I’m always into history and I’d love to see some important or interesting Sengoku-era battlefields on a trip we’re planning for post-COVID. My wife is not a history or military buff, so I was wondering if there were any battlefields or exhibits where someone who’s just into interesting things would be entertained. For example, she’d be interested to see different types of armor, kabuto helmets, etc., but she wouldn’t really be keen on how the terrain changes at the various battles at Sekigahara affected the outcome for each side.
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The battlefield of Sekigahara is something that can be viewed during lunch, it is a very tight valley and you can see the mountains each side camped out on from anywhere in the village. The museum there is also pretty interesting and they have some engaging exhibits. *Hikone* Castle has a great museum attached as well and most of the defenses are still intact, giving you an amazing scale of what it would have felt like to assault it.
I think that battlefields are likely the hardest to be attracting to non-history buff as you said. You could always try to negotiate going to Sekigahara in the morning and Hikone castle in the afternoon, as Hikone station is about 40 min from sekigahara. Or why not treat her to something nice in Kyoto in the morning while you go to Sekigahara and you can then meet somewhere (again Hikone castle is a nice option).
What might be more interesting, is visiting castle that had some historic significance. While I know that Osaka castle does not have the best reputation (concrete reconstruction with a museum inside), it does have a significance in sengoku era. You likely already know about the siege of Osaka castle and how it pretty much ended any potential influence of the Toyotomi and their supporters. One of the problem with castle could be that the one standing either as original or reconstruction, might not have a big historic role or be the center of any conflict. So they might had some historic importance, but not much as on the “battlefield” point of view.
You might also have more luck with visiting some temples that have some importance, like Enryaku-ji that was attacked by the forces of Nobunaga, or Honno-ji, where he died. Or maybe Kodai-ji, that was established by Kodai-in (the widow of Toyotomi) and funded by Tokugawa. There is also a street called Nene no michi in Higashiyama named in her honor), it’s the street in front of Kodai-ji that is going to Yasaka shrine..
Can check shrine dedicated to them like Kenkun-jinja to Oda Nobunaga, while his grave is in Mount Koya, Toyokuni-jinja to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Nikko Tosho-gu for Tokugawa (actually, all the Tosho-gu shrines are dedicated to Tosho-daigongen, aka Tokugawa Ieyasu).
And I just mentioned the 3 big names, you can easily go to Sendai for places related to Date Masamune, Kofu in Yamanashi for Takeda Shingen, etc.
If you want to see samurai items such as sword and armor, for sure check history museum, Tokyo Nartional Museum is a nice one, but it cover all history, from Jomon to modern.
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I am personally much more of a Bakumatsu fan and could give you more idea as it’s what I have visited the most.
I think Osaka castle might be right up her alley and maybe even yours. It’s a museum that focuses pretty heavily on that period of time but by virtue of it being in the middle of Osaka, probably much more palatable to her than trekking somewhere far away.
I think battlefield might be a hard sell. How about something like Himeji, which is recently restored like six years ago? The others suggestion of old temples that are historically connected is good too. For example in Daisen-in in Daitoku-ji in Kyoto there’s a Go set with the family crest of Toyotomi and Tokugawa on the box. Supposedly they played Go with it… Talk about an interesting historical artifact.
And yeah, if you wanna go see the fields having a car that can let you invest the minimum amount of time in transit would probably be best
Not a battlefield, but if you’re a Sengoku fan, the Oyamazumi shrine is a must-visit. Obscure? Hella yes. Hard to get to? Not really, nothing a JR Kansai Hiroshima Area pass and a careful reading of the bus schedule can’t handle.
This shrine contains the biggest concentration of feudal Japan weapons and armor. And these are not show pieces given to the daimyo as gifts – the blades of the swords here are all nicked from hitting steel and bone and streaked with corrosion, the chain mail have arrow holes.
It can be reached via bus, but IMO it’s best done as a way point when you’re cycling through the Shimanami Kaido. Take your time in the shrine/museum, there’s a lot of history there.
While you’re in the area, Hikone is a very authentic castle to visit. It’s an original and very well kept, and the museum and garden besides it sorta requires you to schedule a full day just for them. Hikone is a very chill town to stay in, also
So, not really a battle field, but there is a watch castle in Oguchi, Aichi (Oguchi castle). It isn’t much but it is Sengoku era (since rebuilt though).
It is not a typical tourist place as the area is very much out of the way.
There is Horioseki park, also in Oguchi, which has a fairly old bridge (rebuilt but some parts are original I believe) as well as a neat earthen stage.
While there, you can visit Inuyama castle, which is one of the oldest castles in Japan that is not a reconstruction I believe.
You can thank my wife’s grandfather for showing me these two castles and some of his towns history. 🙂