江戸城 The History of Edo Castle 江戸城は、平安時代末の江戸氏居館、室町時代の太田道灌、戦国時代の小田原北条氏の支城として受け継がれました。豊臣秀吉は、北条氏を滅ぼすと、徳川家康を関東に移封しました。1590(天正18)年、徳川家康は江戸城に入城し、江戸城と城下町の建設を始めました。家康入城時の江戸城には石垣はなく土塁のみで、日比谷も入り江で日本橋・京橋辺りも海面と同じ高さの湿地でした。 家康は、まず城内の寺を出し本丸を拡張し、城下町の武家地、町人地を整えました。次に、本丸の南の台地を削り西の丸を造成し、その残土で日比谷入り江を埋め立てました。1603(慶長8)年、幕府を開き実権を握った家康は、天下普請として、城と城下町建設に諸大名を動員しました。同じ年に、神田山を崩して日本橋南の地域を埋め立て、市街地の造成と日本橋の架橋を行い、翌年には日本橋を起点とする五街道を整備しました。1606(慶長11)年には二の丸・三の丸と城郭の整備、石垣築造を進め、翌年には天守が完成しました。なお、天守は1657(明暦3)年に大火で焼失した後、再建されませんでした。 1868(明治元)年、明治天皇が江戸城に入り皇居となり、1960(昭和35)年、江戸城内郭の堀が「江戸城跡」として国の特別史跡に指定されました。このほか、「江戸城外堀跡」と「常盤橋門跡」が史跡に、外桜田門、田安門、清水門とそれぞれの櫓門が重要文化財に指定されています。
Edo Castle’s origins can be traced to the establishment of the Edo Clan’s estate in the late-Heian period. During the Muromachi period, it served as the location of Ōta Dōkan’s branch castle. Entering the Warring States Period, it was controlled by the Hōjō Clan’s and served as the site of their branch castle. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi eradicated the Hōjō Clan in the late-sixteenth century, Tokugawa Ieyasu was sent to their former territory in the Kantō region. In 1590, leyasu assumed control of Edo Castle and initiated the Castle’s reconstruction and construction of the surrounding castle town. At the time, there were no stone walls on the Castle site. The only remaining features of the Hōjō Clan’s branch castle were its earthen fortifications. In addition, the Hibiya area was an inlet and the Nihonbashi and Kyōbashi areas were low-lying wetlands. leyasu began the reconstruction effort by removing temples from the site, expanding the Castle’s inner citadel, and supervising the construction of the city’s commoner districts and warrior estates. He then removed portions of the plateau immediately south of the inner citadel and constructed the western citadel. In addition, the inlet in Hibiya was filled in using the earth removed from the plateau. In 1603, leyasu, who had by then seized national political authority and established a tent government, mobilized domainal lords from the across the country to construct the remaining portions of Edo Castle and the surrounding city area. The same year, Kanda Hill was leveled and earth removed from the Hill was used to fill in the southern portions of the Nihonbashi area. The area was then developed and Nihon-bashi Bridge was constructed. The following year, an archipelago-wide network of five overland circuits originating from Nihon-bashi Bridge was established. In 1606, the second and third citadels and castle tower were constructed and work continued on the stone walls surrounding the Castle. By the following year, the Castle’s main keep was complete. In 1657, however, the Castle was destroyed by a fire and had to be reconstructed. In 1868, the Meiji emperor moved to Edo Castle and it came to serve as the imperial palace. In 1960, Edo Castle’s inner moat was classified as Edo Castle’s official ruins and designated a National Heritage Site. In addition, remaining portions of the Castle’s outer moat and the ruins of Tokiwabashi Gate received designation as Historical Landmarks. Lastly, the box-shaped, two-story gatehouses at Sakurada-mon, Tayasu-mon, and Shimizu-mon Gates were designated as Important National Treasures.