Attacking and Defending the Castle, Okayama

[Bugyotsuji]

If anyone is in the west of Japan this spring, there is a very good little exhibit on the second and third floors of Okayama Castle 岡山城, "Shiro no Seme to Mamori" 「城の攻めと守り」running until Sunday 6 May.　

 

Last year it was all swords and some stunning examples there were. This year there are swords, spears, large guns, sets of low and high armor/armour, and all the accoutrements that might have come into play during a Japanese castle siege. The entrance ticket is 800 yen for adults.

[sencho]

Thanks Piers....

 

Is that the one nicknamed Crow Castle???

 

I most likely won't be able to go, but do have some big yachts calling to Uno Port in the next couple of weeks and had planned Korakuen, Kurashiki and the Yoshii Ryokan; but adding this to the mix, should be able to give these guys a real treat!!

 

Cheers.

[John A Stuart]

Yes, because of the original trim colour, I believe. They do have some pretty good displays there. You must remember it is a rebuilt post WW II type of castle. Korakuen is great especially right now and the little eateries just outside the gate by the river good food. John

[Ken-Hawaii]

Piers, thanks for that info. I'm going to try & fit in that display on our very rushed trip to Osaka the end of this month. My wife & I will already be nearby at the Bizen-Osafune Sword Museum in Kagato, & I have been looking for another sword display for that day. Do you happen to have an English link to the display?

 

Thanks!

Ken

[Bugyotsuji]

Sencho, Crow Castle, yes that's the one. (Do you know the harbormaster in Ushimado, Mr Shiota?)

 

Ken, although 'nearby' the train and bus links between Osafune sword museum and Okayama City are not good so you may want to consider a taxi. Unfortunately there is very little in English, the pamphlet at the entrance being about the size of it.

http://town.sanyo.oni.co.jp/news_s/d/2012031713514873

https://santa.sanyo.oni.co.jp/santa/pc/ ... ntsId=1303

http://1.33.190.55/portal/events/228

http://www.sanyo.oni.co.jp/news_s/news/ ... 0312394241

 

Nice little video clip in that last link, especially at the end after the interview.

 

Oh, and an earlier one here from 21 March:

http://mov.sanyo.oni.co.jp/movie/conten ... 185126376/

[Ken-Hawaii]

Oh, okay - I see what you mean, Piers. I guess I'll continue looking for another sword shop in Osafune instead of visiting the castle. Glad two of my three grandkids are studying Japanese.

 

Thanks,

Ken

[Bugyotsuji]

If you are looking for sword shops, (and as long as it's not Sunday) then you will need to go to Okayama City anyway. There is very little of anything near Osafune.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Thanks, Piers. I'm still looking for a sword store anywhere in the vicinity, so as you seem to know the area well, I would appreciate any leads you can give me. My Japanese daughter-in-law will contact each store in advance & let them know that my wife & I are coming. We're both yudansha iaidoka, & I run our local sword club, so we'll hopefully be welcome.

 

Thanks!

Ken

[Bugyotsuji]

Just seen your reply. Apologies for the delay. In Okayama City itself there are Ando Boeki, and Tamayama Meishito, and south of the city there is the smaller Fukutoku Bijutsu and further out Token Sato. Some, such as Tamayama and maybe Ando have English-speaking staff.

 

Many of these are on this page:

http://www.google.co.jp/search?q=%E6%B7 ... d6a297c764

[Ken-Hawaii]

Thanks, Piers. I've added Tamayama Meishito to our itinerary as they seem to be fairly close to the rail station. The others don't have an English page, unfortunately.

 

Ken

[Brian]

Piers,

Which shop did you take us to, that had a meeting and a short kantei session? That was a nice shop with some very good items, and judging by the floor of their safe, had just done some major business with the dealer auctions

 

Brian

[Bugyotsuji]

Trying not to be biased I provided a long list, but Tamayama is about 10 mins walk from the station and I know the staff there pretty well. That is where we went, Brian. Yes, they are active at the auctions and they always have a good selection of sword related stuff. The son of the owner speaks English, and so does the young chap who helps out there. If you mention my name they should be friendly and I suspect they would even be willing to cut a deal. Sssshhhh.... :lol:

 

Ken, what date will you be visiting Osafune and Okayama?

[Ken-Hawaii]

Our trip is being made a lot easier, Brian & Piers - mahalo/gracias/arigatou!

 

Piers, I don't think I've ever taken a trip that will be so crammed. We will be taking the Shinkansen to Kagato early on the morning of 2 May to visit the Bizen-Osafune Sword Museum, & when we're done there, we're free in the afternoon to visit sword shops. Linda & I are looking for an onsen in the Okayama area for that evening, one that has an English Web-site. The following morning, back on the Shinkansen to Osaka where we will hopefully visit another couple of sword shops, & then exhausted onto the plane back to Hawaii that night.

 

We couldn't pass up the US$198 round-trip airfares even though we only have two full days on the ground. Backpacks & cameras, that's about all we're carrying. Oh, & our Kindle 3s with keyboards to help with translation.

 

Ken

[Bugyotsuji]

Ken, you will have to get off the Shinkansen at Himeji or Aioi and take a rather infrequent local train to Osafune Sword Museum. (What is "Kagato"?) The station is quite a long walk from the museum. It is a sort of side line, but goes on from there to Okayama where there is a Shinkansen Station for your return.

 

In the middle of Golden Week, rooms will be scarce and prices high, especially at a proper Onsen. I would have suggested Tomada (Noritake) Onsen, but they will be over 10,000 yen a room and speak no English. My wife suggests going for a better rate more convenient hotel such as the Toyoko Inn, the Koraku Hotel, or the Comfort Hotel, all bookable online in English and near the station and night life, and you could use the hotel onsen bath or ask the staff for a nearby Sento.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Piers, the yen rate isn't really a factor for the one night we'll spend in an onsen. I checked out the Okayama Koraku Hotel, but our iaido Sensei is contacting Tomata Onsen (http://www.oyado-noritake.jp/) to see if they have any English-speaking staff & whether there's a room available on that date for us. Your wife obviously thinks the same way! And the room rate for the onsen is actually lower than for the hotel - I have no feel for that, but am not worrying about a few hundred yen.

 

What is Kagato? Well, I sure hope it's what I'm reading in English at this Web-site: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=&daddr=%EF%BC%99%EF%BC%96%EF%BC%96+Osafunecho+Osafune,+Setouchi,+Okayama+Prefecture+701-4271,+Japan+%28%E5%82%99%E5%89%8D%E9%95%B7%E8%88%B9%E5%88%80%E5%89%A3%E5%8D%9A%E7%89%A9%E9%A4%A8%29&hl=en&geocode=CULTKhWyT6CuFWDPEQIdRU_-ByH5b_M6tlSQ6w&vps=3&sll=34.722514,134.109399&sspn=0.015696,0.033023&vpsrc=6&t=h&mra=mift&ie=UTF8 or I'm in deep trouble! The Shinkansen stops there, & I figure we would spring for a cab to get to the museum, as we're likely to be standing all the way from Kobe station with the unreserved seats we have with the Kansai Wide Area 4-day pass. The museum's address is shown at http://www.city.setouchi.lg.jp/~osa-tok ... /index.htm.

 

If I've completely missed something, Piers, please e-mail me directly at jssh@catii.com so I can start panicking! Thanks!

 

Ken

[Bugyotsuji]

Tomada/Tomata/Noritake Onsen is a huge sprawling complex but I can just about guarantee no-one speaks English there.

 

Oh, and E-mail sent.