Last weekend I went to the ruins of Ichijodani, the seat of Echizen province during the Sengoku period, for a summer festival called Echizen Candle Night. During its heyday, with over 10,000 citizens in this tiny valley, Ichijodani was the 3rd largest population center in Japan, after the biggest neighborhoods Kyoto and Osaka. Now, it’s a ruin and archeological dig site, with a partially reconstructed village from the Sengoku period. The history is pretty interesting if you’re a nerd like me, so I suggest you take a look at Wikipedia if you want to know more.

Ichijodani Castle Gate

Anyway, it’s a small festival, but it was really beautiful. There were candles everywhere, and as night fell the whole ground was lit up. And since it’s a archeological site, there’s not really much light pollution, so the stars and planets were clearly visible.

Hitomi's candle cup

My candle cup

We were lucky, because the group we went with had a tour guide who took us through the ruins, explaining their history and what used to be where. As it turns out, Ichijodani castle was a pretty luxurious place, and pretty famous during its time (ironic, as now almost nobody knows anything about tiny, rural Fukui — including its own residents). The foundations of the buildings have been uncovered, as well as a number of gardens located in the mountain. Even today they are incredibly beautiful, and it was great to imagine what this place once looked like.

Entering the castle ruins

The gate from inside

The castle grounds from halfway up the mountain

One of the gardens up in the mountain

The candles are lit

The gate at twilight

Unfortunately my iPhone’s camera didn’t capture the dark very well, so these photos don’t look like the real thing. With the clear sky and the candles, I really wanted to paint the area. Some day I will come back and paint the ruined gate. And even more, I want to explore the reconstructed town at some point. I’m looking forward to going back.