closed periodically for updating exhibits．

ADMISSION FEES：

General admission

Adult: \210

Child: \110

(High School/University Student require a different fee)

Group admission:

Adult:\170 (\420)

Child: \80 (\80)

TRANSPORTATION：

The museum is 10 minutes walk from JR Toyama Station，15 minutes drive from the Hokuriku Expressway Toyama Interchange，20 minutes bus ride from Toyama Airport to Joshi Park−mae bus stop．

　　Back

　　Japanese Page

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Address : Honmaru 1-62 Toyama City，Toyama 930-0081

Tel.076(432)7911　Fax.076(432)8060

E-mail:hakubutukan-01@city.toyama.toyama.jp