Excavation of the Ninomaru Goten
The Ninomaru Goten was a complex of living quarters and offices located to the east of the Great Keep and north of the Taikomon Gate. It was one of three administrative and residential buildings (goten) at the castle. Excavations of the site were conducted in the 1970s and ’80s. They unearthed stone foundations and numerous artifacts that shed light on the life of Japan’s ruling elite from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries.
The moats that surround the castle divide it into a series of concentric sections, or “baileys.” The innermost area is called the honmaru, or main bailey, and the area between the first and second moats is called the ninomaru, or second bailey. The Honmaru Goten, located in the main bailey, was Matsumoto Castle’s primary administrative center until it burned down in 1727. After the fire, operations were moved to the Ninomaru Goten.
The Ninomaru Goten became a prefectural office in 1871, but its buildings were destroyed by fire five years later. The goten was replaced by a courthouse, which was later moved to the sannomaru (third bailey) in 1978. Following archaeological excavations and repairs, the area was converted into a park.
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焼石 二の丸御殿の基礎の一部。ひび割れや赤い変色が、1876年の大火の激しさを物語っている。 |
Charred Stone Part of the Ninomaru Goten’s foundation. Cracks and red discoloration show the intensity of the fire that destroyed the complex in 1876. |
上台所囲炉裏 御殿の台所にあった大きな囲炉裏。砂岩の囲いを含めて1.8メートル×2.8メートルの大きさがある。精製塩の入った壺が出土している。 |
Kitchen Hearth A large open hearth from the Ninomaru Goten’s kitchen. Including its sandstone enclosure, the hearth measured 1.8 meters by 2.8 meters. Jars of refined salt were unearthed here. |
側溝 御殿を囲むように、幅30センチ、深さ20センチの浅い排水溝があった。北東の角で分岐し、近くの堀に水を流していた。 |
Drainage Ditch A shallow drainage ditch, 30 centimeters wide and 20 centimeters deep, enclosed the goten buildings. The ditch split at the northeastern corner and carried water into the nearby moat. |
礎石群 平らな川石が建物の柱を支えている。石の位置から部屋の間取りを推測することができる。 |
Foundation Stones The building’s structural supports sat on flat river stones. Room layouts can be inferred from the stones’ positions. |
井戸・導水用の木菅 幅137cm、深さ1.5mの貯水槽で、黄土で覆われている。木製のパイプで水の流れを制御している。 |
Cistern and Wooden Pipe This cistern was 1.37 meters in diameter, 1.5 meters deep, and lined with yellow clay. Water flowed out through a wooden pipe. |
雪隠 幅2.5m×長さ5mの狭い範囲に3つの竪穴式便所が密集しており、そのうち2つは実質的に隣り合わせに並んでいた。便所は一般に建物の外側に設置されていた。 |
Latrines Three pit latrines were found clustered in a small area 2.5 meters by 5 meters. Two of the toilets were practically side by side. Latrines were generally placed around the outer edges of buildings. |
大竈 幅0.6メートルと0.8メートルの大型の竈で、炊飯用の鍋を載せていた。鍋を固定するリングの金属片が出土している。 |
Cooking Stoves This pair of large cooking stoves held pots for cooking rice. They were 0.6 meters and 0.8 meters wide, respectively. Pieces of metal from the rings that held the pots were unearthed here. |
信州松本御城内地蔵清水井戸分水乃図 城の貯水池から二の丸御殿の台所や近隣の武家屋敷に水を送る様子を示したもの。 |
Water Distribution This illustration shows how water from castle reservoirs was directed to the Ninomaru Goten kitchens and nearby samurai residences. |