Golden hour at Shibata-jō 新発田城 👹🍣🎎 Wonderful Japan

Some time ago, an autumn trip took us far out of the city and into nature, where we were able to enjoy the charm of this late season. It was still really colorful in the forests and mountains at this time of year and we were very lucky to have chosen an unusually warm and sunny day for our tour.

Unfortunately, the days get shorter and shorter in the fall and it gets dark quite early. By the late afternoon, the sun is already gone and the day seems to be coming to an early end. For this reason, we had also made our way back sooner than usual, but I didn't really feel like going home yet. As we still had quite a bit of driving to do anyway, I wanted

Our route took us through the town of Shibata, where I had been a few times before and where you can visit the relics of an old castle complex. Only a few remains of the walls and watchtowers of the castle known as Shibata-jō 新発田城 are still standing, but even these are worth a short visit, especially if you are already in the vicinity or if your route takes you past this place.

The latter was the case for us, so I didn't want to miss the opportunity to stop here again. I also hoped to take a few nice photos to round off what had been an extremely pleasant day.

As the sun was already setting and had almost disappeared behind the horizon, the sky began to turn red and orange. And it was precisely these colors that provided the perfect background that I wanted for my pictures.

The origins of the castle complex date back to the Kamakura period (1187-1333), although the exact year in which the first castle was built here is unclear. At that time, the area here consisted largely of marshland, which was fed by the large Shinanogawa and Aganogawa rivers. However, the Shibata clan, who controlled this area at the time, did not survive the extremely warlike and turbulent 16th century and eventually the Mizoguchi clan took control of the town and castle, which they held until the end of the Edo period.

The castle walls that are still standing today date back to the castle that was built here in 1654. This castle was built in the then contemporary lowland castle style, and although the complex fell victim to a fire, it was quickly rebuilt afterwards. The Omotemon (表門), the main gate, dates back to 1732 and is the oldest surviving structure in the castle.

During the Meiji Restoration, the castle was abandoned and large parts were demolished and destroyed. Since then, part of the site has been occupied by the Japanese army, which operates a large barracks there now.

Fortunately, part of the foundation walls have been preserved and, as mentioned, a gate and also a watchtower to the left of it. In recent times, two more watchtowers have been rebuilt, and today you can at least get a small glimpse of what the castle complex once looked like.

But even though the actual castle no longer exists today, it is still worth a visit. The view over the moat to the castle walls is definitely a worthwhile photo opportunity and during the day you can also take a look inside the three buildings shown in the photo. There you can learn a little more about the castle's past and this region and get a short lesson in Japanese history.

When we arrived here, the grounds were already closed, but I didn't really care. I just wanted to enjoy the view of the watchtowers and castle walls and I had come at just the right time. It was already a little dark around us, although the sky was still somewhat blue. The castle was also illuminated by several spotlights, which really added to the great atmosphere with which we were welcomed here again.

Here we have a direct view of the Omotemon (表門), the main gate, which dates back to 1732 and has been preserved in its original state. The gate was now locked, but during the day it is open and you can visit a small part of the complex from the inside.

There wasn't much going on here at this time of day, only a few ducks had made themselves comfortable in the moat. But even during the day, it's not usually crowded here and you can take your time to look around.

Here we see the Ni-no-maru-sumi watchtower, which has also been preserved in its original state. You can enter this too and look out through the small windows from the inside. At least a little bit of history has been preserved in this place, which you can experience up close, so to speak.

But that day I had come for the photos, and what I got to see really put itself on display. The bright sky was the perfect backdrop and of course I didn't miss the chance to press the shutter button a few times. Who knows when I'll get this great opportunity again.

I was very glad that I had made a short detour to Shibata-jō at the end of our trip. This is exactly how a day should end, and these are the pictures I want to return home with. And even now, as I write these lines and look at my photos again afterwards, I can feel the great atmosphere that surrounded me during my visit. I love Japanese castles and would be delighted if I could see a few more in the future. Of course, I'd prefer a few castles that I haven't been to yet, but I'd also like to visit some that I've been to before. Like here at Shibata-jō, where I would love to stand again one day....

[//]:# (!worldmappin 37.95468 lat 139.32674 long Golden hour at Shibata-jō 新発田城 👹🍣🎎 Wonderful Japan d3scr)