400-Year-Old Stone Walls Beneath the Prefectural Government Building
The Kofu Castle Stone Wall Exhibition Room is located on basement level 1 of the Yamanashi Prefectural Government Disaster Prevention Building.
Here you can see authentic stone walls built approximately 400 years ago, along with the actual wooden foundations called dogi that supported them. The exhibition also features video content documenting the excavation and relocation process, and admission is free.
This article introduces the highlights of the Kofu Castle Stone Wall Exhibition Room.
Kofu Castle Stone Wall Exhibition Room
The Kofu Castle Stone Wall Exhibition Room is an exhibition facility in Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture. It displays the inner moat stone walls of Kofu Castle that were unearthed during construction of the Disaster Prevention Building, relocated and restored for public viewing.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Kofu Castle Stone Wall Exhibition Room |
| Hours | 9:00 am - 9:00 pm |
| Closed | Weekends, holidays, and year - end/New Year holidays |
| Admission | Free |
| Address | B1F Yamanashi Prefectural Government Disaster Prevention Building, 1 - 6-1 Marunouchi, Kofu City, Yamanashi |
| Access | Approximately 3 - minute walk from JR Kofu Station South Exit |
The facility shares the building with the Yamanashi Jewelry Museum and is within walking distance of Kofu Castle (Maizuru Castle Park).
Up Close with Castle Construction Era Stone Walls
The main attraction of the exhibition room is the nozurazumi-style stone walls built during the castle construction period approximately 400 years ago.
During excavation surveys conducted for the construction of the Disaster Prevention Building, the inner moat stone walls of Kofu Castle were discovered spanning 27 meters east to west and 4 meters in height. Yamanashi Prefecture dismantled and relocated these walls, creating a new exhibition room to display them to the public.
The display shows approximately 2 meters of the lower portion of the walls. Using the nozurazumi technique where natural stones are stacked as they are, small packing stones fill the gaps between larger stones. The upper sections include walls believed to have been repaired during the mid-Edo period, allowing visitors to compare construction techniques from different eras.
Looking closely at the stones, you can see yabana, holes drilled for splitting stones, and senkokuga, drawings carved by stonemasons.
Dogi: The Wooden Foundations That Supported the Stone Walls
Displayed alongside the stone walls are the dogi wooden foundations.
Dogi refers to wooden timbers laid at the foundation of stone walls. Building heavy stone walls on soft ground risks collapse due to uneven settling or sliding. To prevent this, timber was laid as a foundation - this is what dogi are.
The exhibition displays actual excavated dogi, the very timbers that once lay beneath the stone walls. The wood, darkened over centuries, tells the story of supporting the walls for over 400 years.
Explanatory panels detail the structure of the dogi system, including tsugite joints connecting the timbers, hozo ana mortise holes for positioning, hasami ishi clamping stones, and shiki ishi foundation stones that stabilized the timber - all ingenious techniques developed to support the stone walls.
Learning About Kofu Castle and Stone Walls Through Video
Monitors in the exhibition room offer four video programs for viewing.
- Origins of Kofu Castle: The history and development of Kofu Castle
- Stone Wall Dismantling Survey: Documentation of excavation work and unearthed stone walls
- Stone Wall Relocation and Restoration: The process of dismantling walls and relocating them to the exhibition room
- Kofu Castle Sleeping Beneath the Government Building: The relationship between the current government grounds and Kofu Castle
These videos reveal the processes that made this exhibition possible. Each video runs just a few minutes, so watching all of them is highly recommended. They deepen understanding of Kofu Castle and expand knowledge about stone wall construction. Above all, the videos convey just how challenging the relocation work was - a testament to the remarkable skills of modern craftspeople.
The opportunity to see actual footage of excavation and relocation work is rare. Having access to such documentation is truly valuable.
Understanding Kofu Castle Through Explanatory Panels
Multiple explanatory panels line the walls.
The History of Kofu Castle presents a timeline from the castle construction in the 1590s to the present. The Location of Kofu Castle places the original castle layout alongside current aerial photographs, illustrating how vast the castle complex once was.
Panels illustrating stone wall structure are also installed, explaining the roles of tenba ishi cap stones, tsumi ishi stacking stones, ne ishi foundation stones, tsume ishi packing stones, and dogi wooden foundations. Being able to study the structure while viewing the actual walls is something unique to this exhibition room.
An Exhibition Room That Protects and Preserves Historical Remains
The Kofu Castle Stone Wall Exhibition Room relocated and restored remains uncovered during construction, opening them to the public free of charge. That stone walls typically destined to be reburied have been preserved for close-up viewing represents a highly meaningful effort in preserving historical heritage.
When visiting Kofu Castle (Maizuru Castle Park), this is a stop worth making. The Yamanashi Jewelry Museum is in the same building, offering additional attractions to enjoy.
