しろいかしらいか

へその町とも呼ばれる群馬県渋川市。日本の真ん中という触れ込みであり、へそ祭りなる祭りまで行われます。
まあ、それはまったく関係ない話なのですが、渋川市に存在した白井城跡を訪れました。

しらいじょうと読みそうですが、地元ではしろいじょうと読んでいるとか。
戦国時代に存在した城の多くがそうであるように、築城の年や経緯ははっきりしていません。南北朝時代ではないかと言われています。
白井長尾氏が長らく根拠地としていました。
利根川と吾妻川が合流する地点の舌状台地の上に築かれていて、遺構は良好に保存。城域の一部は農地になっています。宅地化されなかったおかげで、人の出入りがそんなに多くならずに遺構が保存されたと言えるのかも。

三日月堀。

反対側の堀。

この土塁、掘った土を盛り上げて作ったのでしょう。

この石積み、太田道灌が積み方を指導したという伝説あり。

長らく城主であった長尾氏、白井系と総社系とがあり、総社系の長尾憲景が白井家を継いだ頃が戦国時代の真っ只中。戦国の小勢力の宿命と言うべか、周辺の大勢力に翻弄されました。
長野氏に圧迫され、武田にも攻められと、上杉方に属してはいましたが、家を守るのが大変だったことでしょう。

一時、武田家の命を受けた真田により落城、城を追われた長尾氏ですが、返り咲き。上杉謙信が山内上杉の家督を継いだ後も上杉方を貫いていましたが、謙信の死後に起こった御館の乱の後、上杉景勝が武田と同盟したことを受けて敵対していた武田方へ。ところが今度は武田家滅亡。後北条氏方にと、目まぐるしく臣従先を変えることに。
憲景死後、政景が城主となりましたが、今度は豊臣政権による小田原征伐。前田利家、そしてかっての主であった上杉方に攻められることとなり、ついに開城。長尾氏は最終的に城を追われました。

この白井城や長尾氏が歴史に残した影響はほぼ、というよりはっきり言って皆無でしょう。

それよりも上杉、武田、北条、豊臣といった戦国時代を彩った綺羅星達に翻弄された小勢力の悲哀を感じてしまいます。

長尾氏が去った後ですが、関東の主として徳川家康が入ってくると、本多康重が二万石で入部。
ちなみに藩という用語は明治になってから正式に使われるようになったものなので、江戸時代初期の話に”藩”と書くのは少し抵抗がありますが便宜上、白井藩としておきます。
その後、城主は松平、井伊と代わりましたが、最終的に本多康重の次男、紀貞が最後の城主となりました。彼が嗣子なくして死亡し、白井藩は廃藩となり、城も破却。

城の真下には白井宿という宿場町。城はなくなったものの、この地は沼田と前橋を結ぶ宿場として栄えました。

道の真ん中に堀割があり、宿場の雰囲気が感じられます。
江戸時代を通じて宿場町でしたが、城があった江戸時代初期は城下町でもあったのでしょう。

youtubeから動画を御覧いただけます。

https://youtu.be/VgtVFNbYNWw

ここから先は、現代社会への批判や不満を絡めます。
城とは直接の関係がないので、興味ない方はスルーして下さい。個人的な憤懣が多分に含まれています。
宿場という所は多くの旅人が行き交い、立ち寄る人相手の商売で成り立っていた場所。旅人には親切に、そして丁寧に接していたのではないかと想像します。しかし、残念ながら現在ではそうした精神が薄れているのではないかと思われることがありました。

この白井宿の近辺、○○駅という施設が幾つかありますが、どこでも似たとうな対応を受けた経験を書きます。
「お客様、お客さま」
万引きでも見つけたような大声で人に呼び掛けているスタッフ。
「マ○くの着用をお願い致します」
人にそういうお願いしたいのならば、そっと呼び掛けて小声で言うならともかく、犯罪者でも咎めるように大声でわめき散らして、周囲にまで無着用者をさらし者にしている。
配慮が無さすぎる対応、おかしいだろ。
頭に来たから、勿論、拒否。
他でも似たような騒動。あげくに「今、マス○をお持ち致しますので、お待ち下さい」だと。
こんな施設ども、この基地外騒動が終わっても二度と来ぬ。

皆、お忘れか？コーノー氏がお駐車大臣だった時、二回ワクワクすれば元の生活に戻れますと言いましたよね？二回どころか三回もほぼ終わりつつある今でも、○スクすら外せない。
世間が忘れても、私は覚えているぞ。
そもそもマス○は任意の筈。したい人はすればいいだけの話。それを義務のように他人にまで押し付ける風潮は明らかに間違っている。ましてや店が客に強要するような物言いとは、ホスピタリティのかけらもありませんな。
しかもマスクには何の効果もない。

日本と違って、米国の航空会社では搭乗時には○ス○が義務でした。それも今は撤廃されました。ヨーロッパの多くの国でも状況は似たようなものです。いつまでもマス○なぞしている日本は笑いものですな。こうしたことをテレビや新聞はなかなか報道しようとしない。メディアの報道には明らかにバイアスがかかっている。

English version.
Shibukawa city is called the navel town. Since they say it is located at the center of Japan. And Shibukawa people hold navel festival.
Actually it does not relate to this article but the other day I visited the ruin of Shiroi castle in Shibukawa city in Gunma.

This Chinese character could be read Shiroijou ato but local people read this Shiroijou ato.

Many of castles in the warring states period are not clear about details of building. Some people say it might be built in Nanbokucho period, around 14th century.
Shiroi-Nagao family held this castle as their home castle.

It was built on the tongue-shaped plateau where the meeting point of Tone river and Agatsuma river. The site is preserved in good condition. A part of the site is used as farm land. I guess this place was not used as residential area so not so many people come to here that's why the site was preserved.

三日月堀。

反対側の堀。

I guess they they used dug soil to make this soil wall.

There is a legend that a famous samurai Ohta Dokan advised to make this stone wall.

Nagao family was the master of this castle for a long time. There were 2 lines, 
Shiroi and Soja. When Nagao Kagenori who came from Soja became the master of castle, it was the hard time. It was the middle of the warring states period so there were many powerful families around here. Nagao family was tossed by such families. 
They were pressured by Nagano family, attacked by Takeda family although they belonged to Uesugi family but it must tough to protect this castle and themselves.

https://note.com/az73/n/naf8762f539ae

Once Sanada was ordered to attacked this castle by Takeda then Nagao family was expelled from this castle but later they got back the castle. After Uesugi Kenshin became the head master of Uesugi family Nagao family belonged to Uesugi but after Kenshin died, there was conflict inside of Uesugi family, it was called Otate conflict. They battled to become the master of Uesugi. 
Finally Uesugi Kagekatsu became the master. He got alliance with Takeda. Then Nagao family had to belong to Takeda. But Takeda was ruined so they belonged to Hojo family in Odawara.

After Kagenori died Masakage became the master of the castle then Toyotomi Hideyoshi attacked Odawara. Then armies of Maeda Toshiie and Uesugi, their ex-master, attacked the castle. Finally they surrendered and Nagao family left the castle. 

This Shiroi castle and Nagao family didn't leave any effect to the history.
But I am sorry for them because Nagao family was tossed by big families like Uesugi, Takeda, Hojo and Toyotomi. Such families had big power and famous.
So Nagao family couldn't resist.

After Nagao family left, Tokugawa Ieyasu baceme the master of Kanto area. His man Honda Yasushige was ordered to maintain this castle.

Many historian call domains of powerful samurai family Han. But actually the word has been used since Meiji period. So during the Edo period no man used Han so I hesitate to use this word to write about the Edo period but I had to call Shiroi han to tell the story easily.
After that the master changed Matsudaira and Ii but finally Yasushige's 2nd son, Norisada became the last master because he died without any sons to succeed the master. So Shiroi han was disappeared the castle was broken.

Down the castle, there is Shiroi station. Although the castle was gone this place was important station between Numata and Maebashi.

At the center pf the street, there is a stream. It is the symbol of station town.

There had been a station town during the Edo period but I guess during the castle was there, it was a castle town too.
You can watch video from youtube 
https://youtu.be/VgtVFNbYNWw

From here, I am going to write about critics and complain about the modern society.
So the story under here doesn't relate to the castle. If you are not interested to my complain, you don't have to read here.
The station town was flourish because of tourists. So I imagine in those days they were kind for tourists but present day such hospitality was no longer here.

Around here there were some shops. I felt some of them treated customers badly. 
"Sir, Sir"

Staff called loudly like they found shoplifting. 
"Please wear a m○sk"

I think they want to ask, they should say in a low voice. But they shouted like to scold criminal. They mad a fool for not wear man.

They didn't care about feelings of not wear people.

I got mad so rejected.
In another shop, there was similar one. And she said 
"I am going to bring it soon so please wait"

Even after this mad uproar is over, I won't come to such places.
I am afraid that everyone might forget when Mr. Koo someone was the minister of shot, he said after got shot 2 times, you get back the usual life style. But many people got 3 times now but many people has not taken away ○sks.
Even everyone forget this, I remember.
Mas○ is not mandate in Japan. People who want to wear just wear it. Even so some people make other ones to wear it. I believe such trend is wrong. Even shop staff should not such a thing. It is against hospitality.
Different from Japan, in the united states, they had to wear ma○k but it was lifted now. Many countries in Europe the situation is similar. I guess people in such countries might laugh at Japan. Many TV and newspaper don't tell us such things. 
I think big media's journalism is biased.

Ladies and gentlemen! I know this call is against for the political correctness these days but I do use it to protest such trend.