The section of the outer moat located between Ushigome to Ichigaya was constructed by utilizing the topography of the Kanda River valley. In addition, because the Yotsuya and Kojimachi sections of the moat were located on a ridgeline, which cut across the Kanda Plateau, moat construction in those areas required the execution of a large-scale infrastructure project in which sections of the Plateau were removed and the moat was extended to the valley in the vicinity of the reservoir on the Akasaka side. Groups of domainal lords were mobilized to carry out the project and each group was required to remove a predetermined amount of earth from the plateau. The outer moat reached its highest point in the vicinity of Kuichigai Gate. From there, the water level gradually lowered as it passed through the channels linking Sanada-bori Moat with the Kanda River. In order to control the flow of water and prevent flooding, weirs were constructed to around gates, such as Ushigome-mon Gate, which were located on earthen bridges. These weirs were then utilized to control the water level in the moat. Furthermore, utilizing the natural topography, large earthen fortifications were constructed by building up sections of the Kanda Plateau on the present-day Chiyoda Ward side of the moat in order to improve the Castle’s defenses. That project resulted in the establishment of a steep embankment. Edo Castle’s outer moat boasts a total length of approximately 14 kilometers. The approximately 4-kilometer, 38-hectare section between Ushigome and Akasaka Gates is a designated as a National Historic Site. Visitors to the site can see the ingeniously constructed outer moat filled with water, the stone walls of the Castle’s outer gates, and the shape of its earthen fortifications.
江戸城外堀 The History of Edo Castle Outer Moat 江戸城は、本丸・二の丸・三の丸・西の丸・北の丸・吹上からなる内郭を内堀が囲み、その表門が大手門でした。外堀は、雉子橋門から時計回りに、一橋門、神田橋門、常盤橋門など諸門をめぐり、呉服橋門から虎ノ門、溜池から四谷門、市谷門、牛込門を経て、現在の神田川に入り、小石川門から浅草門で、隅田川に至る堀でした。外堀工事は、1606(慶長11)年に雉子橋から溜池までの堀を構築後、1618(元和4)年に駿河台が掘削されて平川(現日本橋川)の流路に付け替えられ、神田川が誕生しました。この工事で、平川は堀留橋で締め切られ、独立した堀となりました。 1636(寛永13)年には、天下普請で外堀が構築され、江戸の総構が完成します。この工事は、雉子橋から虎ノ門に至る外堀の総石垣化と枡形築造を前田・細川・池田・黒田家など西国外様大名(石垣方六組)、牛込土橋から赤坂土橋にかけての外堀掘削と土塁の構築を東国大名(堀方七組)が行いました。 その後も幕府は、外堀を維持するために大名の手伝普請による堀さらいをしました。牛込~市谷間の堀は、市谷~四谷間より水位が下がり、土砂が堆積し、蓮が繁ったため、普請奉行の管理下で頻繁にさらいが行われました。また、町人にも堀にゴミを捨てないよう町触も出され、外堀の維持・管理が行われました。
Edo Castle’s inner hull was comprised of six citadels: the main, second, third, western, northern, and fukiage citadels. The entire inner hull was encircled by an internal moat and Ōte-mon Gate served as its main entrance. The Castle’s outer moat originated at Kijibashi-mon Gate and passed, in clockwise direction, through Hitotsubashi-mon, Kandabashi-mon, Tokiwa-bashi-mon, Gofukubashi-mon, and Torano-mon Gates. It then extended from Castle reservoir through Yotsuya-mon, Ichigaya-mon, and Ushigome-mon Gates before ultimately flowing into the present-day Kanda River. From there. it served as a canal, which passed through Koishikawa-mon and Asakusa-mon Gates and ultimately converged with the Sumida River. The outer moat’s development began in 1606 with the construction of a canal from Kiji-bashi Bridge to the Castle reservoir. The second stage in its evolution came in 1618, when portions of the Kanda Plateau were removed and the canal was redirected towards the Hira River. That process gave birth to the Kanda River and transformed the Hira River, which was closed off at Horidome-bashi Bridge, into an independent canal. The outer moat was finally completed in 1636, when feudal lords from eastern and western Japan were mobilized to construct its remaining portions. Specifically, western domainal lords, including the Maeda, Hosokawa, Ikeda, and Kuroda Houses, were ordered to supervise the construction of stone walls and the square masugata enclosures used to protect the castle gates along the section of outer moat between Kiji-bashi Bridge and Torano-mon Gate. In constrast, domainal lords from eastern Japan were order to dig a canal between Ushigome-bashi and Akasaka-bashi Bridges and construct earthen fortifications. In order to maintain the outer moat, the Tokugawa shogunate mobilized domainal lords from around the country to dredge it. In particular, the section of the moat between Ushigome and Ichigaya required frequent dredging because the water level often receded, resulting in the accumulation of silt on the moat floor and the development of water lilies on its surface. Such dredging projects were carried out under the supervision of the shogunate’s Governor of Construction. In addition, the city authori-ties attempted to keep the outer moat free of debris by issuing official proclamations banning the residents of commoner neigh-borhoods from disposing of garbage in the moat.
赤坂門:長崎大学附属図書館蔵
Akasaka-mon Gate: “Photo Tokyo Past and Present” Hiroshi Nozawa
喰違:『絵本江戸土産』国立国会図書館蔵
Kuichigai-mon Gate: “Edo Souvenir in Pictures” National Diet Library
そのほか:『旧江戸城写真帖』東京国立博物館蔵
Others: “Old Edo Castle Photo Collection” Tokyo National Museum