It was a while ago that the end of the rainy season in Kanazawa was declared, but today is finally a summery day.

Under a clear sky without clouds, I walked through the beautiful contrast between the green leaves of the trees and the blue sky, climbed Miyamorizaka while looking at Nezumitamon Gate as usual, and entered Kanazawa Castle.

Around the Gyokuseninmaru, a rare white flower that looked like a lily and was not a lily was in bloom.
We proceeded along the fence where the investigation for the restoration of Ninomarugoten is underway and headed for the Hashizume Gate along the moat under the Gokurakubashi bridge on a whim. When Kanazawa University was in the castle, there was a Faculty of Law and Literature near the Hishi Yagura connected to this gate, and there was a University library. The new book I got at that time was moved to the Kakuma Campus and 50 years have passed, but when I pick it up, it still reminds me of nostalgic old days.

Every time you walk into the castle, you will feel the magnitude of the change of Ninomaru, Sannomaru, Shinmaru, Hashizumemon Gate, and Kahokumon Gate.

In such Kanazawa Castle, the only “Ishikawa Gate” has far exceeded human life and has endured for 230 years. For those who live in this area, the “Ishikawa Gate” is a symbol of Kanazawa and is an indispensable building in this place. When I was a kid, I used to climb up the stone walls and talk while sitting down, but it is no longer a playground including the surrounding stone walls, and it has become a so-called antique work of art, just for viewing. I feel a little disappointed with the point.

The inside of the Ishikawa Gate was just open to the public, so I decided to visit it without hesitation. Since it is the Karamete Gate located to the east of the castle, it must be the back gate, but the Nagaya and turrets that surround the Masugata, which is comparable in size to the major gates of other castles, are old-colored and have the dignity of the old castle. It is full.

According to the explanation board installed indoors, it has been rebuilt every time it has been hit by repeated fires since the Keicho period in the Edo period.


It is said that the current gate is 230 years old, but it is one of the historical monuments that I would like you to stay in this area forever without encountering disasters or fires.