Mito Castle Ote Gate - Mito

It's a pretty big gate. It's the best of the restored ones.

Restoration and maintenance was promoted based on old documents, and it was completed in February 2nd year of Reiwa. It's quite simple like the Mito domain, but it has a dignified appearance.

A restored gate that was dismantled around the 20th year of the Meiji era. I visited on Monday, December 6, 2021 while walking around the city of Mito. From the information board ● What is Mito Castle Ote Gate? It is the most prestigious gate, which is the main gate of Mito Castle. It was built around 1601 when Mr. Satake was the owner of Mito Castle, and it is believed that it was dismantled in the Meiji era after being rebuilt several times. It is an old-fashioned castle gate that retains the style of the early Edo period, and is one of the largest castle gates attached to earthworks in Japan. The Otemon Gate The gate was built in 1601 under the rule of the Satake Clan. It was subsequently rebuilt several times over the years before being demolished during the Otemon Gate was the main entrance to the Mito Castle and had the highest status of the castle's entrance gates. Melji Period (1868-1912). The Otemon Gate is a superb example of the early Edo Period style of construction, and the earthen fortifications surrounding the gate are one of the foremost examples of their kind in Japan. ● What is Mito Castle Ruins? Mito Castle is the residence of the Mito Tokugawa family, who ruled the 350,000 stones of the Mito clan. From the east, it was divided into four sections: "Shimomaru," "Honmaru," "Ninomaru," and "Sannomaru." The most important section was Ninomaru, which had a house (Goten), Mito Shokokan, and Ote-mon Nimaru Kakuto (Sumiyagura). The Mito Castle Remains The Mito Castle was home to the rulers of the Mito Domain, the Mito --Tokugawa Family. The Mito Clan controlled an area worth 350,000 koku (unit of measurement for rice used to assess the wealth of a domain). The castle was split Into 4 areas from East to West the shitenomaru, honmaru (castle keep). Ninomaru (outer keep), and the sannomaru (outermost area of ​​the castle). The most important of these was the ninomaru (outer keep) which contained the Mito Clan residences, Mito Shokokan (building used to compile the Great History of Japan), the Otemon Gate and a watch tower. Commemorating the restoration of the former Mito Castle Ote Gate The former Mito Castle Ote Gate was dismantled around 1890, but the left gate was found in Bando City to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the enforcement of the Mito City system. In response to this miracle of history, we, the residents of the Sannomaru area, launched the "Ote Gate Restoration Society for the Old Mito Castle" and advocated the "One-Tile Castle Owner Fundraising" campaign. We have been working on making. On a good day today, we will plant a commemorative tree on the historical road "Mitogaku no Michi" to commemorate the fulfillment of that desire, and connect the city and thoughts that our predecessors have built to the future. March 3, 3rd year of Reiwa Sannomaru Autonomous Community Federation

Mito Castle is boring even for history fans. Not for sightseeing. Many people play Pokemon GO around.

Mito Castle Ote Gate is the most prestigious gate in Mito Castle, and it was proud of its prestige as the main gate of the castle until it was dismantled in the Meiji era. The former Ote-mon has been rebuilt several times, but it is believed that it was originally built around 1601 when Mr. Satake was the owner of Mito Castle. The gate that can be seen now is a huge turret gate with a height of about 13 meters and a width of about 17 meters, which was restored in the form of the Tenpo period in February 2nd year of Reiwa. It has become. Its old-fashioned appearance retains the style of the early Edo period, and it is one of the largest gates in Japan to attach to earthworks. In addition, an excavation survey accompanying the restoration work revealed that there were large tile walls (neribei) at the four corners of the gate, and the appearance was improved by covering the actual tile walls that were excavated. You can see the tiled wall at that time from the small window in front of the gate and at the bottom of the tiled wall on the north side.

The restored Ote-mon is magnificent and fascinating! The Ninomaru Kakuto is also within walking distance, so it's worth a look. You can also enjoy the atmosphere of the Edo period on Ninomaru's Shirakabe Street. If you go around with the Kodokan, it will be worth seeing.