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109-566: The stadium was built in 1949 in Maizuru Park, the former site of Fukuoka Castle , by converting a soccer field at Heiwadai Athletic Stadium into a ballpark. For NPB's inaugural season , the Central League 's newly created Nishi Nippon Pirates used Heiwadai Stadium as its home. Additionally, the PL's newly created Nishitetsu Clippers used it as a semi-home. After Nishi Nippon's first and only season,

218-465: A home run to center field off of Yoshikazu Hayashi that cleared the outfield stands and left the stadium. The home run is estimated to have traveled over 160 m (525 ft) and is still considered to be the farthest by a Japanese player. A ball-shaped commemorative sign was later installed to indicate where the ball left the stadium. Nakanishi helped the Lions win their first Pacific League championship

327-438: A tenshu are seen in a few old documents and the existence of an annex for the tenshu is indicated on some old maps. The problem is now being studied by various researchers. (Kuroda Nagamasa tried to destroy all the documents which were related to Christianity. Since "tenshu" also means "(Christian) God", it is possible that he destroyed almost all the documents which contained the word "tenshu".) The hon-maru residence, which

436-558: A "no-game". Orion players repeatedly called time outs and went to the bench to drink water. The Lions scored four more runs in the fourth inning and before the top of fifth, with the Orions trailing 4–9, Mainichi manager Yoshio Yuasa insisted that he could not continue. When the umpire agreed and called the game after the fourth inning, fans stormed the field and attacked the umpire and the Orions. Nishitetsu players such as Noguchi Masaaki and Hiroshi Oshita helped to defend Kaoru Betto and

545-611: A Goyo-yashiki, which may have been a government officials' apartment complex, and then a horse riding ground in Meiwa 8 (1771). In Bunka -8 (1811), the hawkers' office was moved from the south of the castle to an area adjacent to the riding ground. Facing the Oimawashi Gateway lies the Uemono-kuruwa where the wall stones bear many types of seals carved into them. These seals indicate the groups belonging to different principle retainers at

654-524: A continuous moat, which measures about 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) from east to west and 700 metres (2,300 feet) from north to south. Even without the moat, the inner castle of Fukuoka Castle, in its grandiose scale, is as large as some of the castles built by the Tokugawa Shogunate, such as Nagoya Castle and Osaka Castle of the Tokugawa Period. However, thanks to the wide roads which ran throughout

763-640: A former Nippon Professional Baseball team and a founding member of the Central League in 1950. The team was owned by the Nishinippon Shimbun and played their home games in Heiwadai Stadium in Fukuoka . After only one season in which they fell victim to the first perfect game in professional Japanese baseball history, had financial and managerial problems, and finished in sixth place, the Pirates merged with

872-430: A game cancellation due to darkness. Lighting equipment was subsequently added in 1954. After the Lions began winning Japan Series championships two seasons later, Nishitetsu dramatically modernized the stadium in 1958 by completely renovating the seating areas, increasing its capacity from 24,000 to 34,000, and adding locker rooms. The Lions performed poorly in the early 1970s and low attendance at Heiwadai Stadium led to

981-464: A hillock to the northwest of the inner castle was also truncated because it was higher than the hon-maru . The hillock was then used as the site for a retirement residence for Kuroda Yoshitaka . A cove or an inlet on the west of the inner castle, in which Ōhori Park and Arato are now situated, was utilized for the Ohori Moat (Big Moat) in the cove's southern half and for a town in its northern half by

1090-565: A large cove at the time of castle construction, was filled with sediment and the Torikai area was drained and turned into grassy land. Accordingly, during the period of Empo (1673–1689), the area that was turned into land was developed into rice fields, and the Odote Causeway was built along the shorelines. At the same time, the Komo River was modified to flow on the west of the Odote Causeway so that

1199-515: A limited amount of the dish for fans. Fukuoka Castle Fukuoka Castle ( 福岡城 , Fukuoka-jō ) is a Japanese castle located in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka , Japan. It is also known as Maizuru Castle (舞鶴城 Maizuru-jō) or Seki Castle (石城 Seki-jō). Completed in the early Edo period for tozama daimyō Kuroda Nagamasa , it has been decreed a historic site by the Japanese government. The castle lies in

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1308-410: A one-hour delay after the third inning put the game even more behind. The umpire persuaded the reluctant Orions to resume the game in an attempt to fit five innings in before sundown and an announcement was made in the stadium that the game may have to be called at sunset. At 18:46 pm, with the Lions leading 5–4 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Mainichi began to overtly stall in an attempt to force

1417-494: A proper noun), Minami-no-maru , the mizunote , and some minor kuruwas , all which are adjacent to the hon-maru . The height of the Ni-no-kuruwa , which is an elongated L-shaped kuruwa , is 17–18 metres (56–59 ft) above sea level with the dimension of about 310 metres (1,020 feet) from north to south. This kuruwa was designed to defend the gates of the hon-maru and functioned as a key kuruwa which controlled access to

1526-592: A proposal to build a ballpark in Heiwadai. A soccer field would be redeveloped and construction of the stadium started on July 1. The stadium was simple and its stands consisting of only wood benches placed atop a dirt mound. It cost ¥ 30 million to construct. Later that same year, on December 18, the stadium hosted its first event, an exhibition game between the Yomiuri Giants and the Osaka Tigers . The year of

1635-661: A reclaiming and dredging process. At the same time the Hii (Tajima) River, which was flowing into the cove, was diverted from its course to the west. On the west of the inner castle, two linear moats were excavated from the inner castle to the confluence of the Shiju River (the present-day Yakuin-shin River) and the Naka River. This large scale construction required a great number of stones. An analysis of their composition reveals that they came from

1744-518: A retractable roof), Fukuoka Dome , about 1.5 km (0.93 mi) away and moved there in 1993. The last official professional baseball game played at Heiwadai Stadium was the Daiei vs. the Kintetsu Buffaloes on October 1, 1992. During the stadium's lifetime, 1,904 official NPB games were played over 42 consecutive seasons. Heiwadai closed permanently on November 24, 1997, and the park and

1853-684: A semi-home in conjunction with Kasugabaru Stadium in Kasuga, Fukuoka . The stadium's first official professional baseball game was one of the Central League's three inaugural games on March 10, 1950, between the Pirates and the Hiroshima Carp . A ceremony celebrating the completion of Heiwadai Stadium was held on April 16, 1950, and was attended by Fukuoka Mayor Yaroku Miyoshi and the Governor of Fukuoka Katsuji Sugimoto. After Nishi Nippon's first and only season,

1962-446: A series of walls was constructed to thwart the invaders. In the 16th century, the age of civil wars, Hakata was fortified in full-scale by diverting the course of the Hie (Mikasa) River to the east of Hakata and excavating moats to the south. After the construction of Fukuoka Castle, Hakata seems to have been designated as a demaru (a detached work placed in front of a gate to cover it) defending

2071-479: A sponsorship from golf company Taiheiyo Club. In the first year under new ownership, the Lions secretly coordinated with the Lotte Orions to intensify their rivalry as a way to boost attendance. The opening game against Lotte in 1973 at Kawasaki Stadium was contentious and disparaging remarks by Lotte manager Masaichi Kaneda provoked Lions fans further. When the two teams next played on June 1 at Heiwadai Stadium,

2180-489: A stonemason who had worked on Edo Castle and Osaka Castle , directed the construction. Completed in 1607 ( Keichō year 12) after seven years of work, the castle is said to have contained an impressive 47 yaguras , and covered an area of 47,000 square metres (making it the largest in the Kyūshū region). Katō Kiyomasa of the nearby Kumamoto han lauded the castle for its grandeur. The dry stone fortification designed by Noguchi

2289-437: A survey of four sites: Sumiyoshi, Hakozaki, Aratsu-yama hill (present-day Nishi-kōen Park), and Fukuzaki. After careful consideration, Fukuzaki was chosen as the castle site. Fukuzaki, in the proximity of Hakata, was a place where a castle town could easily be constructed, and it was valuable as a naval port; furthermore, it had geostrategic advantages; it was surrounded by a cove, rivers, and hills. Thus Josui chose Fukuzaki, which

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2398-407: Is apparently the tenshu-kuruwa (a kuruwa especially designed for the defence of the tenshu ), playing the role of the tsume-no-maru (a kuruwa for the final fighting of a siege), and it is the most fortified place in the castle. On the northwest corner of the foundation of the tenshu , the tenshu kuruwa has in addition the kanritsu-shiki tenshu-kuruwa . This particular feature indicates that

2507-457: Is mentioned in the two latter documents, probably refers to the Ni-no-maru. The Minami-no-maru , another kuruwa shaped like a rectangle, measures about 70 metres (230 feet) from east to west and 110 metres (360 feet) from north to south. The height of the top of the foundation is more than 20 metres (66 feet) above sea level. This kuruwa was not only a defence against an enemy approaching from

2616-471: Is one of the features of this castle and only in few other castles built in the modern period can such an example be seen. The Ohori Moat was originally more than 3 ken (5.9 metres in Chikuzen) deep, and as for the other moats, more than 1 ken (2.0 metres in Chikuzen) deep at both sides, and more than 3 ken deep in the middle of the moat. By the mid-17th century, the Ohori Moat, formed by reclaiming and dredging

2725-545: Is present-day Fukuoka, now one of the largest cities in Japan. The construction of Fukuoka Castle began in 1601 and was completed in 1607. The plan is considered to have been directed by Kuroda Nagamasa . An old document suggests that Kuroda Nagamasa planned a gate and its surrounding area after many consultations with his distinguished commanding officers. The process of construction is fairly well known, based on archaeological and geological research and old documents, which provided

2834-445: Is unique.) This grand gateway and the stone walls of the newly built capital of Chikuzen looked down on and strongly dominated the city of Hakata, which had a very long history as a mercantile city. An old book indicates that there was a Roman Catholic church near the gate, within the walls. This may be the church built in memory of Kuroda Josui, which is mentioned in an annual report of a Jesuit missionary to Japan. The southern side of

2943-591: The 1989 season , the Hawks began using Heiwadai as their home field. However, after the remains of the Korokan , an ancient lodging facility for foreign visitors, were discovered under the bleachers during renovations in December 1987, the city planned to excavate the ruins and redevelop the site into a historical park. With plans to close Heiwadai in the works, Daiei started construction on Japan's second domed stadium (and first with

3052-534: The Battle of Sekigahara and moved into Najima Castle (名島城 Najima-jō) to form the Fukuoka han . Najima Castle had been created by Tachibana Akitoshi and was expanded by Kobayakawa Takakage , but was much too small to accommodate a large han, leading to the selection of Fukusaki hill as a new castle site. Construction began in 1601 ( Keichō year 6). Yoshitaka, an expert at establishing fortifications, and Noguchi Kazunari,

3161-648: The Central (CL) and Pacific Leagues (PL) before the 1950 season . After the split, the Yomiuri Shimbun , the newspaper company that owned the CL's Yomiuri Giants , persuaded Nishinippon to form their own Central League team and the Nishi Nippon Pirates were formed on September 19, 1949, with the newly-built Heiwadai Stadium in Fukuoka acting as the team's home field. Nishitetsu went ahead and also created its own team,

3270-510: The Nankai Hawks and moved them to Fukuoka where they called Heiwadai home through 1992 when they moved into the newly constructed Fukuoka Dome . During renovations in 1987, the remains of an ancient facility were discovered under the bleachers at Heiwadai. The stadium was closed permanently on November 24, 1997, and the park and the infield stands were dismantled the following year. The outfield bleachers were left standing as archeological work on

3379-710: The Nishitetsu Clippers , in the Pacific League in November. On June 28, 1950, in a game against the Giants, the Pirates were on the losing side of Hideo Fujimoto 's perfect game , the first in professional Japanese baseball history. Because of ownership's inexperience in operating a sports team, management was unstable and they soon faced financial difficulties. By August, players' salaries began getting delayed soon went unpaid. Nishitetsu, realizing that Shimbun's management of

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3488-575: The Nishitetsu Lions . Mihara would go on to manage the Lions starting with the 1951 season . After the merger, the Giants argued that the Central League had the rights to Nishi Nippon's players and Yuko Minamimura and Saburo Hirai would both play for Yomiuri the following season. In the one season that the Pirates existed, the team utilized 27 players and was managed by player-manager Toshio Kojima . No Pirates players or personnel received any awards that season, nor were any ever voted into

3597-490: The Taiyo Whales and the Hiroshima Carp and dissolve the Pirates to create a six-team Central League. At a meeting of CL team representatives on January 10, 1951, the league realignment proposal was postponed. A week later, the Pirates announced former Giants' manager Osamu Mihara as the team's next manager. The initial aim of the teams' merger plan was to play in the Central League, where they could continue to play against

3706-517: The abolition of the han system forced the abandonment of the castle. Many of the buildings inside the castle grounds were taken down or moved to other locations. In 1920, ( Taishō year 9) the Kinen Yagura was relocated to Taishō temple in Yahata Higashi-ku, Kitakyushu . The building was moved back to its original location in 1983. On August 29, 1957, the castle was decreed a historic site by

3815-462: The hon-maru and Ni-no-maru, enabling simultaneous defensive fire from various levels. According to a report ("The Intelligence Report on the Provinces of Chikuzen, Chikugo, Hizen and Higo") on this castle which was made by a shōgun's shinobi or ninja-spy, there was a flower garden surrounded by bamboo bushes to the south of the reservoir. The inner castle of Fukuoka Castle is the area surrounded by

3924-651: The hon-maru through its many gates. This kuruwa is well fortified; for example, it had a kakushi-guruwa (a hidden kuruwa ), which was located to the south of the Kirinoki-zaka Gate and used for laying an ambush against an approaching enemy. Depicted in some old maps are several yaguras and something like a hitching post stable, but there are no other buildings, such as a residence complex. The rectangular Ni-no-maru measures 135 metres (443 feet) from east to west, 150 metres (490 feet) from north to south, and 15–17 metres (49–56 ft) above sea level. A map made in

4033-620: The san-no-maru , especially from the Kami-no-hashi Gateway through the Shimo-no-hashi Gateway, soldiers could move quickly to the point of attack in case of fire concentrated at some point of the castle. The san-no-maru , which is also called the san-no-kuruwa , covers a large proportion of this inner castle and is divided into an eastern section and a western section by the Matsunoki-zaka Approach, Takayashiki, and

4142-715: The Higashi-toriire Gate together with Nakajima (a man-made island on the estuary of the Naka River). To the east of Hakata there was the Ishido Entranceway and Gate, and on the south, the Tsujinodo Entranceway and Gate. Although these gates were located outside the outer castle of Fukuoka Castle, they were still designated as castle gates. Nishi Nippon Pirates The Nishi Nippon Pirates ( 西日本パイレーツ , Nishi-Nippon Pairētsu ) or Nishinippon Pirates were

4251-529: The Hizen Moat (Saga Moat), because it was excavated with the help of Nabeshima Naoshige, who was then lord of Hizen Province. The Naka Moat was about 60–110 metres (200–360 ft) wide, and the Hizen Moat was about 60–80 metres (200–260 ft) wide. Both moats are considerably wider than the moats surrounding outer castles in most of the other Japanese castles. The "Chronicle of Lord Naoshige" says that Kuroda Nagamasa sent laborers from Chikuzen to Hizen to excavate

4360-536: The Japanese government. The remnants of a korokan (鴻臚館), an ancient guest house for foreign diplomats, were discovered under the castle grounds in 1987, showing that the castle was a vital geographical checkpoint even into the Heian period . This is the only korokan remnant found in all of Japan. In 1600, Kuroda Nagamasa received huge rewards in the form of land in Chikuzen Province for his contributions during

4469-628: The Japanese government. Additional gates and yaguras were also decreed historical artifacts by the prefectural government in 1952, 1961, 1971 and 1957. Part of the second main gate was set on fire by a vandal in 2000. Reconstruction of the gate is currently under way. After his overwhelming victory in the battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Kuroda Nagamasa was installed as the ruler of Chikuzen Province which he received in exchange for his six counties in Buzen Province. He established his quarters at Najima Castle together with his father, Josui. Najima Castle

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4578-416: The Lions being sold. The new owner, unable to increase attendance, sold the Lions again in 1978 to owners that moved the team to Saitama Prefecture . With no team using Heiwadai as their dedicated home field, artificial turf was installed in early 1979 and the stadium began hosting 28 countryside NPB games for various teams on average annually starting that same year. At the end of 1988, Daiei acquired

4687-438: The Lions lost prompting fans to throw bottles of liquor onto the field. The situation continued to escalate after the game. Glass at the stadium's entrance was broken and Lotte was escorted out of the stadium at 11 pm in a Fukuoka Prefectural Police armored bus. The animosity between the two teams continued the following season and again, on May 23, fans stormed the field at Heiwadai and Lotte again left in an armored bus. While

4796-588: The Ohori Moat continuing from the south end of the Matsu-dote there was the Sugi-dote (Cedar Mound). On the Matsu-dote defensive line there was a single storey gate, the Kuro Gate, which, unlike the other gates of the outer castle, was not a masugata gate. There was a weir at the north end of the moat, and fish were kept in water taken in from the sea. In 1863, two major batteries and seven minor batteries were built along

4905-456: The areas outside the castle. Various writers of old texts differ with regard to the exterior boundaries of the outer castle of Fukuoka Castle; some indicate a smaller area, and some indicate a larger area, but when considering the viewpoint of the science of fortifications, it can be said that the Naka River, the Hizen Moat (present-day Tenjin 1-2 chome), the Naka Moat (present-day Daimyo 1-2 chome),

5014-519: The castle grounds has been converted to Maizuru Park, which houses several sports facilities, a courthouse, and an art museum. Heiwadai Baseball Stadium , the past home field of the Nishitetsu Lions and the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks , was also located on the castle grounds. Some of the castle's gates as well as its towers and turrets, known as yaguras , are preserved inside the park, one of which has been marked as an important historical artifact by

5123-432: The castle's purpose was defensive. The foundation for the dai-tenshu (large donjon) measures about 24.8 metres (81 feet) from east to west, and 22.4 metres (73 feet) from north to south, and covers an area the size of the first floor of the tenshu of Himeji Castle , which has an area of 550.025 square metres. It has long been believed that there had not been a tenshu on the foundation; however, indirect descriptions of

5232-400: The centre of Fukuoka , on top of Fukusaki hill. The Naka River ( 那珂 ) , Naka-gawa in Japanese, acts as a natural moat on the eastern side of the castle, while the western side uses a mudflat as a natural moat. Hakata , a ward with a bustling port , is located on the opposite side of the Naka River to the east. The castle town was established on the northern side, facing the sea. Much of

5341-433: The centre of the hon-maru , 23 metres (75 feet) above sea level. The hon-maru of Fukuoka Castle was divided into a northern part and a southern part by the stone foundations for the sho-tenshu (small donjon), the chū-tenshu (medium donjon), the dai-tenshu (large donjon), and the kanritsu-shiki tenshu-kuruwa (a kuruwa formed of rectangular buildings as the final strategic position in time of siege). The southern part

5450-459: The constructors of the castle had a difficult time collecting the stones. The important walls were constructed under the direction of Noguchi Sasuke Kazushige, who was renowned for his skills in construction stone walls, and who in later years participated in the construction of Edo Castle and Osaka Castle . For the castle construction, wealthy merchants, Kamiya Sotan and Shimai Soshitsu, provided greatly appreciated financial help. After completing

5559-469: The defensive lines of western fortifications. They thus bear eloquent witness to the depth of the foresight of "Kuroda Yoshitaka". The moats of Fukuoka Castle were very wide compared with the castles of other tozama-daimyos (feudal lords who did not become retainers of the Tokugawa until after the decisive victory of Tokugawa at the battle of Sekigahara in 1600). The moat is about 115 metres (377 feet) wide on

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5668-535: The details for developing an understanding of the process of castle construction. Because there had been a range of hills from the Akasaka-yama hill (present-day Sakurazaka 2 chome), which is about 30 metres (98 feet) above sea level, to the hill which was to become the site of the hon-maru , an area to the south of the castle was excavated to form a moat. The hills to the south of the moat were also excavated and altered to become gently sloping hills. The top section of

5777-444: The distances from home plate to the outfield wall were 92 metres (302 ft) to the foul poles, 110 metres (360 ft) to left- and right-center fields, and 122 metres (400 ft) to the center field wall. Its surface was natural turf until 1979, when it was converted to artificial turf until the stadium's demolition. An udon soup served at the stadium was extremely popular. During the 2014 Fukuoka Classic, Yafuoku Dome recreated

5886-434: The early 17th century shows a residence bounded by yaguras , walls, and nagayas (long structures). Another illustrated map of the castle made during the reign of the third lord, Kuroda Mitsuyuki , has a note about this kuruwa which says, "Ni-no-maru, the residence of Hizen-no-kami." Considering that Hizen-no-kami (an honorary title which meant "governor of Hizen") was the title given to the heir of Mitsuyuki, this compound

5995-664: The foundation of the dai-tenshu to deify Kuroda Nagamasa , and in An'ei 2 (1773) the Suikyo-Gongen Shrine was raised to honor Kuroda Yoshitaka in the same building. Both shrines are still in existence in their new location in Nishi-koen Park (on Arato-yama hill) as one shrine, today called the "Terumo Shrine." A ni-no-maru (as a common noun) is the second most important kuruwa . The ni-no-maru of Fukuoka Castle consists of four major kuruwas ; i.e., Ni-no-kuruwa, Ni-no-maru (as

6104-438: The infield stands were dismantled the next year. The outfield bleachers were left standing as archeological excavation on the nearby Korokan continued. They were demolished in 2008, however, after the 2005 Fukuoka earthquake damaged them and put them at risk of collapsing. Excavation at the site was completed in 2013 and the stadium's former footprint was eventually developed into a plaza lawn named Korokan Square and opened to

6213-504: The inner castle, the Tojin-machi-guchi Moat (present-day, Kuromon-gawa-dori Street), and the sea define the boundaries of the outer castle of Fukuoka Castle. The outer castle of Fukuoka Castle measures no less than about 3 km (1.9 mi) from east to west. The east side of the outer castle along the Naka River was fortified by stone walls which were about 10 metres (33 feet) high and more than 700 metres (2,300 feet) long. At

6322-633: The islands of Noko-no-shima, Itoshima, Sawara and Kashii, and the region from Noma to Teratsuka. According to old books, the stones and buildings of the dismantled Najima Castle were shipped to Fukuoka and the stones which had been used for the Genko Borui walls (walls built to thwart the Mongolian invaders) and the ancient burial mounds in and around Hirao village and the Hirao-yama hills were also reused for Fukuoka Castle. From these facts it can be inferred that

6431-439: The lord met with his retainers, the lord's living quarters, a large and a small study, a lesson room, secretaries' office, a recording room, a finance department office, anterooms for principal retainers and five commissioners, an apartment complex for court ladies, a kitchen, a granary which stored the five primary food staples, a charcoal storehouse, an archive, a treasury storehouse, a noh stage, and no less than 15 wells. On

6540-522: The lord's position or opinion or not) were held. In the hon-maru , there were some Shinto shrines, as in the case of many other castles in Japan. On the west of the foundation of the dai-tenshu (large donjon), there was a Niyakuichioji Shrine. This shrine was a branch of the Kego Shrine, which was dedicated to three gods of war. In Meiwa 5 (1768), the Seisho-Gongen Shrine was built to the east of

6649-520: The map of "The Intelligence Report on the Provinces of Chikuzen, Chikugo, Hizen and Higo", which was written by a shōgun's shinobi and compiled in Kan'ei -4 (1627), probably reflect the early days of this castle. The "Illustrated Map of All Fukuoka and Hakata", made in Shōhō -3 (1646), shows different structural divisions in the western section. According to this map, there were five residences for principal retainers in

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6758-691: The midpoint of the stone walls, at the entrance from the Nakajima-nishi Bridge, was the Higashi-toriire Gate. The Higashi-toriire Gate was composed of the Kita-mon (the North Gatehouse), the Minami-mon (the South Gatehouse), and a yagura . (A gateway structure where a masugata gateway has two gatehouses facing each other, or where a yagura is placed facing the front of a masugata gate forecourt,

6867-600: The moat on the east of the North Gate Entranceway of Saga Castle in return for the Hizen Moat construction. The moat, excavated with the help of Nagamasa, was called the Chikuzen Moat. On the west side of the outer castle, there was the Tojin-machi-kuchi Moat (Yana Moat) which was about 17–35 metres (56–115 ft) wide. Along the eastern side of this moat, there was the Matsu-dote (Pine Mound), while along

6976-407: The morning. With fans already at the stadium, the decision was made to postpone the game instead of cancelling it. The game finally started at 4:55 pm, almost two hours after its scheduled start time. With the 7:29 pm sunset just over two and a half hours away, it would have been feasible to complete a full game, however, the rain continued. A 15-minute, first-inning interruption followed by

7085-482: The mound of the inner castle is about 8 meters (26 feet) along the Ohori Moat (Big Moat), 12 metres (39 feet) on the east side, 17 metres (56 feet) at the southeast corner of the mizunote , and 16 metres (52 feet) to the west of the hon-maru above sea level. On the north side, although most of the mound is damaged, it can be inferred that it was about 10 metres above sea level if we consider the detailed accounts of "The Illustrated Map of All Fukuoka and Hakata". Except on

7194-469: The national spotlight. In the aftermath, Yuasa was later dismissed as manager on July 27. In response to this incident, Nishitstsu applied for and received approval from Fukuoka to install lights in 1954. Heiwadai Stadium's first night game feature the Lions competing against the Nankai Hawks on June 2, 1954. During a game against the Daiei Stars on August 29, 1953, Lions' infielder Futoshi Nakanishi hit

7303-532: The next season, allowing Heiwadai to host its first Japan Series during the 1953 series . During the team's "Golden Age", Nishitetsu won three straight Japan Series from 1956 to 1958 . For the 1956 Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants, temporary stands were constructed and infield seating was added to increase the stadium's capacity and help meet fan demand. After winning two consecutive championships, Nishitetsu decided to dramatically renovate and modernize

7412-669: The north of the O-shita-no-yashiki Residence, there were two sections of structures previously used as the principal retainer's residences. This site was then used for the Kita-no-maru (an annex to the O-shita-no-yashiki Residence where the mistresses of the lord lived), the firewood storehouse, the treasurer's residence, treasure houses, a wood workshop, and a flower garden. On the south of the O-shita-no-yashiki Residence there were two sections of structures previously used as principal retainers' residences. These were replaced by

7521-423: The north side of the hon-maru are rectangular flanking projections which increase the castle's defensibility; the iri-sumis (receded corners) on the south side of the hon-maru also increase the castle's defensibility because they permit cross fire at the enemy at the southern corners of the hon-maru . The top of the foundation of the dai- tenshu (large donjon) is 36.3 metres (119 feet) above sea level, and at

7630-424: The other Fukuoka -based Nishitetsu Clippers to form the Nishitetsu Lions in the Pacific League . During the Japanese Baseball League 's (JBL) 1949–50 offseason, the Fukuoka -based Nishinippon Shimbun and Nishitetsu Railroad , newspaper and railroad companies, respectively, planned to jointly create a professional baseball team. The plan broke down, however, when the JBL decided to reorganize and split into

7739-407: The other Orion players against the assault. Yuasa attempted to defuse the situation by apologizing over the PA system. Eventually, the team managed to get out of the stadium with the help of a police escort. In addition to police, the U.S. Army in Fukuoka was also mobilized and the chaos wasn't contained until midnight. The event received media attention throughout Japan and thrust Heiwadai Stadium into

7848-703: The outer castle was demarcated by the inner castle and two linear moats along with mound lines, the total length of which was 1,200 metres (3,900 feet). There were three gates along the mound lines. These were called the Akasaka Gate, the Yakui Gate, and the Kazuma Gate (Haruyoshi Gate), respectively from west to east. The moat between the Akasaka Gate Entranceway and the Yakui Gate Entranceway was called

7957-411: The plan and instead allow a sports ground to be built on the site. In 1948, Maizuru Park was established and Heiwadai Athletic Stadium was developed in the park to host the 3rd National Sports Festival that same year from October 29 to November 3. The name heiwadai ( 平和台 , 'peace hill') was chosen to commemorate the site's transformation into a place of peace. In March 1949, the city council passed

8066-596: The plan to grow the rivalry was a success, it did not lead to an overall increase in attendance. The team was sold once again in 1977, this time to the Crown Lighter company. Following the 1978 season in which the team only drew 780,000 fans to Heiwadai, the team was sold to the Seibu Group and the franchise moved northward to Tokorozawa , Saitama Prefecture . With the Lions gone and no team to use Heiwadai Stadium as their dedicate home field, Heiwadai Baseball Corporation

8175-461: The popular Giants. However, this plan was complicated when the team hired Mihara and also tried to acquire Giants' hitter Noboru Aota , as the Giants and other CL teams found the attempt problematic. With the relationship with the other Central League teams in trouble, it was instead announced on January 30 that the Pirates' merger with the Clippers would result in the formation of a Pacific League team,

8284-473: The project, Yoshitaka and Nagamasa named the castle, "Fukuoka", in commemoration of the land of his forefathers, which is present-day Fukuoka, Setouchi-shi, Okayama Prefecture. A hon-maru is a kuruwa located in the heart of a Japanese castle, which is a complex of kuruwas . Fukuoka Castle was built in the style of Teikaku-shiki or Hashigokaku-shiki (a plan in which the hon-maru, ni-no-maru , and san-no-maru share common defensive lines on one side, because

8393-498: The public in 2016. Today, part of the outer outfield walls are the only portion of the stadium that still remain. In March 2002, the Nishitetsu Lions Alumni Association erected a commemorative plaque was at the stadium's former entrance. Since its demolition, both the Lions and the Hawks have held events celebrating their former home. At the first Lions Classic event in 2008, stone from the stadium's outfield wall

8502-399: The quarries which provided stones for the castle's construction. This practice enabled administrators to accurately credit retainers with their contribution. The inner castle of Fukuoka Castle is clearly defined by mounds and moats from the outer castle and the extramural areas. Most of the mounds are well preserved today and they still show the defense capability they offered. The height of

8611-548: The residences that were aligned along the edge of the northern moat of the inner castle, from the eastern edge of the inner castle to the Shimo-no-hashi Gateway. On the east of the Ni-no-maru, there was another residence which was initially occupied by Inoue Suo. These residences were continuously occupied by principal retainers from the time of the castle's completion through the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The principal retainers who resided in these residences were often required by their lord's command to relocate there, as were

8720-525: The residents in the castle town. These retainers' residences, which were all approximately the same size, enabled an effective defensive disposition. A castle's garrison of soldiers is said to have been one to two soldiers per tsubo (4 m .), and accordingly, each residence could contain 1000–2000 soldiers. After the completion of the castle, in the western section of the inner castle were the Daikan-cho residential quarters. The structural divisions depicted on

8829-636: The ruins continued nearby until they were demolished in 2008 due to safety concerns. After World War II , the former site of Fukuoka Castle and later the 24th Infantry Regiment of the 12th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army was requisitioned by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) to construct dormitories. Heita Okabe, the chairman of National Sports Festival preparation committee, however, negotiated with SCAP to abandon

8938-425: The shorelines of the outer castle, as well as other batteries around Hakata Bay due to the threat of foreign invasion. Defensive elements can also be seen in the areas outside the castle. To the east of the outer castle, Hakata had already been fortified when castle construction began. The defensive lines of this mercantile city probably appeared during the time of the Mongolian invasions in the late 13th century, when

9047-464: The silt in the flows would be carried to the sea by the river. After these works, the dimensions of the Ohori Moat were reduced; the water surface was however still more than twice as large as the present Ohori. An outer castle is a kuruwa that includes the castle town, comprising samurai quarters, commoners' dwellings and temples. This kuruwa is clearly demarcated by defensive lines which consisted of moats, mound lines and gates that separated it from

9156-497: The south but also a kind of kakushi-guruwa (hidden kuruwa ) where an ambush could be laid to launch a pincer attack from this kuruwa and the hon-maru on enemy soldiers approaching the hon-maru . Some documents indicate that there was a residence for the deputy castellan (the lord's councilor who was in charge of the castle during the lord's absence). The mizunote , which has a dimension of about 120 metres (390 feet) from east to west and 160 metres (520 feet) from north to south,

9265-403: The southeast, and on the south, where there are high mounds on both sides of the moat, about 45 metres (148 feet), while to the north of the castle, it is about 70 metres (230 feet) wide on average. The Ohori Moat (Big Moat) has a width of about 600 metres (2,000 feet), even after the construction of the Odote Causeway on the west of the Ohori Moat. The single, wide moat surrounding the inner castle

9374-542: The southern side, the mound of the inner castle was usually characterized by a koshimaki-sekirui or a mizutataki-ishigaki (a revetment constructed at the lower part of the mound), some of which can still be seen. In addition, around the gates were strengthened stone walls, which are 10 metres (33 feet) high. In Keicho 20 (1615), the mound was planted with pine trees that acted as shitomi-uemono (visual barriers), prevented landslides, and served as windbreaks, as flaming torches, as building materials, and as emergency food. On

9483-536: The stadium's construction, the Japanese Baseball League reorganized into a two-league system. The single league was split into the Central League (CL) and the Pacific League (PL), creating Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). For NPB's inaugural season , the CL's newly created Nishi Nippon Pirates used Heiwadai Stadium as its home. Additionally, the PL's newly created Nishitetsu Clippers used it as

9592-535: The stadium's seating capacity was increased from 24,000 to 34,000, the center field scoreboard was replaced, and indoor bullpens , locker rooms, and player bathrooms were built. The modernization project cost ¥157.71 million, paid for by Nishitetsu and donated to Fukuoka, and wasn't completed until April 26, 1958. The Lions opened the 1958 season playing their home games at the newly constructed Kokura Stadium in Kitakyushu since construction wasn't completed before

9701-409: The stadium. Architectural firm Nikken Sekkei Komu was hired to design the renovation. As Heiwadai was managed by the city of Fukuoka, Nishitetsu requested and acquired permission to proceed with the renovations following the conclusion of the 1957 season . Among the changes, the wooden stands were replaced with reinforced concrete , seats were installed in the previously earthen outfield seating area,

9810-462: The start of the season. Later that year, on July 27, Heiwadai hosted its first of seven All-Star games . The 1963 Japan Series was the last held at Heiwadai. In 1969, a game-fixing and gambling conspiracy dubbed the Black Mist Scandal was uncovered and resulted in several key Lions players being suspended or banned from baseball. The loss of these players dramatically weakened Nishitetsu and

9919-505: The stone walls between them. The foundation level of the western section is 5–6 metres (16–20 ft) above sea level, while the eastern section is 2–3 metres higher than the western section within the mound lines along the moats, which were 8–17 metres above sea level. The height of Takayashiki is approximately 13 metres (43 feet). In the eastern section, soon after the castle's completion, Kuroda Zusho, Kuroda Yoshin, Mori/Bori Tajima, and Kuriyama Bingo (principal retainers) initially occupied

10028-489: The team finished in last place for three consecutive seasons from 1970 to 1972 ; the team would not recover from the scandal for the rest of the 1970s. By the end of 1972, the average attendance at Heiwadai had dropped to 4,900 people per game, or 320,000 annually. In the offseason, Nishitetsu sold the team to former Lotte Orions owner Nagayoshi Nakamura who renamed the team the Taiheiyo Club Lions after securing

10137-621: The team merged with the Clippers to form the Nishitetsu Lions who made Heiwadai their full-time home starting in the 1951 season . In 1952, the franchise system was established, granting the Lions the exclusive rights to professional baseball-events in Fukuoka Prefecture and cementing Heiwadai Stadium as their dedicated home stadium. When Heiwadai Stadium was first constructed, it lacked lighting equipment to accommodate night games , therefore games had to be completed before sunset. A game

10246-475: The team merged with the Clippers to form the Nishitetsu Lions who made Heiwadai their full-time home starting in the 1951 season . When it was built, the stadium's stands consisted of only wood benches placed atop a dirt mound. It also lacked any lighting equipment to accommodate night games . In 1952, a fan riot ensued at Heiwadai after the Mainichi Orions deliberately delayed a game they were losing to force

10355-469: The team was failing, proposed a merger and officially agreed to it in September. The team finished the season sixth out of eighth in the Central League. However, because of the large talent discrepancy between the top and bottom teams, the Pirates' record was 50–83–3 and they finished 48  games behind the first-place Shochiku Robins . After the season, the team fought a proposal by Yomiuri to merge

10464-411: The topography and the castle plan gives a particular advantage to that side) and its hon-maru is situated in the south of the inner castle. The hon-maru measures 125 metres (410 feet) from east to west, and 230 metres (750 feet) from north to south. The hon-maru is shaped like an abbreviated form of a cross because of the complicated exterior lines of stone walls. The de-sumis (salient corners) on

10573-517: The west of Takayashiki. This is the residence which was newly built in the same year, and it went by the name of O-shita-no-yashiki. From this time, the lord's residence did not move until the end of Tokugawa Shogunate. In Hōreki -13 (1763), a considerable part of the O-shita-no-yashiki Residence was destroyed by fire and reconstructed the following year. The residence then underwent renovation in Meiwa -7 (1770). The residence contained an audience chamber where

10682-439: The western and eastern sides, the mound lines have many ori (cremaillere, a front or face with receding steps, which consists of short and long branches) which permit flanking fire. The byobu-ori (tenaille lines formed by making alternate angles salient and re-entering), which can be seen from the south of the inner castle to the area to the east of the inner castle, is enormous. In general, byobu-ori have been shown to resemble

10791-523: The western section, and the lord's residence was on the west of the stone wall between the Matsunoki-zaka Approach and the Kirinoki-zaka Approach. The only other facility depicted in the map besides the residences was an independent section of the finance department to the south of Takayashiki. A facsimile of a map which was supposedly made in Kanbun -11 (1671) shows that the lord's residence had moved to

10900-457: Was an impregnable castle. However, when the aspects of politics and economics were considered, it turned out to be undesirable as the administrative centre of the province, for it seemed impossible to construct an extensive castle town because of the river on the south, the sea on the north and the west, and the foothills on the east. On top of that, the castle was located far from Hakata, a large business centre. Accordingly, Nagamasa and Josui made

11009-408: Was called off if it was not finished by sundown and if five innings were completed, it would be considered an official game and count toward the standings. However, if five innings were completed, the game would be cancelled and would not be an official game. On July 16, 1952, the Mainichi Orions were scheduled to play Nishitetsu at Heiwadai at 3:00 pm, however it had been raining in Fukuoka since

11118-430: Was disbanded following World War II, the ruins of the castle were left as one of the few, large open areas within the city of Fukuoka . The large space was eventually utilized to build Hewaidai Stadium next to the castle's ruins and moat. Spectators were able to climb atop trees and the castle's remaining stone walls to see inside the ballpark. The stadium's playing field was traditionally Japanese, curved and symmetrical;

11227-588: Was displayed outside of Seibu Dome during a series devoted to Heiwadai against the Hawks. During a similar event in 2014, the Fukuoka Classic, the Hawks modified Yafuoku Dome 's scoreboard to resemble the Heiwadai Stadium's scoreboard during the team's time there. After the Meiji Restoration , Fukuoka Castle was abandoned and its grounds were converted into military facility. When the Japanese military

11336-567: Was especially impressive, giving the castle the name "Seki-jō" (literally "Stone Castle"). The castle and castle town were renamed "Fukuoka" from "Fukusaki", after Fukuoka of Bizen Province (current Setouchi, Okayama ), where the Kuroda family had originated. Several minor repairs were made during the Edo period, and full-scale renovation was conducted during the Bakumatsu period. In 1871, ( Meiji year 4)

11445-453: Was established to help continue hosting professional baseball games at the stadium. The field was converted to artificial turf in April 1979, and starting that same year, various Central and Pacific League teams held 28 countryside games there on average annually. At the end of 1988, Nankai Electric Railway sold the struggling Hawks to Daiei who then moved the team to Fukuoka. Starting with

11554-477: Was located on a peninsula projecting into Hakata Bay on the north of the estuary of the Tatara River. The castle fundamentally consisted of the hon-maru , the ni-no-maru , and the san-no-maru , respectively ranging from west to east, and extending for over 900 metres (3,000 feet) ( maru is here a term referring to a space within a castle's grounds). Built by Kobayakawa Takakage, an illustrious Japanese general, it

11663-511: Was located to the north of the foundation of the dai-tenshu (large donjon), served as a domicile for lords until the second lord, Kuroda Tadayuki, built a new residence in the san-no-maru . In the hon-maru residence, there was a 56 tatami-mat (109 sq.m. in Chikuzen) audience chamber and the Shaka-no-ma (Buddha Room) where Iken-kai (regular meetings in which principal retainers were permitted to freely speak their opinions whether they agreed with

11772-410: Was situated to the east of the hon-maru . The mizunote is a kuruwa which has a well or a reservoir for drinking water. In Fukuoka Castle, the mizunote was built with a catchment reservoir which, in times of siege, also played the role of a sutebori-moat which forced the enemies to take a roundabout way to attack. In addition to the sutebori-moat, there was an L-shaped obi-guruwa along the sides of

11881-453: Was used as the residence of the heir to the lordship, at least when the map was made in the late 17th century. In addition, another old document indicates that the residence of Mitsuyuki, then the heir of Lord Tadayuki, was in the Ni-no-maru, while yet another document says that during the reign of the fifth lord Nobumasa, his uncle Nagakiyo, the lord of the county of Nogata, had stayed in the Ni-no-maru when he visited Fukuoka. The kuruwa , which

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