As things are starting to wind down for the year and we are about to enter the last quarter of 2015, so are my posts on my trip to Japan last year. I cannot believe it’s almost a year since I was traipsing around the “Land of the Rising Sun”.
If you thought that the Main Tower or Keep is the only thing to check out at Nagoya Castle, you’ll be wrong. And be glad that you were. Just as famous is the Hommaru Palace.
Last post, we entered the Nagoya Castle grounds. Reconstruction work is apparent in many parts of the castle grounds, but one of the biggest ones were that of Hommaru Palace. At first, I thought they were constructing an arena or a dome inside the castle grounds, then it turns out that it is a massive reconstruction of the Palace.
The Hommaru Palace was built in 1615 under orders by Tokugawa Ieyasu, and it became the residence of the leader of the Owari Domain. Just like other castles or palaces, it also suffered great damage after it was burned down during the war in 1945. The pic above shows Nagoya Castle and Hommaru Palace before 1945, when the air raids blasted it.
The reconstruction of Hommaru Palace began way back in 2009, and it is still continuing to this day. That’s how massive the scale is. It is only the Genkan (entrance hall) and the Omote Shoin (main hall) that is opened to the public upon its completion in 2013. It is expected that the rest will be fully reconstructed and ready for public viewing in 2018. (Oh. Is this a not-so-subtle hint for another visit?)
Remember Ninomaru Palace, which is located inside the Nijo Castle? I touched on it a bit in this post. Ninomaru Palace was one of the best representations of Shoin-zukuri or samurai-style architecture and, along with Hommaru Palace, these two are considered the “finest masterpieces of modern architecture in Japan”. We only got to see the Main Hall, and we were already thoroughly impressed, so I totally get it.
The moment you pass through the gated wall, the first part of the Hommaru Castle you will see is this: the kurumayose.
Kurumayose is the carriage entrance of the palace. It was the official entry-way for high-ranking visitors to the Palace. The door is kept closed, though.
Check out the curving profile, distinct to shoin-zukuri. On the far left, you can see that high wall, right? That’s part of the covered area where the reconstruction is going on.
Already, the quality of wood will catch your eye, from the columns to the beams and crossbeams. That’s because they used only the highest-grade hinoki or Japanese cypress. The roof, on the other hand, is covered with kokera shingles, or shingles made from Japanese cedar.
Move to the side so you can pass through the entrance hall and enter the main drawing or reception hall. There’s a diagram showing the floor map of the Palace, but the yellow-orange area is the only sections that are open to the public for viewing.
I am always impressed by how systematic everything is. You enter and you are led to an area with shoe cupboards, where you will store your footwear, because you’re not allowed to bring it inside. Then, if you have valuables, you can leave them in another locker area. Put your stuff in, drop 100 yen, lock it, and get the key to be worn around your wrist. Don’t worry, you will get your money back when you unlock it and return the key. So basically, there is no locker rental!
Then you will be led to the Nakanokuchibeya Hall where you will be handed a brochure of your choice (your language, I mean), and you can just go in. They do let you take photos, just make sure the flash is off.
First, you’ll pass through the Oroka or the “Grand Corridor”. The tour route will first take you to the Genkan (Entrance Hall).
Goodness, if I can live in a house like this. Can I live here, please?
We come to the Genkan area, where there are two rooms: the Ichinoma (Primary Room) and the Ninoma (Secondary Room). Take note that all the rooms are just for viewing from outside the doors. No one is allowed to step inside.
Photos below show the Ichinoma and the sliding screen walls. The paintings’ subjects are a bamboo grove, leopards and tigers.
These two rooms are the first ones that the high-ranking visitors will come across the moment they enter the palace. It is situated directly before the kurumayose.
This is what the closed door of the kurumayose looks like on the other side.
The centerpieces of the rooms are the paintings on the walls and the sliding doors. They also set up the lighting to highlight the paintings. The colors are brought out more vividly, and each painting really draws you in.
Granted, the paintings are replicas, but they are still made by skilled artisans. The artists also made sure that they still used the original methods of Kano-style painting. The paintings are by the artists of the Kano school of painting, which is considered to be the greatest school when it comes to Japanese-style painting.
I wonder if, when it is fully opened to the public upon completion of reconstruction, they will show the real things.
The Sannoma (Tertiary or Third Room) is an area where you can walk past the paintings. It’s actually the closest you can get to them. And see how you will be walking on tatami floors. All the rooms have tatami floors.
All the paintings are in removable panels, and there are thousands of them in the Palace. Out of the lot, 1.047 panels are declared as National Cultural Assets. It’s a good thing those panels were saved during the air raids and fires, huh. Otherwise, the artisans would not have anything to replicate.
Then we come to the Omote shoin or the Main Hall, the other part of the Palace that is available for public viewing. This is the hall used for main audiences. (I want this as my bedroom, haha! Yes, no bed necessary.) Just like the Genkan, the Omote Shoin also has its Ninoma or Secondary Room.
Beside the Ninoma is, you guessed it, the Ichinoma of the Main Hall. It is the Primary Hall of the Omote Shoin.
Do you see the raised platform on one side? That is the Jodannoma (Raised Room), which is another room of the Main Hall, and is reserved for lords and other VIPs, or important guests. Looks like the normal people will remain on the lower floor.
This is what it looks like inside the Jodannoma. (OK, I changed my mind. This could be my bedroom.)
Note the ceiling, which features a closely-spaced lattice design. Yes, even the design of the ceilings differ, depending on the social status of the people who will be using it. This is definitely a much grander room compared to the others.
Beside the Jodannoma is the Nandonoma, or the Storage Room. But it is not for public viewing. When you walk behind it, you’d have done a circuit of the public area and be directed to the waiting room.
I felt a hush while walking through this corridor. Like, “be quiet, this is a hallowed place!”
A tour of the Hommaru Palace will take somewhere between 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your pace… and how much attention you give to each room. It’s just so pretty and well-constructed. No wonder many are looking forward to the rest of the palace being opened in 2018. Well, another section is scheduled for reopening in 2016, but the whole Palace will be opened in 2018.
Goodness, with the way my list of “places to go and re-visit in Japan” is getting longer, I might need more than 2 weeks next time!
In the next post, we’ll be entering the Nagoya Castle’s main tower. See ya then!