Hashizume-mon Gate

Hashizume-mon Gate was reconstructed after the great fire of 1631 (Kan’ei 8), and together with Ishikawamon and Kahokumon, it was regarded as one of the “Three Major Gates” (San-gomon) of Kanazawa Castle. As the final gate leading to the Ninomaru Palace, it held the highest status within the castle, and of the Three Great Gates, it imposed the strictest controls on passage. The gate complex is a masugata-style defensive structure consisting of Ichino-mon(the First Gate) in koraimon style, a square enclosure surrounded by stone walls and double earthen walls, and Nino-mon(the Second Gate) in yaguramon style. The masugata area boasts the largest scale of any within the castle. A guard station was located in Nino-mon(the Second Gate), and its floor was paved with Tomuro stone—the same stone used at the entrance of the Ninomaru Palace. After being destroyed in the fire of 1808 (Bunka 5), the gate was rebuilt in 1809 (Bunka 6) and remained until the Meiji period. However, in 1881 (Meiji 14), it was again lost to a fire accidentally caused by the Army, along with the Ninomaru Palace and Gojikken-nagaya Storehouse. In 2001 (Heisei 13), Ichino-mon was reconstructed, followed in 2015 (Heisei 27) by the reconstruction of Nino-mon and the masugata double earthen walls—thus restoring the entire masugata gate complex. As part of the restoration, an internal passage connecting Nino-mon to the interior of the Hashizume-mon Tsuzuki Turret was added, allowing visitors to enter from the turret side and view the interior of the restored structures.

※Referenced from designs and architectural plans

Based on available drawings, old photographs, documents as well as findings from archaeological research, the restoration of the Hashizume-mon Gate was performed by respecting the historical facts as much as possible.

The consolidation of the peristyle foundation on the northern side of the Ni-no mon (the second gate), the closed conduit of the rock assembly and the platform of the stone wall were uncovered during excavation of the site.Inspection of the stone wall revealed traces of the original paving stones as well as the “nomikiri” (the center of the nailing post) of the Ni-no mon. These discoveries assisted in the restoration process by confirming the elevation of the paving stones and the bay size of Ni-No mon, which was rebuilt in 1809.

A large number of maps and drawings of Kanazawa Castle have been preserved, and these materials serve as essential references for its restoration work. For the reconstruction of Hashizume-mon as well, multiple detailed plans and elevation drawings from the late Edo period were available, providing crucial evidence for the architectural design. Historical documents—such as entries in the O-Zoeifō Hinnami-ki, written by Takabatake Atsusada, the construction magistrate during the Bunka-era reconstruction—were also used as key sources supporting the restoration.