Official

I have it.

The south side of Hamarikyu Onshi Garden.

As a garden for the Tokugawa Shogunate, a space located in the middle of the Shioiri Pond, which draws seawater and changes its taste with the ebb and flow of the tide, and the Shinsenza Kamoba, which stands as a place for falconry.

That's the "Baba Site" (Site of Riding Ground).

If you don't look closely at the information board, it's hard to tell if this place was the trace of Baba.

However, in the Hamarikyu Onshi Garden, which is a special scenic spot and a special historic site, this is a seemingly vacant lot, so it will be out of the so-called highlights.

But wait a moment.

If you listen to the swaying of the trees, you can feel the absence of horses in distant times, the sound of hoofs, and the windbreak of the flag finger on the back of the warriors?

I found a new commentary board in the ruins of Baba.

There were a lot of interesting descriptions.

In the Edo period, this was the garden of the Shogun family, so let's call it "Hamagoten".

Yatsushiro Shogun Yoshimune Tokugawa is interested in animals around the world and imports rare animals such as elephants, camels and peacocks through Director Dutch trading post.

Among them were Western horses (Persia horses).

In addition, Yoshimune invites foreign equestrians.

He lived in Hamagoten and taught retainer how to operate and breed Western horses.

At that time, horses were the closest animals to humans, a means of quickly communicating information, and a role in transporting heavy objects.

And in battle scenes, it is a highly accurate blowing device capable of moving forward and forth as an equestrian corps.

Possessing Western horses with superior physique and leg strength compared to domestic horses would have had excellent military functions at that time.

Baba had a strong military element in which martial arts training was done.

※　Imagine that a tower and a painted fence were built on this stone wall.

The Baba of Hamagoten was used as a place to breed horses and learn Western equestrianism because it was a solid fortress that served as a castle of Edo Castle, surrounded by moats and stone walls, protruding toward the sea. I think it was.

Prevent intrusion from outside and prevent leakage of important military secrets.

Baba, which is deep in the Hama Goten, sandwiched between Kamoba and Shioiri Ponds and lurking in the trees, can be inferred from its built position.

Do you think too much?

I didn't arrive at the material to grasp the size of Baba, but I was able to get an overview from the commentary board installed on the south side of Baba.

Surrounded by banks and drains, 145m north-south (about 80 spaces) and 14m east-west (about 8 spaces).

It's amazing.

In other words, you can see the appearance of the Edo period almost in front of you.

The commentary board mentioned earlier stated, "There were two Babas."

It is said that this was called Uchibaba, and the eastern road of the site of Yan Liaokan was called Omoteba.

If it is said again that it is a trace of Baba, I feel like a horse running around sand smoke comes up from the other side of this straight street.

Going east from Uchibababa and facing the tide pond, the giant maple tree, which is said to have been ordered by Yoshimune from China, is high and extends the branches and leaves widely.

The young, light green leaves are now shining.